Data collected from a survey of treatment foster-care programs permitted an exploratory study of relationships among type of discharge (planned or unplanned), restrictiveness of postdischarge living arrangements, and the program characteristics (per client annual cost, basis of payments and amount paid to family care providers, preservice and inservice training requirements for family care providers, maximum caseload permitted for social workers, program treatment theory, program size, maximum number of placements permitted per family care provider, and the average number of clients per home). Data were available for 1,521 youth discharged from 210 treatment foster-care programs in the United States and Canada. Of the total discharges, 60% were planned, and 63% of the youth were discharged to settings less restrictive than treatment foster care. No meaningful associations were found between program characteristics and type of discharge or restrictiveness of discharge setting. Additional research is necessary to establish the relationship, if any, between program characteristics and program success before moving to impose standards that may increase the cost of delivering treatment foster care but not increase program success.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Almeida, M., Hawkins, R., & Meadowcroft, P. (1989). Evaluation of foster-family-based treatment in comparison with other programs. A preliminary analysis. In J. Hudson & B. Galaway (Eds.), The state as parent: International research perspectives on interventions with young persons (pp. 299–314). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.
2.
Brace, C. L. (1894). The life of Charles Loring Brace (Emma Brace, Ed.). London: Sampson, Low, Merston, and Co.
3.
Brace, C. L. (1993). The dangerous classes of New York and twenty years' work among them. New York: National Association of Social Workers. (original work published 1872)
4.
Bryant, B. (1981). Special foster care: A history and rationale. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 10(1), 8–20.
5.
Chamberlain, P. (1990). Comparative evaluation of specialized foster care for seriously delinquent youths: A first step. Community Alternatives: International Journal of Family Care, 2(2), 21–36.
6.
Chamberlain, P. (n.d.). The use of trained non-professionals in providing therapeutic foster homes for state hospital mentally and emotionally disturbed youth: Final Report. Eugene: Oregon Social Learning Centre.
7.
Colton, M. (1988). Dimensions of substitute child care: A comparative study of foster and residential care practice. Aldershot, England: Avebury.
8.
Foster Family--Based Treatment Association. (1991). Program standards for treatment foster care. St. Paul, MN: Author.
9.
Galaway, B. (1978). PATH: An agency operated by foster parents. Child Welfare, 57, 667–674.
10.
Galaway, B. (1989). Toward a definition of specialist foster family care. Community Alternatives: International Journal of Family Care, 1(2), 82–84.
11.
Galaway, B. (1990). The place of specialist foster family care in a system of child welfare services. In B. Galaway, D. Maglajlic, J. Hudson, P. Harmon, & J. McLagan (Eds.), International perspectives on specialist foster family care (pp. 1–16). St. Paul, MN: Human Service Associates.
12.
Galaway, B., Hudson, J., & Nutter, R. (1993). Treatment foster family care: North American program development. In K. Ekberg & P. Mjaavatn (Eds.), Children at risk: Selected papers (pp. 273–295). Trondheim: Norwegian Centre for Child Research.
13.
Hawkins, R. P. (1989). The nature and potential of therapeutic foster family care programs. In R. P. Hawkins & J. Breiling (Eds.), Therapeutic foster care: Critical issues (pp. 5–37). Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
14.
Hawkins, R. P., Almeida, M. C., Fabry, B., & Reitz, A. L. (1992). A scale to measure restrictiveness of living environments for troubled youths. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 43, 54–58.
15.
Hawkins, R. P., & Meadowcroft, P. (1984). Practical program evaluation in a family-based treatment program for disturbing and disturbed youngsters. (Available from Pressley Ridge Schools, 530 Marshall Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15214)
16.
Hawkins, R. P., Meadowcroft, P., Trout, B. A., & Luster, W. C. (1985). Foster family-based treatment. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 14, 220–228.
17.
Hazel, N. (1981). A bridge to independence. Oxford, England: Blackwell.
18.
Henry, G. T. (1990) Practical sampling. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
19.
Hudson, J., Nutter, R. W., & Galaway, B. (1992). A survey of North American specialist foster family care programs. Social Service Review, 66, 50–63.
20.
Jones, R. J., & Timbers, G. D. (1983). Professional parenting for juvenile offenders [Final report of program activities]. Morganton, NC: Bringing It All Back Home Study Center.
21.
Kadushin, A. (1980). Child welfare services (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
22.
Langsam, M. (1964). Children west. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
23.
Larson, G., & Allison, J. (1977). Evaluation outcome: A report. Edmonton, Canada: Alberta Parent Counsellors Program.
24.
Larson, G., Allison, J., & Johnston, E. (1978). Alberta parent counsellors: A community treatment program for disturbed youths. Child Welfare, 57(1), 47–52.
25.
Levin, S., Rubenstein, J. S., & Streiner, D. L. (1976). The Parent--Therapist program: An innovative approach to treating emotionally disturbed children. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 27, 407–410.
26.
Maloney, D. M., Fixsen, D. L., & Phillips, E. L. (1981). The teaching-family model: Research and dissemination in a service program. Children and Youth Services Review, 3, 343–355.
27.
Martin, C., & Hawkins, R. (1992). The restrictiveness of living environments scale (ROLES): West Virginia replication of a simple device for program evaluation, policy planning, and placement decision making. Community Alternatives: International Journal of Family Care, 4(1), 71–79.
28.
Norusis, M. J. (1990).SPSS/PC+ base manual for the IBM PC/XT/AT and PS/2. Chicago: SPSS Inc.
29.
Nutter, R. W., Hudson, J., & Galaway, B. (1989). A survey of specialist foster family care in North America. Community Alternatives: International Journal of Family Care, 1(1), 51–67.
30.
Pumphrey, R., & Pumphrey, M. (Eds.). (1961). The heritage of American social work: Readings in its philosophical and institutional development. New York: Columbia University Press.
31.
Rubenstein, J. S., Armentrout, J. A., Levin, S., & Herald, D. (1978). The parenttherapist program: Alternate care for emotionally disturbed children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 48, 654–662.
32.
Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. (1989). Research methods for social work. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
33.
Smith, P. (1986). Evaluation of Kent placements. Adoption and Fostering, 86(1), 29–33.
34.
Snodgrass, R. (1989). Treatment foster care: A proposed definition. Community Alternatives: International Journal of Family Care, 1(2), 79–82.
35.
Snodgrass, R. D., & Bryant, B. (1984). Special foster care: Past and present. Staunton, VA: People Places.
36.
Snodgrass, R., & Bryant, B. (1989). Therapeutic foster care: A national program survey. In R. Hawkins & J. Breiling (Eds.), Therapeutic foster care: Critical issues (pp. 37–79). Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
37.
Stroul, B. A. (1989). Community-based services for children and adolescents who are severely emotionally disturbed: Therapeutic foster care. Washington, DC: Georgetown University, Child Development Center, CASSP Technical Assistance Center.
38.
Update. (1989). Program Update: Therapeutic Foster Care, 2(1), 8–10.
39.
Yellowly, M. (1979). Independent evaluation of twenty-five placements in the Kent family project. Maidstone, England: Kent County. Council Social Services.
