© Child Trends 2003
HOMEBUILDERS
OVERVIEW
Homebuilders is a home- and community-based program for families with children in foster care. The program was designed to encourage family reunification and prevent unnecessary placement of children in outside care facilities. Program strategies include building family relationships, conducting skills training, addressing concrete needs, and providing in-home support after initial re-entry and reunification process. In an evaluation of the program, 120 families with children in foster care were randomly assigned to receive either family reunification services (Homebuilders) or routine reunification services. Results indicated that the number of days from start of treatment period until the children returned home was significantly shorter for families in the Homebuilders experimental group than for control group families receiving routine services. At the end of the study, 70 percent of the treatment group lived at home, compared with 47% of the control group.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: Foster children between the ages of 0 and 17.
Homebuilders is a home and community-based program for families with children in foster care. The goal of the program is to prevent unnecessary placement of the children in foster care, group care, psychiatric care, or juvenile justice facilities. To achieve this, it seeks to strengthen family relationships, conduct skills training, address concrete needs, and provide in-home support during the reunification process.
The relationship-building component of the program focuses on building hope, instilling confidence between family members, and creating a capacity for self-examination. The skills training portion of the program targets family limitations and works to build upon these areas through skills demonstrations, practice activities, and family homework. The program also provides resources for addressing unmet nutrition, housing, employment, and health needs. Finally, the workers provide in-home support after the initial re-entry and during the reunification process.
It is recommended that families engage in 2-hour sessions, three to five days a week, for a minimum of 30 days. The intervention period can last up to 90 days.
EVALUATION OF PROGRAM
Fraser, M. W., Walton, E., Lewis, R. E., Pecora, P. J., & Walton, W. K. (1996). An experiment in family reunification: Correlates of outcomes at one-year follow-up. Child and Youth Services Review, 18, 335-361.
Evaluated population: 110 families with children between the ages of 1 and 17 in foster care and residing in the state of Utah served as the sample for this evaluation.
Approach: Families were randomly assigned to receive either experimental family reunification services (Homebuilders) or routine reunification services. The services were given over a 90-day period. Families in the Homebuilders group received services delivered by trained child welfare caseworkers. The number and duration of home visits conducted for families in the Homebuilders intervention group was not reported in the evaluation summary. Families in the control group received routine reunification services for families with children in foster care.
Results: Results indicated that the number of days from the start of the treatment period until the children returned home was significantly shorter for families in the Homebuilders experimental group than for families receiving routine services. At the end of the study, significantly more children in the experimental group lived at home (70.2%) compared with the controls (47.2%). Non-experimental analyses of children who were re-unified indicated similar durations at home after reunification.
http://www.institutefamily.org/products_books.asp
Institute for Family Development
Main Office and Training Division
34004 16th Ave. South, Suite 200
Federal Way, WA 98003-8903
Phone: (253) 874-3630; Fax: (253) 838-1670
E-mail: cbooth@institutefamily.org
Website: http://www.institutefamily.org/
Fraser, M. W., Walton, E., Lewis, R. E., Pecora, P. J., & Walton, W. K. (1996). An experiment in family reunification: Correlates of outcomes at one-year follow-up. Child and Youth Services Review, 18, 335-361.
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: 1 to 17
Evaluated participant grades: N/A
Program age ranges in the guide: Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescence, Youth
Program components: Mentoring/Tutoring, Clinic/Provider-Based, Home Visiting, Parent of Family Component
Measured outcomes: Social and Emotional
Program information last updated on 9/12/08.
|
|
|
© Child Trends 2003 |