Profile of Youth in Out-of-Home Care Residential Programs (2010-2011)
The study will examine subgroups of children placed in three categories of out-of-home care: State Inpatient Psychiatric Program, Therapeutic Group Care, and Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care. Research suggests that there is a substantial variability among children served in residential group settings. However, studies to date have examined youth in residential programs as if they were a single homogeneous group. Within the larger group of youth placed in residential out-of-home care there are potentially distinct subgroups that may be identifiable on the basis of their individual characteristics, such as demographic information, mental health diagnoses, Medicaid eligibility, and maltreatment history. In addition, the risk for reentry into residential programs and outcomes (e.g., involvement with the Juvenile Justice System, threatening self or others) may vary among these classes of youth.
The goal of this study is to describe profiles of youth placed in residential out-of-home care settings and identify risk factors for less desirable outcomes associated with each subgroup.
