Improving Adjustment Outcomes For Foster Children With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders

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Abstract
This study was a community-based, controlled experiment to evaluate the efficacy of the Fostering Individualized Assistance Program (FIAP), which was driven by permanency (i.e., a stable placement in a supportive family) and family-focused values and involved the wrapping of services around children, based on their individual needs and those of their families. The services and supports were intensely case managed to ensure that these could be adjusted as children's situations and needs changed. The study involved a comparison of 132 children in foster care with, or at risk for, emotional and behavioral disorders, who were randomly assigned to the FIAP program or to a group that received standard-practice foster care. A description of the FIAP intervention and a report of preliminary results that support the efficacy of the FIAP strategy in improving the emotional and behavioral adjustment of children in foster care are presented.