Wayne County Foster Care

Collaboratory Partners

In order to answer these research questions, nine nonprofit agencies were recruited to participate in the evaluation. All six agencies operating under the Wayne County foster care pilot initiative at the time the study began agreed to participate in the study. These agencies were joined by three non-pilot agencies that had been asked by the Michigan Federation of Private Child and Family Agencies to participate in the study as a control group. The nine participating agencies were (alphabetically): Catholic Social Services of Wayne County (pilot); Evergreen Children’s Services (non-pilot); Homes for Black Children (pilot); Judson Center (pilot); Lutheran Child and Family Services of Michigan (pilot); Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (non-pilot); Orchards Children’s Services (pilot); St. Francis Children’s Services (non-pilot); and Spectrum Human Services (pilot). In total, these agencies provide nearly three-quarters of all child welfare services in Wayne County. (See Appendix A for a profile of the agencies).

Over the past two years, the research team has led a collaborative, participatory evaluation of the Wayne County pilot foster care initiative. The evaluation included representatives from the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the State of Michigan Family Independence Agency, the Michigan Federation of Private Child and Family Agencies, and from each of the previously mentioned agencies. During the first year and a half, the research team and agency representatives met on a bimonthly basis in order to design and implement both a process and an impact evaluation. Over the last six months, this group has met monthly to discuss and disseminate findings from this process evaluation, and to continue its work on the impact evaluation which is concerned primarily on the impact of this managed care contracting environment on the placement status of children who enter foster care.

Policy Partners

Michigan Family Independence Agency (Michigan)

Service Partners

Catholic Social Services of Wayne County (Michigan)

Evergreen Children's Services (Michigan)

Homes for Black Children (Michigan)

Judson Center (Michigan)

Lutheran Child and Family Service of Michigan (Michigan)

Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (Michigan)

Michigan Family Independence Agency (Michigan)

Michigan Federation of Private Child and Family Agencies (Michigan)

Orchards Children's Services (Michigan)

St. Francis Family Services (Michigan)

Spectrum Human Services (Michigan)

Academic Partners

University of Michigan (Michigan)

Last updated: 11/3/03

University of Michigan Global Program on Youth, School of Social Work Building, Room 3743
1080 South University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106 ssw.global@umich.edu

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

© 2002 by The Regents of the University of Michigan