Program Evaluation and Research

Research about HOMEBUILDERS® and Programs that have replicated HOMEBUILDERS®

Study Research Design Outcomes
Kinney, J., & Haapala, D. (1984), First Year HOMEBUILDERS Mental Health Report. Federal Way, WA: Behavioral Sciences Institute. Study funded by the Washington State Legislature to determine the effectiveness of HOMEBUILDERS at preventing imminent placement of youth into inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Referrals from the Washington Office of Involuntary Commitment. Overflow comparison group

Placement prevention rate at 12 months after intake (approximately 10 to 11 months after services).

73% of treatment group avoided hospitalization

0% of comparison group avoided hospitalization

Fraser, M. W., Pecora, P.J., and Haapala, D.A. (Eds.) (1991), Families in Crisis: The Impact of Intensive Family Preservation Services. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Two-state study funded by the U.S. Office of Human Development Services to determine the effectiveness of HOMEBUILDERS and A State of Utah replication of HOMEBUILDERS at preventing imminent placement of children and youth into out of home care.. Quasi-experimental longitudinal design, with overflow comparison group in Utah.

Placement prevention at 12 months after intake Approximately 11 months after services).

71% of Washington subjects and 62% of Utah subjects avoided placement.

15% of comparison group avoided placement

Fraser, M., Walton, E., Lewis, R., Pecora, P., Walton, W., (1996), An Experiment in Family Reunification Services: Correlates of Outcomes At One Year Follow Up. Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 18, Nos. 4/5 pp. 335-361. Study by the University of Utah to determine the effectiveness of their IFPS program (using the HOMEBUILDERS model) at reunifying children with their families following out of home placement. Random assignment control group design.

Reunification rate at 12 months after services.

92% of the treatment group returned home.

28% of the control group returned home.

Kirk, R.S. & Griffith, D.P., (2004), Intensive family preservation services: Demonstrating placement prevention using event history analysis. Social Work Research, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 5-15. Study funded by the legislature of the State of North Carolina, examining a 7-year time frame, to determine the effectiveness of IFPS (using the HOMEBUILDERS model) at preventing imminent out of home placement. Statistical control design.

Placement prevention rate at 12 months after services.

81% of treatment group avoided placement.

51% to 61% of comparison group avoided placement.

Blythe, B. & Jayaratne, S., (2002), Michigan Families First Effectiveness Study. Available on the web at www.michigan.gov/fia/o, 1607, 7-124-55458-7695-8366-21887-, oo.html. Study to determine the effectiveness of IFPS (using the HOMEBUILDERS model) at preventing imminent out of home placement. The first study to assure accurate targeting of subjects by randomly assigning children after a foster placement decision had been approved by the court. Random assignment control group design.

Placement prevention at 12 months after services.

93% of the treatment group avoided placement.

43% of the control group avoided placement.