Assessing the Context of Permanency and Reunification in the Foster Care System

Submitted for:
Department of Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Submitted by:
Westat
Chapin Hall Center for Children

December 2001

This report is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/fostercare-reunif01/

How to Obtain a Printed Copy

Contents

Executive Summary

1. Introduction

2. Permanency:  A Balancing Act

1. An Historical Review
   1. The Social History of Child Welfare
   2. Federal Legislation
2. Current Status of Permanency and Reunification
3. Programmatic Initiatives
   1. Tools to Expedite Reunification
   2. Special Reunification Programs
   3. System Reform
4. Implications

3. Permanency and Reunification Trends in 25 States

1. Introduction
2. State-level Information and Trends
   1. Service Delivery
   2. Permanency
      1. Relative Placements
      2. Reunification
      3. Changes Prompted by ASFA
      4. State Initiatives
3. Conclusions

• References
• Appendices:
  1. State Matrix
  2. Glossary of Terms
  3. A Review of 12 Reunification Efforts
  4. Four Reunification Programs

4. The Evaluation of Programs for Permanency and Reunification

1. Background
   1. The New Legislative Framework and Its Implementation
   2. Role of Research
2. The Evaluation of Programs
   1. Program Dimensions
   2. Evaluation of Particular Program Components
   3. Evaluation of Programs With Specific Foci
3. An Agenda for Research on Permanency and Reunification

5. Reunification from Foster Care in Nine States 1990-1997: Description and Interpretation

1. Exits from Foster Care
   1. State Patterns of Exit From Foster Care
   2. Exit Destination by Child Characteristics
   3. Exit Destination by Case Characteristics
   4. Summary
2. Timing of Foster Care Exits and Trends Over Time
   1. The Structure of Tracking Tables
   2. Substantive Highlights From Nine-State Table
      1. Substantive Highlights from Individual State Tables
   3. Cross-Sectional Picture of Exit Change: 1990 and 1994
3. Multivariate Analysis of Foster Care Exits
   1. Reunification From Foster Care
      1. Family Exit Analysis
      2. Reunification During Different Periods in the Duration of a Spell
      3. Individual State Models of Reunification and Family Exits
4. Reentry From Foster Care
   1. Reentry Counts and Rates by Type of Exit From Care
   2. Multivariate Models for Reentry after Reunification
5. Adoption From Foster Care
6. Summary of Administrative Data Analysis

6. The Role of Race in Parental Reunification

1. Introduction
2. Prior Research
3. Research Methods
   • 3.1 Study Sample
4. Findings
   • 4.1 Best-Fitting Regression Model
   • 4.2 Probabilities of Reunification
5. Discussion
6. Research Implication
   
7. Appendix - Coding of Study Variables

7. Casework Decision Making

1. Introduction
   • 1.1 Agency Background
   • 1.2 An Overview of the Case Process
2. Caseworker Decision Making
3. Implications

List of Tables

Chapter 3

• Table 3-1 Number of Children in Out-of-Home Care
• Table 3-2 Permanency Options
• Table 3-3 State Initiatives

Chapter 5

• Table IIA.1 Type of Exit from Spells in Foster Care, by State and Selected covariates. Nine States Pooled .
• Table I IB.1 Reunification Tracking Tables for Foster Care Spells. By year of Spell Start: 1990-1997
• Table IIB.2_AL Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts To Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of Alabama
• Table IIB.2_CA Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts To Foster Care, 1990-1997
• Table IIB.2_IL Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of Illinois
• Table IIB.2_MD Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, FY 1990-1997, State of Maryland
• Table IIB.2_MI Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of Michigan
• Table IIB.2_MO Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of Missouri
• Table IIB.2_NM Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of New Mexico
• Table IIB.2_NY Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of New York
• Table IIB.2_WI Reunification Tracking Tables for Annual Entry Cohorts to Foster Care, 1990-1997, State of Wisconsin
• Table IIB.2 Summary Average Monthly Reunification Rates, for 9-states and pooled total
• Table IIB.3 Exit and Reunification from Foster Care: State Summary Table
• Table IIC.1 Logistic Regression Model of Exit from Foster Care within 3 Years of Entry: Reunification Exits (reunifications plus exits to relatives) For 1990-1997 Entry Cohorts in Nine States
• Table IIC.2 Logistic Regression Model of Reunification as Outcome of Substitute Care Placement Episodes. Selected Time Periods. Pooled Individual Spell Data From 9 States, Entry Cohorts 1990-1994.
• Table IIC.3 Logistic Regression Models of Reunification from Substitute Care. Nine States, Entry Cohorts 1990-1994. Relative Odds Of Reunification Within 36 months of entry to care
• Table IIC.4 Logistic Regression Model of Family Exit from Substitute Care. Nine States, Entry Cohorts 1990-1994. Relative Odds Of Reunification or Exit to Care of Relative Within 36 Month Of Entry to Care
• Table IID.1 Foster Care Exits and Reentries Within One Year of Exit. All Spells With an Exit During the First 36 Months. 1990-1993 Entrants, Nine States.
• Table IID.2 Reentry of Children Reunified From Foster Care, by State
• Table IIE.1 Logistic Regression Model of Reentry to Foster Care Within One Year of a Prior Exit by Reunification
• Table IIE.2 Logistic Regression Model of Reentry to Substitute Care Within 12 Months of Reunification Exit. All Child Entrants Between 1990-1993 Who Exited by Reunification Within 3 years. By State.
• Table IIF.1 Logistic Regression Model of Adoption From Foster Care Within 4 Years of Entry. None States, 1990-1993 Admissions
• Table IIF.2 Logistic Regression Model of Adoption Within 4 Years of Foster Care Entry. Nine States, All Foster Care Admissions From 1990-1993

Chapter 6

• Tables 6-1 Characteristics of Children in Reunification Study
• Tables 6-2 Reunification by Race
• Tables 6-3 Single-Factor Predictors of Reunification
• Tables 6-4 Correlations of Estimates
• Tables 6-5 Steps to Obtain Best Fitting Model for Predicting Reunification
• Tables 6-6 Probabilities of Reunification For Children Entering Foster Care At Age 7 By Scenario and Race

List of Figures

Chapter 5

• Figure A Likelihood of Reunification from Foster Care Components of Reunification Rates
• Figure B Proportion of Observations Exit from Foster Care, By Destination and Selected Characteristics 1990-1994. Entries Observed Through December 31, 1997. Nine States.
  • Exit Type by Age at Entry
  • Exit Type by Placement Type
  • Exit Type by Race/Ethnicity
  • Exit Type by Spell Duration
• Figure C Likelihood of Reunification from Foster Care

Chapter 6

• Probability of Parental Reunification for Children Who Entered Foster Care At Age 7 by Race

How to Obtain a Printed Copy

To obtain a printed copy of this report, send or fax the title and your mailing information to:

Where to?

Top of Page | Contents

Home Pages:
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Last updated:  03/25/02