Search results for ‘Subject term:"foster care"’ Sort:
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Predicting placement in foster care: a comparision of logistic regression and neural network analysis
- Authors:
- MCDONALD Thomas P., POERTNER John, HARRIS Gardenia
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 28(2), 2001, pp.1-20.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This American study explores the use of neural network analysis as an alternative to logistice regression to repict which children with a founded child abuse or neglect report will be subsequently placed in foster care. Results found that although the two techniques were found to obtain similar results, neural network analysis provided unique capabilities in analysing and displaying interactions in predictor variables that may make it more useful for data mining.
Permanency for children in foster care: a competing risks analysis
- Authors:
- MCDONALD Thomas P., POERTNER John, JENNINGS Mary A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 33(4), 2007, pp.45-56.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Child welfare professionals continually face the need to assess the relative risks of various permanency options for children in their care, namely reunification with their natural families, adoption and guardianship or custody by a relative. The literature on the factors predictive of time in foster care, reunification and adoption is briefly reviewed, and the authors stress that permanency research has not so far taken this knowledge into account: all exits from care are treated as though they are identical. This study uses data on 24,551 cases (placement episodes) in the state of Oklahoma, examining rates of exit from foster care to different permanency outcomes, as well as variables predictive of permanency outcomes. The results clearly show that several factors may affect the chances of a child achieving a permanent placement, including: age at referral to care; race/ethnicity; physical or learning disability; parental drug abuse; and number of previous placements. In addition, all factors are of varying significance depending on type of permanency outcome. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Adoption trends in Kansas: managing outcomes or managing care
- Authors:
- MCDONALD Thomas P., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 22(2), February 2000, pp.161-174.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Reports on the Kellogg Foundation funded the Kansas Families for Kids (KFFK) initiative to undertake a large scale three year reform process that had as its major goals the reduction in the backlog of children in state custody who were not able to return to their family of origin and the implementation of policies and programmes which would keep the backlog from growing again.
Parenting intervention effects on reunification: a randomized trial of PMTO in foster care
- Authors:
- AKIN Becci A., MCDONALD Thomas P.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 83, 2018, pp.94-105.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Evidence-supported parenting interventions (ESPIs) have expanded into child welfare because a growing research base has demonstrated positive results among children with serious emotional and behavioural problems. Despite a clear federal policy emphasis on reunification, few randomized trials have tested ESPIs with biological families of children in foster care; even fewer studies have investigated the distal outcomes of ESPIs. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of Parent Management Training, Oregon (PMTO) model on reunification. Children in foster care with emotional and behavioural problems were randomized to in-home PMTO (n = 461) or services as usual (SAU) (n = 457). Cox regression models tested whether children in the PMTO group achieved higher rates of reunification. The researchers applied life tables data for integrals calculations to estimate days saved in foster care. Analyses were conducted as intent-to-treat (ITT), and per protocol analysis (PPA). ITT results showed reunification rates were 6.9% higher for the PMTO group (62.7%) than the SAU group (55.8%) with 151 days saved per typical child. PPA indicated that intervention completion strengthened effects as PMTO completers’ reunification rates (69.5%) were 13.7% higher than the SAU group (55.8%), and were 15.3% higher than non-completers (54.2%). Days saved were also greater for completers as compared to the SAU group (299 days) and non-completers (358 days). Overall, findings suggest that an in-home parenting intervention positively affected reunification as delivered to biological parents of children and youth in foster care with serious emotional and behavioural problems. Implications and future considerations for research are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Assessing risk of placement instability to aid foster care placement decision making
- Authors:
- MOORE Terry D., MCDONALD Thomas P., CRONBAUGH-AULD Kari
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Public Child Welfare, 10(2), 2016, pp.117-131.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Placement stability is of critical importance to the well-being of children in foster care and has an impact on other key outcomes. Placement decision-making that matches children with placement resources is often cited as a practice that impacts placement stability, but little research exists to inform this practice. The focus of this research is on a child assessment tool that was developed to determine the appropriate level of care, which serves as one component of a web-based matching system that pulls together child and placement information used to inform the placement decision. The research examines the relationship between the child assessment subscale domains and placement stability for first and subsequent placement decisions and evaluates the stability of placements made in and outside of the indicated level of care. (Publisher abstract)
Children who wait: long term foster care or adoption?
- Authors:
- SCHMIDT-TIESZEN Ada, MCDONALD Thomas P.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 20(1/2), 1998, pp.13-28.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This study focuses on children who have been freed for adoption. Researchers in the USA examined case records of children in state custody in an attempt to identify child characteristics that distinguish between those children whose social service goal was long term foster care and those whose goal was adoption. Results indicated that a model including the variables of race, age, developmental disabilities of the child, and genetic or family history that puts the child at risk for medical intervention is significantly predictive of the social service goal. The authors discuss the implications for child welfare policy and practice.