Assessment and Placement Decisions in Group and Residential Care

These resources provide helpful information when assessing whether group or residential care would best meet the needs of a child or youth who cannot remain with his or her family. Important factors related to this decision include the needs of the child and the associated outcomes of various out-of-home care options.

• Assessment and placement decisions
• Outcomes

Assessment and Placement Decisions in Group and Residential Care

Analyzes the needs profiles for youth in residential care from the perspectives of both youths and professionals. Results from the youth study indicate three main needs areas while the results of the professional study specify three risk levels for youths entering out-of-home care.

Residential Treatment Programs for Teens
U.S. Federal Trade Commission (2008)
Presents questions and recommendations for caregivers to consider when choosing private residential treatment programs for teens.

Out-of-State Placement (OSP) Committee
New York State Council on Children and Families
Provides resources and information about New York's efforts to improve the monitoring of out-of-State residential placements, promote coordination across all levels of government, and establish a process for identifying and considering in-State resources prior to making an out-of-State placement.

Outcomes in Group and Residential Care

The Moderating Effect Between Strengths and Placement on Children’s Needs in Out-of-Home Care: A Follow-up Study
Sim, Li, & Chu (2016)
Children and Youth Services Review, 60
Compares the effect of placement in residential care and foster care situations in children based on their resiliency and strength levels. Initial differences in baseline resiliency and strength are mediated in residential care settings and persist for longer periods in foster care placements.

Permanency Outcomes for Youth With Complex Mental Health Needs Served by the Child Protective Services Reintegration Project: Phase II Evaluation Report (PDF - 976 KB)
Casey Family Programs, Travis County Health and Human Services, & Texas Child Protective Services (2011)
Evaluates permanency outcomes for youth served by the Child Protective Services Reintegration Project. The project attempts to move youth with complex mental and behavioral needs out of group homes or residential treatment centers and back to their families and communities. The Phase I Evaluation Report (PDF - 807 KB) and Promoting Permanency video are also available.

Redefining Residential: Strategic Interventions to Advance Youth Permanency (PDF - 150 KB)
Association of Children's Residential Centers (2015)
Outlines ways in which residential care settings can contribute to a child’s desire and ability to achieve permanence within the context of out-of-home care.

Analyzes the ways in which connection, agency, activity, and coherence relate to successful turning points in identity construction for young people leaving residential care.

Compares the subjective well-being of adolescents in residential care as compared to adolescents in the general population. Adolescents in residential care place a high priority on time utilization, security, and future opportunities in the evaluation of their subjective well-being.