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Foster home placements and the probability of family reunification: does licensing matter?
- Authors:
- RYAN Joseph P., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 59, 2016, pp.88-99.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The concept of foster care has been widely studied in child welfare. The literature is well developed with regard to the risk of initial placement, length of stay in care, placement stability, exits to permanency, and emancipation. Yet, the literature is woefully underdeveloped when it comes to understanding if variations in the types and characteristics of foster homes impact important child welfare outcomes. The current study utilises entry cohorts pulled from statewide administrative data (N = 17,960) to investigate the association between types of foster care and the probability of reunification. The authors focus specifically on the licensing status of foster homes. Reflecting federal benchmarks, they examined the odds of reunification at one- and two-year intervals. Propensity score analysis was used to reduce selection bias. Adjusted logistic regression models revealed that youth placed in licensed relative care (LRC) homes were the least likely to achieve reunification compared with youth placed in licensed non-relative care (LNC) homes and unlicensed relative care (URC) homes. Conversely, youth placed in URC homes were more likely to achieve reunification as compared with youth placed in LRC and LNC homes. These findings will help states to efficiently target scarce resources to specific types of foster homes that may be impacting federal reunification benchmarks. (Edited publisher abstract)
Running away from child welfare placements: justice system entry risk
- Authors:
- SARRI Rosemary C., STOFFREGEN Elizabeth, RYAN Joseph P.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 67, 2016, pp.191-197.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
A growing body of research indicates that running away from foster care increases the probability of subsequent involvement in the juvenile and/or adult justice system, especially for males. Using administrative data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, this study examined the characteristics and behaviour of a sample of 371 child welfare youth in Wayne County who ran away from foster care with a propensity scored matched sample of youth who did not run away. Youth were followed in administrative records of the MDHHS and justice system for eight years. The correlates of involvement in the juvenile and/or the adult justice systems included age at first child welfare placement, years in placement, number of placements, total length of time in residential care, running away from placement, as well as gender and legal status. Overall, 42% had at least one juvenile and/or adult conviction. Running away from foster care had the largest effect on subsequent justice system contact. (Publisher abstract)
Substance abuse treatment completion in child welfare: does substance abuse treatment completion matter in the decision to reunify families?
- Authors:
- CHOI Sam, HUANG Hui, RYAN Joseph P.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(9), September 2012, pp.1639-1645.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This article explores under what circumstances family reunification takes place for families with substance abuse problems. The study aimed to investigate what factors are related to the likelihood of treatment completion and the impact of treatment completion on the mothers’ progress in substance abuse and family reunification. Data was drawn from the Illinois Title IV-E Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) waiver demonstration. Participants in the AODA waiver demonstration are parents whose children entered foster care after April 2000 in Cook County, Illinois. The study population were a sample of 858 mothers with substance abuse problems who received at least one episode of treatment and their 1548 children. The findings revealed a wide range of factors that significantly influence the rate of family reunification. The effect of treatment completion on family reunification was significant. Mothers who completed at least one treatment had a higher rate of family reunification. Substance abuse treatment completion was also positively related to mothers' substance abuse treatment progress. Based on these findings, improvements in the way that treatment services are provided to mothers in child welfare are discussed.
The journey of dually-involved youth: the description and prediction of rereporting and recidivism
- Authors:
- HUANG Hui, RYAN Joseph P., HERZ Denise
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(1), January 2012, pp.254-260.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Victims of abuse and neglect are at an increased risk of juvenile delinquency, resulting in an overlap between the populations served by the child welfare and juvenile justice services. The aim of this study was to investigate how dually-involved youth move between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The study sample was 1,148 dually-involved youth involved with child welfare in Los Angeles County in 2003. To provide a comprehensive picture of their paths over 6 years, delinquency records, maltreatment, and child welfare records from 2003 to the end of 2008 were analysed. The study examined the characteristics of dually-involved youth, the history of juvenile offending prior to child welfare, and the incidence of maltreatment and re-offending subsequent to arrest. The findings showed that 8% of dually-involved youth had at least 1 arrest before entering the child welfare system, 32% experienced new reports of maltreatment referrals subsequent to arrest, and 56% were charged with a second offense. The court outcomes received in delinquency court were associated with both re-reporting and recidivism. These findings support the development of a shared services model for child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Intergenerational families in child welfare: assessing needs and estimating permanency
- Authors:
- MARSHALL Jane Marie, HUANG Hui, RYAN Joseph P.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 33(6), June 2011, pp.1024-1030.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Previous research on intergenerational child abuse has explored the mechanisms that describe how abuse is transferred across generations. However, few studies have investigated associated child protective service outcomes. This study compared 1,196 single African American female caregivers and 2,143 children from first and second generation child welfare-involved families. The study examined how first and second generation families differed in social and economic status indicators, as well as whether intergenerational child welfare involvement is associated with permanency outcomes. All families had a history of substance abuse. Results suggested that second generation families experienced significantly more risk factors at the time of case opening, and are 66% more likely to be reunified as compared with first generation families. Generation status disappeared once the interaction between mental health diagnosis and second generation status was entered into the model, suggesting that second generation caregivers have more mental health problems associated with a lower likelihood of reunification. Implications for practice are discussed.
