Outcomes across residential care settings for children and youth

This collaborative project involved outcomes research across 40 diverse agencies providing foster care, residential group care, and/or residential treatment. During Phase I, data were collected for 838 youth at intake, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up. Analyses offered insight into the characteristics and mental health needs of children in out-of-home care and illustrate the importance of standardized assessment of children's behavioral and mental health in evaluation and service provision. At the outset, preliminary analyses evidenced a need to conduct separate analyses for subgroups of children based on their level of behavioral/mental health need at intake. Participants were assigned to groups based on clinicians' ratings on the Children's Global Assessment Scale of Functioning; however, multiple measures produced similar results when used to distinguish between need groups. There were few demographic differences between high, borderline, and lower need youth; however, high need youth were more likely to be in state custody and to have had 3+ placements. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the proportion of youth identified as having a mental illness between the lower need and borderline groups and the borderline and high need groups. Analyses of the extent to which need level corresponded with placement level revealed that most lower need youth were placed appropriately; however, only 59.6% of high need youth were in high intensity settings. Over time, functioning improved for those high need youth placed in high intensity settings compared to those receiving less intense services. The implications of these findings for practice and policy will be discussed.