Analysis Reports

The analysis and planning studies provide a clear picture of critical issues impacting the lives of families in Hillsborough County. The Children’s Board funds these analysis studies so concerned citizens and community groups can join together and examine common problems and develop action plans to address them.

The Children's Board publishes reports covering the local studies we fund. To request bound copies of publications listed below, please contact Marci Krekorian at 813-229-2884 or marcik@childrensboard.org

Please Note: Most of the documents listed below are available in PDF (Portable Document Format), downloadable by clicking the titles. Some of these files are large and make take a few minutes to download. In order to open PDFs you'll need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader application. Use the provided link to get the latest version.

Juvenile Justice
School System
Special Needs
Welfare Reform

Child Protection/Child Welfare/Dependency Court System

The Adoption Experience - Challenges to Success - November 2007: As public and private adoptions have increased significantly in Hillsborough County in the last three years, numerous child advocates and entities in the county have voiced concerns regarding the service delivery system that supports adoptions in the Tampa Bay area. Reports from advocates of adoptive parents seeking help throughout the county, for those who are lucky enough to know where to look for help, have led to concerns about the limited scope of services, funding and the presence of barriers to accessing available supports. This study sought to pinpoint critical factors that correlated with successful adoptive placements, to determine standard practices missing from the service delivery system that could generate more success, and to gather critical data and input from the many stakeholders affected by adoptions.
Hillsborough County Alternate Care Plan 2006: September 2006 - Available on-line and in print. This report provides an update to the previous plan developed in 1996 by describing the current strengths and challenges in Hillsborough County’s Child Welfare system. It also evaluates the progress Hillsborough County has made in comparison with the performance and stated objectives contained in the Alternate Care Plan for Hillsborough and Manatee Counties (March 1996) and the comprehensive child welfare plan, Building a Better Child Welfare System: A Community Plan for Hillsborough County (December 2000). Finally, this report provides specific recommendations to improve current performance and best use of limited resources.
Building a Better Child Welfare System: A Communities Plan for Hillsborough County: December 2000 - Available on-line only. This plan was undertaken in response to House Bill 3217, an act providing for the privatization of foster care and related services. Five work groups were formed to examine 1) prevention services, 2) early intervention, 3) out-of-home care, 4) specialized therapeutic services, and 5) connecting families to community support. In each case, the groups were asked to identify local and best practice programs; list the barriers to effective service delivery; identify priorities for service expansion and new services; identify next steps for improving services to children and families; seek opportunities to improve service collaboration; and develop creative ideas for funding.
Dependency Court Study: An Analysis of Findings Related to the Legal Process of Timely Permanency Planning: April 2002 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis was undertaken in response to the recognized need for understanding the problems and issues related to children in foster care achieving timely permanency.
Educator's Intervention Practices and Training Needs on Child Maltreatment: Available on-line and in print. This analysis will (a) analyze current standards of practice in schools to identify and respond to child victims of maltreatment and their families; (b) identify specific professional development of needs of educators in the area of child maltreatment, multidisciplinary collaboration, and school/family partnerships; (c) propose training which will address the needs of educators to be informed advocates for abused and/or neglected students by establishing partnerships with families and community agencies; and (d) identify outside funding sources as possible resources which may be utilized in future projects.
Hillsborough County Child Protection Study: March 1999 - Available on-line only. This study offers guidance in the planning process and in determining the most appropriate structure and implementation strategies for development of an efficient and effective child protection system in Hillsborough County, Florida. Highlights of this report include strengths and limitation of the current system, areas that need to be modified for a stronger system, and the identification of issues that will require further study. Produced by the Department of Child & Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.
Kinship Care In Hillsborough County, Florida: July 2006 - Available on-line and in print. This study was to determine what issues are most critical to kinship care giving families and organizations providing supportive services to them in Hillsborough County.
Understanding the Parenting Support Needs of Maltreating Parents and Their Children: March 2002 - Available on-line only. The purpose of this report is to identify critical components for the effective implementation of a parenting program for maltreating parent. The target population done for this analysis report was parent s whose children were living in foster care.

Community Capacity-Building/System of Care

African-American Family Support Analysis: Strengths of African-American Families: August 2000 - Available on-line only. The African-American Family Support Analysis addresses the unique challenges and stressors that negatively impact African-American families, the culturally unique coping patterns and social networks of African-American families that support them in responding positively to challenges and stressors, and the identification of culturally appropriated supports for program and services.
A System of Care for Permanency Planning: Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: September 1999 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis determined the extent to which primary caregivers with HIV/AIDS developed permanency plans for their children, assessed the range of needs for these families, and determined the extent to which formal and informal support systems addressed the needs of the target population.
Neighborhood Analysis of Early Intervention Supports and Services: Data From A Grass Roots Perspective: September 2000 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis was piloted to see how well the current early intervention service delivery model meets the needs of the children and families currently enrolled in the Early Intervention Program.
The Change-Makers Neighborhood Initiative: Towards the Development of a Participation Evaluation Framework: October 2002 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis report is aimed at developing a framework to guide community groups in the implementation of evaluation process of their own community initiatives and programs.
An Assessment of Social Service Needs of Rural Residents and Recommendations for Action: Available on-line and in print. This report is the result of the Rural Social Services Partnership, a work group of human services providers for residents of South and East Hillsborough County, Florida. Published by the Department of Child & Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.
West Tampa Telenetworking Initiative: Toward the Development of a Technology -Supported School and Community Networking Strategy: September 2001 - Available on-line and in print. The purpose of this analysis study was to identify and assess the factors that affect how parents living in the West Tampa neighborhood and schools and service providers serving the community communicate with each other regarding troubled youth.

