Impact of Safe@Home on Placement and Permanency Outcomes: Results of a quasi-experimental study

The purpose of this study was to rigorously test the effectiveness of Safe@Home, an in-home parent skill-based intervention implemented in Clark County, Nevada. Safe@Home is designed to prevent out-of-home placement for children at imminent risk of placement (Placement Prevention population) and minimize time in out-of-home care for children already in foster care (Reunification population). This paper presents a retrospective, longitudinal, quasi-experimental study that examined placement and permanency outcomes of Safe@Home. Using Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), children who received Safe@Home were matched to a historical comparison group of children served before Safe@Home was available in their community. All children in the study were determined by Clark County Department of Family Services to be unsafe and in need of immediate intervention. Children were matched based on age, race/ethnicity, previous in-home or out-of-home child welfare case, and safety threats Matched study samples demonstrated strong baseline equivalence. Children who received Safe@Home experienced a significantly lower rate of out-of-home placements, substantially higher rate of permanency with a parent, fewer days in out-of-home care, and shorter time to case closure. There was no effect of Safe@Home on post-permanency outcomes of maltreatment after case closure and re-entry. Large favorable placement prevention effects were sustained for 12 months after the end of Safe@Home.

Exploring Relational and Parental Factors for Permanency Outcomes of Children in Care

This research examined the impact of individual and relational characteristics of foster parents on permanency outcomes for children in care. Previous research has focused on child and case characteristics. The sample consisted of 233 foster parents from the public child welfare system surveyed at the end of a training. The results of the surveys showed that couple relationship quality and altruism were predictive of reunification of foster children with biological parent. The significant predictors of placement in a residential facility were age, education, and avoidant attachment style of the foster parent. Practice and policy implications are discussed.

The Effect of CASA on Child Welfare Permanency Outcomes

The present study is the largest and most rigorous study to date on the effects of being appointed a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) on permanency outcomes of children in foster care. The intent-to-treat study accounts for selection bias by applying inverse probability weighting to logistic and sequential logistic regressions in a large sample of children in foster care in the state of Texas ( N = 31,754). Overall, children appointed a CASA have significantly lower odds than children without a CASA of achieving permanency. They have lower odds of being reunified, greater odds of being adopted (if not reunified), and lower odds of being placed in permanent kin guardianship (if not reunified or adopted) than children who are not appointed CASA. This study makes an additional contribution by looking beyond the aggregate effect of CASA on permanency by examining the effect of CASA for different age groups and different types of first placement after removal.

Participants’ Satisfaction With Family Involvement Meetings

Purpose: Bivariate and logistics regression analyses were conducted to examine the effectiveness of child welfare agencies’ Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) practices focused on strengthening families and positive outcomes for children. This study evaluates one mid-Atlantic state’s implementation of a FGDM called family involvement meetings (FIMs) to improve family strengths and their active engagement in the service planning process. Methods: Through use of a FIM Feedback Survey, participants provided satisfaction feedback on the general FIM process and what factors are associated with their satisfaction and decision-making at the meeting. Results: Multiple factors of participant’s engagement, incorporating family strengths, and the FIM facilitator’s knowledge and skills had significant impacts on the participant’s decision-making and overall FIM satisfaction score. Discussion: This study will contribute to examining FGDM facilitators’ practices and effective outcomes of FIMs to improve the well-being, safety, and permanency outcomes for children and their families.