Chapin Hall

Report

New Method for Interpreting a Predictive Analytic Model in Child Welfare Shows Promise

This report seeks to identify an interpretation methodology for machine learning to translate research into actionable practice and policy.

2021

Report

Financial Benefits of Extending Foster Care Outweigh Costs to Government

This report examines the financial benefits of extending foster care to age 21.

2009

News

Bryan Samuels named ‘Champion for Children’

The Child Welfare League of America named Chapin Hall Executive Director Bryan Samuels one of its “100 Champions for Children” in celebration of the...

January 21, 2021

Report

Final Wave of CalYOUTH Study Surveys Former Foster Youth at Age 23

This report presents findings from an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act on outcomes during foster youth's...

2020

Report

Trauma a Contributing Factor to Youth Moving From Child Welfare System to Juvenile Justice System

This study explores the role of trauma, child welfare involvement, and other factors among youth who crossed over from the child welfare system into the...

2018

Report

Nearly One-Third of Foster Youth in California Not Involved with Creating Transitional Independent Living Plan

This memo investigates two aspects of foster youths’ transition planning: their roles in their transitional independent living plan development and their level...

2020

Report

Foster Youth Would Benefit from Emphasis on Prevention and Treatment to Reduce Justice System Involvement

This memo examines CalYOUTH participants’ justice system involvement within two timeframes: (1) involvement before their age-17 interview and (2) involvement...

2020

Report

COVID-19 and Child Welfare: Using Data to Understand Trends in Maltreatment and Response

This work summarizes efforts to respond to concerns about child welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide empirical guidance to child welfare system...

2020

Report

Embedding Legal Support in Preventive Health Care

This study examines the effects of embedding holistic problem solving with legal support into preventive health care for young children.

2020

Report

Challenges in Rigorously Evaluating College Success Programs for Students Who Experienced Foster Care

This paper describes a formative evaluation of one college success program to assess its readiness for future rigorous evaluation.

2020

Report

Housing Options for Young Adults in Extended Foster Care Vary Across and Within States

This paper synthesizes a convening about housing options for young adults in extended federally funded foster care.

2017

Report

Substantial Interaction and Connectedness Strengthens Doris Duke Fellowships

This report presents findings from the most recent survey of Doris Duke Fellows.

2020

Report

Addressing Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in the Harmful Impacts of COVID-19

As communities address and recover from the impacts of COVID-19, effective public policy and corresponding interventions to support children and families need...

2020

Report

Systemic Approaches to Addressing Child and Family Trauma are Key to Fully Leveraging Family First

This brief explains how trauma-informed practices support Family First implementation and recommends measures that are consistent with an established framework...

2020

Report

Intercept Program Evaluation Shows Reductions in Likelihood of Out-of-home Placement

This report describes Intercept, the Center for State Child Welfare Data’s evaluation of the program, and the extent to which the findings demonstrate an impact...

2020

Report

Central Referral Systems Help Reduce Contributors to Family Toxic Stress

This study examines the Help Me Grow system model to understand how different stakeholders use the model and how it impacts children's development.

2020

Report

Advancing Trauma-informed Care Within and Across Child-Serving Systems

This guide offers a framework and process informed by preliminary lessons learned from the MSTIC work, along with guidance from the fields of trauma-informed...

2020

News

A Season of Crisis

Chapin Hall issues statement on race, health, justice and our collective commitment to transforming systems.

June 11, 2020

Report

Blueprint for Practice: Chapin Hall’s Approach to Building and Sustaining a Practice Model

This white paper describes how Chapin Hall helps child welfare agencies create and implement individually-tailored practice models.

2020

Research

Foster Youths’ Capacity To Live Independently Should Drive Extended Foster Care Placement

This memo examines youths’ predominant placement type between ages 18 and 21. It compares the characteristics of youth who resided predominantly in Supervised...

2020

Report

Researchers Find Association between Participation in Extended Foster Care and Reduced Risk of Homelessness

This memo examines whether participating in extended foster care decreases the odds of experiencing homelessness among foster youth by age 21.

2020

Report

System Changes Could Improve Relationships between Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children

This brief shares comments from incarcerated mothers interviewed by researchers and researchers' findings about programs for incarcerated mothers.

2020

Report

Families and Child Welfare Caseworkers Disagree about Service Needs

This report shares the findings of a comprehensive evaluation of the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.

2008

Report

Integrating Healthcare and Early Childhood Systems Requires Capacity and Expertise

2020

Report

Finding Effective Strategies to Expand Data Use in State Human Service Agencies

This paper discusses successes and failures in working with state and local human service agencies and researchers to compile administrative data sources that...

