Bruce Henderson on Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Residential Care for Foster Youth

Because of the Family First Prevention Services Act passed in 2017, residential care facilities, or “group homes,” for foster youth have lost significant funding—leading to the closure of many residential treatment options. Many advocates of the policy believe that placement with families are always the best option for kids. But what about the numerous foster youth who report immense benefits from their time in residential care?

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Bruce Henderson, a former professor of psychology at Western Carolina University for over 40 years. Drawing on his background in child psychology, Bruce conducted a comprehensive review of the research on residential care facilities to understand how time spent in these homes affects foster youth. This research led to the publishing of his recent book, Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Residential Care for Children and Youth. In this episode, Bruce explains the findings of his research and why he believes residential care must continue to be supported as an option for foster youth. Lastly, he shares a way to support The Black Mountain Home for Children and Families, a very impactful residential care home for foster youth in Black Mountain, North Carolina, that has suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene. We encourage our listeners to give as they are able.

Resources

• Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Residential Care for Children and Youth | Bruce B. Henderson

• A Critical Dialogue on Residential Care for Children and Youth: What We Really Know and Questions of Quality | Bruce B. Henderson and James P. Anglin

• Why Foster Children Are Sleeping in Offices and What We Can Do About It | Naomi Schaefer Riley et al.

Show Notes

• 00:54 | What motivated your interest in this research topic?

• 02:32 | What is the Family First Prevention Services Act?

• 05:44 | Why does residential care carry so much stigma today?

• 07:09 | What were your findings when you looked at residential care facilities in other countries?

• 09:06 | Is there a version of Family First that you would have supported?

• 10:51 | What are the circumstances that make it possible for residential care to have a positive impact on a child’s life?

• 13:17 | Do attitudes around race play a role in the policy conversation around residential care?

• 13:51 | How do you make appropriate comparisons when you look at this research and what studies have you found helpful when evaluating the effects of residential care on foster youth?

• 17:14 | Does research show if the type of organization plays a role in the success of the residential home (i.e., faith-based, etc.)?

• 18:21 | Do you envision a situation where we start to rethink whether we can really do without residential care? Can we go back?

• 21:06 | Where does the financing come from for these facilities and programs?

• 24:10 | How to Help The Black Mountain Home for Children and Families