Allegations of maltreatment and delinquency: does risk of juvenile arrest vary substantiation status?
- Authors:
- CHIU Yu-Ling, RYAN Joseph P., HERZ Denise C.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 33(6), June 2011, pp.855-860.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The substantiation of allegations in child welfare is a much discussed area, with debate exploring whether substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations share equal risk of recurrence. This study focuses specifically on the risk of juvenile delinquency, and asks whether the relationship between substantiation and delinquency is affected by race and gender. Participants included 38,223 children and young people, aged 5 to 16 years, from Los Angeles County, United States. Findings revealed that the risk ratio of arrest is 2.2 times greater for young people associated with a substantiated report of maltreatment compared to an unsubstantiated report of maltreatment. Older, male and African American youth were also at an increased risk of juvenile arrest, as were children removed from their home. The authors concluded that the process of substantiation was warranted, as investigators and supervisors were evidently able to distinguish cases based on individual risks and strengths. Implications for policy are discussed.
Trying to come home: substance exposed infants, mothers, and family reunification
- Authors:
- HUANG Hui, RYAN Joseph P.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 33(2), February 2011, pp.322-329.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Previous research has shown poor outcomes associated with substance abusing families in child welfare. These families rarely achieve reunification and are at an increased risk of a subsequent substance related allegation of mistreatment. This article examines specific treatment services that may improve outcomes in the child welfare system. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between specific treatment modalities (e.g., residential and outpatient) for substance abusing caregivers and the likelihood of making treatment progress and achieving family reunification. The study uses a subset of the Illinois title IV-E Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) waiver demonstration. The participants in the AODA waiver demonstration are parents whose children have entered foster care in Cook County, Illinois. The study population were 160 mothers with a recent substance exposed infant who had at least 4 quarterly reports completed by caseworkers and had therefore been observed for at least a year. Analysis was done on 4 groups of variables: mothers’ characteristics; treatment components; treatment progress; and family reunification. The findings clearly identify the benefits of residential treatment directly in terms of treatment progress and indirectly in terms of family reunification, but only when residential services are delivered in combination with transitional services.
Kinship foster care and the risk of juvenile delinquency
- Authors:
- RYAN Joseph P., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 32(12), December 2010, pp.1823-1830.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Formal kinship care represents the placement of a maltreated or otherwise vulnerable youth in the care and protection of a known relative or adult with a recognised kin bond. The practice of identifying and utilising kin placements in child welfare has significantly increased over the last two decades. Given the preference for kin placements and the critical role that kin play in child welfare systems, it is important to understand how such placements relate to child wellbeing and to investigate youth outcomes across allied service systems. This study investigates how kin and non kin placements may vary with regard to the likelihood of juvenile delinquency. The study uses administrative records from Los Angeles County, and propensity score matching to investigate the relationship between kinship care placements in child welfare and the risk of delinquency. The sample included 13,396 youth between 7 and 16 years of age with at least one placement episode who were involved with child welfare services from 2002 to 2008. The results indicate that the relative risk of delinquency is significantly greater for African American and white male adolescents served in kin homes. For Hispanic males and Hispanic females, kin homes are associated with a decreased likelihood of delinquency. There is no kin placement effect associated with African American or white females.
Recovery coaches and substance exposed births: an experiment in child welfare
- Authors:
- RYAN Joseph P., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 32(11), November 2008, pp.1072-1079.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Substance exposed infants present a major challenge to child welfare and public health systems. Prenatal substance exposure and continued substance abuse in the home are associated with a wide range of adverse social, emotional, and developmental outcomes. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the use of recovery coaches in child welfare. The current study is longitudinal and utilizes an experimental design. The sample includes 931 substance abusing women enrolled in a Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration in the United States, 261 in the control group, and 670 in the experimental group. Women in the experimental group received traditional services plus the services of a recovery coach. Administrative records are used to indicate substance exposure at birth. Of the 931 women enrolled in the waiver demonstration, 21% of the control group and 15% of the experimental group were associated with a subsequent substantiated allegation indicating substance exposure at birth. Cox proportional hazards modeling indicates that women in the experimental group were significantly less likely to be associated with a new substance exposed birth. The use of recovery coaches in child welfare significantly decreases the risk of substance exposure at birth. Integrated and comprehensive approaches are necessary for addressing the complex and co-occurring needs of families involved with child protection.
Juvenile delinquency in child welfare: investigating group home effects
- Authors:
- RYAN Joseph P., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 30(9), September 2008, pp.1088-1099.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Group homes fall into the broad category of residential care, a category that also includes half-way homes, campus based homes, emergency shelters, self-contained settings, and staff secured setting. In general, residential care services represent an option of last resort. In the current study the authors use administrative records from a large urban county in the United States and propensity score matching to investigate the relationship between group home placements in child welfare and the risk of delinquency (n = 8226). The results indicate that the relative risk of delinquency is approximately two and one half times greater for adolescents with at least one group home placement as compared with youth in foster care settings. This finding raises serious questions about the use of group homes for victims of physical abuse and neglect.