A Randomized Controlled Trial of Family Finding: A Relative Search and Engagement Intervention for Youth Lingering in Foster Care.

Background: Youth who have experienced foster care are at risk of negative outcomes in adulthood. The family finding model aims to promote more positive outcomes by finding and engaging relatives of children in foster care in order to provide options for legal and emotional permanency.

Objectives: The present study tested whether family finding, as implemented in North Carolina from 2008 through 2011, improved child welfare outcomes for youth at risk of emancipating foster care without permanency.