Selected Resources

CWLA Standards of Excellence for Residential Services
Child Welfare League of America (2004)
View Abstract
Guidelines for residential care, including types of residential services, components of service and treatment, organizational structure, the service environment and necessary equipment, and community support.

A National Survey of Licensing of Out-Of-Home Placements in Child Welfare (PDF - 294 KB)
National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (2000)
Telephone interviews were conducted with child welfare administrators in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to collect information about their licensing procedures for foster homes, group homes, and residential care facilities.

Residential Services for Children and Youth in Out-of-Home Care: A Critical Link in the Continuum of Care
Bullard & Johnson (2005)
In Child Welfare for the Twenty-First Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs
View Abstract
Historical overview of residential services for children and youth in out-of-home care, as well as outcomes, characteristics of children in care, and case studies.

Residential Treatment: Finding the Appropriate Level of Care (PDF - 162 KB)
Child Welfare League of America (2005)
Factors militating against the optimal use of residential treatment in social services, and strategies for restoring residential treatment to the array of services offered to children.