The exits of out-of-home placements: an Italian research on outcomes and processes

The aim of the study is to examine exits of out-of-home placements for children in child protection system, in Emilia-Romagna, a Region of the Northern Italy. Data are collected by a considerable program that provides... [ view full abstract ]

The aim of the study is to examine exits of out-of-home placements for children in child protection system, in Emilia-Romagna, a Region of the Northern Italy.
Data are collected by a considerable program that provides information on children’s and families features and social work practices. Data are analyzed through a statistical program.
The study examines all children placed out-of-home from 2008 to 2012, both in foster and in residential care, full time and part time, for a total of 8,434 children from 0 to 18 years.
According to the literature, the reunification with birth family is considered the “process” who tends to achieve the optimal level of reconnection of the child into the family system (Maluccio, 1996), so we analyze the social services’ practices in terms of outputs and outcomes.
Five types of outcomes and five types of processes have been individuated.
The types of outcomes are: permanently in family, permanently outside of family, adoption, project in progress, unknown, these categories are consequently divided into sub-types.
The five types of processes examined are: evolutive, regressed, oscillating, static outside the family, uncertain in family, also these types are divided into sub-types.
The presentation aims to show the process and discuss results of this quantitative research.