Discusses the Oregon Foster Care Project, a 3-year demonstration project of the Freeing Children for Permanent Placement project funded by the Office of Child Development. Types of cases that present problems to permanent placement are presented. (SB)

Presents illustrations of learning difficulties typical of placed children. The first section outlines Kohut's theory of narcissism and its implications for an understanding of placed children, with special reference to conflicts in school. The second focuses on characteristics of impulse-ridden children, and the third discusses some common…

Examination of 4,288 children in foster care analyzed reasons for placement, number of replacements, and duration of foster care. Findings revealed a positive relationship between replacement and children who come into foster care because of behavioral or emotional problems. (CL)

Review of quantitative outcome research on permanency planning for foster children examines extent to which permanency planning resulted in higher rate of placement of children into presumably permanent homes; presumably permanent placement did not result in return of children to foster care; and children whose placements were guided by permanency…

Authors describe several structural mechanisms that seemingly reduce worker uncertainty and anxiety. Possible costs' of these mechanisms for clients, workers, and agencies are identified. (Author)

Details benefits and pitfalls of periodic court review for achieving placement permanency for children, discussing what individual caseworkers can do to improve the review process. (RH)

Explores the problem of recidivism among children discharged from foster care by the Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA). Results presented from this first stage of the study focus on the relationship of child and family attributes to recidivism. (Author/RH)

Describes a program to achieve permanent foster care placement for children. Program aspects include screening, placement, and removing barriers which prevent family restoration. After two years of operation, a 70 percent success rate is claimed for permanent placements, at an annual savings of approximately $100,000. (Author/DB)

Summarizes for a general audience experiences of 585 children in foster care in the Casey Family Living Program from 1966-1984. Focuses on advantages of private, voluntary agencies like the Casey Family Program, and on the needs for long-term care of the most difficult (generally homeless) children in foster care. (SAK)

The theory of foster-adoptive programs is explained and analyzed. The term "flexible family resource" describes the acceptance by trained families of children who have not yet had parental rights terminated, and thus may return to their biological parents at some time. Although this idea is promising, further research is indicated. (DG)

Examines factors related to multiple placement in foster care, using a national study of 4,288 foster children. Results showed 78 percent of the children experienced only one or two placements. Increasing age and time in care, and the child's behavioral and emotional problems increased likelihood of multiple placements. (JAC)

The Family to Family initiative has encouraged states to reconceptualize, redesign, and reconstruct their foster care systems. By 1996, the initiative was being implemented in five states and six counties in two additional states. Drawing on the experiences of Family to Family participants, a framework for child welfare leaders working to reduce…

Illustrates various ways of using a scale to indicate the percentage of a child's life spent in foster care. Uses in projecting caseloads and costs, comparing normal and special-needs foster care populations, and assessing the impact of parent involvement on length of time in foster care are described. (RH)

Investigated placement experiences of children in formal kinship care, where custody for the child was legally transferred to an out-of-home setting by court order. Found that, measured longitudinally, children in kinship care have markedly different sociodemographic and maltreatment histories, as well as heterogeneous placement experiences. A…

One hundred 8- to 18-year-old children (50 in foster family homes and 50 in group homes) participated in study designed to obtain information about their perceptions of quality of care they receive, why they think they are in foster care, what they expect future holds for them, and how they think system could be improved for other children.…