On the Way Home (OTWH)
Problems addressed
Family breakdown and/or dysfunctionality
School dropout
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Education establishment
Residence / home
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a transitional program for young people between the ages of 12 and 18 at risk of behavioral and emotional problems, who are reintegrated into their families and community schools after staying in foster care institutions. The goal is to promote family stability and prevent school dropout.
The program combines and adapts three interventions:
1) Checking in and connecting;
2) Common sense parenting; and
3) Homework focused on problem-solving during the transition period.
The interventions consist of weekly manualized training meetings, assessment, and referral to care services. The intervention is carried out by trained consultants, takes place in the home, community and school, and lasts between 12 and 14 months.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies show that more than 91% of the young individuals monitored by the program remained in family care rather than in child and youth foster care, and 87.5% of them graduated or continued to attend school in the community setting [1]. One year after program discharge, those young people were three to five times less likely to be institutionalized or drop out of school [2] [3].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Trout, A. L., Tyler, P. M., Stewart, M. C. & Epstein, M. H. (2012). On the Way Home: Program description and preliminary findings. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(6), 1115–1120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.01.046

[2] Trout, A. L., Lambert, M. C., Epstein, M. H., Tyler, P., Thompson, R. W., Stewart, M. & Daly, D. L. (2013). Comparison of On the Way Home Aftercare Supports to Traditional Care Following Discharge from a Residential Setting: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Child Welfare, 92(3), 27–46.

[3] Trout, A. L., Lambert, M. C., Thompson, R., Duppong Hurley, K., & Tyler, P. (2020). On the Way Home: Promoting caregiver empowerment, self-efficacy, and adolescent stability during family reunification following placements in residential care. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 37(4), 269–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2019.1681047

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