This research is predicated on the assumption that older youth who are in danger of leaving foster care without permanency deserve a permanent family. The Family Connections project seeks to find permanent homes for older youth who are free for adoption, but have no permanency resource. The project also seeks to strengthen ties between youth and those who are important to them. The Center for Adoption Studies is the evaluator of this five-year project being conducted by Adoptions Unlimited.
The evaluation will include a thorough needs assessment on barriers to and strategies for facilitating openness in child welfare adoptions; evaluation of trainings on openness offered to child welfare workers, pre adoptive parents, court personal and youth; and evaluation of the level of openness and permanency for youth receiving the project intervention compared those not receiving the intervention. The evaluation is conducted through analysis of forms completed by project workers, through attendance at quarterly project meetings and through periodic interviews with project staff and workers.
The Family Connections evaluation is funded by the U.S. Children’s Bureau through Adoptions Unlimited of Chicago.
Training on permanency and connection for older youth in care:
How do the attitudes/beliefs of training participants change from the beginning to the end of the training?
What are the strengths/ weakness of the training curricula, and how may they be modified to better address the needs of participants?
What were the benefits of preparatory training for youth and what additional training strategies might be incorporated to assist them in identifying key persons in their lives and planning for contact?
How is the possibility of on-going relationships between adopted youth and their original families viewed by public agency (DCFS) workers? Private agency workers? Foster parents?
To what extent do on-going relationships occur between adopted youth and their original families?
What are the barriers to such relationships?
What are the obstacles in moving youth who are free for adoption or have a goal of independence into permanent homes?
What are the obstacles in promoting or maintaining on-going relationships between youth and their original family members? Other important figures?
Are project youth more likely to achieve permanency than their non-project peers?
Are project youth more likely to maintain/ develop on-going relationships with important figures in their life than are their non-project peers?
Forty two youth have been identified for the project. All of the youth are African American.
Project youth were predominantly male (74 percent). Only 7 youth (26 percent) were female.
Twenty nine youth were involved to some degree in project activities through year 2. Out of 29 youth , 11 have achieved or made progress toward permanency, have made arrangements for continuing or strengthening connections, or have made steps toward these goals.
Out of 11 youth who have achieved permanency, two youth have been adopted.
Training was rated very highly by project participants whether they be court personnel, child welfare workers/ supervisors or foster parents. The consistent message from those providing feedback is that hearing directly from youth who have aged out or who are about to age out of the child welfare system without permanency or connection to original family is powerful and persuasive.
The project is in its third year. The comparison group was developed in year three.
[Updated April 22, 2008]
