What characteristics are associated with variations in length of foster parent careers?
Child welfare agencies in three states New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Oregon contributed data for these analyses. Selection of these states was based on data quality and states’ willingness to provide ongoing consultation to the study team. States provided three types of data for non-relative foster care: foster parent licensure data, data on individual foster parent characteristics, and placement records for children. Analyses of foster home utilization and length of service were based on the span of time during which children were placed in the foster home, rather than licensing dates. The study team conducted three types of analyses: (1) characteristics of foster parents over multiple years; (2) utilization of licensed homes; and (3) longitudinal analysis modeling the length of service in foster parenting. These analyses produced measures of time that are less biased than those based on cross-sectional data. In addition to bivariate analyses, the study team tested multivariate models usi
