Child Placement Decisions: A Sample Study of the Dynamics and Determinants of Foster Care Arrangements. Staff Training for Child Welfare Services Project, 1975

摘要

This is the first report of a series of collaborative efforts between the University of Illinois School of Social Work and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 1974 - 75 to improve the functioning of the DCFS family and child tracking (FACTS) information system. In the course of this child placement decisions survey, which examined how workers use information in key decisions, decisionmaking processes were defined. The key variable in the study was the distinction between 'more' or 'less.' Decisions were characteriszed in terms of whether more (M type) or less (L type) resources were committed by the State. Direct service workers from Chicago North, Joliet, and Springfield who had recently made a child placement decision were interviewed by the study director and three staff members with experience in DCFS. Survey results include the following information: in 73 percent of M type placements, the communities' services were not relieving long - term family problems; emergency placements averaged 9 days to complete, non - emergencies took 94 days, and the average placement time was 56 days; adoptive homes were assessed as the most satisfactory facilities; between six and seven people participated in most placement decisions; workers' case actions were consistent with their articulation of relevant policy; workers preferred unstructured documents or forms, regarded formal records as products rather than tools, and tended to record information in general rather than in specific terms; they considered a child's needs in terms of available programs; it may be useful to 'contract' with clients to aid workers and team leaders in assessing progress and goals and for accountability purposes; and predicting outcomes and setting task completion time limits may help workers to structure client services and programs and may provide useful planning information. A bibliography and appendices containing data reliability and validity information, frequency tables of the study results, and the interview guide are included.