Client participation and outcomes of intensive family preservation services

This study examined whether and how variations in client participation affect outcomes of intensive family preservation services in child welfare. Two distinct components of participation were identified: collaboration with workers in treatment planning and compliance with program expectations. Controlling for case characteristics and duration of services, results of a simultaneous equations model indicate that greater collaboration is related to better compliance. Compliance, in turn, predicts significant reductions in the likelihood of subsequent reports of child maltreatment and out-of-home placements. Compliance is not predictive of the substantiation of new reports of maltreatment or case closing in the public child welfare agency. Alternative explanations for the findings are considered. Although more active client participation might facilitate change in target problems, compliance itself may affect clinical and judicial decisions that lead to certain outcomes.