An exploratory study of self-esteem and quality of care of 100 children in foster care

This small-scale research study examined children's perceptions of themselves, their situation, career aspirations and hopes for the future. One hundred San Francisco children in foster care were interviewed and filled out a questionnaire. 50 of the children lived in foster family care; 50 in group homes. The Department of Social Services in San Francisco cooperated in executing this study. Children ranged in ages from 8–18. Both male and female children participated. The questionnaire contained two standarized tests, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and Parks Career Role Inventory. A section was written by the authors to examine how children in care spend their time, and how they feel about where they live and their foster care status. The last part, an open-ended section asks them which foster care setting they liked best, why, and what they would suggest to improve the foster care system. An additional question “Why do you think you are in foster care?” was designed to elicit the children's understanding of why they lived in foster care rather than their biological home.     

Parents' searches for child care and the design of information services

This article reports selected findings from a study of the process by which urban parents search for child care. Analyses of interview data indicate that (a) parents used informal sources of information to a considerably greater extent than formal sources, (b) the general pattern was to begin the search with relatives and close friends and gradually move out to more peripheral ties, (c) there does not appear to be an effective informal system of neighbors or community persons who matched parents with child care providers, and (d) there was no single or several sources that were outstanding in effectiveness for a large proportion of parents. The article sets forth implications of these data for the design of child care information and referral services in urban settings.     

Are services to prevent foster care effective?

The prevention of foster care became an important issue for child welfare services during the 1970s. Two main types of prevention models have emerged: crisis intervention programs intended to prevent imminent placement and intensive service programs designed to avert those crisis situations that precipitate placement. A critical analysis of several project evaluations leads to the conclusion that neither model has been markedly successful. Low nominal project placement rates seem attributable to inability to predict placements and to client selection biases. From a strictly financial perspective, preventive services have been considerably more expensive than regular services, including temporary family foster care. Data from a new demonstration project in New Jersey illustrate various problems in providing and evaluating preventive services to families referred to protective service agencies. Implications of the findings for prevention programs and policies are discussed, and a new direction focused on truly early intervention with children and families is proposed.     

The development of evaluation as a concession

The organization of evaluation activities takes place within the already existing programs and power arrangements of complex organizations. In this context, evaluation is likely to develop along the lines of a licensed concession operating within a particular program area and as an expression of a concession made by complex organizations to the ideal of rational decision-making. In addition, the formation of professional career paths in evaluation may lead to career immobility. The “evaluation as a profession” issue itself could be resolved not by evaluation becoming a profession but by evaluation becoming a specialty of the professional manager.     

Burnout among employees of state residential facilities serving developmentally disabled persons

This research was conducted to determine the prevalence of and variables associated with “burnout” among employees at state residential facilities serving the developmentally disabled. Fourteen heterogeneous facilities from 11 states participated. The sample consisted of 256 top level administrators, 244 direct care professionals, and 224 direct care workers. Subjects from the latter two categories were randomly selected. The results indicated that 15% of the sample were experiencing attitudinal, emotional, and physical exhaustion. Personal variables found to relate significantly to burnout were age, sex, and marital status. Four facility variables showed a significant relationship to burnout: turnover, decision levels, number of directors within the past five years, and fringe benefits. Work related variables showed significant correlations with burnout in 42 of 45 incidences, but none of them were substantial. The findings tend to support the idiosyncratic nature of stress at work which decreases the likelihood of finding a few variables which act as “common causes” of burnout. Results also suggest that the most dedicated, competent, and productive staff members are perhaps the most vulnerable to burnout.     

An analysis of variables affecting length of stay in foster care

The purpose of this paper was to find out whether the relationship between type of contact with agency and/or child in foster care and average number of contacts over time makes any difference in length of stay in foster care. Four types of contacts were examined: Family—Agency, Family Initiated—Agency, Social Worker—Initiated, and Family—Child. Results indicated that there were critical numbers for each contact type found to be statistically significant that would tend to reduce the length of the child's stay in foster care. The importance of contact during the first month of placement was emphasized.     

