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Tennessee

Demonstration Type:	Assisted Guardianship1
Approval Date:	October 14, 2005
Implementation Date:	December 7, 2006
Expected Completion Date:	November 30, 2011
Interim Evaluation Report Expected:	July 31, 2009
Final Evaluation Report Expected:	May 31, 2012

Target Population

Tennessee's assisted guardianship demonstration targets title IV-E-eligible and non-IV-E-eligible children ages 0–17.5 years in the legal custody of the State for whom reunification and adoption are no longer viable permanency options, who have been in foster care for at least nine months, and who have been in continuous out-of-home-placement with the same caregiver for a minimum of six months.

The State may make exceptions to the six-month requirement for children for whom reasonable efforts at reunification are not required, for whom reunification has been ruled out as a permanency option, and for siblings of children already in subsidized guardianship. When placing children into assisted guardianship, the State keeps sibling groups together to the fullest extent possible and considers the reasonable preferences of children ages 12 and older in awarding guardianship to relative and kin foster caregivers.

Both relative and non-relative adults who have a significant relationship with a child in out-of-home placement (e.g., a godparent or family friend) may participate in the demonstration. To be eligible to participate in the demonstration, a prospective guardian must satisfy the following criteria:

• The prospective guardian must have a significant relationship with the child and demonstrate a willingness to make a long-term commitment to the child's care.
• Any safety factors that prompted involvement with Child Protection Services must be resolved and the placement must not require continued oversight from a child welfare agency
• An assessment—including a home study, a criminal background check, and an abuse/neglect registry search—must yield results that support the decision to place the child in the legal custody of the foster caregiver.
• The prospective guardian must be a foster care provider approved through the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.

Jurisdiction

Tennessee is implementing its guardianship demonstration in 16 counties (Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, Dekalb, Davidson, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Shelby, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, and White Counties). In addition, children statewide who have a goal of Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (PPLA) are eligible to participate in the demonstration as long as they meet the demonstration's other eligibility requirements. Based on preliminary findings and pursuant to the State's Terms and Conditions, the Children's Bureau has approved expansion of the State's waiver demonstration statewide.

Intervention

Tennessee's waiver demonstration provides a financial subsidy and post-permanency support services to foster caregivers who assume permanent guardianship of children in the legal custody of the State. Specific services and supports include the following:

1. Guardianship Subsidy Payment: Caregivers awarded guardianship under the demonstration receive a monthly guardianship subsidy equal to the State's base monthly foster care subsidy.
2. Post-permanency Supports and Services: Post-permanency supports and services are offered to participating caregivers and children. These supports and services include information and referral services, family advocacy, children's activity groups, respite care, and recreational activities.
3. Financial Assistance to Finalize Guardianship: Participating caregivers receive financial assistance of up to $1,000 to cover legal fees and other non-recurring costs associated with finalizing the guardianship.
4. Education and Training Vouchers: Under the State's demonstration, children who enter subsidized guardianship after reaching 15 years of age are eligible to receive education and training vouchers funded through the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP). The State is making CFCIP-funded education and training vouchers available to all eligible children statewide who enter into either subsidized guardianship or adoption.

Evaluation Design

The evaluation of the State's guardianship demonstration includes process and outcome components, as well as a cost analysis. Tennessee is utilizing an experimental research design to evaluate the guardianship demonstration in the State's 16 participating counties. Using a random assignment ratio of 1:1, the caregivers of children assigned to the experimental condition are offered the assisted guardianship option while caregivers of children assigned to the control group receive the traditional placement subsidies. In addition, children with a permanency goal of PPLA who became eligible for the demonstration before October 1, 2007 have been assigned to a special non-experimental study group that is being tracked separately from children assigned to the experimental and control groups. Children with a permanency goal of PPLA who became eligible for the demonstration on or after October 1, 2007 are part of the primary experimental research design and are subject to random assignment.

Sample Size

As of November 2007, 305 children have been assigned to the control group and 331 children have been assigned to the experimental group. In addition, 363 children have received a PPLA designation. The State anticipates assigning an additional 196 children per year to either the experimental or control group over the five years of the demonstration, for a total sample of approximately 1,540 children.

Process Evaluation

Tennessee's evaluation includes a process analysis that describes how services were implemented for experimental cases and how these services differed from those provided to children in the control group. As part of this process analysis, Tennessee and its evaluation contractor are tracking several measures on the establishment of guardianships:

• The proportion of cases eligible for guardianship;
• The proportion of eligible caregivers offered guardianship;
• The proportion of eligible caregivers who accept or decline guardianship;
• Caregivers' reasons for accepting or declining guardianship;
• For children of caregivers who decline guardianship, the proportions that are adopted, reunified, or remain in foster care;
• Of caregivers who accept a guardianship offer, the proportion who are awarded guardianship;
• The average length of time between acceptance of an offer and establishment of guardianship; and
• Barriers to the establishment of guardianship.

Outcome Evaluation

Tennessee's outcome evaluation compares the experimental and control groups for significant differences in child safety, permanency, and placement stability. Specifically, the outcome evaluation assesses the experimental and control groups for statistically significant differences in the following outcome measures:

• Mean/median length of time in out-of-home placement;
• Number and proportion of children who achieve permanency through adoption, guardianship, or reunification;
• Number and proportion of children who enter a permanent placement arrangement with a relative or a non-relative, respectively;
• Number and proportion of children with a subsequent alleged and/or substantiated abuse/neglect report;
• Number and proportion of children who re-enter out-of-home placement; and
• Number and proportion of guardianships that are dissolved and the reasons for any dissolutions.

The State's evaluation is tracking these outcomes in relation to gender, age, and race.

Cost Study

The State's cost analysis compares the costs of key services received by children in the experimental group with the costs of traditional services received by children in the control group. The cost analysis includes an examination of the use of major funding sources, including all relevant Federal sources such as titles IV-A, IV-B, IV-E, and XIX of the Social Security Act, as well as State and local funds. In addition, the State is conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis where feasible to identify costs per successful outcome for the experimental and control groups.

Evaluation Findings

As of December 2007, the net permanency rate (combined exits to guardianship, adoption, reunification with parents, and living with relatives/kin) was 59 percent for the experimental group compared with 46.2 percent for the control group, a statistically significant difference of almost 13 percent. These figures do not include children with a goal of PPLA, for whom data are not yet available.

Additional findings will become available as implementation continues.

¹ Based on information submitted by the State as of December 2007. Back

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