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Foster Children's Project

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Established in 2001, the Foster Children's Project provides each child in the foster care system between the ages of 0 through 12, and their siblings, an attorney to represent them in all court matters. The attorney advocates for them to achieve permanence within 12 months, whether through reunification with their biological parents, adoption by family members, or adoption through the community. The Foster Children's Project has recently been authorized to expand its representation to children ages 0 to 5 placed with relatives.

This program is locally funded by Children Services Council of Palm Beach County.

Goal / Mission

To advocate for children and help them resolve their most pressing legal problem: being in the custody of the state when they need to be in the custody of a family - biological or adoptive - within the 12 months provided by law.

Impact

Children represented by the Foster's Children Project were more likely to exit the foster system to permanency due to higher rates of adoption and long-term custody, but not reunification, than their peers not represented by FCP.

Results / Accomplishments

A 2008 study by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago found that children who were represented through the Foster Children's Project were significantly more likely to exit to permanency (p < 0.01), be placed in adoption or guardianship (p < 0.001), and experience long-term custody (p < 0.01) than their peers. However, there was no significant difference in the rates of reunification between children aided by the Foster's Children Project and than their unaided peers.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Legal Aid of Palm Beach County
Primary Contact
Legal Aid of Palm Beach County
423 Fern Street, Suite 200
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561-655-8944
http://www.legalaidpbc.org/index.php
Topics
Community / Governance
Community / Social Environment
Health / Children's Health
Organization(s)
Legal Aid of Palm Beach County
Source
Legal Aid
Date of publication
2008
Date of implementation
2001
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Palm Beach
For more details
http://www.legalaidpbc.org/services_children.php
http://www.chapinhall.org/sites/default/files/old_...
Target Audience
Children
Submitted By
Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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