Child policy expert to speak on the effects of welfare reform Oct. 29
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

October 25, 2004

Contact: Sallie Barker, Georgia Health Policy Center, (404) 463- 9337, sbarker@gsu.edu

Child policy expert to speak on the effects of welfare reform Oct. 29

ATLANTA , Ga. - Welfare reform and anti-poverty laws are affecting the well-being of children, according to leading scholar Pamela Morris, who will kick off this year's Child Policy Speaker Series at Georgia State University on Friday, Oct. 29.

Morris, a senior research associate with Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, will present findings from the Next Generation project at 11 a.m. in Georgia State's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies building at 14 Marietta St. (7th floor seminar room). The event is free and open to the public.

The Next Generation project is a research collaboration focused on understanding how welfare and antipoverty policies aimed at changing economic circumstances of low-income parents also affect the well-being of children.

"Welfare and anti-poverty policies can have a positive impact on children's development if they increase employment and income," said Morris. "But increasing employment alone does not appear sufficient to foster the healthy development of children."

America 's welfare system has been transformed since President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, most notably through more stringent work requirements and time limits on cash assistance. Today federal and state level governments are offering financial work supports of record proportion to low-income parents. A top priority on the national agenda is to understand how these changes in the safety net are affecting children, Morris says.

"Children living in poverty are at risk of low achievement, behavior problems and health problems," Morris said. "The Next Generation project provides policymakers interested in using welfare policy as a means of improving these outcomes some evidence to inform their choices," Morris said.

Sponsored by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and presented by the Georgia Health Policy Center, this year's Child Policy Speaker Series will bring three additional speakers to Atlanta: Richard Barth, professor of social work at the University of North Carolina, who will discuss "Adoption and Safe Families Act: Current and Predicted Outcomes of Policy Implementation" at 3 p.m. Nov. 17; Greg Duncan, professor of education and social policy at Northwestern University, who will discuss "Neighborhoods and Child Well-Being: Moving to Opportunity Demonstration Project" at 3 p.m. Dec. 1; and Tammy Mann of the Early Head Start: Zero to Three program, who will discuss "Supporting the Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Early Care and Education" at 3 p.m. Feb. 25. For more information, visit www.gsu.edu/ghpc.

Georgia Health Policy Center, established in 1995 at Georgia State's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, offers a community-based, multidisciplinary approach to improving health status at the community level.

###