Family Finding Evaluations: A Summary of Recent Findings APPENDIX Appendix A. Study overviews Ns Grant/funding Target population (for outcome Staffing Study Study ST Grantee Program Model Intervention goal Evaluator Design (T=treatment, Notes structure evaluation) structure enrollment end date C=control) • Establish meaningful, permanent Family Finding New to care and in care. Children Children’s Family Connection connections with relatives/kin who can Program for WI new to care or in care beyond 09/30/09‐ WI Services Society Discretionary Grant: Specialized. Kevin Campbell provide emotional and legal permanency Child Trends RCT T=83, C=92 9/29/2012 Youth in Out‐of‐ ASFA guidelines in Milwaukee 03/31/12 of Wisconsin Family Finding • Improve child safety, permanency and well‐ Home Care County (urban) being FF coaches were randomly • Help case managers integrate FF into daily assigned to casework units, practice Hillsborough Kids Central: Family Connection J.K. Elder and rather than children being Families for New to care and in care. All youth Other. Coaching • Improve youth connections with adult T=308, C=246 10/1/2009‐ 9/2012 FL Kids Central Discretionary Grant: Kevin Campbell Assoc., with RCT randomly assigned. T and C Florida’s Children in foster care in 6 counties. for caseworker relatives/kin Kids Central 12/31/2011 Hillsborough: Family Finding Child Trends groups all received FF; • Achieve permanency more quickly T=88, C=30 4/2012 evaluation tested the • Improve safety and well‐being outcomes assignment of a FF coach. • Identify and engage connections upon foster care (re‐)entry New to care and in care. New non‐ • Place children with appropriate relative Four Oaks emergency entries and re‐entries; Family Connection resources The University Family and Families for Iowa’s 12 counties in Ames Service Area IA Discretionary Grant: Specialized. Kevin Campbell • Achieve permanency as expeditiously as Of Iowa School RCT T=125, C=118 10/2009‐? 09/2012 Children’s Children & 14 counties in Cedar Rapids Family Finding possible Of Social Work Services Service Area. All ages. • Maximize the contributions from Urban/rural mix. connections who are not placement/permanency resources Making Place • Keep children in their communities of Family Connection In care. Youth with permanency Kevin Campbell Matter through origin U of MD School Discretionary Grant: goal of APPLA or youth with (completion of Final report Family Kin • Place children in families first; reduce use of Social Work, 05/2010‐ MD Maryland DHR Kinship Navigator, little/no family involvement in Specialized. discovery and RCT T=77, C=55 date: Connections of group homes with Child 10/2011 Family Finding, Family Baltimore and Prince George's some engagement 6/30/2013 (Family Kin • Minimize stay in out‐of‐home care; Trends Involvement Meetings Counties activities) Connections) increase permanence New to care and in care. Children Family Connection entering and at risk of placement New to care In Hawaii, the intervention Family Discretionary Grant: in the City and County of • Prevent foster care entry T=109, C=235 6‐month and group received immediate and The Catalyst HI Hawaii DHS Connections Family Finding, Family Honolulu. Children age 4‐16 in Specialized. Kevin Campbell • Place children who do enter care with RCT In care not reported 12‐month expedited FF, and the control Group Hawaii Group Decision‐ care >= 12 months with no relatives/kin T=120 families, follow‐up group received FF upon referral making permanent legal and/or C=120 families up to one year from intake. emotional family connections. Seneca Center • Find and engage relatives and other kin to SF, for Children and Private funding: Stuart 9/2008‐ Family Finding New to care. Specialized. Kevin Campbell provide more options for legal and emotional Child Trends RCT T=116, C=123 1/31/2012 CA Families (San Foundation 2/2011 permanency Francisco, CA) Full sample Private/local funding: In care. Age 10‐17 at referral with T=267, C=265 Duke Endowment, no reunification plan and no Interviewed @ Children’s Home Children's Home identified permanent placement • Increase emotional permanency for youth 12 mos: T=143, 6/2008‐ NC Family Finding Specialized. Kevin Campbell Child Trends RCT 10/2012 Society of NC Society of NC, NC resource in 9 counties (3 served • Secondary: Increase legal permanency C=162 9/2011 Department of Social by private agency; 6 served by Interviewed @ Services. public agency) 24 mos: T=132, C=149 Integrate intensive FF state‐wide. 1) Consultat with PST, 2) inform bio and foster parents, 3) Ecomapping: Discussion of Family Connection New to care and in care. In care record mining, 4) relationships that youth has Rhode Island Discretionary Grant: from 0‐90 days, 90 days to 18 Other. eco‐mapping, 5) Intervention: Rhode