NCJ Number
107327
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 66 Issue: 2 Dated: (March/April 1987) Pages: 113-123
Date Published
1987
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined factors that can affect the duration of a child's stay in foster care, using an ecological perspective that encompasses relationships between the individual and the environment rather than locating the problem entirely within one or the other.
Abstract
This study, completed in early 1985 in Jefferson County, Ala., focused on a representative sample of 75 children selected from a population of 222 children, all of whom had been discharged from foster care during the 14 months preceding the study. Data from case records were supplemented by interviews with caseworkers and supervisors responsible for the child's discharge from foster care. Eleven broad categories of variables presumed to have some influence on the duration of foster care were measured. Multiple regression analysis and other measures of correlation were applied to indices showing a statistical relationship to length of time in foster care. Differences in foster care duration were not distinguishable by child characteristics, circumstances of the parent-child separation, social worker and supervisor characteristics, foster care quality, or cultural conflicts. There was a strong statistical relationship, however, between the child's relationship with biological family members while in foster care and the length of the placement. This finding suggests that caseworkers should focus on enhancing children's relationships with their biological parents during foster care. 14 references.