title: Foster care drift: a risk-assessment matrix.
abstract: Category I and II families are qualitatively different from families who can be reunited after a short period of service. This matrix attempts to further our efforts at differential diagnosis and case planning early in service delivery. Parents must not be denied the chance to succeed in reversing problems that put their children at risk. Children must not be made to suffer the effects of foster care drift, however, while their parents continually fail to meet their needs. Front-loading of services and early determination of the parents' willingness and/or ability to change protect children's right to a permanent and stable home.
authors.affiliation: Lutheran Social Service of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012949:Social Work, Psychiatric