2020

Report

Program Integrates Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Assessment Into Primary Health Care; Connects Families with Services

This study assessed the experiences of patients and clinic staff receiving the SCAN intervention.

2020

Research Collection

Record Linkage among Human Services Data Sources

Chapin Hall has developed a body of research about technical best practices for linking human services data sources to facilitate research and analyses on...

2019

Report

Unlocking the Potential of Electronic Health Records in Pediatric Healthcare

Researchers surveyed and held discussions with staff from nine pediatric clinics in 5 communities to learn about the technical capabilities of clinics to use...

2019

Report

Innovations in Linking Human Services Data

2019

Report

Administrative Data Quality Varies between Programs, Affects Use of Data

Linking together administrative data sources across programs (“record linkage”) is necessary for many analyses of programs and family well-being. However, the...

2019

News

Chapin Hall Releases Three-Year Strategic Plan with Focus on Child Welfare, Community Capacity and Youth Homelessness

Chapin Hall's strategic plan covers projected work from 2019 through 2022.

November 13, 2019

Research

Comprehensive Report Reveals Glaring Rural-Urban Disparity in the Well-being of Children in China

The Report on the State of Children in China is a research collaboration of policy researchers between the University of Chicago, the University of Peking, and...

2015

Report

Moving Upstream to Address Contributors to Toxic Stress in Pediatric Primary Care

This study examines the integration and implementation of pediatric care innovations in nine pediatric practices in 5 communities in California, Florida, and...

2019

Report

Moving Upstream to Address Contributors to Toxic Stress in Pediatric Primary Care

This study examines the integration and implementation of pediatric care innovations in nine pediatric practices in 5 communities in California, Florida, and...

2019

Report

Colorado Showed Increased Kinship Care Utilization Paired with Fiscal Savings during Title IV-E Waiver

This evaluation examined the process, outcome, and fiscal impact of a Title IV-E Waiver in the state of Colorado

2019

Research

Applying a Housing Lens in Early Childhood Service Provision

2018

Report

Survey of Doris Duke Fellows Finds Network Connections are Increasing

This report presents findings from the most recent survey of Doris Duke fellows and compares the level of engagement to prior years.

2019

Report

Extending Child Care Eligibility Increases Duration of Participation in Child Care

This report focuses on preliminary findings related extending the eligibility redetermination period from 6 months to 12 months for families who receive child...

2019

Project

Family First: Readiness Assessment, Planning, and Implementation

Chapin Hall is collaborating with jurisdictions and organizations across the country as they assess readiness and plan for Family First implementation and align...

June 27, 2019

Report

Creating Effective Services Depends on Engaging Youth in Care

A better understanding of the relationships between the service context of extended foster care, youths’ satisfaction with the services they receive, and the...

2019

News

Chapin Hall Identifies Systemic Issues in Assessment of IL DCFS Intact Families Program

Chapin Hall released its Systemic Review of Critical Incidents in Intact Family Services, an assessment of this Illinois Dept. of Children and Family Services...

May 15, 2019

Report

Systemic Challenges at Illinois DCFS Contribute to Oversight Lapses in Child Fatality Cases

This Review identifies systemic factors that contributed to child deaths and critical incidents among children whose families received Intact Family Services...

2019

Report

California Foster Youth in Extended Care Have Better Postsecondary Education Outcomes

This memo evaluates the impact of extended foster care on three postsecondary education outcomes.  

2019

Report

Developmental Perspective Important when Considering Placement Options

This report highlights the importance of understanding placement outcomes from a developmental perspective and how outcomes differ for young people depending on...

2017

Report

Improvements in Service System Collaboration Lead to Youth Spending More Time in Extended Foster Care

This memo examines the relationship between several county-level factors and youths’ extended foster care participation among a sample of older adolescents in...

2019

Report

Foster Youth, Caseworkers Diverge in Views of Youths’ Preparedness for College

This memo adds to the growing literature on the transition to college for young people in foster care, focusing specifically on issues of preparedness to enter...

2019

Report

Developing Capacity for Growth and Excellence at a Private Family Service Agency

Necco engaged researchers at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago to develop the company’s administrative data resources into research evidence to build...

2017

Report

Using Predictive Analytics to Improve Outcomes in Child Welfare

This brief provides an overview of the use of predictive analytics in child welfare.

2018

Project

An App for That

Chapin Hall has worked with NowPow to develop “NowPow for Child Welfare,” a mobile-optimized, web-based resource directory that allows case managers and social...

