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Topic: Educational Interventions for Children and Adolescents in Child Welfare

Scientific Ratings in this topic:

1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence

2 - Supported by Research Evidence

3 - Promising Research Evidence

4 - Evidence Fails to Demonstrate Effect

5 - Concerning Practice

NR - Not able to be Rated

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Definition for Educational Interventions for Children and Adolescents in Child Welfare:

Educational Interventions for Children and Adolescents in Child Welfare are defined broadly by the CEBC since supporting the educational success of these children requires different approaches based on the age of the child. Relevant programs are those that have direct potential to impact success from the early childhood years, such as programs that highlight school readiness and development, as well as those that address any social, emotional, or learning barriers to achievement during the K-12 years. Relevant programs also include supports for older foster youth to help them transition to post-secondary training, such as college or vocational programs, as well as to encourage retention and completion in such post-secondary training programs.

  • Target population: Children and adolescents in child welfare
  • Services/types that fit: A variety of different services including programs that work with child welfare workers, birth families, foster care families, educators, school staff and/or directly with children and adolescents
  • Delivered by: Educators, school staff, child welfare workers, mental health professionals, or trained paraprofessionals
  • In order to be included: Program must specifically target educational outcomes for children and/or adolescents involved in child welfare
  • In order to be rated: There must be research evidence (as specified by the Scientific Rating Scale) that examines outcomes related to educational success, such as school readiness, engagement, attendance, retention, and graduation rates
Downloadable Topic Area Summary

Programs in this Topic Area

The programs listed below have been reviewed by the CEBC and, if appropriate, been rated using the Scientific Rating Scale.

Two Programs with a Scientific Rating of 2 - Supported by Research Evidence:

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  • Better Futures
    Youth and young adults in foster care, including youth with disabilities and/or mental health conditions, who are: 1) in their ...
  • Kids in Transition to School (KITS)
    Foster children and other children at high risk for school difficulties who are entering kindergarten

One Program with a Scientific Rating of 3 - Promising Research Evidence:

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  • Treatment Foster Care Oregon - Adolescents (TFCO-A)
    [Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care - Adolescents]
    Boys and girls, 12-17 years old, with severe delinquency and/or severe emotional and behavioral disorders who were in need ...

Eight Programs with a Scientific Rating of NR - Not able to be Rated:

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Why was this topic chosen by the Advisory Committee?


The Educational Interventions for Children and Adolescents in Child Welfare topic area is relevant to child welfare since access and support for education for children is perhaps the most important cornerstone to becoming a contributing citizen of our society, and this is no different for children and youth who are in the foster care system. In fact, it is even more pressing and should be given priority for those caring for and working on behalf of children in the foster care system because of the many challenges these youth face. Therefore, identifying interventions that focus on improved educational outcomes for foster youth is critical. These interventions will give them the support, skills, and abilities they will need to go on to be productive members of our society. It is hoped that the level of evidence for these interventions will continue to be studied so that interventions with research evidence can be identified and implemented.

Chris Mathias, Director
California Social Work Education Center (Cal-SWEC)
University of California, Berkeley
School of Social Welfare
Berkeley, CA

Topic Expert

The Educational Interventions for Children and Adolescents in Child Welfare topic area was added in 2011. Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD was the topic expert and was involved in identifying and rating any of the programs with an original load date in 2011 (as found on the bottom of the program's page on the CEBC) or others loaded earlier and added to this topic area when it launched. The topic area has grown over the years and any programs added since 2011 were identified by CEBC staff, the Scientific Panel, and/or the Advisory Committee. For these programs, Dr. Jonson-Reid was not involved in identifying or rating them.