Partnering with Parents: Promising Approaches to Improve Reunification Outcomes for Children in Foster Care

Family reunification is one of the central tenents of the child welfare system, yet research supporting effective practices to promote safe reunifications is limited. As a departure from previous initiatives, the Parent Partner (PP) program enlists as staff mothers and fathers who have experienced child removal, services, and reunification. This study examines outcomes for children served by the PP program. The experimental group includes 236 children whose parents were served by a Parent Partner and a matched comparison group of 55 children whose parents were served by the public child welfare agency in 2004, before the Parent Partner program was established. Cases were examined 12 months following case opening to determine reunification status. Results from the outcome study indicate that reunification may be more likely for children whose parents were served by Parent Partners. Although there are limitations to the data, findings from this study suggest that the Parent Partner model may hold promise as a child welfare intervention designed to support reunification.

Commentary on "Partnering with Parents: Promising Approaches to Improve Reunification Outcomes for Children in Foster Care"

In “Partnering with Parents: Promising Approaches to Improve Reunification Outcomes for Children in Foster Care,” authors J. D. Berrick, Edward Cohen and Elizabeth Anthony describe promising outcomes from a quasi-experimental study of reunification outcomes associated with the Parent Partner program in one western county

Supporting Families through Short-Term Foster Care: An Essay Review

Aldgate, J. and Bradley, M. (1999). Supporting families through short-term fostering. London: The Stationery Office. This essay reviews a British qualitative study of short-term foster care from the perspectives of birth parents, children, foster parents, and social workers. Respondents highlighted the value of short-term foster care as a family support service and also offered many recommendations for improving service delivery. The study provides useful implications for restructuring child welfare services in the United States and for promoting cross-national collaboration in future research activities in the area of child and family services.

That Wall is Around My Heart: Family Centered Practice

The author uses a clinical case study, in which he works with a teenager and his adoptive parents to illustrate how placement and adoption decisions can provide physical safety while at the same time exacerbating and extending overlooked and destructive effects of child abuse. The case study highlights the continuing impact of childhood trauma on the interpersonal patterns of behavior within the family, whether biological, kinship, foster or adoptive. The tendency for patterns of aggression and reactivity to be repeated by the victim and his or her caregivers in a foster or adoptive home, and then to extend into the next generation, is an integral aspect of the cycle of child abuse and underscores a critical challenge for skilled and patient staff in family-based service programs.

Commentary on "Child Welfare Waivers: The Stakes for Families"

The purpose of this piece is to provide commentary of an article, Child Welfare Waivers: The Stakes for Your State, that discusses the recent reauthorization of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Waivers. The article provides an overview of funds available to the states for child welfare programs and their intended purpose and restrictions placed on use. As structured, the present system rewards states monetarily for maintaining foster care. Research from waiver programs shows promising results for improved outcomes at the same or lower financial cost by utilizing safe, proven alternatives to the current foster care system. Waiver funds also protect the financial commitment to child welfare because state legislative budget slashing in this area will result in the loss of Federal funding. The independent analysis required with the grant of a waiver must be maintained to provide ongoing analysis and oversight of the increase spending flexibility. Stakeholders must be aware of the program and its results and use these funds as an opportunity to assess new concepts and apply programs best suited to the needs of children in their state. Allowing those “on the ground” to determine appropriate programming and careful result assessment may be the best means for protecting children, preserving families and doing both in a manner that makes the most efficient use of available resources.

What's Working in Family-Based Services--or, What's Left to Believe in During a Time of Such Doubt?

This article is a qualitative, personal report from the field, designed to highlight current developments in family-based theory and practice that bring hopefulness to workers and clients. The author, an experienced human services consultant and family therapist, draws from his recent experience in a number of states to identify exemplars of practice in the following areas: integrative theory building, functional family assessment, systems change in regard to inter-agency coordination and foster care, community building in low income neighborhoods, developing humility as helpers, and addressing issues of hope and spirituality with clients and with co-workers. Given the turbulent and hostile political environment for family-based services, this article challenges us to remember that effectiveness in helping others is directly related to our feelings of hopefulness about ourselves and our world.

A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Evaluating Family Preservation Programs

The current study evaluates the effectiveness of family preservation programs funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. This venture encompassed scrutiny and assessment of improvements in child functioning, positive changes in parental functioning and family functioning and the decrease in foster care placement. Further, this evaluation assessed client and staff satisfaction. It also included an assessment of the perceived impact this program had on the community. Results indicate that the family preservation programs were effective in improving the self-esteem of participants, family cohesion, and adaptability. There were no significant changes in child placement, teen births, or abuse rates. Client and staff satisfaction were high on all quality dimensions. The majority of the sample of community members felt that the family preservation programs were effective in the community.

Behavior Problems of Maltreated Children Receiving In-Home Child Welfare Services

This study evaluates the level of behavior problems in a previously little studied group—children with founded cases of abuse and neglect receiving child welfare services in their own homes. A sample of 149 maltreated children, living at home, were evaluated on the CBCL as they entered a service program to which they were referred by a large public child protective service system. These children were found to have elevated levels of behavior problems, with 43.6% scoring in the problematic range, a rate similar to children entering foster care. Practice and policy implications of these findings are discussed and highlighted.

