Browsing by Subject "risk and resilience"

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    The Association Between Out-of-home Placement Characteristics and Crossover from the Foster Care System to the Juvenile Justice System: Risk and Protective Factors
    (2022-07) VanMeter, Faith
    Youth within the out-of-home care system are at increased risk for a variety of negative developmental outcomes, including increased risk for juvenile delinquency and later criminality as adults. However, little is known about which characteristics of out-of-home placements increase versus reduce risk for delinquency. The current study used data from the Minn-LInK Project (Minnesota-Linking Information for Kids), which is housed in the University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), to establish a link between foster care placement characteristics and the likelihood and timing of initial contact with the juvenile justice system. Further, a Latent Class Analysis was conducted to explore profiles of placement characteristics. The sample followed 981 Minnesotan youth who were born in 2000 or 2001 from birth until age 18. The study integrated state administrative data from out-of-home care, child protection, the education system, and the juvenile court system to predict crossover into the juvenile justice system. The current study also utilized a multiverse approach, in which researchers systematically conduct analyses that answer the same research question, but differ in decisions leading up to that answer, such as decisions about coding, data transformations, or analytic techniques, resulting in three unique datasets. Results indicated that removal for a child or parent reason and being identified as male, American Indian/Alaska Native, or receiving special education services robustly predicted the overall risk and/or timing of crossover. Study findings provide significant insight that can aid child welfare practitioners and researchers, and inform policies and practices related to the structure of the child welfare system.