December 7, 2018

Project

The Integrated Database on Child and Family Services in Illinois

This comprehensive database allows researchers to work with data from nearly every family-serving agency in Illinois.

November 8, 2018

Report

Improved Outcomes at Age 21 for Youth in Extended Foster Care

This report builds on prior findings from the CalYOUTH project and examines outcomes at age 21 from state administrative data and from the third interview wave...

2018

Research

What is Administrative Data?

An explanation of administrative data, and examples of Chapin Hall projects that use this data.

October 31, 2018

Report

Effective Use of Administrative Data Can Strengthen Efforts to Maintain a Stable Supply of High-Quality Foster Homes

In this report, we demonstrate the potential of administrative data to contribute robust evidence in support of child welfare systems’ efforts to maintain a...

2018

Report

Despite Implementation of Extended Foster Care in California, Permanency Rates Declined

An increasing number of states, including California, have extended foster care to age 21. However, there has been some concern that providing extended care may...

2018

Project

Untangling a Traffic Challenge that Thwarts Family Visitation in Los Angeles

Chapin Hall works with LA children's services to increase family visitation, reunification.

September 20, 2018

Report

Half of Older Adolescents in Foster Care Use Psychotropic Drugs

In this brief, researchers explore the use of and experiences with psychotropic medications over time for California foster youth transitioning to adulthood.

2017

Report

Each Month Spent in Care Beyond Age 18 Increases Likelihood of High School Completion

This memo examines factors that influence the likelihood of young people in foster care finishing high school and entering college.

2017

Report

Youth in Extended Care in Los Angeles County Seek Improved Services

This report provides the most comprehensive view to date of young adults making the transition to adulthood from foster care in Los Angeles County.

2017

Report

More Youth Staying in Care Past Age 18, but Time in Care Varies

In this memo, researchers examine why understanding factors associated with youth’s extended foster care participation is important for predicting future...

2017

Report

Additional Time Spent in Foster Care Improves Education Outcomes

This brief provides an early look at the relationship between extended foster care and selected outcomes for youth transitioning to adulthood from care in...

2017

Report

Caseworkers Say Lack of Appropriate Placement Options Presents Challenge to Implementing Extended Foster Care

This report presents the views and attitudes of caseworkers four years after the implementation of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act (AB 12)

2016

Report

Foster Youth Motivated to Stay in Care Beyond Age 18 but Desire More Freedom

This report examines youth and caseworker attitudes about and knowledge of extended foster care in California.

2015

Project

Administrative Data for the Public Good

Creative use of government data described in dozens of proposals for Chapin Hall-Census Bureau project.

September 5, 2018

Project

Studies Explore Use of Administrative Data

Six studies chosen as demonstration projects to explore how administrative data can be used to advance evidence-based policies are described.

September 5, 2018

Project

Transforming Child Welfare Practice in Maryland through the Integrated Child Welfare Practice Model

Chapin Hall works with Maryland to transform the quality of child welfare and adult services in the state.

August 20, 2018

Report

One Summer Chicago Qualitative Study Explores What Makes Youth Summer Jobs Programs Effective

This study explores the key components that make up Chicago’s summer jobs program for youth and the processes through which the program helps to shape...

2018

Project

Can ‘Housing First’ Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect?

Chapin Hall evaluates two sites in a five-year demonstration project to test the effects of supportive housing for families who were involved or at risk of...

August 10, 2018

News

TCOM Conference Registration Open

Registration is open for the annual Transformational Outcomes Management (TCOM) conference, which will be held Oct. 3-5, 2018 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.

August 9, 2018

Project

Expanding Trauma-Informed Care

A national collaborative, funded by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, works to reduce the long-term impact of trauma on children.

July 24, 2018

Report

Many California Foster Youth Have Inadequate Social Support and Need More Support From Adults

This memo investigates the types and sources of social support for young people in extended foster care.

2018

Project

Building a Practice Model

A Practice Model is an organizing framework that describes an agency’s approach and strategic direction.. Practice Models within child welfare agencies can be...

June 12, 2018

Report

Wave 3 of CalYOUTH Study Surveys Former Foster Youth at Age 21

This study provides the most comprehensive view to date of young people approaching the transition to adulthood from foster care in the wake of the federal...

2018

Report

Bringing Big Data into Policy Research

Studying large public social programs can be a challenge for social scientists. One big data approach, text mining, contributed to a better understanding of the...

2018

News

Bryan Samuels Honored by Family Focus

Chapin Hall Executive Director Bryan Samuels is awarded the Bernice Weissbourd Award for Family Support at Family Focus' 2018 gala.

