Multivariate analysis of the data found that the longer children placed in out-of-home care and living with kin had greater involvement in risk behaviors including delinquency, sexual risk behaviors, and substance use; and poorer life-course outcomes, such as tickets/arrests and lower grades. No significant relationships were found through bivariate analyses. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the length of time adolescents lived with relatives as a result of a court order and indices of adolescent well-being. Data were obtained from interviews with 148 adolescents, aged 7-12, who entered court-ordered out-of-home care between May, 1990 and October, 1991. Seventy-five percent of the adolescents interviewed 6 months after placement were also interviewed 5 years later. Findings from the multivariate analyses suggest a pattern of poorer functioning over time for adolescents living with relatives in court-ordered out-of-home care. Implications for future changes in practice and policy relating to adolescents court-ordered to out-of-home care are discussed. Tables and references