The following are research briefs and other publications made available by Fostering Results. These reports reflect the work of Fostering Results Project between 2003-2005. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or download these reports. To view a report, simply click on the link. To save the report as a ".pdf" file, either right-click (PC) or open-apple-click (Mac) and save the file to a desired location on your hard drive. If you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download a free copy at the Adobe website.

"Improving Outcomes Together: Court and Child Welfare Collaboration." The dependency court and the child welfare agency are both responsible for protecting children and mending families. Yet, too often, the court and the agency work on their common goals independently of one another. This paper, jointly authored by Fostering Results and the ABA Center on Children and the Law, explores the ways in which juvenile and family courts and child welfare agencies across the country are sharing data and information, and collaborating with one another outside the courtroom in order to improve outcomes for children in their care.

In conjunction with the release of the above report, a groundbreaking new tool, "A National Curriculum for Caseflow Management in Juvenile Dependency Cases Involving Foster Care," developed by the nation's leading judicial organizations, has also been released. It is a primer for state courts and child welfare agencies on working together to improve outcomes for children.

"Family Ties: Supporting Permanence for Children in Safe and Stable Foster Care With Relatives and Other Caregivers" The just released Fostering Results report, “Family Ties,” uses recently released 2002 federal data to estimate that 19,250 children in long term relative foster care in the U.S. are in “permanency limbo”– where a court has determined that they cannot be safely returned to their parents nor is adoption an option. According to the report, children adrift in foster care can find safety, permanence and security with grandparents and other caregivers as an alternative to remaining in foster care. While federal foster care funding can be used to support children in foster care or in adoptive homes, the so-called Title IV-E foster care funding cannot be used to support legal guardianship. Yet, the report found that when states were allowed to use “waivers” of federal foster care financing rules, and when they made use of other flexible funding dollars like TANF to offer federally subsidized guardianship, 9,636 foster children left foster care after one year for permanent homes with legal guardians including grandparents and other caregivers between 2000 and 2001. The study illustrates the benefits of having the option of federally subsidized guardianship available for children, families and the foster care system as a whole.

"A View From the Bench: Summary of Key Findings from a National Survey of Dependency Court Judges" Fostering Results conducted a national survey of dependency court judges to better understand the information they have at their disposal and the context in which they make decisions related to child safety, permanency and well-being. In partnership with the National Center for State Courts and the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges, Fostering Results surveyed over 5,000 judges across the country. Specifically, questions explored the information made available to juvenile court judges, the time-frames for reviewing and acting on information presented, and the degree to which these jurists feel prepared to make the decisions asked of them.

"The Foster Care Straightjacket: Innovation, Federal Financing & Accountability in State Foster Care Reform" As the federal government and states across the country grapple with record budget shortfalls, this report shows that state efforts to reform troubled foster care systems are further hampered by rigid federal financing rules that stifle innovation and severely restrict spending federal dollars on services that could help reduce the number of children in foster care. The report comes as Congress debates extending a program that has helped some states make improvements for children and families in need and as the federal government finishes its evaluations of state child welfare systems against a set of performance benchmarks.

"Nation's Child Welfare System Doubles Number of Adoptions from Foster Care." According to a recent analysis of national data, 33 states and the District of Columbia doubled the number of adoptions from foster care during the five years since the passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act in 1997. The report examines five years of adoption performance for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, exploring the impact of aligning the right outcomes with federal financial incentives and importance of collaboration in getting the work done.