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RCT of a mentoring and skills group program: placement and permanency outcomes for foster youth.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:To examine the impact of a mentoring and skills group intervention for preadolescent children in foster care on placement stability and permanence at 1-year postintervention. METHODS:A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 9- to 11-year-old children who were maltreated and placed in foster care (n = 54 control; n = 56 intervention). State child welfare records provided information on number of placement changes, placement in residential treatment, and case closure (ie, permanency). Rates of adoption and reunification were also examined. Analysis was by intention to treat. RESULTS:After controlling for baseline functioning and preintervention placement history, intervention youth were 71% less likely to be placed in residential treatment (odds ratio [OR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09-0.98). There were no significant treatment differences in predicting placement changes or permanency for the total sample. Among a subsample of children living in nonrelative foster care at baseline, intervention youth had 44% fewer placement changes (incidence ratio = 0.56, 95% CI 0.34-0.93), were 82% less likely to be placed in a residential treatment center (OR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.03-0.96), and were 5 times more likely to have attained permanency at 1 year postintervention (OR = 5.14, 95% CI 1.55-17.07). More intervention youth had reunified 1-year postintervention [?(2)(1, N = 78) = 3.99; P < .05], and the pattern of findings suggested that intervention youth had higher rates of adoption. A significant interaction [?(2)(1, N = 110) = 5.43; P = .02] demonstrated that the intervention attenuated the impact of baseline behavior problems on placement changes. CONCLUSIONS:The findings suggest that participation in a 9-month mentoring and skills group intervention leads to greater placement stability and permanence, especially for children in nonrelative foster care.

SUBMITTER: Taussig HN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3382920 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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RCT of a mentoring and skills group program: placement and permanency outcomes for foster youth.

Taussig Heather N HN Culhane Sara E SE Garrido Edward E Knudtson Michael D MD

Pediatrics 20120611 1

<h4>Objective</h4>To examine the impact of a mentoring and skills group intervention for preadolescent children in foster care on placement stability and permanence at 1-year postintervention.<h4>Methods</h4>A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 9- to 11-year-old children who were maltreated and placed in foster care (n = 54 control; n = 56 intervention). State child welfare records provided information on number of placement changes, placement in residential treatment, and case closu ...[more]

PMID: 22689870

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Project description:To evaluate the efficacy of the Fostering Healthy Futures program in reducing mental health problems and associated problems.Randomized controlled trial.Denver metropolitan area.Children aged 9 to 11 years who were maltreated and placed in foster care.Children in the control group (n=77) received an assessment of their cognitive, educational, and mental health functioning. Children in the intervention group (n=79) received the assessment and participated in a 9-month mentoring and skills group program.Children and caregivers were interviewed at baseline prior to randomization, immediately following the intervention, and 6 months after the intervention. Teachers were interviewed 2 times after baseline. Measures included a multi-informant index of mental health problems, youth-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress, dissociation, and quality of life, and caregiver- and youth-reported use of mental health services and psychotropic medications.After adjusting for covariates, intent-to-treat analyses demonstrated that the treatment group had fewer mental health problems on a multi-informant factor 6 months after the intervention (mean difference, -0.51; 95% confidence interval, -0.84 to -0.19), reported fewer symptoms of dissociation 6 months after the intervention (mean difference, -3.66; 95% confidence interval, -6.58 to -0.74), and reported better quality of life immediately following the intervention (mean difference, 0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.03 to 0.19). Fewer youths in the intervention group than in the control group had received recent mental health therapy 6 months after the intervention according to youth report (53% vs 71%, respectively; relative risk=0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.57 to 0.98).A 9-month mentoring and skills group intervention for children in foster care can be implemented with fidelity and high uptake rates, resulting in improved mental health outcomes. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00809315.

Project description:BackgroundMany university students are becoming involved in mentoring programs, yet few studies describe the impact of mentoring on the mentor. Additionally, many studies report that students graduating from college are not prepared to enter the workforce in terms of key career skills and/or content knowledge. Herein, we examine the impact of our program, NE STEM 4U (Nebraska Science, Technology, Engineering and Math for You), in which undergraduate (UG) mentors engage K-8 youth in after-school STEM experiments. The UGs reflected upon their experiences using post-mentoring evaluations, 12- and 24-week interviews, and exit surveys. Many of the questions asked of the mentors related directly to their own professional development, such as self-evaluation of communication, organization, and problem-solving skills, while other questions related to content knowledge and reflection.ResultsPost-mentoring, UGs reflected on the delivery/teaching significantly more (p ≤ 0.001 for each) than other variables (i.e., their own content knowledge gains, the students' content knowledge gains, scaffolding the lessons, or overall professional growth). By analyzing the evaluations and interviews together, some significant, self-reported gains emerged. For example, 94.15% of the UG reported that the experience was beneficial to their education. Additionally, UG mentors self-reported significant gains (p ≤ 0.01 for each) moving from 12- to 24-weeks in the program in the categories of organization, STEM content knowledge, preparedness to teach, and engagement in the program. However, UG did not report significant gains in dependability. Importantly, when mentors ranked themselves at 24-weeks, they were blinded to (unaware of) the ranking they gave themselves at 12-weeks.ConclusionsThis study helps to fill a gap in the literature by providing insight into the gains UG mentors report attaining after mentoring to K-8 students. These data suggest that participation by UGs in this program promoted self-reflection as well as self-reported gains related to career preparedness and STEM content knowledge.

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RCT of a mentoring and skills group program: placement and permanency outcomes for foster youth.

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RCT of a mentoring and skills group program: placement and permanency outcomes for foster youth.

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