Comparison of basic data for the National Survey of Residential Group Care Facilities: 1966-1982.

Major findings from this analysis of the data gathered in preparation for the 1966 and 1981 surveys of children's residential group care facilities are as follows below. In the field of residential care of pregnant adolescents, it appears that, despite an increase in the number of births to adolescent mothers since 1966, the preferred mode of serving this population is no longer residential group care. While there has been a small increase (6 facilities) in the number of residential facilities for pregnant adolescents that operate under public auspices, the 49% decrease in facilities under private auspices is the real indicator of the direction of residential services to pregnant adolescents since 1965. In the Child Welfare Stream, the most notable change between 1965 and 1981 was the decrease in the relative proportion of residential group care facilities for dependent, neglected, or abused children and youth. Overall, child welfare facilities accounted for 55% of all residential facilities listed for survey in 1965; in 1981 this percentage had fallen to 37%. As in 1965 the Child Welfare Stream was dominated by the private sector in 1981, with 83% of all child welfare facilities operating under private auspices. This pattern was found for most of the 50 individual states as well. In the Juvenile Justice Stream, the overall increase of 154% in the number of residential facilities since the 1965 listing is due in part to a notable increase in the number of private facilities in this stream of care. Although the majority of juvenile justice facilities are still public, there has been an increase of 17% since 1965 in the proportion of facilities under private auspices. An even greater increase in total number of facilities than was seen in the Juvenile Justice Stream is seen in the mental health field between 1965 and 1981. There were almost four times as many residential mental health facilities listed for survey in 1981 as in 1965. From representing about one-eighth of the total number of all residential group care facilities for children and youth with special problems or needs, the Mental Health Stream increased to a quarter of all such facilities by 1981. As in the earlier study, the Mental Health Stream was dominated by the private sector in 1981. The proportion of mental health facilities under private auspices had increased by 16% since 1965, indicating an even greater involvement of the private sector in the delivery of residential mental health services to children and youth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)