Strengthening Director’s Approval Processes to Reduce Residential Entries and Sustain Community Placements for Children in Out-of-Home Care
While residential programs remain an important part of a child welfare system’s service array, there is growing consensus that children should be placed in these settings only when other alternatives are not possible and residential services are necessary to treat complex clinical or behavioral needs. Many specialized treatment and support services can be provided to children while continuing to live in family-based settings where there is robust evidence that children experience better outcomes, especially when living with relatives.
Drawing on strategies developed by Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) with the support of the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL), this guide provides a roadmap for child welfare agencies to:
- Develop a toolkit of existing resources to support safe and sustainable community placements
- Strengthen their framework for triaging and diverting residential referrals.