This study explored whether the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) scores of children in the care of Family and Children's Services of Renfrew County might predict foster placement outcomes. A file review was completed for 268 children, all of whom had at least one set of CAFAS scores completed, to obtain data regarding the number and types of placements they experienced. Placement categories were ranked -- in order from best alternate care option to least-desired -- by 11 agency employees. These rankings were used to calculate total weighted placements for each child as a measure of the child's foster placement experience. In regression analyses, including age, gender, and reasons for placement, CAFAS scores were found to be the most significant predictor of the number and nature of placements experienced by a child. This relationship suggests that there might be value in using CAFAS as a placement matching tool in a child welfare setting.

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Access arrangements for birth parents of crown wards are a concern for child protection workers. Data on 84 crown wards were collected from 11 in care workers at a Children's Aid Society in Ontario, to determine whether best practice guidelines were being observed. Best practice derived from literature was operationalized as: (1) inclusion of birth parents and others in decisions affecting the child, and (2) connectivity ---maintaining family ties. Regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of inclusion and connectivity scores. Results showed three significant predictors of inclusion---worker knowledge, years in child welfare, and birth parents' source of income---and two predictors of connectivity---worker knowledge and parents' source of income. Findings suggest that agency training and support of workers can have a positive effect on implementation of best practice. The effect of income source is a puzzle, as income from employment was associated with lower inclusion scores, but higher connectivity scores.

No description available.