For the total study sample (n=5,501) of children and youth 0-14 years old, predictors of out-of-home placement at some time during the 30 months after the baseline report of the investigation included elevated Conflict Tactics Scale scores, prior history of child welfare involvement, high family risk scores and caseworkers' assessment of the likelihood of another report of maltreatment if services are not provided. Higher family income was protective against subsequent out-of-home placement. For children without a prior child welfare history (incident cases), younger children, low family income, and a high family risk score were strongly related to subsequent out-of-home placement, but receipt of services and case workers' assessment were not. Taking into account family risk factors and income, 25 percent of the children who lived in poor families with high family risk scores were subsequently placed out-of-home, even among children in families who received child welfare services. Given that relevant evidence-based interventions are available for these families, more widespread tests of their use should be assessed, so as to determine whether they could make a substantial difference in the lives of vulnerable children. Data were obtained from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being, a 3-year longitudinal study of the sample between October 1999 and December 2000. Weighted logistic regression models were used to determine which baseline characteristics were related to out-of-home placement in the follow-up. 3 tables and 23 references