May 16, 2018

Research Collection

The California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH)

CalYOUTH is an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act on outcomes during the transition to adulthood for youth in...

2020

Project

Implementation Collaborative

How can child welfare agencies improve outcomes for children and families? The Chapin Hall Implementation Collaborative-- a group of policy, practice, and...

March 19, 2018

Project

Assessing Mental Health in Under Six Minutes

A field test of a computerized adaptive mental health test (CAT-MH™), which is designed to diagnose and report on the mental health of young people in the child...

March 19, 2018

Project

Amplifying Success in Washington

The Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) program is designed to provide effective, intensive care to Washington’s Medicaid-eligible youth who have complex...

March 19, 2018

Project

Time Use Studies

Talking to children, calling foster parents, and supervising visits are only a few of the tasks that appear on the daily schedule of a social worker. Chapin...

March 19, 2018

Project

Applying Predictive Analytics

A Chapin Hall team developed predictive analytic models to help one child welfare jurisdiction address risk of repeat reports for child abuse or neglect. With...

March 19, 2018

News

Joint Research Fund Awards Announced

Three family-centered research projects for 2018-2019 funded by Chapin Hall and University of Chicago.

March 2, 2018

News

Pilot study shows high reliability of mental health testing tool

Pilot study shows high reliability of mental health testing tool used in child welfare.

February 1, 2018

News

Chapin Hall Launches Technical Assistance Institute in New York

Chapin Hall launched the “CANS NY Technical Assistance Institute” in January 2018 to support effective use of tools to measure child and family strengths and...

January 27, 2018

Project

Well-being Dashboard

A Chapin Hall team co-developed a well-being dashboard to consistently measure and assess children and families’ well-being. The dashboard reflects information...

January 15, 2018

Project

The Center for State Child Welfare Data

The Center for State Child Welfare Data–or the Data Center–supports child welfare systems in more than 30 states to make evidence-based decisions designed to...

January 1, 2018

Report

Majority of California Youth in Foster Care Believe Extended Care Helps Them Reach Life Goals

This study focuses on the state of California, an early adopter of the new policy that also has the largest foster care population in the U.S. It addresses...

2016

Report

Training for Attorneys Representing Children Affects Some Child Welfare Outcomes

Most states require that children in child welfare cases be represented by attorneys. Most of these attorneys are solo practitioners or in small, general...

2016

Report

Data-Driven Solutions are Key to Reductions in Congregate Care

Congregate care has long been viewed as an appropriate placement alternative for children and adolescents, especially those whose histories, mental health...

2016

Report

Unified Court and Child Welfare Data System Streamlines Research, Practice

The New York State Child Welfare Court Improvement Program (CWCIP) is a federally funded initiative that promotes continuous quality improvement at the...

2017

Report

Implementation of Extended Care Leads to Youth Remaining in Care Longer

This study explored the relationship between the implementation of California's extended foster care law (AB 12) and foster youths' exits to legal permanency.

2015

Report

Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders Suggests Youth Reaching Age of Majority in Foster Care Need Special Attention

This report examines mental health and substance use problems of foster youth at age 17, as well as related services provided to the participants.

2015

Report

Survey of Child Welfare Workers Finds Few Appropriate Housing Options for Foster Youth over 18

California child welfare workers were surveyed about the service delivery context of extended foster care. Most workers were concerned about the availability of...

2015

Report

Study of Foster Youths’ Education Status Finds Many are Facing Hurdles to Success

This report examines the educational status of and services available to older adolescents in foster care in California, both from the viewpoint of the youth...

2015

Report

Use of Research Evidence Leads to Faster Permanency for Youth in Foster Care

Research evidence is information that has been generated according to scientific principles and practices. The term research evidence use – or REU – refers to...

2015

Report

Understanding the Relationship Between Housing and Child Welfare System Involvement

Research has shown that homeless or precariously housed families are more likely to be involved with the child welfare system than families with stable housing....

2014

Research

Study of Youth in California Foster Care at Age 17 Reveals Need for Ongoing Support

This study addresses whether extending foster care past age 18 in California influenced youths' outcomes during the transition to adulthood.

2014

Report

Study of California Fostering Connections Act Finds Strengths and Weaknesses in Housing Opportunities

The Fostering Connections Act provides young people with a longer period of transition, including the opportunity to learn how to manage growing autonomy and...

2014

Report

Toward a Common Understanding of CQI in Child Welfare

Today, child welfare agencies are taking stock of their capacity for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and thinking about how to build their capacity. These...

