Explorations in a proposed national policy for children and families

Empirical evidence suggests that the family system is under pressure in the United States. This evidence includes but is not limited to a significant increase in out-of-wedlock childbearing by teenagers, an increase in the number of children living in families below the poverty level, lack of available health care to large numbers of children and families, and a rising number of children dropping out of school. The authors offer an analysis of the problems facing families, and a national policy model for children and families is proposed.