Permanency Outcomes of Children in Kinship and Non -Kinship Foster Care: Minimizing the Effects of Selection Bias With Propensity Score Matching

Analyses of proportions and survival times were conducted to investigate the permanency outcomes of children in relative and non-relative foster homes using unmatched and matched AFCARS samples. The permanency outcomes include reunification, adoption, and legal guardianship, length of stay, placement stability, and foster care re-entry. The findings of the study imply that states' policy and practice regimes moderate the effects of placement type on children's permanency outcomes. The study illustrates that the effects of kinship placements on children's permanency outcomes vary across the states, especially in the areas of reunification, adoption, length of stay and foster care re-entry. The results disconfirm previous findings that children in relative foster homes have a uniformly lower likelihood of reunification, adoption, and discharge. However, the study confirms the advantages of kinship placements in the areas of placement stability and legal guardianship. The study reports uniform findings across the states in these two outcome areas, which are consistent with the findings of prior research that shows higher rates of guardianship and stability among kin placements. In the study, children in relative foster homes are more likely to experience placement stability and be discharged into legal guardianship than children in non-relative foster homes in all the states studied.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Social Work

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Koh, Eun

Contributors dc:contributor

• Testa, Mark F.

• Social Work

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3301170

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87331