FAMILY POLICY IN AN ERA OF DEVOLUTION

The 1980s and 1990s have been times of change in federal-state relationships. Many of these changes involve policies toward families. These changes are exemplified in the welfare reform, but are also evi-denced in policies toward health care and health care financing, child care, tobacco settlements and legisla-tion, juvenile justice and other issues affecting fami-lies. To answer the question, “How are families faring in an era of devolution? ” requires examining what devo-lution is, how it has affected families and its likely future. Devolution From What? Starting with the New Deal of the 1930s through the Great Society of the 1960s and 1970s, public poli-cies affecting families evolved from limited support t