Effects of Solution-Focused Training on the Permanency Outcome in Child Welfare

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Abstract

The Chautauqua study compared the outcomes of children in foster care whose caseworkers either received solution-focused casework (SFC) training or not in Chautauqua County, New York. The study analyzed the child welfare outcomes of 97 children who were discharged from foster care in 2009. Findings: The correlations of children’s lengths of stay in foster care were significantly different between caseworkers who received training in SFC and those who did not participate in the training. Children had shorter lengths of stay in foster care when served by caseworkers who participated in SFC training compared to the children’s caseworkers who did not participate. Applications: Initial results suggest that there may be a positive impact of SFC training on child welfare, although other factors also impacted on the length of discharge from foster care. This study demonstrates that the effectiveness of social work training can be evaluated using client outcomes in a realist evaluation.