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Finding Permanent Families for Teens Under State Guardianship

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Finding Permanent Families for Teens Under State Guardianship Finding permanent families for teens under state guardianship Final report for The Homecoming Project DECEMBER 2008 Finding permanent families for teens under state guardianship Final report for The Homecoming Project December 2008 Prepared by: Michelle Decker Gerrard, Ellen Shelton, Maggie Skrypek, and Ron Mortenson Wilder Research 451 Lexington Parkway North Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104 www.wilder.org For questions about the report, contact Michelle Decker Gerrard at [email protected]. For questions about the project, contact Melissa Sherlock at [email protected]. Contents Summary ............................................................................................................................. 1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 13 Overview of the population and the problem that the project was designed to address ...........................................................................................................................14 Overview of program model ............................................................................................. 18 Evaluation plan ................................................................................................................. 21 Methods .........................................................................................................................21 Data included in this report ............................................................................................23 Problems encountered in the implementation of the evaluation ....................................23 Background characteristics of Homecoming youth .......................................................... 24 Demographics ................................................................................................................26 Educational history ........................................................................................................27 Employment history .......................................................................................................30 Where youth grew up .....................................................................................................30 Placement history ...........................................................................................................31 History of abuse, neglect, and health issues ..................................................................34 Substance use and delinquency ......................................................................................38 Characteristics of Homecoming youth at case closing ..................................................... 40 Age at case closing ........................................................................................................40 Placements since referral ...............................................................................................41 Homecoming youth scores using the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) ..............................................................................................................43 Findings regarding project implementation (process evaluation) ..................................... 50 Overview of project activities (summary of semi-annual reports) ................................51 An analysis of program “dosage” ..................................................................................58 Homecoming Project staff views of significant implementation outcomes at the case-level .......................................................................................................................64 Feedback from Homecoming youth ..............................................................................67 Feedback from care providers (foster parents and residential staff) midway through the project ......................................................................................................................72 Feedback from county social workers midway through the project ..............................76 Evaluation of The Homecoming Project Wilder Research, December 2008 final results Contents (continued) Project outcomes: changes in youth served ...................................................................... 82 Permanency outcomes for Homecoming Project youth versus the comparison group of similar youth ....................................................................................................82 Homecoming youth: worker ratings of other measures of youth permanence ..............86 Other outcomes for Homecoming Project youth versus the comparison group: examining the follow-up Survey of Youth in Care .........................................................89 Project outcomes: changes in families served .................................................................. 99 Feedback from the Family survey .................................................................................99 Project outcomes: systems changes ................................................................................ 107 Changes in perceptions of adoption workers ...............................................................107 Changes in long-term foster care rates ........................................................................116 Changes in teen adoption rates ....................................................................................117 Youth views: Suggestions for improvement in the system of care..............................118 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 124 Implications of results and issues to consider ................................................................. 126 Appendix A: Additional information and analysis ......................................................... 129 Logic model .................................................................................................................131 Results of baseline Survey of Youth in Care ...............................................................132 Appendix B: Related project reports............................................................................... 148 Appendix C: Evaluation instruments .............................................................................. 170 Homecoming Project Intake Information Form ...........................................................171 Homecoming Project Closing Information form .........................................................176 Survey of Youth in Care, final follow-up ....................................................................188 Survey of Youth in Care, baseline 2004-2005 .............................................................202 Baseline Adoption Workers’ Survey, December 2003 ................................................212 Follow-up Adoption Workers’ Survey, April 2005 .....................................................216 Evaluation of The Homecoming Project Wilder Research, December 2008 final results Figures 1. Before project: Number of teenagers under state guardianship, by age and year ..... 15 2. Before project: Number and percent of adoptions of teenagers under state guardianship, by year ................................................................................................ 15 3. Number of youth referred to project, by county ....................................................... 25 4. Homecoming youth characteristics – Gender ........................................................... 26 5. Homecoming youth characteristics – Race/Ethnicity ............................................... 26 6. Other Homecoming participant characteristics ......................................................... 27 7. Educational history ................................................................................................... 28 8. Special education requirements ................................................................................ 29 9. Other educational history .......................................................................................... 30 10. Length of time in out-of-home care .......................................................................... 31 11. Types of placement ................................................................................................... 32 12. Quality of care........................................................................................................... 33 13. Reasons youth originally were placed outside of their home ................................... 34 14. History of abuse/neglect ........................................................................................... 35 15. Mental and physical health concerns ........................................................................ 35 16. Drug or alcohol abuse for youth and in biological family ........................................ 38 17. Legal system: arrests and offenses ............................................................................ 39 18. Homecoming youth characteristics: Age at case closing .......................................... 40 19. Types of living situations while enrolled in The Homecoming Project and at case closing ............................................................................................................... 41 20. Grade in school at case closing ................................................................................
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