Charles L. Usher

Placement patterns in foster care

The notion of “foster care drift” is ingrained in the conventional wisdom of child‐welfare policy and practice, yet the sparse literature on this topic provides little empirical support for it. This article illustrates the advantage of using longitudinal data based on cohorts of children entering out‐of‐home care for the first time. Simple frequency distributions of placement patterns effectively portray both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of childrens pathways through out‐of‐home care. Future research concerning placement disruption should give greater consideration to the representativeness of study samples and move beyond simply counting the number of placements children experience.

THE EFFECTS OF INFORMAL NEIGHBORHOOD BONDING SOCIAL CAPITAL AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT ON HOMEOWNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY

ABSTRACT: The concept of social capital has been embedded ubiquitously into the strategies and goals of community-based development programs for families living in low-income neighborhoods; yet, scholars continue to debate social capital’s empirical support. The present study defines a specific type of social capital—informal neighborhood bonding social capital—and tests its relationship with homeownership while controlling for effects of neighborhood context. Findings reveal informal neighborhood bonding social capital is associated with homeownership above and beyond the effects of neighborhood context. Findings are discussed in relation to future research and the implications for community-based practitioners working with families in low-income neighborhoods.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Bonding Social Capital in Low-Income Neighborhoods

Abstract As social capital continues to grow as a strategy for achieving improved outcomes for families in poverty, it is crucial to have more accurate definitions and measures of the concept. This study defines one aspect of social capital as bonding in low-income urban neighborhoods. In the context of this study, bonding social capital in low-income urban neighborhoods refers to the trusting relationships that exist among neighbors. This study tests the reliability and validity of a bonding social capital measure using five items of social cohesion and trust that are widely used in the field and were originally developed by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Survey data collected in 2002 and 2003 from 7,437 respondents living in low-income urban neighborhoods and participating in the Annie E. Casey Foundations Making Connections initiative are used to test the measurement properties of bonding social capital in low-income urban neighborhoods. Findings suggest that two of the five items could be revised to strengthen the measure. Findings also suggest that future research should focus on the measurement and modeling of specific aspects of social capital to accurately understand effects for families living in low-income neighborhoods.

Challenges of street-level child welfare reform and technology transfer: The case of team decisionmaking

Team Decisionmaking (TDM) involves a meeting of community representatives, family members, and social workers who review every decision to remove children from their parents or change of placement, including reunification or adoption. Even when the leadership of child welfare organizations mandates the use of TDM, implementing TDM is very challenging. To understand these challenges, a research team visited five diverse communities and conducted 74 focus groups and interviews involving 180 administrators, caseworkers, community partners, supervisors, and TDM facilitators. This article reviews the findings of this TDM study through previous research on street-level bureaucracy and technology transfer. The results suggest successful TDM implementation requires attention to the discretion of street-level caseworkers and the organizational constraints they face.

Child Welfare Performance Ratings

Abstract The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 mandated the development of a system to rate the performance of state child welfare systems. A few states are developing performance measurement systems that move quality assurance beyond issues of procedural compliance and into the area of outcomes. This article describes some important features of such a system: first, it should track the experience of every child who is reported for abuse or neglect; second, performance data should be presented in a context that achieves something closer to true evaluation; and third, local self-evaluation teams representing diverse perspectives should interpret performance data.

The Association of Team Composition and Meeting Characteristics With Foster Care Placement Recommendations

ABSTRACT Research shows that changing foster care placements is associated with negative outcomes for children. This study examines the extent to which Team Decision Making (TDM) can influence placement recommendations for children currently in foster care. Using administrative data from three sites, logistic regression models are fitted to estimate the association of team and meeting characteristics with placement recommendations. Controlling for demographic differences across sites, results show that caregiver attendance significantly reduces the likelihood that a child will be recommended to change placements, specifically, to less restrictive and more restrictive placements. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Managing care across systems to improve outcomes for families and communities

Behavioral health administrators deserve much credit for their efforts to integrate services for children with serious emotional disturbances and to instill a concern for efficiency through the concept of managed care. Recent changes in federal policy signal the next stage of development in systems of care. Issues of accountability now are shifting toward comprehensive systems of care and improving outcomes for families and communities, not just individuals. As they help build such systems in their states and communities, behavioral health administrators can help their colleagues in other systems understand the potential usefulness of concepts and practices associated with managed care and the broader notion of a system of care. In turn, they will be asked to expand their conception of the accountability of the mental health agency for the outcomes being experienced by families, neighborhoods, and the community as a whole.

Administrators' Perceptions of Advisory Boards

Some literature suggests that administrators of public agencies are not receptive to measures designed to enhance public participation in agency policymaking. This article presents evidence which suggests that disciplinary biases exist in the receptivity of professionals to advice. However, in public welfare administration, as opposed to some other fields, the existence of a professional referent group-social workers-seems not to stifle public participation but to encourage it. Other findings of a survey of county welfare directors indicate that more experienced administrators were less receptive to public input, but that those who perceived themselves as having power in policymaking tended to welcome the publics participation.