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Comparison of Basic Data for the National Survey of Residential Group Care Facilities - 1966-1982

NCJ Number
99200
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 58 Issue: 6 Dated: (November-December 1984) Pages: 485-495
Author(s)
Anonymous
Date Published
1984
Length
11 pages
Annotation
A 1981 national survey of out-of-home group care for children permitted comparisons with results from a similar survey conducted in 1966 and an assessment of the impact of the philosophical and legislative changes on this issue.
Abstract
Over a 1.5-year period, a master list of 4,814 residential group care facilities for children and group care facilities for children and youth with special needs was compiled. Although the numbers of facilities increased by 85 percent since 1966, the total capacity was about the same as in 1966. A shift occurred from mass, congregate care to smaller forms of group care. The number of facilities for pregnant adolescents declined, whereas unchanged or greatly increased numbers were found in the four other categories: child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and substance abuse. The private sector contributed heavily to the large increase in the smallest facilities. Both in 1966 and 1981, wide variations existed in the average facility size among the States and territories. The emergence of specialized residential facilities for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse among children and youth was one of the major changes between 1966 and 1981. The decline in facility size suggests the influence of the three major principles affecting the delivery of residential services over the last 20 years: normalization, deinstitutionalization, and the right to treatment. Three references are listed.