The evaluation of the Nevada Initiative to Reduce Long-Term Foster Care (LTFC) includes three populations. It will examine how the interventions SAFE- FC and FSE impact or relate to permanency outcomes for children most at risk for long term foster care and currently in care.
The project targets three populations of children. For populations 1 and 2, the study will evaluate an intervention known as SAFE-FC. The intervention aims to prevent long term foster care by providing tailored services and intensive engagement with all new families with children identified as unsafe (Population 1) and for cases that are currently in care and at risk of LTFC where reunification is the case goal (Population 2). Family Search and Engagement (FSE) is the intervention for Population 3; it involves intense search practices to identify possible permanency resources. For Populations 1 and 2 the study is a randomized, intent-to-treat design to measure safety and permanency outcomes. For Population 3 the evaluation will be a descriptive study to analyze relationships between the intervention approach and outcomes. Both studies aim to examine how the interventions (SAFE- FC and FSE) impact or relate to permanency outcomes for children most at risk for long term foster care.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Enrollment
507
SAFE - FC, a combination of SAFE (developed by ACTION for Child Protection) and Family Connections (developed by Ruth H. Young Center for Families and Children, University of Maryland School of Social Work) for Populations 1 and 2.
Time to stable permanence
Measured by administrative data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
Time frame: Measured from the date of random assignment to the discharge date or to the end of the study period for cases that did not discharge
Caregiver readiness for change
Measured with Readiness for Parenting Change Scale (REDI) Abbreviated (Chaffin et al, 2011)
Time frame: Measured at intake, at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and again at case closure (participants will be followed throughout the duration of their involvement with Washoe County DSS which is on average 24 months)
Caregiver stress
Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-SF) (Abidin, 1983)
Time frame: Measured at intake, at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and again at case closure (participants will be followed throughout the duration of their involvement with Washoe County DSS which is on average 24 months)
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