Nevada Initiative to Reduce Long-Term Foster Care

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: In Foster Care; At Risk for Foster
• Interventions: Other: SAFE FC

• Registration Number: NCT02173314
• Lead Sponsor: Westat

Brief Summary

The evaluation of the Nevada Initiative to Reduce Long-Term Foster Care (LTFC) includes three populations. It will examine how the interventions SAFE- FC and FSE impact or relate to permanency outcomes for children most at risk for long term foster care and currently in care.

Detailed Description

The project targets three populations of children. For populations 1 and 2, the study will evaluate an intervention known as SAFE-FC. The intervention aims to prevent long term foster care by providing tailored services and intensive engagement with all new families with children identified as unsafe (Population 1) and for cases that are currently in care and at risk of LTFC where reunification is the case goal (Population 2). Family Search and Engagement (FSE) is the intervention for Population 3; it involves intense search practices to identify possible permanency resources. For Populations 1 and 2 the study is a randomized, intent-to-treat design to measure safety and permanency outcomes. For Population 3 the evaluation will be a descriptive study to analyze relationships between the intervention approach and outcomes. Both studies aim to examine how the interventions (SAFE- FC and FSE) impact or relate to permanency outcomes for children most at risk for long term foster care.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2010-09
• Study First Submitted: 2014-06-17
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-06-23
• Study First Posted: 2014-06-24
• Primary Completion: 2015-12
• Study Completion: 2015-12
• Status Verified: 2019-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-03-22
• Last Update Posted: 2019-03-26

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 507

Inclusion Criteria

• Children assessed to be unsafe via the Nevada Initial Assessment
• children in foster care with specific risk characteristics.

Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment	SAFE FC	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Time to stable permanence	Measured from the date of random assignment to the discharge date or to the end of the study period for cases that did not discharge	Measured by administrative data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
Caregiver readiness for change	Measured at intake, at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and again at case closure (participants will be followed throughout the duration of their involvement with Washoe County DSS which is on average 24 months)	Measured with Readiness for Parenting Change Scale (REDI) Abbreviated (Chaffin et al, 2011)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Caregiver stress	Measured at intake, at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and again at case closure (participants will be followed throughout the duration of their involvement with Washoe County DSS which is on average 24 months)	Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-SF) (Abidin, 1983)