Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Intensive Family Preservation Services to prevent out-of-home placement of children: A systematic review and
Zoe Bezeczky1, Asmaa El-Banna2, Stavros Petrou3
1Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK.
Insights
Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) significantly reduce the risk of children entering out-of-home care for up to two years. While family-level outcomes were not significant, IFPS show potential cost-savings for child welfare systems.
Area of Science:
- Child Welfare Research
- Family Support Services
- Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis
Background:
- Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) are in-home crisis interventions.
- These services aim to prevent children's out-of-home placement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of IFPS in preventing out-of-home placements.
- To assess the cost-effectiveness of IFPS.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 33 studies.
- Searched 12 databases and 16 websites up to January 2019.
- Included studies reporting child or family level outcomes.
Main Results:
- Significant reduction in out-of-home placements at the child level up to 24 months (RR 0.57-0.51).
- No significant reduction in placements reported at the family level.
- Limited economic evidence, primarily cost analyses.
Conclusions:
- IFPS are effective in preventing child out-of-home placements up to 24 months post-intervention.
- Further economic evaluations are needed to confirm cost-effectiveness.
- Evidence supports IFPS as a viable alternative to out-of-home care.
Background:
Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) are in-home crisis intervention services designed to help families with children at imminent risk of out-of-home placement.
Objectives:
To assess the evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of IFPS in reducing the need for children to enter out-of-home care.
Participants And Setting:
Children <18 years and their families in the home setting.
Methods:
A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out by searching 12 databases and 16 websites for publications up to January 2019.
Results:
1948 potentially relevant papers were identified, of which 37 papers, relating to 33 studies, met our inclusion criteria. Studies reported outcomes at child or family level. There were significant reductions in relative risk (RR) of out-of-home placements in children who received IFPS compared with controls at child level at three, six, 12 and 24 months' follow-up (RR 0.57, 95 % CI 0.35 to 0.93, RR 0.51, 95 % CI 0.27 to 0.96, RR 0.60, 95 % CI 0.48 to 0.76, RR 0.51, 95 % CI 0.30 to 0.87 respectively). At family level, there was not a significant reduction in RR of placement. Economic evidence was limited to cost analyses or cost-cost offset analyses.
Conclusion:
The available evidence, at child level, suggests that IFPS are effective in preventing children from entering care up to 24 months after the intervention. Placement outcomes reported at family level did not demonstrate a significant reduction in out-of-home placements. The economic analyses suggest that IFPS could be cost-saving; however, evidence of cost-effectiveness generated by full economic evaluations is needed.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Family Therapy
Strategic Family Therapy
Strategic family therapy emphasizes resolving communication barriers and improving problem-solving abilities...
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:30Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:19Restorative Care
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...