Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessing the Outcomes of Alternative Care and Treatment Responses

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 9))

Abstract

This chapter considers how the outcomes of alternative care and treatment in child protection can be assessed and the potential promise of public health approaches to child maltreatment. Despite decades of research in the field of child welfare, it is not possible to make causal claims about the outcomes of alternative care and treatment in child protection. Randomised control trial research is not ethical or feasible because children may not be randomly allocated to different types of alternative care. Instead, other research designs are relied upon, but there are significant challenges arising from definitional issues, methodological limitations and potential bias. Prospective longitudinal research with population-based samples is best positioned not only to provide information on outcomes associated with alternative care, but also the contributions of risk and protective factors to outcomes. A public health approach to child maltreatment can provide a more systematic approach to achieving and measuring children’s outcomes. Public health approaches are also favoured by political and technological trends. Governments are increasingly adopting a social investment approach, demanding return on investment. The advent of big data enables researchers to track children’s outcomes through linking with data generated by other public systems such as education, health and criminal justice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Al, C. M., Stams, G. J. J., Bek, M. S., Damen, E. M., Asscher, J. J., & van der Laan, P. H. (2012). A meta-analysis of intensive family preservation programs: Placement prevention and improvement of family functioning. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(8), 1472–1479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altshuler, S. J., & Gleeson, J. P. (1999). Completing the evaluation triangle for the next century: Measuring child" Well-being" in family foster care. Child Welfare, 78(1), 125–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C. H., Perry, B. D., Dube, S. R., & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256(3), 174–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, A. J., & Charvat, B. J. (2008). Research methods in child welfare. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barth, R. P., Wildfire, J., & Green, R. L. (2006). Placement into foster care and the interplay of urbanicity, child behavior problems, and poverty. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(3), 358–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barth, R. P., Green, R., Webb, M. B., Wall, A., Gibbons, C., & Craig, C. (2008). Characteristics of out-of-home caregiving environments provided under child welfare services. Child Welfare, 87(3), 5–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, L. M., Bruch, S. K., Johnson, E. I., James, S., & Rubin, D. (2009). Estimating the “impact” of out-of-home placement on child well-being: Approaching the problem of selection bias. Child Development, 80(6), 1856–1876.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, G., & Albright, K. (2017). Children and the data cycle: Rights and ethics in a big data world (Innocenti Working Paper 2017–05). Florence: UNICEF Office of Research Florence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berrick, J. D. (2008). Take me home: Protecting America’s vulnerable children and families. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Concato, J., Shah, N., & Horwitz, R. I. (2000). Randomized, controlled trials, observational studies, and the hierarchy of research designs. New England Journal of Medicine, 342(25), 1887–1892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, C. M., Katz, K. H., Saunders, L., & Tebes, J. K. (2006). Leaving foster care—The influence of child and case characteristics on foster care exit rates. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(7), 780–798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • del Pozo de Bolger, A., Dunstan, D., & Kaltner, M. (2017). Descriptive analysis of foster care adoptions in New South Wales, Australia. Australian Social Work, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, J. J., Jr. (2008). Child protection and adult crime: Using investigator assignment to estimate causal effects of foster care. Journal of Political Economy, 116(4), 746–770.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubowitz, H., Pitts, S. C., Litrownik, A. J., Cox, C. E., Runyan, D., & Black, M. M. (2005). Defining child neglect based on child protective services data. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29(5), 493–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gambrill, E. (2008). Decision making in child welfare: Constraints and potential. In D. Lindsey & A. Shlonsky (Eds.), Child welfare research: Advances for practice and policy (pp. 175–193). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, P., & MĂĽller, U. (2000). Kinship foster care moving to the mainstream: Controversy, policy, and outcomes. Adoption Quarterly, 4(2), 57–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, N., Parton, N., & Skivenes, M. (Eds.). (2011). Child protection systems: International trends and orientations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harden, B. (2004). Safety and stability for foster children: A developmental perspective. The Future of Children, 14(1), 31–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrenkohl, T. I., Higgins, D. J., Merrick, M. T., & Leeb, R. T. (2015). Positioning a public health framework at the intersection of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence: Primary prevention requires working outside existing systems. Child Abuse and Neglect, 48, 22–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House of Commons Education Committee. (2012). Children first: The child protection system in England. Fourth Report of Session, 13. Retrieved from https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmeduc/137/137.pdf.

