A California legislator comments on the needs of California's status offenders, runaways, and abused and neglected children as well as programs to assist families. A statistical portrait of the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of American children and youth is followed by a review of research findings which suggest a relationship between child abuse/neglect and later adolescent behavior and between the formal processing of abused and neglected children and subsequent adjudication of them as delinquents. The text then addresses the State role in youth services, analyzing programs and child welfare and juvenile justice statutes which legislatures have revised substantially in recent years. It examines variances among States regarding jurisdiction, detention, and disposition of juveniles along with laws governing foster care and child protection. The three State case studies -Florida, Illinois, and Pennsylvania -- each represent a distinct organizational structure. Florida has consolidated both child welfare and juvenile justice through a single intake point, while Illinois has adopted a community-based approach in reorganizing its delivery system. Pennsylvania has developed a fiscal incentive to encourage community-based alternatives and has achieved complete deinstitutionalization of status offenders. Finally, the text surveys several Federal laws: the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, and Job Training Partnership Act. Tables and figures are supplied. Resource organizations, footnotes, a glossary, and 16 references are appended.