Marci Ybarra

More than Meets the Eye: Gaining Insight into the Lives of “Successful” Welfare Leavers

Past research on welfare reform finds inconsistent earnings and high poverty rates among former participants. We know relatively little, however, about those who leave welfare and have some measure of economic success. This qualitative study explores the everyday lives of former welfare applicants who had improved earnings in the year after leaving welfare. We find that access to formal and informal support is critical to the success of women leaving welfare. Employment circumstances, in particular job protection, are also important in both economic progress and decline. We discuss policy areas that may bolster and help sustain economic growth post-welfare participation.

The Children's Bureau and Passage of the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921: Early Social Work Macro Practice in Action

The Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921 was the first major piece of federal legislation passed in the United States to focus on infant and maternal health. Following its implementation, the U.S. infant mortality rate dropped significantly. A central factor leading to passage of the Act was a body of research conducted by the U.S. Childrens Bureau. This research—largely conducted by early social workers—included detailed field studies, analyses of national and state trends in child and maternal health, and cross-national comparisons. This article discusses how the research led to the development of the Act, analyzes the relative importance of the research in the legislative debate, and remarks upon the lessons that this history offers for social workers today.

Are Strong Work-First Welfare Policies Aligned With Generous Child Care Provisions? What States Are Doing and the Implications for Social Work

Welfare reform devolved authority to states in designing and implementing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child care subsidy programs, thereby creating substantial variation in both programs across states. TANF and child care subsidy programs are, in theory, designed to work together to support employment among low-income families, yet we have little information on how these two programs collectively impact work and family life among the target population. This study examines the intensity of TANF work requirements and generosity of child care subsidy provisions across states and the interaction of the two programs. Overall, we find that states with stringent work requirements do not typically provide generous child care subsidies. This article discusses the implications for families, policy, and social work practice in light of our findings.