Comprehensive Health

Maternal and Child Health Preventive and Primary Health Care Service Delivery System: September 2005 - Available on-line and in print. Developed a plan to advocate for the provision of preventive and primary health care services for mothers and children in Hillsborough County that
could be supported under the anticipated changes in the health care financing context.
Food for All of Us: Solutions to Hunger in Hillsborough County, Florida: June 2000 - Available on-line only. Developed an action plan to address hunger among six populations - children, persons with disabilities, working poor and WAGES recipients, elderly, farm workers and the homeless.
Florida Racial and Ethical Approaches to Community Health (REACH) of Hillsborough County: An Examination of African American Infant Mortality: October 2000 - Available on-line only. Project is focused on reducing the disparity between African American and White infant mortality rates. This project proposes to examine the root causes of the disparities in infant mortality in both Gadsden and Hillsborough counties, where infant mortality rates for African Americans are the highest for the state of Florida.
Hillsborough County Infant and Toddler Study: August 2000 - Available on-line and in print. The Hillsborough County Infant/Toddler Study was undertaken in response to the recognized need for understanding the problems and issues faced by very young children receiving out-of-home care.
Social and Emotional Needs of Young Children and Their Families in Hillsborough County: April 2002 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis study reveals a deep concern in the community over the needs of young children with emotional and behavioral problems.
Women and Substance Abuse in Hillsborough County, Florida: Available on-line and in print. This report presents the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Collaborative based on its work during the past year. The Collaborative was formed to meet the need for substance abuse services for women.

Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse

Domestic Violence Offender Intervention Program in Hillsborough County: July 2001 - Available on-line only. The purpose of this analysis is to reduce the exposure of families and children to domestic violence through identification of family risk variables that predict efficacy of offender intervention.
Cross-System Analysis of Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse in Hillsborough County Florida. Sexual Abuse Intervention Network: August 2001 - Available on-line only. This analysis report addresses an effective coordination of the collaborative efforts of SAIN of Hillsborough County to improve the manner in which child-on-child sexual abuse is addresses in Hillsborough County.
When There's Nowhere to Go: Domestic Violence and the Need for Better Housing Options for Survivors and Their Children: January 2003 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis report addresses the link between domestic violence and homelessness that is widely recognized in Hillsborough County.

Juvenile Justice

Placement Options for Adolescent Girls in Hillsborough County: October 2000 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis gives a description of social characteristics of adolescent girls in Juvenile Justice System and placement options. Review of literature regarding what is done elsewhere. Development of action and funding plans included.

School System

An Analysis of Out-of-School Suspensions In Hillsborough County: April 1999 - Available on-line and in print. Studied Out-of-School Suspensions in Hillsborough County Schools and identified community programs that work to reduce suspensions.
They Are Our Kids: Findings from the Latino Dropout Study: November 2000 - Available on-line and in print. This report focuses on the findings from the qualitative portion of the study, derived from a combination of both focus groups and in-depth interviews, while also presenting Latino student demographics and school characteristics using data from the Testing and Evaluation Department of the Hillsborough County School District.
Cross-System Analysis of School Truancy in Hillsborough County Florida: December 2001 - Available on-line and in print. This analysis is commissioned by the Truancy Reduction Committee through the Hillsborough Education Foundation. This report describes how school truancy currently is being handled in Hillsborough County Goals and objectives are proposed for future truancy reductions efforts based on information found throughout this report.
A Qualitative Assessment of Outcome Measures Utilized by Programs for Children in Violent Settings: February 1999 - Available on-line and in print. Categorized and assessed current prevention and intervention programs seeking service the needs of children who have been victims of or witnesses to violence.

Special Needs

An Analysis of Community-Based Services and Supports for Children & Young Adults with Special Needs: RESEARCH SUMMARY: November 2003 - Available on-line and in print. Also available in Spanish in print.
An Analysis of Community-Based Services and Supports for Children & Young Adults with Special Needs: June 2004 - Available on-line and in print.
Dissemination and Utilization of Research Findings from "An Analysis of Community -Based Services and Supports for Children and Young Adults with Special Needs in Hillsborough County" Information and Access - 1 year Action Plan: June 2005 - Available on-line and in print. This is a follow up to the analysis on Special Needs children, and includes an action plan to address service gaps for this population.

Welfare Reform

Study of WAGES Impact: November 2000 - Rembrandt, Suncoast Practice. Not available at this time.