ABSTRACT

Targeted prevention efforts after adoption or guardianship from foster care are intended to help families most at-risk and prior to the onset of significant issues. Most adoptive and guardianship families adjust well with supportive services in place; only a small proportion have difficulties that result in children returning to foster care after adoption or guardianship. This study examined the use of administrative data to identify families at-risk for post-permanency discontinuity. Administrative data have some utility for identifying families that may struggle, however, they provide a limited representation of risk. Caregiver survey responses in four states (n=1,670) found that families with universal outreach scored higher on child behavioral and caregiver strain measures than families specifically targeted based on risk factors identified in the administrative data. These findings suggest that caregiver commitment and familial relationships questions should be assessed prior to targeting prevention services aimed at reducing post-permanence discontinuity. Specifically, a brief check-in with families after adoption or guardianship, with key questions discussed here, could be beneficial to identify and engage struggling families for prevention and early intervention services.

摘要

在收养或得到寄养监护后进行有针对性的预防工作，旨在帮助高危家庭和在重大问题发生之前。大多数收养和监护家庭在提供支持服务的情况下都能很好地适应；只有一小部分儿童有困难，导致儿童在领养或监护后返回寄养。这项研究检查了行政数据的使用，以确定永久居留后中断的高风险家庭。行政数据在识别可能陷入困境的家庭方面具有一定的实用性，但是，它们只能代表有限的风险。在四个州（n = 1，670）发现，具有普遍性的家庭在儿童行为和照顾者压力方面的得分高于根据行政数据中确定的风险因素专门针对的家庭。这些发现表明，在针对旨在减少永久性不连续性的预防服务之前，应评估照顾者的承诺和家庭关系问题。具体来说，在收养或监护后与家人进行简短的登记，并在此处讨论关键问题，可能有助于识别和参与处境艰难的家庭，以提供预防和早期干预服务。