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Foster Care Research Agenda for the '90s

NCJ Number
151431
Journal
Journal of the Child Welfare League of America Volume: 73 Issue: 5 Dated: special issue (September/October 1994) Pages: 525-549
Author(s)
R Goerge; F Wulczyn; D Fanshel
Date Published
1994
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The authors delineate a foster care research agenda built around contemporary issues concerned with foster care data improvement, permanency planning, multiple services used by foster children, the epidemiology of foster care, bonding between children and foster parents, foster care outcomes, mental health services, service characteristics, and kinship foster care.
Abstract
Foster care research should shed light on goals of social policies and how those goals are achieved. Data for research on out-of-home care can be improved through adequate client tracking, the establishment of data archives, and the development of a national policy data system. The authors recommend that foster care research consider methodological issues and techniques related to longitudinal analysis, selection bias, and individual and aggregate level dynamics. They also believe that researchers should play a central role in assessing foster care programs and their impact on children and families, especially in distressed neighborhoods. 49 references