Research
A Research-Based Home Study Methodology
SAFE has partnered with a research team headed by Dr. Richard Barth of the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Dr. Thomas Crea of Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. Professors Barth and Crea have reviewed prior home study research, interviewed and surveyed users of SAFE, reviewed literature on indicators of adoption outcomes, and assessed differences in the ways that people respond to sensitive questions asked during the SAFE process. The published research can be found below.
Home Study Methods for Evaluating Prospective Resource Families: History, Current Challenges, and Promising Approaches
Journal: Child Welfare League of America
Thomas M. Crea, Richard P. Barth, and Laura K. Chintapalli
ABSTRACT
Every state requires a home study before the placement of foster children for adoption. This article examines the history of home studies, presents results from expert interviews on the changing processes and purposes of home studies, and explores current challenges for the field. The article also introduces the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE), a uniform home study format that encourages consistent family evaluations across workers, agencies, and jurisdictions. The article clarifies how SAFE may address challenges facing foster care and adoption practice.
The Intersection of Home Study Assessments and Child Specific Recruitment: The Performance of Home Studies in Practice
Journal: Children and Youth Services Review
Thomas M. Crea, Amy Griffin, Richard P. Barth
ABSTRACT
Child specific recruitment efforts are designed to facilitate permanent placements for children in foster care by finding them potential adoptive families among people already known to the child. This process relies heavily on gathering thorough and accurate information about prospective families, and much of this information is often contained in families' home study assessments. Yet, little is known in the research literature about the way that home studies operate in conjunction with the recruitment of adoptive families. The purpose of this study is to explore how home studies are perceived and used in the context of child specific recruitment. Findings suggest that home studies perform best in gathering general family information, but poorly in capturing sensitive information, which may be one of the most critical dimensions to capture. These findings highlight important practice changes needed in current adoption practice.
The Implementation and Expansion of SAFE: Frontline Responses and the Transfer of Technology to Practice
Journal: Children and Youth Services Review
Thomas M. Crea, Richard P. Barth, Laura K. Chintapalli, Rachel L. Buchanan
ABSTRACT
Recent discussions of evidence-based practices have focused on translating programmatic conceptual frameworks and best practices into the "real world" of practice settings. This article discusses the implementation and expansion of the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) home study methodology over the course of 4 years. Survey data include the evaluations of frontline employees from multiple sites, regarding SAFE’s ability to effectively identify families’ potential issues of concern during the home study process. Perceptions of SAFE’s usefulness as a home study method for a variety of family and practice situations are also measured and illuminated with qualitative accounts. Respondents indicated that SAFE more effectively identifies most issues of concern when compared with conventional methods, and that SAFE is a useful method for evaluating prospective resource families across a variety of situations. Some respondents expressed that SAFE still requires some improvements, and that some areas of home study practice in general are beyond reach for any method (e.g., applicant honesty). Given the positive responses for SAFE regarding increased thoroughness, however, this study adds to evidence that SAFE may lead to both improved practice and more accurate home studies, and lays the groundwork for further empirical exploration of the SAFE home study method.
Intercountry Adoptions and Domestic Home Study Practices: SAFE and the Hague Adoption Convention
Journal: International Social Worker Journal
Thomas M. Crea, Boston College
ABSTRACT
In April of 2008, the United States began implementation of the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Conference on Private International Law [HCPIL], 1993). As in domestic adoptions, a key component of intercountry adoptions through the Hague Convention involves the approval of a family through a formal home study process to assess the suitability of families to adopt (US Department of State [US DOS], 2008). Hague Convention regulations, however, specify a central Federal authority by which adoption agencies are approved to conduct home studies. The formalization of processes for intercountry adoptions to ensure ethical and professional practices in the US highlights the variability of home study practices across agencies, states, and jurisdictions (Rotabi, 2008; US DOS, 2008). The purposes of the current report are to provide a brief review of how home study practices are related to the Hague Convention, and to present recent research findings related to the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) home study methodology, the first standardized home study process widely implemented in the US.
Structured Home Study Evaluations: Perceived Benefits of SAFE versus Conventional Home Studies
Journal: Adoption Quarterly
Thomas M. Crea, Richard P. Barth, Laura Chintapalli, Rachel L. Buchanan
ABSTRACT
Structured decision-making methods are gaining ascendance in child welfare services, in which professionals combine standardized methods of data collection and analysis with clinical judgments. This study measures professionals’ perception of a new approach to home study assessments, the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE). Findings indicate that workers favor the use of SAFE overall. Less experienced workers are especially positive about SAFE while more experienced workers and supervisors tend to be less positive. State by state differences also emerged. Open-ended responses offer areas for clarification, training, and potential improvement.
The Quality of Home Studies and Children's Placement Stability
Journal: CW360, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, University of Minnesota, School of Social Work
Thomas M. Crea, PHC, LCSW
ABSTRACT
In terms of placement stability, research suggests the importance of finding the optimal placement early - following a child’s entry to care, and that “a more in-depth assessment and profile of placement setting attributes” should facilitate a strong match between a child’s needs and a family’s ability to meet those needs effectively.
