This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
Child Welfare Outcomes: Permanency.
Type of Maltreatment: Not specified
Target Population: Sibling groups of 4 or more children from infancy through fourteen years of age who are in the custody of the state. Youth who are older than 14 may be accepted if they are part of a sibling group. The program is targeted to serve children and families who are newly involved in the foster care system. If the siblings are at risk for separation and the program can meet their needs, the program will serve sibling groups of 4 or more who have re-entered the foster care system due to disrupted adoptions or who are transferred from another agency.
Brief Description:
Neighbor to Neighbor has been rated by the CEBC in the area of Placement Stabilization. Neighbor to Neighbor, developed by The Jane Addams Hull House Association, is a unique child-centered, family-focused foster care model. The program is designed to keep large (4 or more) sibling groups together in stable foster care placements while working intensively on reunification or permanency plans that keep the siblings together. Neighbor to Neighbor began in 1994 serving targeted communities in Chicago where the majority of children came into foster care. The program uses a community-based, team-oriented approach, including foster caregivers and birth parents as part of the treatment team. Trained and supported foster caregivers are key to the model's success. Neighbor to Neighbor has professionalized this key role by placing these trained foster caregiver on the payroll of Jane Addams Hull House Association complete with salaries and benefits. Foster families, birth families, and children receive comprehensive and intensive services including individualized case management, advocacy, and clinical services on a weekly basis.
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Neighbor to Neighbor was not designed to be conducted in a group.
Neighbor to Neighbor has not been tested for use in a group setting.
Recommended intensity: Weekly foster home visits for at least one hour.
Recommended duration: As long as it takes for reunification to occur. If reunification is not an option and the foster parent(s) become potential adoptive parents or guardians, the number or visits usually decrease per month. The amount of times visits occur is then determined on a family-by-family basis. However, at minimum foster home visits must occur once every 30 days until the family case is closed with the state agency and the juvenile court.
Neighbor to Neighbor does not include a homework component.
Neighbor to Neighbor is typically conducted in a(n): Birth Family Home, Community Agency, and Foster Home.
Neighbor to Neighbor was designed with a Parent Component.
Neighbor to Neighbor addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms: Substance or alcohol abuse, mental health challenges, domestic violence, unemployment, parent-child relational and interaction issues, anger management, deficits in parenting skills or child management, and adult survivors of childhood abuse and neglect.
Neighbor to Neighbor was designed with a Child Component.
Neighbor to Neighbor addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms: Complex trauma, mental health challenges, developmental delays, cognitive deficits, attachment issues, grief and loss issues, behavioral problems, educational challenges, and pre-natal exposure to substances.
Age range(s): 0-17
Neighbor to Neighbor was not developed for children with developmental delays.
Neighbor to Neighbor has not been tested for children with developmental delays.
Neighbor to Neighbor was not designed for specific racial/ethnic/cultural groups.
Neighbor to Neighbor was not tested in specific racial/ethnic/cultural groups.
There is a manual that describes how to implement this program.
There is training available for Neighbor to Neighbor.
Training contact: Vanessa Lankford, Vlankford@hullhouse.org
Number of days/hours: Consultation provided. Timeframe determined on an individual basis.
Training is obtained: Training is available on-site and consultation by phone. Cost of training: Cost is determined on an individual basis
There currently are not additional qualified resources for training.
The typical resources for implementing Neighbor to Neighbor are: Staff: Foster Caregivers, case managers, therapists, family advocates, licensing representatives, educational liaison, supervisors, and director(s).
Contractors and/or Community Partners: Psychiatrist, substance abuse treatment provider, and clinical consultants.
Equipment: Computers, assessment tools, therapeutic games, educational toys, books, video tapes, DVDs, CDs, VCR, DVD player, video camera, digital camera, art supplies, and writing material.
Facilities: Staff offices, family visiting rooms, therapy rooms, and conference rooms.
Case Managers: At least a Bachelor’s degree in social work or human service related field, Master’s degree in human service related field preferred.
Case Manager Supervisors: Master’s degree in human service related field
Therapists: Master’s level degree with licensure or license-eligible.
Clinical Supervisor: Master’s level degree with licensure or license-eligible.
Rolack, N. & Testa, M. (2003). The conservation of sibling ties in foster care: An evaluation of the Jane Addams Hull House Association's Neighbor to Neighbor program, Urbana, IL: School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana.
Rolack, N. & Testa, M. (1999). Professional Foster Care: A Future Worth Pursuing? Child Welfare, 78(1), 108-124.
This study uses historical comparison groups of random samples of families from a kinship foster parent program and regular foster parent programs compared with state administrative data on the Neighbor to Neighbor program. Participants were not randomly assigned to programs. Neighbor to neighbor is a professional foster care program. Neighbor to Neighbor placed children closer to their birth parents than regular foster care programs. Neighbor to Neighbor does better than other programs in keeping large sibling groups together (up to four). Neighbor to Neighbor provides continuity of care for the children in its care. Neighbor to Neighbor has more reunifications than other comparison programs, although the kinship program had more permanent placements when all types were considered.
Rolack, N. & Testa, M. (1997). Jane Addams Hull House Association Neighbor to Neighbor program evaluation, Chicago, IL: School of Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago.
Jane Addams Hull House Association Neighbor to Neighbor Program Handbooks at www.hullhouse.org/n2n
Rolack, N. & Testa, M. (1999). Professional Foster Care: A Future Worth Pursuing? Child Welfare, 78(1), 108-124.
Hunter College National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/siblings.html
Contact name: Vanessa Lankford, MSW
Affiliation/Agency: Jane Addams Hull House Association
Email: Vlankford@hullhouse.org
Phone: 773-374-9451
Fax: 773-374-9641
Website: http://www.hullhouse.org