This brief describes the relationship between placement stability and youth engagement in the Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP), a program developed and implemented by the Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) for 14- to 20-year-olds in foster care who have multiple risk factors for experiencing homelessness. The authors used program data…

Integrated data systems are often used to inform decision making at the top tiers of local or state government. Policymakers use analyses based on large numbers of integrated data system (IDS) records (from which personal identifying information has been removed) to understand the overlap between cases that receive services from different systems…

Policy reform for at-risk youth is complicated by involvement of various service sectors. Issues related to coordinating systems of care in a dynamic policy environment are not new, but surprisingly little has been written to guide practitioners and policymakers in addressing them (Friedman in "Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders"…

This report documents the develoment of a two-pronged, model approach to early intervention with families in low-income communities. Since 1988, the Far West Laboratory's Center for Child and Family Studies and agencies in two low-income communities have been collaborating members of the Bay Area Early Intervention Program (BAEIP). BAEIP organizes…

Noting that risk assessment models are controversial and vary in definition, purposes, and risk criteria, reviews and contrasts 10 models used to guide decision making concerning the placement of maltreated children in out-of-home care. Found that models varied on pertinent criteria for assessing child risk, and identified six areas for further…

Despite the increasing popularity of systematic risk assessment models by child protective services agencies, relatively few are empirically based. Reviews the empirical literature on 10 risk assessment models and concludes that although each model contains generally sound psychometric properties, there is still a need for further model…

Family preservation programs have long been used to prevent foster placement of children by providing services to the entire family. This manual presents the model for the Boys Town Family Preservation Program and discusses the foundations of in-home treatment, including cultural and family differences, community resources and networking, family…

This guide provides line practitioners, managers, and policy makers with an orientation to the essentials of "client-centered" case management serving young people who require assistance from a variety of service institutions. It focuses on implementation of case management within the context of the federal Job Training Partnership Act…