The landmark National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) study represents the first effort to gather nationally representative data, based on first-hand reports, about the well-being of children and families who encounter the child welfare system. NSCAW's findings offer an unprecedented national source of data that describe the developmental status and functional characteristics of children who come to the attention of child protective services. Much more than a simple history of placements or length of stay in foster care, NSCAW data chart the trajectory of families across service pathways for a multi-dimensional view of their specific needs. The NSCAW survey is longitudinal, contains direct assessments and reports about each child from multiple sources, and is designed to address questions of relations among children's characteristics and experiences, their development, their pathways through the child welfare service system, their service needs, their service receipt, and, ultimately, their well-being over time.The chapters in this rich synthesis of NSCAW data represent thoughtful and increasingly sophisticated approaches to the problems highlighted in the study and in child welfare research in general. The authors capitalize on the longitudinal, multidimensional data to capture the experiences of children and families from the time they are investigated by CPS though multiple follow-up points, and to consider the interdependent nature of the traditional child welfare outcomes of safety, permanence, and well-being. The topics covered not only are critical to child welfare practice and policy, but also are of compelling interest to other child service sectors such as health, mental health, education, and juvenile justice. The authors of chapters in this volume are esteemed researchers within psychology, social work, economics, and public health. Together they represent the future of child welfare research, showcasing the potential of NSCAW as a valuable resource to the research community and providing glimpses of how the data can be used to inform practice and policy.

1. Study Design and MethodsPaul P. Biemer, Kathryn L. Dowd, and Mary Bruce WebbPart I. Moving Toward a Developmental Framework in Child Welfare2. Quality of the Early Caregiving Environment and Preschool Well-Being: An Examination of Children Entering the Child Welfare System During InfancyBrenda Jones Harden, Jessica Vick, Gregory Hancock, and Kevin Wang3. Risk and Resilience Among Children Referred to the Child Welfare System: A Longitudinal Investigation of Child Well-Being in Multiple DomainsAnne Shaffer, Byron Egeland, and Kevin Wang4. Latent Classification of Physical Abuse as a Predictor of Adolescent FunctioningCharles V. Izzo, Elliot G. Smith, John J. Eckenrode, Paul P. Biemer, and Sharon L. Christ5. Effects of Intimate-Partner Violence on Child PsychopathologyWilliam Gardner, Kelly Kelleher, and Kathleen PajerPart II. Child Welfare, Social Capital, and Child Well-Being6. Comparative Safety, Stability, and Continuity of Children's Placements in Formal and Informal Substitute CareMark Testa, Christina M. Bruhn, and Jesse Helton7. The Social Capital of Youth in Foster Care: An Assessment and Policy ImplicationsMatthew Stagner and Daniel Kuehn8. Explaining Reunification and Reentry 3 Years After Placement in Out-of-Home CareRichard P. Barth, Shenyang Guo, Sharon L. Christ, Christina M. Bruhn, and Rebecca L. Green9. Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Initial Child Welfare Experience: Exploring Areas of Convergence and DivergenceRobert M. Ortega, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, Mary Ruffolo, Jenell Clarke, and Rebecca KarbPart III. The Survey Study Design and Mental Health Services Research10. Patterns and Predictors of Mental Health Services Use by Children in Contact with the Child Welfare SystemSarah McCue Horwitz, Michael S. Hurlburt, and Jinjin Zhang11. Exits from Out-of-Home Care and Continuity of Mental Health Service UseJohn Landsverk, Michael S. Hurlburt, Laurel Leslie, Jennifer Rolls, and Jinjin Zhang12. Caregiver Depression, Mental Health Service Use, and Child OutcomesBarbara J. Burns, Sarah A. Mustillo, Elizabeth M. Z. Farmer, David J. Kolko, Julie McCrae, Anne M. Libby, and Mary Bruce Webb13. Organizational Climate and Service Outcomes in Child Welfare SystemsCharles Glisson14. Information Management, Interagency Collaboration, and Outcomes in Child Welfare AgenciesE. Michael Foster, Rebecca Wells, and Yu Bai