Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs:

Interim Report

January 8, 2001

Submitted to:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Room 450G, HHH Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

Submitted by:
Westat, Inc.
1650 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850

Chapin Hall Center for Children
University of Chicago
1313 East Sixtieth Street
Chicago, IL 60637

James Bell Associates
2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1120
Arlington, VA 22201

This report available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/fampres94/index.htm

To Obtain a Printed Copy

Contents

Executive Summary

Chapters

1. Study Overview
2. Implementation
3. Kentucky
4. New Jersey
5. Tennessee
6. The Families
7. The Services
8. The Outcomes
9. Conclusions

List of Tables

• 1 Study Site Descriptions
• 2 Description of the families at time of initial interviews
• 3 Selected Child and Family Problem Areas (% responding yes)
• 4 Summary of services, post-treatment interview
• 5 Summary of Placement Data, Survival Analyses Percents of families experiencing placement of at least one child within specified periods of time
• 6 Summary of family and child functioning outcomes Differences between experimental and control groups at post treatment, follow up, and change over time
• 2-1 Assignment of Cases by County
• 2-2 Violations and Minimal Service Cases by County
• 2-3 Caseworker Response Rates
• 2-4 Caseworker Interview Completion Rates by County
• 2-5 Data Collection Status for Caretaker Interviews
• 2-6 Caretaker Interview Completion Rates by County
• 2-7 Timing To and Between Completion of Interviews
• 2-8 Numbers of Cases on which Administrative Data are Available by County
• 3-1 Age and race distribution of children in Kentucky
• 3-2 Indicators of children and family health, education, social and economic welfare in Kentucky as compared to Nation
• 3-3 Number of children with child abuse and neglect reports, and percent substantiated by age and race, Jeffeson County, Kentucky
• 3-4 Children served in substitute care in FY 1995 and FY 1997 In Louisville, Kentucky
• 3-6 Results of petition review
• 3-7 Screening protocol responses
• 3-8 Number of cases referred to the screener and enrolled in study in Louisville
• 4-1 Indicators of child health, education and welfare in New Jersey as compared to nation
• 4-2 Number and percentage of DYFS referrals to FPS by County for FY 1994-1996 4-8
• 4-3 Race/ethnicity of families served in FPS
• 4-4 Percent of FPS, DYFS total, and foster care caseload that is African-American by County
• 4-5 Placement Data by Months Since Termination
• 4-6 Item Response For Screening Protocol
• 4-7 Number of DYFS screeners and local offices by County
• 4-8 Total referrals by county by reason for referral
• 4-9 Number of Families Served by FPS, ‘FY 96 - ‘FY 98 by County
• 4-10 Number of families, children served, and children at risk in Family Preservation by County, FY 1998
• 4-11 Age category of children at risk (percentage) by County
• 4-12 Reason for referral (percentage) by County
• 4-13 Percentage of families with substance abuse problems by County
• 5-1 Age and race distribution of children in Tennessee
• 5-2 Indicators of children and family health, education, social and economic welfare in Tennessee as compared to Nation
• 5-3 Number of children with child abuse and neglect investigations and percent indicated by type of maltreatment, age, and gender in Shelby County
• 5-4 Source and type of funds used to provide initial program funding.
• 5-5 Number of families served in fiscal year 1990-1995.
• 5-6 Families served by HomeTies in Shelby County from FY 93-98
• 5-7 Demographic Characteristics of Children at Risk Presenting Problems of Children and Parents Demographic Characteristics of Parents and Families at Time of Referral
• 6-1 Description of the Kentucky families at time of initial interviews
• 6-2 Caretaker problems and strengths, caretaker initial interview, Kentucky
• 6-3 Concerns and problems regarding children, Caretaker Initial Interview, Kentucky (% responding yes regarding any child that the respondent cares for)
• 6-4 Participation in social programs prior to initial interview, Kentucky
• 6-5 Description of the New Jersey families at time of initial interviews
• 6-6 Caretaker problems and strengths, caretaker initial interview, New Jersey
• 6-7 Concerns and problems regarding children, Caretaker Initial Interview, New Jersey (% responding yes regarding any child that the respondent cares for)
• 6-8 Participation in social programs prior to initial interview, New Jersey
• 6-9 Description of the Tennessee families at time of initial interviews
• 6-10 Caretaker problems and strengths, caretaker initial interview, Tennessee
• 6-11 Concerns and problems regarding children, Caretaker Initial Interview, Tennessee (% responding yes regarding any child that the respondent cares for)
• 6-12 Participation in social programs prior to initial interview, Tennessee
• 7-1 Caretaker reports of caseworker activities, post-treatment interview
• 7-2 Participation in social programs, post-treatment interview (percents)
• 7-3 Caretaker report of services, post-treatment interview
• 7-4 Caretakers’ reports on relationship with caseworker, post-treatment interview
• 7-5 Caseworkers’ Report of Services Provided to Family, Post-treatment interview
• 7-6 Contact forms
• 7-7 Experimental group contacts
• 7-8 Summary of services, post-treatment interview
• 7-9 Caretaker reports of caseworker activities, follow-up interview
• 7-10 Participation in social programs, follow-up interview (percents)
• 7-11 Caretaker report of services, follow-up interview
• 7-12 Summary of services, follow-up interview
• 8-1 Type of first placement after random assignment, child level
• 8-2 Subgroup analyses, significance levels of differences between experimental and control groups
• 8-3 Kentucky family and child functioning scales
• 8-4 New Jersey family and child functioning scales
• 8-5 Tennessee family and child functioning scales
• 8-6 Caretaker problems & strengths, caretaker post-treatment interview (% responding yes)
• 8-7 Caretaker problems & strengths, caretaker follow-up interview (% responding yes)
• 8-8 Caretaker reports of child care practices, post-treatment interview
• 8-9 Caretaker reports of child care practices, follow-up interview
• 8-10 Caretakers’ assessments of overall change since first interview, post- treatment interview
• 8-11 Caretakers’ assessments of overall change since post-treatment interview, follow-up interview
• 8-12 Caseworkers’ assessments of caretakers’ parental functioning
• 8-13 Regressions of post-treatment family and child functioning scales (Regression Coefficients)
• 8-14 Regressions of follow-up family and child functioning scales (Regression Coefficients)
• 8-15 Summary of outcomes, post-treatment interview
• 8-16 Summary of outcomes, caretaker follow-up interview
• 9-1 Summary of placement data, survival analyses percents of families experiencing placement of at least one child within specified periods of time
• 9-2 Summary of family and child functioning outcomes, data from caretaker interviews differences between experimental and control groups at post treatment, follow up, and change over time
• 9-3 Summary of family and child functioning outcomes, data from caseworker interviews differences between experimental and control groups at post treatment and change over time

List of Figures

• 4-1 New Jersey Counties Participating as Evaluation Sites
• 8-1
• 8-2
• 8-3
• 8-4

List of Exhibits

1. Other services available to referring workers in Shelby County.

List of Appendices

(Note: none of these appendices are available online, they are only available in the printed copy of the report.)

1. Sites Considered
2. Screening Protocol
3. Random Assignment Form
4. Kentucky Family Preservation Referral Form
5. Worker Safety Checklist
6. New Jersey Family Preservation Referral Form
7. Tables for Computing Open Cases in Kentucky
8. Secondary Analysis -- Chapter 7
9. Secondary Analysis -- Chapter 8
10. List of Computed Variables
11. Questionnaires

Obtaining a Printed Copy

For a printed copy of this report, mail or fax the title and your name and address to:

Where to?

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Home Pages:
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Updated: 2/21/01