Outcomes of Group Care for Youth: A Review of Comparative Studies

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review empirical evidence of the effects of placement in group care compared to other interventions. Method: Two-group empirical studies were identified and effect sizes for all reported outcomes were calculated. Results: Nineteen two-group studies were fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research on Social Work Practice 2011-03, Vol.21 (2), p.177-189
Main Authors: Lee, Bethany R., Bright, Charlotte L., Svoboda, Deborah V., Fakunmoju, Sunday, Barth, Richard P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Child placement
Child Welfare
Children
Comparative Analysis
Comparative studies
Delinquency
Effect Size
Family Therapy
Foster Care
Group care
Group Homes
Institutionalized Persons
Intervention
Interventions
Juvenile delinquency
Kinship care
Mental Health
Outcomes of Treatment
Physicians
Placement
Placements
Program Effectiveness
Quality of Health Care
Research Methodology
Social Services
Studies
Treatment
Well Being
Young people
Youth
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Summary:Objective: The purpose of this study was to review empirical evidence of the effects of placement in group care compared to other interventions. Method: Two-group empirical studies were identified and effect sizes for all reported outcomes were calculated. Results: Nineteen two-group studies were found that compared group care with family foster care, treatment foster care, no placement, and different group care models. Most effects were small to moderate, with strongest effects for shorter lengths of stay for family-centered group care models and decreased delinquency for Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) compared to group care. Conclusion: Based on the limited number of two-group studies of varying quality, outcomes of group care are often worse than alternative interventions. However, some group care models seem more promising than others.
ISSN:1049-7315
1552-7581
DOI:10.1177/1049731510386243