The foster care system simulation: Evaluation of a training innovation

Although foster care is often spoken of as a system with many interactive facets, foster care personnel often carry out their specific roles with little understanding or consideration of the ultimate impact of that system. A simulation of public foster care service delivery designed to sensitize participants to these interactions is described. Evaluation of the simulation's accuracy in portrayal of actual service delivery and a study of the kinds of learning demonstrated by participants at three points (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) are reported. Participants found the simulation an attractive training method, indicated a greater appreciation of system-wide foster care problems, and reported changes in foster care thinking and work, but other indicators of learning were inconsistent.     

Occupational stress management: Cognitive-behavioral approaches

Human service professionals have been identified as subject to burnout because of stress in the work environment. A number of theorists have emphasized the role of cognitions in psychological stress. Cognitive-behavioral programs which help individuals develop coping skills in order to increase ability to deal with job-related stress are reviewed. Implications for occupational stress management programs and directions for future research and evaluation in the area are discussed.     

The social “R & D” paradigm in child and youth services: Building knowledge convivially

Adaptation of agricultural and industrial research and development models offers new methods for bridging the worlds of research and practice in child and youth services. Social R & D methodologies provide effective means for generating new social technologies because they are product oriented and use a wide array of traditional and nontraditional data sources. This article discusses one social R & D paradigm—Developmental Research and Utilization. Permanency planning and community support systems research are used to illustrate the past and potential application of this methodology to the field of child and youth services.     

The risk climate and the delivery of child welfare services

The community is conceptualized as a “risk climate” in which the traditional child welfare services such as own-home services, foster placement, adoption and institutionalization are delivered. The community generates incidence of child welfare cases through the pressure of conditions, and affects prevalence by the extent of its response. Any method of allocating scarce resources should take variations in the risk climate into account in order to put resources where the problem is. This report presents an effort to achieve such a procedure through (1) a literature review to isolate variables related to child welfare service delivery; (2) a report of zero order relationships between these variables and outcome measures; and (3) the use of a multiple regression analysis to develop predictive procedures. The process developed is put forward as an equitable way of distributing scarce resources.     

The marginal high school student: defining the problem and searching for policy

The central issue explored in this paper concerns those principles and objectives that should guide the formulation of policy aimed at the marginal high school student. Recent efforts to make these youth more employable through specialized and remedial programs are examined. After the general ineffectiveness of such programs is noted, an analysis is offered which links delinquency and adolescent development theory. The concept of adolescent social development is explored along with the effects of experiential education programs as a context for stimulating this development. Finally, to promote the use of programs which provide for adolescent social development, a policy of modified vouchers is advocated.     

School dropouts—They are not what they seem to be

Twenty-one ninth grade students at Carrigan Middle School identified as potential dropouts were divided into three equal groups, two experimental (GI and GII) and one control (GIII). The experimental groups were enrolled in the Positive Learning Program (PLP), a supportive program for potential dropouts. All groups were academically profiled for the past five years. All Ss retained their original major classes and teachers. The experimental groups, however, reported to the PLP teacher for homeroom and study. During these periods the students received academic and social support. Academics, attendance, and behavior were measured over three marking periods. The results showed significant improvement in academic performance. Although significance was not realized for attendance and behavior, there was a significant interaction indicating a change over time. It was also found that profiling could be used as a measure to identify potential dropouts.     

Developing and transferring behavioral technologies for children and youth

Behavioral researchers have developed a variety of technologies for improving the capacities of children and their caregivers. Despite the availability of behavioral technologies for children and youth, their widespread adoption and sustained use has been limited. Characteristics for appropriate (e.g., sustainable, effective) technologies for children and youth are suggested here, and strategies for research and development of these methods are described. This paper outlines the process of transferring behaviorial technologies including the phases of awareness, interest, assessment, trial, implementation, maintenance, and reinvention. Finally, issues implicit in the process of transferring behavioral technologies for children and youth are discussed.     

“Dirty” research in “real” places: A practitioner's guide to program evaluation in the human services

Traditional models of evaluation have often fallen short of their potential for improving services to clients. Using illustrations from a study of client turnover in group homes for troubled youth, this paper discusses practical ways to increase the impact of program evaluation in human service settings.