Related Resources: Outcomes for Treatment Foster Care Programs

Additional resources providing findings from studies on treatment foster care, including State and local examples.

Characteristics and Trajectories of Treatment Foster Care Youth
Hussey & Shenyang
Child Welfare: Journal of Policy, Practice and Program, 84(4), 2005
View Abstract
Using cross-sectional analyses in conjunction with dynamic modeling (hierarchical linear modeling), the authors profiled 119 treatment foster care youth and constructed behavioral change trajectories for a subset of 97 children.

A Literature Review Comparing the Outcomes of Residential Group Care and Therapeutic Foster Care
Curtis, Alexander, & Lunghofer
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 18(5), 2001
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Highlights empirical evidence about the outcomes of the services and identifies the limitations of evaluation methods.

The Odyssey Project: A Descriptive and Prospective Study of Children and Youth in Residential Group Care and Therapeutic Foster Care (PDF - 176 KB)
Child Welfare League of America (2005)
Attempts to describe more accurately the children in residential group care (RGC) and therapeutic foster care (TFC) programs and to determine what differences exist in services and outcomes for youth placed in each.

Placement Disruption in Treatment Foster Care
Smith, Stormshak, Chamberlain, & Whaley
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Fall 2001
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Rates of placement disruption in traditional and treatment foster care are reviewed.

Predictors of Placement Outcomes in Treatment Foster Care: Implications For Foster Parent Selection And Service Delivery
Redding, Fried, & Britner
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 9(4), 2000
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Placement stability as it relates to effective matching of foster children with potential foster families.

Refining the Evaluation of Treatment Foster Care
James & Meezan
Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 83(3), 2002
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Synthesizes the state of knowledge about the impact of treatment foster care and discusses how an ecosystemic framework can advance and inform this field of practice.

Therapeutic Foster Care for the Prevention of Violence: A Report on Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004)
A systematic review of the scientific literature regarding therapeutic foster care to determine the effectiveness of this intervention in preventing violent behavior among participating youth.

Use of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist in a Longitudinal Study of Treatment Foster Care Outcomes
Chapin Hall Center for Children (2002)
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Outcomes for 259 children referred by child welfare and probation authorities to a facility operated by the Professional Association of Treatment Homes (PATH) were measured by examining data designed to measure changes in youth behavior status, placement stability, and permanency outcomes over a 2-year period.

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State and local examples

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care
Chamberlain & Mihalic (2001)
View Abstract
Places adolescents with antisocial and criminal behavior problems in community homes instead of residential facilities.

The Oregon Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care Model
Shepard & Chamberlain (2005)
In Outcomes for Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Their Families: Programs and Evaluation Best Practices
View Abstract
Describes the Oregon Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care Program (MTFC), a program designed to provide treatment to youth with emotional and behavioral disorders who are in need of out-of-home placements.

Outcomes of Specialized Foster Care in a Managed Child Welfare Services Network
Cross, Leavey, Mosley, White, & Andreas
Child Welfare League of America, 83(6), 2004
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Results from outcomes measurement in a services network providing specialized foster care to children in child protective services custody.

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