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Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs: Final Report.

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Title: Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs: Final Report.
Language: English
Authors: Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD., Chicago Univ., IL. Chapin Hall Center for Children., James Bell Associates, Inc., Arlington, VA.
Availability: Human Services Policy, Room 404E, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/DHHS, 200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20201. Tel: 877-696-6775 (Toll Free); Tel: 202-619-0257; Fax: 202-690-6562; Web site: http://aspe.hhs.gov. For full text: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/evalfampre94/final.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 487
Publication Date: 2002
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Caregiver Child Relationship, Child Behavior, Child Welfare, Children, Depression (Psychology), Experiments, Federal Legislation, Followup Studies, Foster Care, Foster Children, Life Events, Models, Outcomes of Treatment, Program Descriptions, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation, Program Implementation, State Programs, Well Being
Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: Adoption and Safe Families Act 1997, Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act 1980
Abstract: This report presents an evaluation of family preservation programs in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Tennessee, and a county program in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Key goals of these programs were reducing foster care placement, maintaining child safety, and improving family functioning. The statewide programs employed the Homebuilders program model, and the county program used a broader, home-based service model. Volume 1 of the report describes the study implementation, the study sites, and families in the Homebuilders model sites. Volume 2, which includes an executive summary, examines services and outcomes for both types of programs, analyzes attrition, and presents conclusions. In the evaluation, families were randomly assigned to a family preservation program or to regular service of the child welfare system. Information on parenting practices, family functioning, child well-being, and caseworker-caregiver interaction was collected through interviews. Information on family functioning was assessed at the beginning of services, at the close of Homebuilder services, and 1 year after services began. Administrative data provided information on childrens placements, reentries, and subsequent abuse/neglect allegations up to 18 months after experiment entry. Staff attitudes and characteristics were collected through questionnaires. Discussions with personnel of provider agencies provided information about services, policies, staffing, training, and the service context. Findings revealed that the experimental group received more services and more intensive services than the control group in all four states. There were no significant group differences on family-level placement rates, proportion of time in substitute care, case closings, or subsequent maltreatment. There were a few child and family functioning items in which the experimental group displayed better outcomes than the control group at the end of Homebuilders services, but these results did not occur in more than one state. There were very few differences at the 1-year follow-up. The report's discussion focuses on implications and highlights the need to rethink the functions, target group, and characteristics of services and to examine the issues of program specialization, length, and intensity. Each report section contains references or endnotes. Volume 3 of the report comprises 11 appendices, which include the screening protocol, worker safety checklist, secondary analyses for chapters in volume 2, and study instruments.(KB)
Entry Date: 2002
Accession Number: ED480610
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED480610
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  Data: Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs: Final Report.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Westat%2C+Inc%2E%2C+Rockville%2C+MD%2E%22">Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chicago+Univ%2E%2C+IL%2E+Chapin+Hall+Center+for+Children%2E%22">Chicago Univ., IL. Chapin Hall Center for Children.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22James+Bell+Associates%2C+Inc%2E%2C+Arlington%2C+VA%2E%22">James Bell Associates, Inc., Arlington, VA.</searchLink>
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  Data: Human Services Policy, Room 404E, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/DHHS, 200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20201. Tel: 877-696-6775 (Toll Free); Tel: 202-619-0257; Fax: 202-690-6562; Web site: http://aspe.hhs.gov. For full text: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/evalfampre94/final.
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  Data: N
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  Label: Page Count
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  Data: 487
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  Data: 2002
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  Data: Reports - Descriptive<br />Reports - Evaluative
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Caregiver+Child+Relationship%22">Caregiver Child Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+Behavior%22">Child Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+Welfare%22">Child Welfare</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children%22">Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Depression+%28Psychology%29%22">Depression (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experiments%22">Experiments</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Federal+Legislation%22">Federal Legislation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Followup+Studies%22">Followup Studies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foster+Care%22">Foster Care</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foster+Children%22">Foster Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Life+Events%22">Life Events</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Models%22">Models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Outcomes+of+Treatment%22">Outcomes of Treatment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Descriptions%22">Program Descriptions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Evaluation%22">Program Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Implementation%22">Program Implementation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Programs%22">State Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well+Being%22">Well Being</searchLink>
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  Label: Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Adoption+and+Safe+Families+Act+1997%22">Adoption and Safe Families Act 1997</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Adoption+Assistance+and+Child+Welfare+Act+1980%22">Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act 1980</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This report presents an evaluation of family preservation programs in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Tennessee, and a county program in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Key goals of these programs were reducing foster care placement, maintaining child safety, and improving family functioning. The statewide programs employed the Homebuilders program model, and the county program used a broader, home-based service model. Volume 1 of the report describes the study implementation, the study sites, and families in the Homebuilders model sites. Volume 2, which includes an executive summary, examines services and outcomes for both types of programs, analyzes attrition, and presents conclusions. In the evaluation, families were randomly assigned to a family preservation program or to regular service of the child welfare system. Information on parenting practices, family functioning, child well-being, and caseworker-caregiver interaction was collected through interviews. Information on family functioning was assessed at the beginning of services, at the close of Homebuilder services, and 1 year after services began. Administrative data provided information on childrens placements, reentries, and subsequent abuse/neglect allegations up to 18 months after experiment entry. Staff attitudes and characteristics were collected through questionnaires. Discussions with personnel of provider agencies provided information about services, policies, staffing, training, and the service context. Findings revealed that the experimental group received more services and more intensive services than the control group in all four states. There were no significant group differences on family-level placement rates, proportion of time in substitute care, case closings, or subsequent maltreatment. There were a few child and family functioning items in which the experimental group displayed better outcomes than the control group at the end of Homebuilders services, but these results did not occur in more than one state. There were very few differences at the 1-year follow-up. The report's discussion focuses on implications and highlights the need to rethink the functions, target group, and characteristics of services and to examine the issues of program specialization, length, and intensity. Each report section contains references or endnotes. Volume 3 of the report comprises 11 appendices, which include the screening protocol, worker safety checklist, secondary analyses for chapters in volume 2, and study instruments.(KB)
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  Data: 2002
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  Data: ED480610
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 487
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Caregiver Child Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child Behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child Welfare
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Depression (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Experiments
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Federal Legislation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Followup Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foster Care
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foster Children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Life Events
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Models
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Outcomes of Treatment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Descriptions
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      – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness
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      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Implementation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: State Programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Well Being
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adoption and Safe Families Act 1997
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act 1980
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      – TitleFull: Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs: Final Report.
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            NameFull: Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD.
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            NameFull: Chicago Univ., IL. Chapin Hall Center for Children.
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            NameFull: James Bell Associates, Inc., Arlington, VA.
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              M: 12
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