  • Hunter, W. M., Cox, C. E., Teagle, S., Johnson, R. M., Mathew, R., Knight, E. D., Leeb, R. T., & Smith, J. B. (2002). Measures for assessment of functioning and outcomes in longitudinal research on child abuse: Volume 2: Middle childhood. Chapel Hill: LONGSCAN coordinating Centre, University of North Carolina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurren, E., Stewart, A., & Dennison, S. (2017). New methods to address old challenges: The use of administrative data for longitudinal replication studies of child maltreatment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(9), 1066.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B. (2008). Multisector longitudinal administrative databases: An indispensable tool for evidence-based policy for maltreated children and their families. Child Maltreatment, 13(4), 392–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2012). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives. Los Angeles: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landsverk, J., Brown, C. H., Reutz, J. R., Palinkas, L., & Horwitz, S. M. (2011). Design elements in implementation research: A structured review of child welfare and child mental health studies. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 38(1), 54–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, C. R., Carlson, E. A., & Egeland, B. (2006). The impact of foster care on development. Development and Psychopathology, 18(1), 57–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littell, J. H. (2008). How do we know what works? The quality of published reviews of evidence-based practices. In D. Lindsey & A. Shlonsky (Eds.), Child welfare research: Advances for practice and policy (pp. 66–94). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., & Farrington, D. P. (1994). Problems and solutions in longitudinal and experimental treatment studies of child psychopathology and delinquency. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 62, 887–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansell, J. (2006). The underlying instability in statutory child protection: Understanding the system dynamics driving risk assurance levels. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 28, 97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masten, A. S., & Wright, M. O. D. (1998). Cumulative risk and protection models of child maltreatment. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2(1), 7–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGhee, J., Mitchell, F., Daniel, B., & Taylor, J. (2015). Taking a long view in child welfare: How can we evaluate intervention and child well-being over time? Child Abuse Review, 24(2), 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Midgley, J., Dahl, E., & Wright, A. C. (Eds.). (2017). Social investment and social welfare: International and critical perspectives. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munro, E. (2008). Lessons from research on decision making. In D. Lindsey & A. Shlonsky (Eds.), Child welfare research: Advances for practice and policy (pp. 194–200). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Neil, E. (2002). Contact after adoption: The role of agencies in making and supporting plans. Adoption & Fostering, 26(1), 25–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peckover, S., & Smith, S. (2011). Guest editorial: Public health approaches to safeguarding children. Child Abuse Review, 20(4), 231–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam-Hornstein, E., Webster, D., Needell, B., & Magruder, J. (2011). A public health approach to child maltreatment surveillance: Evidence from a data linkage project in the United States. Child Abuse Review, 20(4), 256–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, D. B. (1978). Bayesian inference for causal effects: The role of randomization. The Annals of Statistics, 6, 34–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Segal, L., & Dalziel, K. (2011). Investing to protect our children: Using economics to derive an evidence-based strategy. Child Abuse Review, 20(4), 274–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Testa, M. F. (2010). Evaluation of child welfare interventions. In M. F. Testa & J. Poertner (Eds.), Fostering accountability: Using evidence to guide and improve child welfare policy (pp. 195–230). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Testa, M. F., & White, K. R. (2014). Insuring the integrity and validity of social work interventions: The case of the subsidized guardianship waiver experiments. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 11(1–2), 157–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • TrocmĂ©, N. (2008). Epidemiology of child maltreatment. In D. Lindsey & A. Shlonsky (Eds.), Child welfare research: Advances for practice and policy (pp. 15–24). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wald, M. S. (2014). Beyond maltreatment: Developing support for children in multiproblem families. In J. Korbin & R. Krugman (Eds.), Handbook of child maltreatment (Contemporary issues in research and policy) (Vol. 2, pp. 251–280). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Waldfogel, J. (2000). Child welfare research: How adequate are the data? Children and Youth Services Review, 22(9), 705–741.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, M. B. (Ed.). (2010). Child welfare and child well-being: New perspectives from the national survey of child and adolescent well-being. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisburd, D. (2010). Justifying the use of non-experimental methods and disqualifying the use of randomized controlled trials: Challenging folklore in evaluation research in crime and justice. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 6, 209–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells, S. J., & Johnson, M. A. (2001). Selecting outcome measures for child welfare settings: Lessons for use in performance management. Children and Youth Services Review, 23(2), 169–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winokur, M., Holtan, A., & Batchelder K. E. (2014). Kinship care for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children removed from the home for maltreatment. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD006546. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006546.pub3.

  • Wulczyn, F., Barth, R. P., Yuan, Y. T., Harden, B. J., & Landsverk, J. (Eds.). (2005). Beyond common sense: Child welfare, child well-being, and the evidence for policy reform. Piscataway: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wulczyn, F. H., Orlebeke, B., & Haight, J. (2009). Finding the return on investment: A framework for monitoring local child welfare agencies. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Work and Institute of Open Adoption Studies, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Amy Conley Wright

  2. Department of Family and Community Services, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Melissa Kaltner

Authors
  1. Amy Conley Wright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Melissa Kaltner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy Conley Wright .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

    Bob Lonne

  2. Senior Research Fellow, Monash University, Victoria, VIC, Australia

    Deb Scott

  3. Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Daryl Higgins

  4. Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Child and Family, University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Todd I. Herrenkohl

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Wright, A.C., Kaltner, M. (2019). Assessing the Outcomes of Alternative Care and Treatment Responses. In: Lonne, B., Scott, D., Higgins, D., Herrenkohl, T.I. (eds) Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children. Child Maltreatment, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05858-6_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05858-6_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-05857-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-05858-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation