Children, Youth & Families
Abt identifies effective practices and more responsive programs to improve the well-being of children and families and prepare young adults for adulthood. Our state-of-the-art research and evaluation build evidence and helps answer hard questions about what works. We deliver the resulting data and technical assistance to guide informed choices about approaches to advance family economic independence, address adolescent behavioral health, and expand effective services for children and families. We collaborate with people with lived experience and expertise and key decision makers at all levels to promote equity for both children and caregivers.
Expertise
- Research, Monitoring, Evaluation
- Technical Assistance and Strategic Advising
- Systematic Evidence Reviews and Clearinghouses
- Digital and Data Services for Informed Decision-Making
Clients Include
Administration for Children & Families (ACF)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
Office of Population Affairs
State, Local, and Tribal Organizations
Foundations and other Non-profits
Our Work
Study of recovery coaching for parental substance use disorder to determine its effectiveness in improving parent and child well-being
Advanced collaborative approaches to prevent child maltreatment through a cross-site process evaluation and evaluation technical assistance
Standards and procedures to rate the efficacy of programs and services support to children and families to prevent foster care placements
Determination of core components and best practices for success of various youth programs, from mental health to welfare settings to schools
Finding that a clinic-based individualized program for female adolescents changed teen pregnancy prevention behavior
Promising strategies in a transitional living program to address differing needs of youth experiencing homelessness
Our Experts
Insights
When Compassion Calls: Addressing the Well-Being of Child Welfare Workers
"We don’t have any food. They are going to take my kids! Can you help me?" The desperate plea of a mother came through my voicemail. It was dinner time; I had already left the office for the day. I had been working with this family for months to address several safety risk factors. It was a tough case, and my job as a Prevention Specialist with the Department of Social Services (DSS) was to keep this family safely intact. I felt the weight of this responsibility every day. I knew if I did not intervene, foster care would be imminent for the children. However, the call came during the few hours I slept between jobs. I made less than $30,000 per year at DSS and, to make ends meet, worked a second full-time job at a residential program for youth aging out of foster care.
Reaching Equity: Data, Collaboration, and the Social Determinants of Health
Chris Tappan and Lori Hunter discuss data, collaboration between agencies, and the vital importance of equitable services in this episode of The Intersect.
Children, Youth and Families
Online Tool for Systematic Evidence Review
Abt developed an Online Review Tool to help screen studies, conduct systematic evidence reviews, and provide a public website to disseminate review findings.
Yes, We Can! – Strategies for Raising Compensation for the Child Care Workforce
Inadequate compensation of the early care and education (ECE) workforce has been a persistent problem in the U.S. and has reached a critical juncture. Particularly in the current economic environment, childcare providers are struggling to find and retain qualified educators, leaving fewer options for parents and less quality care and education for their young children. At the same time, those who do serve as early childhood educators, disproportionately women and individuals of color, often contend with low pay, limited benefits, and few opportunities for job advancement.
My Kids Deserve the World: How Children in the Southeast Benefit from Guaranteed Income
This brief provides early insights from parents into how guaranteed income pilot programs improving outcomes for their families.