ERIC Number: EJ807035
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1049-7315
EISSN: N/A
Evaluation of Michigan's Foster Care Case Management System
Johnson, Kristen; Wagner, Dennis
Research on Social Work Practice, v15 n5 p372-380 2005
Objective: In 1997, Michigan's Family Independence Agency piloted case management procedures designed to expedite permanency and improve services to children in foster care. Method: A 3-year evaluation examined outcomes in nine pilot and nine comparison counties to determine if children in the pilot counties achieved permanency, either returned home or another permanent arrangement, more rapidly than those in the comparison counties. Preceding implementation, pilot and comparison counties employed the same case management procedures and had similar records of achieving permanency for children entering foster care. Results: After implementation, pilot counties attained permanency for a significantly greater proportion of children entering foster care than did comparison counties. This difference was observed for subgroups defined by child ethnicity, initial placement type, and child age, although the differences were not always significant. Conclusion: Pilot counties were more likely to reunify children postimplementation than were comparison counties, and these children were no more likely to reenter foster care. (Contains 4 tables and 17 notes.)
Descriptors: Management Systems, Foster Care, Program Evaluation, Pilot Projects, County Programs, Comparative Analysis, Delivery Systems, Decision Making, Caseworker Approach, Incidence, Family (Sociological Unit), Operations Research, Policy Analysis, Theory Practice Relationship
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Michigan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A