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December 2013Vol. 14, No. 9Action Steps to Limit Use of Residential Care

In August 2012, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Youth Law Center hosted a conference of international child development experts about residential care. After participants presented and discussed the evidence on a range of topics, including children's developmental needs and residential facilities' ability to meet them, they presented action steps in three categories:

  • Expanding child welfare practice knowledge of child development and permanence
  • Decreasing the use of residential care as a living arrangement
  • Building a more accessible toolbox of interventions that address the relational needs of families

A two-page brief outlining these recommendations notes that one in five children involved with child welfare will spend time in a residential facility; however, these facilities do not prepare children to develop family relationships that guide social and emotional development. 

To view the full set of research-based recommendations, refer to Reconnecting Child Development and Child Welfare: A Summary (156 KB).