Foster care re-entry: Exploring the role of foster care characteristics, in-home child welfare services and cross-sector services

Abstract

This study seeks to advance our understanding of how modifiable and non-modifiable factors may impact the likelihood of re-entry into foster care. Children who entered foster care for the first time following at least one report of maltreatment and were then reunified were followed from exit to re-entry, age 18 or the end of the study period using longitudinal administrative data. Risk of re-entry was explored according to a range of modifiable and non-modifiable case and service characteristics. Children removed from homes with parents who had multiple risk factors (e.g., no high school diploma, mental health diagnosis, criminal record, or teen parents) or were receiving AFDC prior to entry were more likely to re-enter. The receipt of in-home child welfare services during or after foster care was associated with reduced risk of re-entry. Having the longest placement with a relative was associated with decreased risk of re-entry. In conclusion, both modifiable and non-modifiable factors are associated with re-entry into foster care. Among modifiable factors, services appear to have a particularly strong relationship to re-entry. Our data also suggest that in-home child welfare services provided during and after foster care may be associated with improved long-term permanency after return home. Given the continued import of caregiver risk factors even among reunified families, services provided to support reunification should include attention to caregiver needs outside parenting.

When Home Is Still Unsafe: From Family Reunification to Foster Care Reentry

“…Prior work in this area has largely focused on describing overall reentry rates and identifying family- or child-specific risk factors. Though these studies involved different geographic locations and sampling parameters, most estimated reentry rates at 20% to 40% within 1-5 years (Brook & McDonald, 2009; Lee, Jonson-Reid, & Drake, 2012; Wulczyn, 2004). A review of the reentry literature (Kimberlin et al, 2009) identified several risk factors at the child level (age; race; mental, physical, or behavioral problems), family level (poverty; parental substance abuse; lack of support; maltreatment type), and service level (number of placements; prior child protective services [CPS] involvement).…”

Factors associated with re-entry to out-of-home care among children in England

“…Most recently, an association between more placement moves while in OHC and an increased likelihood of an adoption, special guardianship or residence order breaking down have been described (Selwyn et al, 2014). Studies in other countries have described associations with re-entry to OHC and the child’s age at exit (Orsi, 2015; White, 2016; Yampolskaya, Armstrong, & Vargo, 2007), ethnicity (Orsi, 2015; Shaw, 2006), having behavioral or health problems (Barth, Weigensberg, Fisher, Fetrow, & Green, 2008; Liao & White, 2014; Testa, Snyder, Wu, Rolock, & Liao, 2015; White, 2016; Yampolskaya et al, 2007), a longer time spent in care (McDonald, Bryson, & Poertner, 2006; Wells & Guo, 1999), placement setting (Carnochan, Rizik-Baer, & Austin, 2013; Lee, Jonson-Reid, & Drake, 2012), and placement stability (Carnochan et al, 2013).…”

Do Specialty Courts Achieve Better Outcomes for Children in Foster Care than General Courts?

“…Sloan et al 25 Finding a permanent home for the child has long been a public policy goal. However, recent studies have documented high rates of return to foster care following what was thought to be a permanent placement (Jonson-Reid et al 2010;Lee, Jonson-Reid, and Drake 2012). Partly for this reason, the policy goal has shifted somewhat from seeking permanency to achieving stability in child living arrangements (Waddell, MacMillan, and Pietrantonio 2004).…”