Preserving Families, Protecting Children: Analysis of Maryland’s Efforts to Keep Maltreated Children out of Foster Care

November 1, 2008 This paper discusses efforts to keep abused and neglected children out of foster care in Maryland. It reports findings from an analysis by Advocates for Children and Youth that determined an additional 839 children in Maryland were abused or neglected but not placed in foster care during the past 12 months, a 23% decrease in foster care placements. Despite the decline in foster care placements, about 1,105 fewer children are receiving in-home services, a decline of more than 10%. The analysis found only some families are benefiting from the better case practice that enables the . . .