About one-fifth of children involved in investigations for abuse or neglect are placed in foster care. Although some return to their families quickly, others may remain in foster care for years without permanent family relationships. In this article, Mark Testa, Kristen Woodruff, Roseana Bess, Jerry Milner, and Maria Woolverton examine the…

This paper draws on data collected from two of the most extensive longitudinal studies of care leavers in the US. The Midwest Study (2003-2011) included 732 youths in foster care in three Midwestern states, and the CalYOUTH Study (2012-present) includes 727 youths in California foster care. The paper has three objectives: (1) describe trends in…

While only a minority of children who have been abused or neglected engage in delinquent behavior, they are at a significantly higher risk. When youth do become involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, they present unique needs that require collaboration between the numerous systems and people involved in their lives. The…

Whether parents can overcome the problems that led to abuse and neglect of their children is the essence of questions surrounding efforts to return children to their parents once legal custody of a child has been granted to the child welfare agency. Consistent with a legal and policy framework protecting parental rights in the United States, the…

Objective: Past studies demonstrate a relationship between race and the likelihood of children entering state custody subsequent to a maltreatment investigation. Research also shows that community structural characteristics such as poverty and residential mobility are correlated with entry rates. The combined effect, however, of race and community…

Alcohol and other drug abuse is a major problem for children and families involved with public child welfare. Substance abuse compromises appropriate parenting practices and increases the risk of child maltreatment. A substantial proportion of substantiated child abuse and neglect reports involve parental substance abuse. Once in the system,…

In 2004, Chapin Hall researchers conducted a study to learn why youth ran way from substitute care (Courtney, et al., 2005). As part of the study, qualitative interviews were conducted with 46 youth who had run away from care and 16 professionals and foster parents who worked with these youth. Although the youth were not prompted with specific…

Discusses development of indicators for the safety of children in out-of-home care using administrative data from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Reports rates of abuse and neglect from 1996 to 1999, and presents an alternative that accounts for the length of time children are exposed to abuse or neglect. (JPB)

Medical and psychosocial screening of 149 abused and neglected children entering the foster care system in Cook County, Illinois, found the children to have a greater incidence of chronic medical conditions, weigh less, be shorter, have a high incidence of developmental delays, and have deficits in adaptive behavior. (Author/DB)

Objective: This study's aim was to examine variables associated with different short-term trajectories in multiply disadvantaged adolescent mothers by investigating antecedents and concomitants of parenting stress. Method: We followed 49 adolescent mothers (ages 14-18 at study outset) who were wards in Illinois foster care using a longitudinal…

This paper examines the role that public policy and practice play in supporting the efforts of natural, adoptive, and foster families who have children and youth with disabilities in keeping their families intact. Obstacles and barriers to implementing the philosophy of permanence planning, especially for children and youth with disabilities, are…

In this multi-faceted exploratory study, administrative data were used to examine trends in residential care utilization by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and youth outcomes from 1993 to 2003. Multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the factors associated with entry to residential care and…

Reporting the second in a series of regional fact-finding committee hearings held across the United States, this document includes testimony from social service organizations and state offices in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Testimony from clients and representatives of these agencies documents efforts to ameliorate problems…

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of Illinois' children, focusing on the impact of federal and state welfare reform. The statistical portrait is based on 14 indicators of well-being: (1) families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; (2) child support enforcement; (3) children enrolled in Head Start or…

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of Illinois' children, focusing on the impact of communities on children. The statistical portrait is based on 14 indicators of well-being: (1) uninsured children; (2) infant mortality; (3) low birth weight; (4) violent death and injury; (5) early childhood education; (6) high…