| The purpose of this study was to identify child, family, and formal support variables which either contribute to or prevent the out-of-home placement of children who have been diagnosed with mental retardation. The current sample consisted of 278 children, ages nineteen years or below, 97 of whom were on the critical waiting list for out-of-home placement in the state of South Carolina during the years 1997 or 1998. Records maintained through the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs were reviewed and characteristics regarding the child, family, and formal support services were extracted. Findings revealed several significant child, family, and service level factors which were useful in predicting out-of-home placement requests. Predictive models based on child and service variables were found to be more successful in predicting placement requests than predictive models based upon family variables. An overall predictive model which contained factors from each of the three levels was found to be the most effective predictive tool in the present study; therefore supporting the complexity of the decision making process. The results of the current study are compared and contrasted with the findings obtained in previous research. Implications of the results are discussed, and recommendations for future research and practice are forwarded. |
