Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Mental Health Services and Policy Program, 710 N Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2018 Feb;76:561-572. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.09.014. Epub 2017 Sep 21.
While all children deserve a stable living environment, national data illustrate that many states struggle to achieve placement stability for youth in the child welfare system as a significant number of children in foster care continue to experience multiple placements while in state custody. Prior research has not considered the impact of youth protective factors or strengths on the frequency of placement changes that youth experience while in the child welfare system. This study examined the association between strengths measured at multiple levels (i.e., individual, family, and community) and placement stability among 4022 minority youth (aged 10-18) using administrative and clinical data from the Illinois child welfare system. Negative binomial regressions at the family level revealed that youth with at least one loving and supportive family member experienced 16% fewer placement changes than youth without family strengths. At the community level, youth attending schools that work to create an environment that meets its students' needs experienced 13% fewer placement changes than youth without educational supports. These findings can inform the quality of treatment and services provided to minority youth in the child welfare system.
虽然所有儿童都应该有一个稳定的生活环境，但国家数据表明，许多州在为儿童福利系统中的青年实现安置稳定方面存在困难，因为在州监管下，许多寄养儿童继续经历多次安置。先前的研究并未考虑青年保护因素或优势对青年在儿童福利系统中经历的安置变化频率的影响。本研究使用来自伊利诺伊州儿童福利系统的行政和临床数据，在个体、家庭和社区多个层面上测量了优势，探讨了 4022 名少数族裔青年（年龄在 10-18 岁）的优势与安置稳定性之间的关系。家庭层面的负二项回归显示，至少有一个充满爱和支持的家庭成员的青年经历的安置变化比没有家庭优势的青年少 16%。在社区层面，就读于努力营造满足学生需求环境的学校的青年经历的安置变化比没有教育支持的青年少 13%。这些发现可以为儿童福利系统中的少数族裔青年提供治疗和服务质量提供信息。
