Paper
Evaluation of care pathways for 0-6 children placed in residential care
- issue: Issue 3 / 2008
- authors: Paola Milani, Vera Da Rin, Cinzia Canali, Giorgia Zara, Claudio Roncoroni, Marco Ius, Paola Baglioni
- keywords: Residential, children, vulnerable, removal, evaluation, outcome, Italy, family
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abstract
Context. From an economical and professional point of view, residential care communities for vulnerable children are becoming more and more an expensive service for local communities. Today's culture suggests that "every child has a right to a family" (art.1 L 149/2001). For this reason, many institutions for vulnerable children have changed into small organizations, some of them for very young children (0-6 years old).
The main goal of our research is to make people start thinking about the effectiveness of the intervention provided by residential services for vulnerable children separated from their families.
Purpose. Can the separation of very young children from their birth families and their placement in residential care lead to the outcome that "every child has the right to a family" as stated in law? What are the elements that contribute to the achievement of this goal and, conversely, those that impede it? In order to answer this question we worked on the following objectives:
1. The description of the residential care placements of 115 children separated from their families in order to highlight the elements which influence short and long-term outcomes in the residential care process. In particular this process has been reorganised in three stages:
- the removal from the birth family
- the period of residence in care
- the period following discharge from care
2. A comparison of the views of different subjects (professionals, birth families) about the helping process, with particular attention being given to the birth family's point of views.
3. An analysis of the pathways of 32 children (out of the total of 115) from 20 families, in order to identify the abilities of the family, the children and the services, with the purpose of identifying the predictive factors in relation to positive or negative outcomes.
Methodology and research tools. The present study comprises two parts:
1. The first is quantitative; in this the pathways of 115 children placed in residential care are analysed through data collected from different social workers who had completed reports on their cases. This analysis is intended to create a link between the following variables:
- the reasons for the placement
- the age and gender of the children
- the age, social class and social/economic/cultural situation of the birth family
- the child's length of time in the community
- the type of help given to the family of origin by the different services
- the existence or not of a programme of contacts between the child and his/her family
- outcomes at the time the case was closed (1998 - 2005)
- outcomes in 2007
2. The second is an in-depth qualitative analysis of 32 children removed from 20 families of origin (chosen from the sample of 115) carried out through interviews to obtain the points of view of:
- the parent whose child was removed
- the social worker who managed the case
- the social pedagogues who had followed the child's pathway in residential care
The study consisted of a 60-minute semi-structured interview. Overall, 55 interviews were carried out by trained staff,, recorded and then accurately transcribed on a Word file.
Sample. The subjects are 115 children removed from their birth families and placed in residential care in the years 1998-2005 with a length of stay of between 7 days and 3 years. The 115 children comprised: 38% Italians and 62% foreigners; 30,44% were less than 1 year old at the time of entry to the residential care; 20,87% of the children had never been acknowledged by their parents from the time of their birth, of whom 22 out of 24 children were Italian.
Main findings. The situation of the 115 children at the time of their leaving residential care was as follows:
- Foster care 34,79% (8,70 % placed in kinship care, 26,09% placed with non-related foster carers)
- Family reunification 29.57%
- Adoption 24,35%
The situation of the sample of 32-children was that 16 were reintroduced to their families and this was found to be unchanged in 2007.
The outcomes in 2007 for the remaining 16 children are as follows:
Of the 9 children placed with non-related foster carers, 3 were reunified with their families, 2 were adopted, 4 are in a type of adoption known in Italy as "mite".
Of the 2 children in kinship foster care:
- 1 is still in foster care
- 1 has been reunified with his birth family
Of the 5 children placed in communities for mothers and children:
- 1 is in kinship foster care
- 3 children are still living in the communities for mothers and children
- 1 has been reunified with his family
In 2007, 21 children are living with their birth families.
Among the elements which have been found to have a significant influence on the outcomes are the following: nationality, reason for placement, length of stay, but above all the ways in which the social workers addressed their responsibilities and planning were carried out, from the inclusion of the family of origin in this planning ,to the continuity of the social workers who took part in the intervention.
Implications. In analysing those cases with positive long-term outcomes, we found that following factors were influential:
- the plan for responsibility for the child was defined at the beginning and shared between all those involved
- there were clear procedures for the placement process for all those involved
- there was long-term involvement by the parents in the project
- prompt intervention was offered
- the parents had confidence in the social services and/or in the community
- there was someone always available within the services for the parents to talk to
- domiciliary support was offered and responsibility taken for the immediate family in the period after the child has left care
Key references
Gabel M., Jésu F, Manciaux M. (sous la dir. de), 2000, Bientraitances. Mieux traiter familles et professionnels, Paris, Fleurus.
Milham S. et al., 1986, Lost in care: the problems of maintaining links between children in care and their families, Aldershot, Gower.
Pecora P.J.et al., 2006, What Works in Foster Care? Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study.
Contacts: Paola Milani, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione, Università di Padova, Piazza Capitaniato 3, 35139 Padova, Italy, E-mail: paola.milani@unipd.it,Phone 049 8274544, Fax 049.8274569.