On the basis of a 14-year follow-up study of 268 infants in residential care, the authors evaluate the relative merits of adoption, foster care, return to parents or extended family. They stress the significance of the absentee parent, of social work intervention, the advantages of late adoption and make a case for a new look at residential group care as a viable alternative for dependent children in placement. This is the only study to follow up over 14 years an entire population of infants in residential care. It contains comprehensive data on all placement alternatives to which these children were exposed including adoption. It evaluates the comparative impact of each of these placement paths on the subsequent life of the children and their families.

Inspired by the Gautreaux housing mobility program in Chicago, Moving to Opportunity (MTO) is an experimental demonstration and research project designed to evaluate the impacts of helping low-income families move from public and assisted housing in high-poverty inner-city neighborhoods to better housing, education, and employment opportunities in low-poverty communities throughout a metropolitan area. Funding covers 1,300 low-income families at five demonstration sites: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

First Published in 2016. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an Informa company.