Utilization-Focused Evaluation of a Family Preservation Program

Abstract

The Federal Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 requires states to maintain children at risk in the least restrictive environment possible. Accordingly, practitioners try to keep these children with their families, using out-of-home placement as a last resort. Studies suggest that certain types of families benefit most from family preservation services. This article reports the results of a pilot family preservation program in which 26 families met the following four admission criteria: urgency, high risk, child's age, and willingness to enter the program. The families received intensive intervention from an assigned social worker who provided case management services, casework counseling, family therapy, and a domestic educational program. At the end of the three-month program, 24 families retained their children, and three months later, 23 families remained intact. This evident success may be attributed to (1) the use of purposeful admission criteria, (2) intervention by skillful social workers who established rapport with the families, and (3) follow-up undertaken by the same social workers. The results also provide empirical support for utilization-focused evaluation.