The Context:
Responsibility for education, health, and social services is held at the state level in Hawai`i, functions of a highly centralized state bureaucracy. There are four counties, with nearly 75% of the state's population residing in the City & County of Honolulu. Social services, including child welfare and child protective services, are under the purview of the Department of Human Services. Nearly two-thirds of Hawai`i's children live in urbanized areas. However, the residential patterns result in very little concentration of poverty and other social problems. Only 0.5% live in severely distressed neighborhoods. Like California and a few other states, Hawai`i has experienced increasing cultural diversity. Using US Census Bureau classifications, 72% of the state's population under age 18 was 'minority' in 1990.

In 1994, the following conditions prevailed:

*Children in poor and near-poor families (%)	27.1%
*Children in single-parent families (%)	20.2%
*Mother-headed families receiving child support (%)	30.5%
*Children with both or only parent in the labor force (%)	65.7%
*Adults with a high school diploma (%)	86.6%
*Birth rate of unmarried teens (per 1,000 females)	40.2
*Children (birth to age 3) identified at environmental risk for developmental and educational problems (%)	4.2%

Data Regarding Child Protective Services

Accepted child welfare-CPS reports	4,984 (FY 93)
Other intakes not accepted as reports	16,012
Children involved in reports	4,984
*Children involved in confirmed reports 66% physical abuse 24% neglect alone 10% sexual abuse/exploitation	2317(46%)
*Rates of confirmed child abuse: Birth through age 5 (per 1,000) Ages 6 through 11 (per 1,000) Ages 12 through 17 (per 1,000)	9.1 6.8 6.5
Authorized Staff Intake Investigations Case Management Administration Current, active caseload: (1995)	359.5 20.4 97.7 234.4 7.0 2,946

* Data provided by Hawai`i Kids Count 10/95