Beyond Permanency: Subsequent Maltreatment Referrals and Removals Among Children Exiting Foster Care to Guardianship

Lindsey Palmer, Caitlin Lau, Anthony Gómez, Rebecca Rebbe, Sarah Font, Emily Putnam-Hornstein, College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Department of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, Brown School at Washington University in St, St Louis

Child Maltreatment

Published online on July 18, 2026

Abstract

Child Maltreatment, Ahead of Print.
Guardianship is an increasingly popular alternative to adoption for children in foster care, but evidence of its long-term safety and continuity remains limited. Using California child protection system (CPS) records, the study followed all children born ...