Understanding the conditions under which children benefit most from systems of care approaches can help administrators allocate scarce resources, improve services, sustain existing systems, and implement new initiatives. The purpose of this study was to determine whether demographic characteristics, referral source, Medicaid status, presenting problems, or place of residence predicted improvement over time in a system of care. Results indicate that age at enrollment was the only variable that predicted functional improvement after 6 months of system of care involvement. Further research is needed that explores differences in effective service provision for younger and older children served in systems of care. These findings support the growing recognition that prevention and early intervention should be core aspects of children's social services.
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