The differential effects of concurrent planning practice elements on reunification and adoption

Objective: The child welfare practice of concurrent planning attempts to shorten children\u27s stays in foster care. There is very little quantitative research on concurrent planning\u27s effects. This study examines the influence of concurrent planning practice elements (reunification prognosis, concurrent plan, full disclosure, and discussion of voluntary relinquishment) on reunification and adoption. Method: Using a sample of 885 children, an observational design, and statistical controls, children who received concurrent planning elements were compared to those who did not. Results: Findings show discussion of voluntary relinquishment to be positively associated with adoption and full disclosure to be negatively associated with reunification. Conclusions: Concurrent planning\u27s benefits may require more intensive services to be fully realized. Care should be taken to ensure activities achieve their intended effects

Attachment, Aggression, and Family Risk in a Low-Income Sample

Attachment security in children\u27s first relationships with their primary caregivers in infancy supports multiple aspects of their social development during childhood. Insecure attachment, in contrast, underlies a wide range of negative outcomes for children, including aggressive behavior toward others. In a sample of 161 low-income families, early attachment insecurity was examined in relation to physical punishment and child aggression at ages two and three in the context of risk and intervention. Families had been randomly assigned either to a comparison group or to an Early Head Start program that provided weekly home visits aimed at increasing positive aspects of parenting behaviors. Children with higher security scores were less likely to be spanked at age three and less likely to be aggressive at ages two and three. Early Head Start made an independent contribution to less spanking at age three, over and above family risk factors, earlier attachment security, or earlier spanking. The results suggest that a secure attachment relationship and a parenting-focused home visiting intervention can reduce the physical punishment associated with child aggression and thereby indirectly reduce early childhood aggression