Island • Increase physical, emotional, legal with family, friends, and Partnership for Family Finding, Family months, 18 months and older, re‐ Specialized internet search, 6) N=416 10/2009‐ RI Foster Parent permanency RCT 03/2013 others; student draws diagram Family Group Decision‐ entry, and in Another Permanent worked with interview child, 7) Comparison: 05/2012 Association • Increase stability in living arrangements with relationships noted and Connections making, Kinship Planned Living Arrangement caseworker family teaming N=467 described, then talks about Navigator (APPLA) model, 8) each of them. consultants for visitation, kinship support, domestic violence as needed. Ns Grant/funding Target population (for outcome Staffing Study Study ST Grantee Program Model Intervention goal Evaluator Design (T=treatment, Notes structure evaluation) structure enrollment end date C=control) • Reduce the number of dependent children and youth • Increase the rate of adoptions by relatives Family Connection Applied • Increase family involvement Discretionary Grant: Research Family • Reduce the time to achieve pre‐ outcome Catholic Family Family Finding, Family‐ In care and new to care. In Center for Date of final Connections permanency length of stay s for WA and Child Team Decision‐ Washington’s Congressional Specialized. Kevin Campbell Strong N=258 not reported report: Demonstration • Increase the percentage of relative served Service making, Kinship District 4 and 5 Communities & 12/2010 Project placements group Navigator/Tribal Schools, U of • Reduce the number of placement moves Navigator WA, Tacoma for children • Identify connections to build long‐term support options New to care (and in care). First‐ CA's report notes that 211 Family Connection time entries in Sacramento children were enrolled into the Lilliput Discretionary Grant: Kinnections County in care < 6 months (and Stanford Youth 04/2011‐ evaluation, but only the 191 CA Children's Family Finding, Kinship Specialized. Kevin Campbell • Place children with relatives pre/post N=191 06/2012 Initiative siblings) age 0‐17 who are African Solutions 6/2012 whose FF cases were closed Services Navigator American and who are not in kin were used in the outcomes Combination placements analysis. Extreme Recruitment: 12‐ to 20‐weeks, weekly 30‐minute task‐oriented Family Connection Partnering team may include meetings to Discretionary Grant: In care. Older youth, usually ages • Identify and locate, with a sense of outcome caseworker, Casey Family Maine Kinship Other. present results of U of Maine Family Finding, Family 15‐17, in danger of aging out of urgency, kin connections s for 09/30/09‐ Services FF worker, GAL/CASA, ME Maine DHHS Connections Partnering case‐mining aimed Center on N=72 09/2012 Group Decision‐ the system with few to no • Foster connections and a sense of family served 09/29/12 clinicians, other agency/service Project agency staff. at identifying and Aging making, Kinship connections history for the youth group providers, adult connections of locating potential Navigator youth. kin connections. Professional detective assists with location efforts. New to care (or at risk of OKDHS Office Family Connection Intensive FF in first Intervention entering). Children entering • Reduce emergency shelter care use of Planning, Oklahoma Kinship Discretionary Grant: 24 hours, model comparis N=5,973 8/1/2010‐ 6‐month follow‐ Data for 7/1/2008‐7/31/2010 OK Oklahoma DHS emergency shelters in Oklahoma Specialized. • Increase placement with kin within 24 Research and Bridge Family Finding, Kinship developed in Clark on group Comparison: 9/29/2013 up were used for comparison. and Tulsa Counties (state's largest hours Statistics Navigator County, NV N=6821 metropolitan areas) (OPRS) • Increase permanency and stability in living Family Connection In care. Youth in 11 counties age arrangements The Center for Intervention: Other, pre/post, Comparison group children SC Connecting for Discretionary Grant: 12 and older at risk of aging out • Enhance families' capacity to provide for Child and N=322 9/30/2009‐ SC South Carolina DS specialized. Kevin Campbell comparis 3/31/2013 included those in 5 counties Kids Family Finding, Kinship of care and who had less than children’s needs Family Studies, Comparison: N 9/29/2012 GALs on group not participating in FF. Navigator three identified connections • Develop at least three enduring USC (CCFS) is not noted connections per youth Appendix B. Findings from experimental evaluations of Family Finding programs serving youthnew to care and in care WI IA2 FL (K.C.) FL (Hillsb.) RI T C T C T C T C T C Relational permanency Achieved relational permanency4 ‐‐ ‐‐ 81% 65% *** ‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐ Permanency5 Discharged to reunification,