Child Welfare

Foster Family Agencies: Children's Characteristics and Placement Considerations

Choice, P.
Montgomery, H.
Prince, J.
Frenkel, O.
Austin, M.J.
2008

No abstract is available for this publication.

Factors Associated with Family Reunification Outcomes

Berrick, J.D.
Brodowski, M.
Frame, L.
Goldberg, S.
1997

No abstract is available for this publication.

Assessing Quality of Care in Kinship and Foster Family Care

Berrick, J.D.
1997

This study includes a sample of 29 kin and 33 non-kin foster parents who participated in an in-home interview to assess quality of care. On a number of measures relating to the home environment, non-kin homes were rated as more safe. Family relations between children and their caregivers were similar for kin and non-kin. Trends in the data point to the need for further research; changes in policy and practice that might strengthen the resources currently available to dependent children are also suggested.

Achieving Timely Reunification

Carnochan, S.
Lee, C.
Austin, M.J.
2013

In the context of child welfare, family reunification refers to the services that are provided for purposes of returning children who have been placed in out-of-home care to their families of origin. Family reunification is the primary permanency goal for the majority of children who have been placed temporarily outside of their homes. This literature review focuses on the federal Child and Family Services Review composite outcome indicator that seeks to measure agency performance related to family reunification. It describes factors at the level of the agency/system, the family, and the...

Achieving Timely Adoption

Carnochan, S.
Moore, M.
Austin, M.J.
2013

While family reunification is the primary permanency objective for children who must be placed temporarily outside of their homes, reunification is not possible for all children. For those children who do not return to their parents and cannot find permanent homes with other family members, adoption is the favored outcome. This review examines the composite measure in the federal Child and Family Services Review that measures agency performance related to the timeliness of adoptions of foster children. It summarizes the multiple factors that research has found to be associated with...

Achieving Placement Stability

Carnochan, S.
Moore, M.
Austin, M.J.
2013

Placement stability as an outcome goal in child welfare performance measurement is grounded in the importance of providing stability for children as they are developing attachments and relationships to caregivers. Research shows that many children are vulnerable to placement instability, especially those who have been in long term foster care. This literature review provides an overview of the federal placement stability measure. It then summarizes the diverse set of factors has been found to be associated with placement instability, including characteristics of the child and family of...

Achieving Exits to Permanency for Children in Long-term Care

Carnochan, S.
Lee, C.
Austin, M.J.
2013

Despite the federal emphasis on achieving timely permanency for children who enter foster care, some children continue to remain in foster care for extended periods, with approximately 20,000 children a year "aging out" of foster care into adulthood without having achieved permanency in a family setting ( Dworsky, 2008 ). This literature review focuses on the federal Child and Family Services Review measure that measures agency performance related to achieving permanency for children in foster care for long periods of time. The review summarizes the factors associated with timely...