ABSTRACT
The development of effective interventions for foster children with behavior problems is essential given the consequences of behavior problems for children's placement stability and permanency outcomes. This article presents findings from a pilot study of an intervention providing parent management training (PMT) and support to foster parents in groups and home visits. The intervention was an adaptation of the KEEP (Keeping Foster Parents Trained and Supported) group intervention, provided in a large urban child welfare agency serving predominantly African American foster parents. The study used an intent-to-treat design, with 25 foster parents of 31 children (age 4-12) in specialized foster care assigned to either an intervention or treatment as usual control group. Longitudinal outcomes were analyzed using random effect regression models. Over time, children's behavior problems were significantly lower in the intervention group relative to the control group, and the effect of the intervention was partially mediated by parents' understanding of how to appropriately use the intervention parenting skills. These results provide support for the effectiveness of KEEP with urban foster children with significant behavior problems.
ABSTRACT
Although a high proportion of foster children receive mental health services, existing research suggests limited accessibility and effectiveness of these services. This paper discusses strategies to develop a model to deliver evidence-based services using the unique opportunities apparent within publicly funded child welfare systems. An ecologically-focused model providing enhanced services in children's homes and schools could capitalize on these opportunities and radically improve access and effectiveness of mental health services for foster children. We present data from four focus groups conducted with foster parents, caseworkers, and therapists to understand the feasibility of implementing this type of service model. Results support the need for services focused on enhancing interactions in children's foster homes and schools, but also suggest that issues related to priorities and primary roles could limit the extent that caseworkers and agency-based mental health providers would follow through with the proposed service model.
ABSTRACT
This study examined how one of the oldest and most widely distributed child welfare practice journals addressed children's mental health issues over a 25-year period. The content of 478 articles was coded. Logistic regression findings indicate that mental health issues were discussed less frequently over the first half of the period examined, and then more frequently over the last decade. Residential treatment was discussed less frequently over time, but other community-based alternatives to residential treatment were rarely discussed at any point, so that overall the content related to treatment of mental health issues decreased as discussion of residential treatment decreased. These findings suggest that although the child welfare literature has recently focused more on children's mental health, dissemination of specific concepts from the mental health to the child welfare literature does not naturally occur over time. Efforts targeted at dissemination of effective community-based mental health interventions for foster children may be needed to support this process.
