A framework for developing healthcare quality measures for children and youth in foster care

Purpose: To develop a temporal framework that can be utilized to develop quality measures for children and youth in foster care. Methods: A targeted assessment of published scientific articles, guidelines, evidence reviews, reports, and relevant websites with health recommendations for children in foster care was reviewed to provide supporting documentation for the framework. Results: Numerous recommendations for quality measures in children are relevant for children in foster care and additional measures have been proposed. From the moment a child enters foster care, through changes in foster home and eventual exit from foster care, the evidence suggests high variability and low adherence to recommended healthcare services. Conclusions: A set of nationally standardized measures are needed to inform child welfare agencies and policy makers about the gaps in care that need to be addressed to improve the quality of care for this population. The framework and domains presented in this manuscript offer a basis by which to develop a comprehensive set of quality measures for foster care children.