Includes such topics as adoption, immigration, infant mortality, and blended families.

On 20 November 2009, the global community celebrates the 20th anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the unique document that sets international standards for the care, treatment and protection of all individuals below age 18. To celebrate this landmark, the United Nations Children's Fund is dedicating a special edition of its flagship report The State of the World's Children to examining the Convention's evolution, progress achieved on child rights, challenges remaining, and actions to be taken to ensure that its promise becomes a reality for all children.

Those who make and implement policies for children and families are seriously hampered by several features of the federal statistical system: categorical fragmentation, sampling strategies that follow adults and families rather than children, and lack of longitudinal data on children. This volume examines the adequacy of federal statistics on children and families. It includes papers on the relevant aspects of health care reform, family and community resources, interpersonal violence, the transition to school, and educational attainment and the transition to work.

This report presents nationwide data on the well-being of U.S. children. The statistical report is based on indicators of child well-being such as family income and mortality rates. The first part of the report, "Population and Family Characteristics," presents data that illustrate the changes that have taken place during the past few decades in six key demographic measures including children as a proportion of the U.S. population, family structure, and difficulty speaking English. The second part of the report, "Indicators of Children's Well-Being," presents data on 26 key indicators in the following areas: (1) "Economic Security," including family income, secure parental employment, housing, and access to health care; (2) "Health," including activity limitation, infant and child mortality rates, and immunization rates; (3) "Behavior and Social Environment," including substance abuse, and youth victims and perpetrators of serious violent crimes; (4) "Education," including family reading to young children, and youths neither enrolled in school nor working; and (5) "Special Features," which covers blood lead levels, and child care. For each background measure in the report's first section and for each indicator in the second section, three types of information are presented: a short statement about why the measure or indicator is important to understanding the condition of children, figures showing important facts about trends or population groups for each indicator, and highlights with information on current status, recent trends, and important differences by population groups noted. Two appendices contain detailed tables of data and data source descriptions. The report notes that several indicators show an improving picture of the well-being of most children, but those living below the poverty line continue to compare unfavorably with those above the poverty line, and there is also disparity in well-being for different race and ethnic groups. Death rates among adolescents and birth rates among adolescent females have declined; there has also been a decline in the rates for which youths 12 to 17 were either victimized by serious violent crime or perpetrated violent crime; substance abuse, however, has increased. (HTH)

The death of a child is a special sorrow. No matter the circumstances, a child's death is a life-altering experience. Except for the child who dies suddenly and without forewarning, physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel usually play a central role in the lives of children who die and their families. At best, these professionals will exemplify "medicine with a heart." At worst, families' encounters with the health care system will leave them with enduring painful memories, anger, and regrets. When Children Die examines what we know about the needs of these children and their families, the extent to which such needs areâ€"and are notâ€"being met, and what can be done to provide more competent, compassionate, and consistent care. The book offers recommendations for involving child patients in treatment decisions, communicating with parents, strengthening the organization and delivery of services, developing support programs for bereaved families, improving public and private insurance, training health professionals, and more. It argues that taking these steps will improve the care of children who survive as well as those who do notâ€"and will likewise help all families who suffer with their seriously ill or injured child. Featuring illustrative case histories, the book discusses patterns of childhood death and explores the basic elements of physical, emotional, spiritual, and practical care for children and families experiencing a child's life-threatening illness or injury.