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Related Resources: Out-of-Home Care
General resources about out-of-home care, including some outcome studies and State and local examples.
Adoption and Foster Care Statistics
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Data reports on children and youth in out-of-home care from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).
Assessing the Effects of Foster Care: Mental Health Outcomes From the Casey National Alumni Study (PDF - 104 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2005)
The Casey National Alumni Study collected data about the incidence of mental illness among foster care alumni to determine the impact of placement on long-term mental health.
Childhood Out-of-Home Placement and Dynamics of Public Shelter Utilization Among Young Homeless Adults
Park, Metraux, & Culhane (2005)
Children and Youth Services Review, 27(5), 2005
View Abstract
This study assessed the associations between prior involvement with child welfare services and the risk of experiencing recurrent and extended episodes of shelter use.
Foster Care: Voices From the Inside (PDF - 113 KB)
Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care (2004)
Highlights the experiences of young adults who grew up in foster care, parents who have safely reunited with their children, and foster and adoptive parents who participated in focus groups.
Innovations in Child Welfare From Across America: A Special Report by the Editor of Child Protection Report
Child Protection Report (2004)
View Abstract
Describes innovative approaches being used in out-of-home care to address housing, health care, court procedures, childcare, and mental health care for children and families.
Meeting the Challenges of Contemporary Foster Care (PDF - 175 KB)
Chipungu & Bent-Goodley
Future of Children, 14(1), 2004
Presents challenges currently facing the foster care system including agency difficulties in providing adequate services for families in their care, disproportionality of minority children in care, retention of foster families, and organizational problems such as large caseloads and high staff turnover.
National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW): One Year in Foster Care Wave 1 Data Analysis Report (PDF - 790 KB)
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2003)
Findings from the One Year in Foster Care (OYFC) study include children's characteristics, experiences, and living situations; caregiver and household characteristics; and service needs and receipt.
State and local examples
A Community Conversation About the Safety of Children in Foster Care (PDF - 1320 KB)
Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc. (2009)
Provides information on the current status of children in foster care in Milwaukee and identifies best practices for keeping foster children safe, including strategies suggested by foster parents, biological parents, caseworkers, and other key informants.
Forgotten Children: A Special Report on the Texas Foster Care System
Texas Comptroller (2004)
This evaluation revealed failures in financial management, variations in service quality delivered by contractors, disincentives for less restrictive placements and permanency, high rates of foster home transfers, ineffective licensing standards, high caseloads, and limited services for children with special needs. Recommendations for improvement are presented.
Our Children: Our Future: Minnesota Kids Who Don't Live at Home (PDF - 493 KB)
Wilder Research Center (2003)
Explores the characteristics and service needs of all Minnesota children who are living away from home, including those in the child welfare system. Addresses how placement decisions are made, components of effective settings and services, and service gaps.