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Family Preservation and Support
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Resources
Since the term "family preservation services" was coined in the 1980s, there has been considerable confusion about the essential elements of these services and which types of programs fall into this category. Although family preservation programs share many common characteristics, they vary considerably with respect to auspices (public or private agencies), theoretical orientation, target population, identified problem, and primary location of service. Programs also vary dramatically in terms of intensity, duration, caseloads, and teaming with other professionals or paraprofessionals. Few of these programs have undergone strenuous evaluation, and it is therefore difficult to compare them on the basis of proven results. However, we can provide some points of comparison, along with information that can help public and Tribal child welfare agencies seek out additional material that may be of interest to them. Neither the Children's Bureau nor the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning endorses any of these programs. We present this information for you to use in developing your own understanding of these services. Please note that this list of programs is not intended to be comprehensive, and evidence-based and evidence-informed family preservations programs are not limited to those models listed here.
Family Preservation and Support Services: A Literature Review and Report on Outcome Measures
This paper from the Child Welfare Evaluation Program, a partnership of the State of Alaska Office of Children's Services, the Tribal-State Collaboration Group, Casey Family Programs, and the University of Alaska Anchorage, School of Social Work is organized into the following sections: definitions, family support studies, family preservation services research, emerging and promising practices (in both family preservation and support), program outcomes and indicators for both areas, Alaskan programs, conclusions, and recommendations.
National Evaluation of Family Support Programs
The purpose of the National Evaluation of Family Support is to understand the effects of family support on families and children. A central task of the evaluation is to synthesize and analyze the body of research on family support.The decision was made to undertake a meta-analysis of research studies and evaluations of family support programs conducted within the last 25 years. In addition to providing a more accurate assessment of the collective results of this research, the strategy has the advantage of producing a publicly-available database of studies that could, if desired, be continuously updated, and that would provide an analytic tool to address a variety of research questions.
An Examination of Intensive Family Preservation Services
This report from the National Family Preservation Network discusses the findings of a review of Intensive Family Preservation Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services using case-level data from state or private contract agencies in seven states. The programs responded to a survey designed to estimate program model fidelity, and provided case data stripped of identifying information using a data template intended to standardize the data collection procedures.
Intensive Family Preservation Services: Program Fidelity Influences Effectiveness
This study from the Washington State Study for Public Policy reviews all rigorous evaluations of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) programs. IFPS programs that adhere closely to the HomebuildersŪ model significantly reduce out-of-home placements and subsequent abuse and neglect.
Intensive Family Services: North Carolina Family Assessment Scale
The National Family Preservation Network offers cutting-edge information and resources for practitioners who work with families, tools and training to meet federal standards for family preservation and reunification services, and protocols for establishing and maintaining effective family preservation and reunification services. Tools available on its website include an assessment scale to measure family functioning and one to determine the risk of out-of-home placement or successful reunification for a family in the context of family strengths and problems.
Strengthening and Preserving Adoptive Families: A Study of TANF Funded Post-Adoption Services in New York State
The study reports on the 1,053 families (both TANF and non-TANF eligible) who received services from 13 NYS agencies and includes results from a parent satisfaction survey. There is a great deal of valuable information in the report that can be helpful to any locality. One important finding was that the most frequently requested and used and most highly rated services were parent support groups and parent training. Survey findings indicated that among the families that had a child at risk of out of home placement when they called for services, 73% reported that the child was able to remain in the home as a result of the help and support they received from the agencies. The cost of providing the services is a fraction of the cost of out of home care, especially group or institutional care.
NRCFCPPP Information Packets
PowerPoint Presentation
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Cross-Sector Families
A cross-sector family is one who is impacted by multiple issues simultaneously and is interfacing with several service delivery systems. The National Family Preservation Network developed a family reunification assessment tool which has been used in conjunction with time-limited, intensive reunification services, and has had a very high success rate so far. This PowerPoint presentation outlines the principles involved in working with cross-sector families.
Websites
- Family Preservation Services
This section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway website includes resources that describe the underlying values and principles of family preservation services, core elements, policy implications, program models, and State and local examples. Includes information about intensive family preservation services, a more intensive version of this approach, and evaluations of the effectiveness of family preservation services.
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Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs
This project, conducted from 1994 through 2002, was intended to rigorously evaluate programs designed to prevent the placement of children in foster care when it can be avoided. A related effort to reunify families who had at least one child placed in foster care was also evaluated, and related issue papers on family preservation, fiscal reform, and cost estimation were produced. Westat, Chapin Hall Center for Children, and James Bell Associates conducted the evaluation and wrote the reports.
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National Data Analysis System: Family Preservation and Support
This section of the NDAS website provides data about family preservation programs, intensive family preservation programs, and family support programs in each of the states. States have different definitions of these programs as well as various service components that they emphasize.
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National Family Preservation Network
The National Family Preservation Network provides the vision, leadership, training, tools, and resources to assist policy makers and practitioners to build on a family's strengths and to preserve family bonds so children can be protected and nurtured at home.
Last updated 03/03/08
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