FOSTERING INDIVIDUALIZED ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (FIAP)

OVERVIEW

The Fostering Individualized Assistance Program (FIAP) employs a series of clinical interventions that are aimed at reducing emotional and behavioral problems in children within the foster care system. FIAP program specialists train key adults in the children’s lives to provide the children with stable homes, clinical treatment, and various additional support services. In an evaluation of the intervention, 132 children were randomly assigned to receive either FIAP services or standard services for foster children. Results indicated more favorable outcomes for children receiving the intervention compared with children in the standard services group on length of time spent on a runaway, on number of placement changes, and on achieving a permanent placement. However, during the post-intervention period, children in the treatment and control groups did not significantly differ on number of runaway incidents or on time spent incarcerated.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Children with severe emotional and/or behavioral problems who are in, or at risk for, institutional or foster home placements.

The Fostering Individualized Assistance Program is a wraparound-services program that employs key adults in a child’s life to carry out an individually tailored case management plan. The intervention has two major goals: 1) to stabilize foster care placements and develop feasible permanency plans, and 2) to improve emotional and behavioral adjustment in children.

The case management is initially delivered by family-centered, clinical program specialists, who work in collaboration with caseworkers, other providers such as teachers and therapists, foster parents, and biological families. During this active treatment phase, the adults work together to formulate and provide four critical intervention components: 1) strengths-based assessments, which identify child’s goals and potentials; 2) life-domain planning, (or e.g. devising a permanency placement plan); 3) clinical case management, (e.g. therapy and clinical treatment plans); and 4) follow-along support. Over time, children and treatment teams enter the maintenance phase, when these case management responsibilities are gradually transferred to the adults who are closest to the child.

The treatment team typically meets monthly throughout the active and maintenance phases of the program to discuss plans and progress with the implementation of treatments. Treatment continues until the team agrees that the interventions are no longer necessary.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Clark, H. B., Lee, B., Prange, M. E., McDonald, B. A. (1996). Children lost within the foster care system: Can wraparound service strategies improve placement outcomes? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 5, 39-54.

Evaluated population: 132 children between the ages of 7 and 15 who were living in foster care served as the sample for this evaluation. All of the children in the sample were either emotionally or behaviorally disturbed or were at high risk for these types of disturbances.

Approach: Children were randomly assigned to receive either the FIAP intervention or to receive standard foster care services. Children in both groups were provided with typical foster care services, but children in the FIAP group received the treatment intervention in addition to the typical treatments.

Children in the FIAP group were each assigned an FIAP program specialist. These specialists first met with a child’s foster caseworker, additional providers such as teachers and therapists, foster parents, and biological families. As a team, these adults assessed children’s needs for various services and discussed how to foster growth based on their successes, strengths, and potentials. The team also developed permanency placement and clinical case management plans, as well as means of providing follow-along services.

Data on rates of placement changes, runaway incidents, incarceration, and permanency placements were collected from children, caregivers, and administrative records. The data accounted for the period of time between entrance into the foster care system and entrance into the study and for the period between entrance into the study and about 2.5 years later.

Results: Results indicated that, after receiving the FIAP intervention, individuals experienced fewer placement changes and spent less time as a runaway, compared to the period of time before the intervention. In contrast, individuals in the standard services group experienced increases on these indicators after entrance into the study. No difference occurred in the number of runaways they experienced after entering the study. Furthermore, for the subset of individuals incarcerated after entrance into the study, there were not significant differences across groups in regard to amount of time spent incarcerated. However, it is worth noting that children in the standard services group were 1.6 times more likely than students in the FIAP intervention to be incarcerated for more than half the time following their entry into the study. Finally, children receiving the FIAP intervention were significantly more likely to be placed in permanency homes at the time of data analysis than children in the standard services control group.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References:

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 7 to 15 years

Evaluated participant grades: N/A

Program age ranges in the guide: Middle Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth

Program components: Counseling/Therapy, Clinic/Provider-Based, Home Visiting, Parent or Family Component

Measured outcomes: Behavioral Problems

Program information last updated on 9/12/08.