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Washington State Institute for Public Policy
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Fostering Healthy Futures

Child Welfare
  Literature review updated August 2017.
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Fostering Healthy Futures is an intensive mentoring program for children, ages 9 to 11, who were placed in foster care because of maltreatment within the previous year. Children are paired with mentors who meet with them two to four hours per week for 30 weeks. Children also attend weekly group meetings that focus on emotion recognition, perspective taking, problem solving, anger management, cultural identity, change and loss, healthy relationships, peer pressure, abuse prevention, and future orientation.
 
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META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic in order to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the types of program impacts that were measured in the research literature (for example, crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information.

Adjusted effect sizes are used to calculate the benefits from our benefit cost model. WSIPP may adjust effect sizes based on methodological characteristics of the study. For example, we may adjust effect sizes when a study has a weak research design or when the program developer is involved in the research. The magnitude of these adjustments varies depending on the topic area.

WSIPP may also adjust the second ES measurement. Research shows the magnitude of some effect sizes decrease over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. We also report the unadjusted effect size to show the effect sizes before any adjustments have been made. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured No. of effect sizes Treatment N Adjusted effect size(ES) and standard error(SE) Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
ES SE Age ES p-value
Internalizing symptoms
Symptoms of internalizing behavior (e.g., sadness, anxiety, or withdrawal) measured on a validated scale.
 0 1 69 -0.069 0.170 11 -0.193 0.257
Post-traumatic stress
Clinical diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or symptoms measured on a validated scale.
 0 1 74 -0.113 0.168 11 -0.314 0.063
Permanent placement
“Final” placement in a permanent home, which can include reunification with parents, formalized guardianships, or legal adoption.
0 1 56 0.129 0.232 11 0.358 0.130
Placement stability
The number of times children in out-of-home care are transferred from one home to another.
0 1 56 0.094 0.191 11 0.262 0.172

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Taussig, H.N., Culhane, S.E., Garrido, E., & Knudtson, M.D. (2012). RCT of a mentoring and skills group program: placement and permanency outcomes for foster youth. Pediatrics, 130(1), 33-9.

Taussig, H.N., & Culhane, S.E. (2010). Impact of a mentoring and skills group program on mental health outcomes for maltreated children in foster care. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(8),739-46.