Going home and returning to foster care

The study describes 210 children and families returning home from foster homes and group facilities in 20 agencies in New York City. It examines whether a child's reentering care within one and two years of discharge, as opposed to not reentering care, was associated with certain child, caregiver, and situational factors. At discharge, caseworkers assigned to each case filled out an 18-page questionnaire on child and family characteristics, child and family assessments, service needs and provision, and worker characteristics. Children's placement histories and reentry data were obtained from New York State's computerized files. A total of 19.5% of the children reentered within two years. Multivariate analyses showed lower ratings of caregivers' parenting skills and less social support the strongest predictors of reentry within 12 months of leaving care. Reentry during the second year was linked to the number and severity of caregiver problems. Implications for child welfare practice are discussed.