2014

Report

Designing Education Programs to Meet the Needs of Young Adults in Care

The Administration for Children and Families contracted with the Urban Institute and Chapin Hall to plan for the next generation of evaluation activities funded...

2014

Report

Children of Young Parents in Care at Higher Risk of Child Welfare Involvement

Youth in foster care have high rates of early parenthood and face many personal and parenting challenges. This study looks at the risk of child welfare...

2014

Report

Economic Independence of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

Young people in foster care who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) may face unique barriers to achieving economic independence. We analyzed data from...

2013

Report

Early Implementation of Extended Foster Care Requires Engagement and Patience

The most important lesson other states might learn from California’s experience with extending foster care is that it requires considerable effort, time, and...

2013

Report

Elev8 Initiative Strategies Facilitate Successful Implementation of School-Based Health Centers

This report highlights the strategies and structures that the Elev8 initiative successfully employed to improve the working relationship between school-based...

2013

Report

Study of Fostering Connections to Success Act Highlights Importance of Evidence

This report documents the successes and challenges of implementing California’s Fostering Connections to Success Act.

2012

Report

Child Maltreatment Prevention: Past, Present, and Future

Child maltreatment prevention is a critical component of the nation’s child protection system. Dr. Deborah Daro outlines strategies and interventions that have...

2011

Research Collection

Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth

The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Midwest Study) is a longitudinal study following a sample of young people from Iowa,...

2011

Report

Despite Decline in Criminal Behavior, Young Adults Formerly in Care Arrested More than Peers

Young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood are at risk for numerous negative outcomes including criminal behavior and justice-system involvement....

2011

Report

No Impact for Youth Participating in an Independent Living-Employment Services Program

Evidence indicates that youth aging out of foster care often struggle with the transition to adulthood. One program to address these youth’s needs is the...

2011

Report

Educational and Economic Benefits Found for Foster Youth in Massachusetts Outreach Program

Studies show that the transition out of foster care and into independent living can be challenging for young adults. The Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach...

2011

Research

Extended Foster Care Delays but Does Not Prevent Homelessness

One of the challenges faced by young people aging out of foster care is finding a safe and affordable place to live. Before the Fostering Connections to Success...

2010

Report

College Enrollment and Graduation a Challenge for Former Foster Youth, Even with Extended Care

Foster youth entering adulthood have college aspirations like other young people their age. Unfortunately, for far too many foster youth, graduating from...

2010

Report

Coordinated Systems Key to Employment for Youth Formerly in State Care

Preparing youth for employment is a major goal of federal policies to help youth in foster care successfully transition into adulthood. This analysis suggests...

2010

Report

Parenting, Behavioral Health are Barriers to Extended Foster Care for Some Young People

The Fostering Connections Act extended eligibility for federally funded foster care to young people who meet certain eligibility requirements until their 21st...

2010

Report

Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care: Their Needs, Their Experiences

Youth in foster care have much higher rates of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing than their peers. To better understand the needs and experiences of...

2009

Report

Few Impacts for Youth Participating in Life Skills Training Program

Studies show that youth aging out of foster care encounter many challenges as they transition to adulthood. The Life Skills Training (LST) Program was designed...

2008

Report

Tutoring Program for Youth in Foster Care Shows Little Effect

In 1999, the John Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) allowed states more funding and flexibility to provide support to youth transitioning from...

2008

Report

Persistent Patterns Provide Insight into Child Welfare System

Using data from the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive, this report provides an overview of what happens when children are placed in foster care. The results ...

2007

Report

When Should the State Cease Parenting?

Prior to the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, youth became ineligible for federally funded foster care when they turned 18...

2007

Report

Youth Who Run Away from Out-of-Home Care

Given child protective services’ responsibility to provide stability for children in their care, running away from out-of-home care is an event of great...

2005

Report

At Age 19, Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care Face Multiple Challenges

The Midwest Study was designed to learn how young people fare as they age out of foster care. This report provides a snapshot of study participants at age 19.

2005

Report

Conditions of Youth Preparing to Leave State Care

The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 gave states more funding and greater flexibility to provide support to youth making the transition from being in foster...

2004

Report

Examination of Service Receipt and Earnings History Shows Decrease in Use of Cash Assistance

This report analyzes the service receipt and earnings histories of nine cohorts of cash assistance recipients during a period of significant policy change.

2000

Report

Cash Assistance in Illinois Has Limited Impact on Employment Outcomes

This report describes the changes in cash assistance status and employment changes of the population over time in the 1990s.

2001