Current Resources

Reviews include: The Managed Care Answer Book for Mental Health Professionals. ( 1997) Gayle McCracken Tuttle and Dianne Rush Woods. Bristol, P A: Brunner/Mazel, Inc. Reviewed by Patricia Newlin Somebody Else's Children: and the Struggle to Save America's Troubled Families. (1996) John Hubner and Jill Wolfson. New York: Three Rivers Press. Reviewed by John Nasuti Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Foster Care-A Research Synthesis. (1996) Thomas P. McDonald, Reva I. Allen, Alex Westerfield, and Irving Piliavin. Washington, D.C.: CWLA Press. Reviewed by Anthony N. Ma/uccio

Intensive Family Preservation in Children's Mental Health: Predictors of Placement

This article examines the predictors of placement following IFPSfor a sample of child mental health service recipients and their families. Risk and protective factors vary depending on the time frame under consideration. Immediately following service, children 's level of Social/Legal functioning, a previous group home placement, and the presence of mental health problems for other family members increase risk of placement, while the number of follow-up services serves to lessen risk. Three to six months after service, the presence of a child behavior presenting problem and a projected placement in foster care serve as protective factors, while two service targets, alcohol monitoring and time management, serve to increase risk. Appropriate use of results for program design and for structuring access to services is discussed.

Child Welfare Waivers: The Stakes for Families

Congress has restored the authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to issue “waivers” from rules restricting the use of some funds under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. The waivers allow funds now restricted to foster care to be used for prevention, family preservation and other services as well. This paper discusses the benefits of waivers and estimates the amount of money that a waiver would cover in each state.

Relationships, Income Support and Decision Making: A Qualitative Synopsis

This qualitative study of one midwestern state’s child protective services addresses whether an income support measure for poor biological caregivers reduces the length of time that their children spend in foster care. The overall findings suggest that workers do value the worker-family relationship. However, some view the immediate worker-client relationship as secondary to the inclusion of extended familial supports particularly as related to sustained more long-term outcome achievement. Most workers additionally agree that client involvement during all phases of the reunification process is critical.

Post-Permanency: An Assessment for Families’ Needs for Services and Supports

This article reports the results of a qualitative study that sought the perspectives of birth parents and adoptive parents following reunification or adoption of children from foster care. Using a participatory action design that actively involved young adults formerly in foster care and parents in the design and implementation of the study, the study focused on the consumers’ perspectives on several issues related to permanency. The article reports findings from interviews with a subset of 27 birth and adoptive families in New York City who were asked about their post-permanency experiences and from interviews with 38 child welfare professionals who were asked to respond to the parents’ perspectives. The article offers directions for child welfare practice and program development.

The Impact of Title IV-E Training on Case Outcomes for Children Serviced by CPS

This study was designed to determine if the professional social work education provided by Title IV-E stipends leads to better case outcomes for children serviced by a southern state in the U.S. Desired case outcomes included lower levels of recurrence of child maltreatment, lower levels of foster care re-entries, greater stability of foster care placements, more reunifications with families within 12 months of placement in foster care, and more adoptions within 24 months of being placed in foster care. Data were obtained from the state’s case outcome records. The findings from the study indicate that Title IV-E stipend workers had significantly better outcomes than Non-Title IV-E workers in two areas: reunifications within twelve months and finalized adoptions within twenty-four months. In addition, non-Title IV-E workers with social work degrees were significantly more likely to achieve positive outcomes regarding recurrence of maltreatment, stability of foster care placement, and length of time to achieve adoption. The study recommends that state child protective service (CPS) agencies continue to offer Title IV-E child welfare training programs and hire degreed social workers. CPS should also continue to support the Title IV-E program and encourage employees to participate in the program. In addition, it is recommended that jobs be restructured to maximize activities that positively impact case outcomes and that the salaries of CPSworkers be increased. Additional research should also be conducted to contribute to a better understanding of other factors that positively impact case outcomes.

Targeting Special Populations for Family Preservation: The Influence of Worker Competence and Organizational Culture

Today there are approximately 581,000 children in the United States foster care system. Children of color, one special population group, are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. Family preservation, a program that aims to improve family functioning and thus decrease the need for foster care, has been examined closely. Some researchers believe that family preservation programs have failed partly due to practitioners' inability to target appropriate families (Feldman, 1990; Schuerman, Rzepnicki & Littell, 1994). Additionally, research confirms that children of color are not the target of family preservation services (Denby, Curtis, & Alford, 1998). Improvements in the effectiveness of family preservation will require many types of reform both internal and external to the program. Among the types of internal reform needed is accurate "targeting of services. " Given the overrepresentation of children of color in the foster care system, this group must be among those who are targeted for services. The results of a national survey of 254 family preservation workers reveal a "profile" of the worker who is likely to target special populations, including children of color, for family preservation services. A case is made for service improvements and training to facilitate the "profiled" workers' competencies.