Placement Stabilization Programs are defined by the CEBC as programs that aim to reduce the number and frequency of disrupted out-of-home placements. Services that seek to keep placements intact include those focused on enhancing the caregiver’s sense of competency in parenting the child including dealing with difficult behaviors, encouraging positive caregiver-child interactions, helping the caregiver develop proactive and reactive responses that reinforce positive behaviors, and providing a safe and nurturing environment for the child. Goals for some programs may also include stabilizing placements for large sibling groups to keep siblings together.
Target population: Children in out-of-home placements
Services/types that fit: Outpatient, day treatment, and residential services with individual or group formats that target youth directly or adults (caregivers, teachers, etc.) who work with these youth
Delivered by: Child welfare workers, mental health professionals, or trained paraprofessionals
In order to be included: Program must specifically target placement stabilization as a goal
In order to be rated: There must be research evidence (as specified by the Scientific Rating Scale) that examines outcomes related to placement stabilization, such as placement disruptions, exits from out-of-home care, or moves to more restrictive levels of care
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.
One Program with a Scientific Rating of 1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence:
Prospective foster and adoptive parents and experienced foster parents; child welfare professionals who develop, support, and team with resource parents
Trauma Informed PS - MAPP (TIPS-MAPP) [Partnering for Safety and Permanence - Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting]
Prospective foster and adoptive families in both public and private agencies
Why was this topic chosen by the Advisory Committee?
The Placement Stabilization Programs topic area is relevant to child welfare because limiting the number of placement changes for children in child welfare is beneficial to their well-being. There is an increasing body of knowledge on the impact of trauma on the brain development of children, especially on young children. Foster children are likely to have experienced trauma in-utero, and after birth through exposure to abuse, neglect, and violence. Removal of a child from an unsafe home reduces the risk of further abuse and neglect, but at a cost. Every placement change requires a child to adapt to a new environment at home, in school, and in the most personal relationships: new caregiver, new room, new roommate, new teacher, new foods, new rules, new doctor, new friends, etc. Children cope in various ways, including exacerbating troublesome and unhealthy behaviors. Academic development is interrupted, social relationships are severed, and new barriers to reunification can develop. These disruptive behaviors are linked to placement instability, and contribute to reduced chance of reunification.
Mary C. Harris Former CEBC Advisory Committee Member
Topic Expert
Sonya Leathers, PhD, Assistant Professor School of Social Services Administration, University of Chicago Chicago, IL
