RE: calculating out of home placement time

["Lyle, Gene" <Gene.Lyle@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Scottye,

AFAIK, there are no universal standards regarding how states calculate
length of placement. If you're familiar with Wulczyn you may also have seen
some of the work of Lynn Usher at UNC Chapel Hill. If not, I would encourage
you to seek it out. Depending on whether or not you look at placement data
cross-sectionally or longitudinally, you will get different impressions of
how placements work, and Usher's work is particularly informative in this
latter regard. And in addition to looking at the length of individual
placements, I would encourage you to look at episodes or spells of
placements, i.e., multiple placements that are strung together with little
time gap between them. Usher's work will be helpful in this regard as well.

In our case (local county) we use various definitions of length of placement
depending on what it is we're trying to find out. For example, we may
exclude shelter placements when looking at long time periods of placement
just so we can get a sense of what longer placement patterns look like. On
the other hand, if we're looking at the total number of placements, we will
often include the short-term shelter placements. The definition might also
hinge on whether or not the intent of a shelter placement is to return the
child home shortly, or whether it is a short-term placement prior to a
longer one, e.g., while arranging for a foster home placement for a child
who cannot return home.

Good luck in your quest.

Gene Lyle
Office of Performance Measurement & Evaluation
RCCHSD
St. Paul, MN

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	scash@mailer.fsu.edu [SMTP:scash@mailer.fsu.edu]
	Sent:	Monday, March 12, 2001 9:24 AM
	To:	CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu
	Subject:	calculating out of home placement time

	Hello.
	I am in the process of working with a state agency (hi Coleman)- in
	determining how state's or those who do evaluations with states
calculate
	length of time in out of home placements .  What is considered a
placement?
	Just placements that last over 30 days, emergency shelter
placements,
	respite care placements?
	What are methods that others have used in calculating this.  I have
seen and
	read the way in which Wulczyn and colleagues have calculated it, I
am just
	curious as to how others approach this problem.  Are there any
"industry"
	standards that are set in capturing this-- has anyone developed
methods for
	calculating any of the outcomes as set for in the ASFA legislation?
These
	numbers are critical, yet the lack of information in this area makes
it
	difficult if not impossible to compare data within states, and
between
	states.
	Thanks in advance for any assistance or information that is provided
in
	regards to this discussion.

	Scottye Cash