Children Referred to Residential Care: Reducing Multiple Placements, Managing Costs and Improving Treatment Outcomes

This study examined placement stability (planned discharge) among 8,933 children and adolescents admitted into residential treatment facilities in California. Reducing multiple placements among foster children is a concern for child welfare agencies due to increased emphasis on federal and state out...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Residential treatment for children & youth 2005-01, Vol.22 (3), p.55-66
Main Author: Sunseri, Paul A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Behavior Problems
California
Child Welfare
Child Welfare Services
Children
Costs
Discharge
Family Environment
Foster Care
Foster Children
managing costs
Outcomes
Outcomes of Treatment
Permanent placements
Placement
placement stability
Placements
Public Agencies
Referral
Residential Care
Residential Institutions
Residential Programs
Residential treatment
Stability
Therapy
Treatment
Treatment Outcomes
Welfare Services
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Summary:This study examined placement stability (planned discharge) among 8,933 children and adolescents admitted into residential treatment facilities in California. Reducing multiple placements among foster children is a concern for child welfare agencies due to increased emphasis on federal and state outcomes and accountability standards. The results of this study indicated that high-level (intensive) residential programs achieve the greatest placement stability and that stability worsens as the level of care decreases. Placement stability is also a significant clinical concern as children who are subject to unplanned discharge demonstrate a worsening of behavioral functioning. Finally, although there is a reluctance to place children into high-level residential facilities and children are generally first required to fail lower level programs, the results of this study indicated that when properly assessed and placed into the appropriate level of care at the outset, the majority of children exit the residential care system altogether and return home or to home-like settings sooner and at a lower cost.
ISSN:0886-571X
1541-0358
DOI:10.1300/J007v22n03_04