Matching family problems with specific family preservation services: a study of service effectiveness

Abstract

Family preservation programs are comprised of a broad menu of clinical and concrete services. Although these programs have been the focus of numerous evaluations, there is relatively little research that specifically investigates the services that comprise this intervention. Moreover, there have been few attempts to understand the impact of services for subgroups within this client population. The purpose of the current study is to (1) identify a specific problem subgroup; (2) identify specific concrete and clinical services intended to address the problem of that subgroup; and (3) investigate the effects of these specific services on family functioning, child maltreatment, and substitute care placement. The data analyzed in this study are a subset from the Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Two stage least squares regression is used to address the issues of selection bias. Hierarchical non-linear modeling is used to understand both the child and family level characteristics as predictors of child maltreatment and substitute care placement. The results indicate that few services are related to changes in family functioning. However, several problem specific services were related to a decreased risk of child maltreatment and substitute care placement.