Empirical studies

This study profiles the development of relationships between youths and treatment foster parents over the course of a year using a repeated measures design. While both youth and treatment parents report favorable therapeutic alliance, treatment parent alliance is generally higher than youth alliance. Both treatment parents and youth show a "honeymoon" affect in which therapeutic alliance ratings decrease, followed by a gradual increase. The number of previous placements, diagnosis, severity of problem behaviors and resistance associate with different alliance growth trajectories for youth. In addition, treatment parent race and the presence of biological children in the home also associate with different alliance trajectories. These findings are discussed in terms of the implications for policy, training and supervision, research and practice in treatment foster care.

164
Dropout delinquent adolescents: Psycho-diagnostic aspects of using the Bender-Gestalt Test and WISC-R
Romi, S., & Marom, D.

This study aims to demonstrate the way in which the BGT (Bender-Gestalt lest) can indicate the existence of subgroups among dropout delinquent adolescents and to examine the relationship between BGT and WISC-R (VVechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised) scores in dropout adolescents and normative youth. The subjects were 232 adolescents who underwent diagnostic testing at a psycho-educational center in Israel. They were divided into three research groups: Dropout delinquents living in residential institutions; dropout delinquents living at home; and a contrast group who were neither dropouts nor delinquents. The findings indicated that the BGT could differentiate between these groups, and help define the status of each group. Results showed significant correlation between BGT and WISC-R results. The importance of diagnostic ability for educators and researchers is discussed.

177
Social workers' decision-making following initial assessments of children in need in the UK
Platt, D.

This paper presents research results from a UK study of social workers' initial assessments of children in need, in the context of the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. The data are used to deconstruct the processes of decision-making following initial assessment. Key factors, or practical reasoning devices, are described, using the headings specificity, severity and risk, parental accountability, corroboration, and parental co-operation. Application of these devices is illustrated using case material from the research. The value of making explicit social workers' intuitive reasoning strategies is explored, and a method of doing so is proposed.

Reflection paper

191
Comparing how different social, political and legal frameworks support or inhibit transitions from public care to independence in Europe, Israel, Canada and the United States
Munro, E.R., Stein, M., & Ward, H.

Concerns have increasingly been raised about the difficulties experienced by young people making the transition from public care to independence in different societies. This paper explores the theoretical and conceptual issues that need to be considered when undertaking comparative research in this area. Following this, the similarities and differences in legal and policy frameworks that may support or inhibit transitions from adolescence to adulthood are examined. Research findings on outcomes for young people leaving public care are also discussed.Despite differences in social, cultural, economic and political contexts, there are clear indications of similarities in the types of need experienced by care leavers in Western societies. Adverse outcomes for this vulnerable group are of concern because they are indicative of both personal disadvantage to the young people concerned, and also of the possibility of social exclusion and dependency on public services continuing into adulthood. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research to address current knowledge gaps.

Book review

202
Foster care in Australia: An essay review
Maluccio, AX

The foster care system for children and youths continues to be criticized throughout the world - in my view, rightly - as inadequate and in a perpetual state of crisis, despite numerous studies and calls for reform in country after country. It is, therefore, important to examine the findings of these studies and try to learn how to improve services on behalf of children and youths who enter foster care as well as their birth families and substitute carers. In this essay I review Children in Foster Care an Australian study carried out by James Barber and Paul Delfabbro, who are well-known as child welfare researchers in Canada and Australia respectively.