This is the first Canadian longitudinal study to use province-wide clinical administrative data to explore when family reunification is most likely to occur and for whom. Clinical administrative child protection data were merged with the 2006 Canadian Census data for the province of Québec; the...

Decision makers typically face uncertainty in determining whether the outcomes of promising child welfare interventions justify the investment. Despite repeated calls for cost analysis in child welfare, original studies that evaluate the costs and effects of child welfare programs have been...

Achieving legal permanency (i.e., family reunification, adoption, or legal guardianship) for children placed in out-of-home care due to abuse, neglect, or dependency is one of the primary goals of the public child welfare system. Following through the end of 2008 children who first entered...

While the U.S. Supreme Court has expressed the opinion that providing parental counsel to indigent parents is generally a sound practice, it has ruled that parents do not have an absolute constitutional right to counsel in termination of parental rights proceedings, and not all states provide a...

This study examines reunification outcomes of children of alcohol or other drug involved parents who were placed in foster care and received the Strengthening Families Program as part of their child welfare service intervention. Following the use of propensity score matching to generate a...

Women with substance abuse disorders typically have psychosocial characteristics that put them at risk for disrupted parenting. Prior research indicates that comprehensive, accessible services tailored to the mothers' needs can contribute to family stability. This study further explores the...

In countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU), children in institutional care are one of the most vulnerable groups. Placing institutionalized children in a safe family environment could potentially improve children's psychosocial functioning and reduce risks of poor developmental outcomes. This...