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Factors affecting the readmission of children into foster care
Abstract
The focus of this study was to explore the reentry of children who were discharged from foster care to their biological families and to examine differences between them and the children who remained home following discharge. An exploratory ex post facto descriptive study with a comparative approach was conducted at the New Britain Department of Children and Youth Services in Connecticut from January 1990 through January 1991. The study sample comprised two groups of 50 children from one month to 12 years of age who had at least one admission into foster care, the "Readmission" group and the "At Home" group. All children fitting the sample criteria were included. Data were collected by structured interview with the twenty social workers who had responsibility for each child. The interview questionnaire was designed to identify variables which have an effect on a child's chances for repeat admissions into foster care. Discriminant analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Children readmitted to care tended to be placed and readmitted for reasons which indicated the existence of chronic problems in their families. The children's discharge from foster care was more often initiated by the parent's request than as a direct result of any improvement in the reasons which led to their placement. Parents of children readmitted to care had less contact with their children during placement. The study's main contribution was in the isolation and identification of five variables which proved to differentiate the two groups. The sum of parent-child interaction problems, the frequency of parent-child telephone contact during placement, worker initiated discharge, preparation time for discharge and the frequency of worker visits following discharge emerged as strong predictors of readmission. Although these variables are highly correlated with readmission, further studies are needed to determine if these variables are causally related. The findings stress the need for a thorough assessment throughout the agency's involvement. This would enable workers to locate children at risk for readmission and their families.
Subject Area
Social work|Social psychology|Public policy
Recommended Citation
Barry Cataldi, Yvonne, "Factors affecting the readmission of children into foster care" (1994). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9420599.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9420599