This study uses data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) to provide estimates of sexual risk behaviors for 877 youth, age 11-14 at baseline, in the child welfare system. It examines the association between baseline psychosocial risk and protective factors on...

This article uses data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) to examine multi-sector service use for mental health problems by youth in contact with social service agencies. At 18-months post-investigation for abuse/neglect, 24% was receiving some service for a...

This study uses data collected from multi-state interviews, document review, and the U.S. Census to provide a national perspective on the policies and practice guidelines for mental health evaluation and psychotropic medication oversight among youth in foster care within 47 states and the...

Maltreated children face disproportionate risks for developmental delay and behavior problems. Federal legislation passed in 2003 and 2004 mandates referrals of maltreated children under the age of 3years to Early Intervention (EI) services. This mandate has been variably implemented within and...

Prompted by calls to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) into residential care settings (RCS), this review addresses three questions: (1) Which EBPs have been tested with children and youth within the context of RCS? (2) What is the evidence for their effectiveness within such settings?...

This study examined patterns of movement for youth receiving services within a continuum of intensive and restrictive residentially-based programs. Data were collected for 701 completed episodes of care within a three-program residential continuum of care over a 5 year period, and examined...

This study examined the 12-month post-departure outcomes for youth who exited a residential treatment program at differing levels of restrictiveness. Study participants were 120 youth who entered an integrated residential continuum of care at its most restrictive level and then either departed...