0699-I-2

Evaluating the Quality of Kinship Foster Care: Evaluation Package (Instruments)
Children and Family Research Center

The study involved 3 phases in the creation and testing of instruments that measure the quality of kinship foster homes: 1) item identification and instrument development; 2) field testing of the instruments with African-American, white, and Latin respondents; and 3) finalization of a set of recommended instruments for preliminary use in the field. The investigators developed a kinship foster care provider interview, child interview, a worker self-administered instrument, and case record review. These instruments measure quality of care in the kinship home, contextual factors impacting kinship family functioning, and selected indicators of child functioning and are intended for use in agency home studies and licensing activities, case monitoring, and training. The "Evaluation Package" includes the four instruments noted above along with a manual that provides an overview, instructions, interviewing techniques, scoring procedures, interpretation of findings, conclusions, and references.