Screening, Stabilization and Transition Program (STAT) Research has been integrated throughout the Screening, Stabilization and Transition Program (STAT): provide feedback on program effectiveness,  add much needed knowledge to and disseminate findings that deepen the understanding of foster youth. The current research protocol focuses on several areas: (1) describing and tracking the types of services provided and used, (2) using data collected from both STAT assessments and the Alameda County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) database to better describe (in terms of demographics, risk factors, diagnosis) the mental health of children as they enter into foster care, and (3) describing and understanding the needs of children who frequently change placement.  Clinicians complete a mental health risk assessment form that is used to collect information on relevant diagnosis, trauma history, problem behavior and other risk factors like substance abuse.  This measure is used to better describe the children who enter into foster care and their needs.  The STAT program evaluation analyzes and describes the rates and types of services provided to children.  This includes an assessment of the outcome and impact of the STAT program by examining the links to the larger DCFS data services.  Linking to the child welfare database provides an opportunity to track placement history both predating and following STAT’s involvement with children.  Based on the findings and analysis, improvements to the program can be made and recommendations given to Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS) and the DCFS for specialized services or programs tailored to meet the foster youth’s needs. For more information on the STAT research program, please contact Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, STAT Evaluator, at (510) 269-9060 or by email at abriscoesmith@westcoastcc.org. Click here for more information on STAT. Foster Youth Development Program (FYDP) The Foster Youth Development Program (FYDP) is conducting a collaborative, comprehensive, multi-informant (e.g., self-report, caregiver report) and a semi-structured interview format evaluation protocol to evaluate youth participating in the program   and provide greater understanding on the needs of emancipating youth.  Additionally, a comparison group of youth attending the Alameda County Independent Living Skills Program complete a similar, but modified protocol consisting of entirely self-report questionnaires. All measures included in the evaluation are foster-youth specific and well established, validated and standardized psychological, social, academic and behavioral outcome measures frequently used with children and adolescents. Many outcomes are foster youth specific and included numerous health outcome measures: Mental and Physical Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Use, Violence and Safety, Lifetime traumatic events and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, General Mental Health and Behavioral Observations, Foster Youth Survey (specific dimensions of being in the foster system), Adolescent Risk Behavior Survey, Resilience and Youth Development Module, and Foster Care Questionnaire. For more information on the FYDP research program, please contact Dr. Jeffrey I. Gold, FYDP Evaluator at (323) 660-2450, extension 6341 or by email at jgold@chla.usc.edu. Click here for more information on FYDP. WestCoast’s intern training program was recently featured in an article co-authored by Dr. April Fernando: Mangione. L., Borden, K., Abrams, J.C., Arbeitman, D., Fernando, A.D., Knauss, L.K., Spector, R., and VandeCreek, L. (2006). The “How to” of half-time internships: Exemplars, structure, and quality assurance. Professional psychology: Research and practice. 37(6), 651-657. WestCoast interns and staff will be featured in upcoming national conferences: Jennifer Eshom, PsyD will be presenting her poster entitlted, “The Examination of the Impact of Trauma and Multiple Placements in Foster Children using the Ego-Impairment Index-2 on the Rorschach” at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment in Arlington, Virginia, March, 2007. Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, April D. Fernando, PhD, and Stacey Katz, PsyD will be presenting papers to Dr. Neil Altman on a panel titled, “Talking the Talk, Walking the Walk: Bridging Psychoanalysis to Foster Children and their Families” at the 27th Annual Spring Meeting of APA’s Division 39 – Psychoanalysis in Toronto, Canada, April 2007. Sara Lederer, a pre-doctoral intern, will be presenting her poster entitled, “Nurturing the Nurturer: Self-Care as Burnout Prevention for Psychotherapists” at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in San Francisco, August, 2007.