The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the relative effectiveness of two types of child-caring facilities, mediatory institutions and group homes, in order to establish a basis for determining the differential use of these programs in the continuum of care. A nonequivalent control group design was used to compare the effects of these two residential settings on the remediation of behavior control and socialization problems for sixty adolescents in nine group homes and five institutions in Louisiana. Goal Attainment Scaling was employed as the measurement of effectiveness It was hypothesized that group homes would be more effective than institutions in modifying behavior control problems while the converse would be true for socialization problems. Although subjects did demonstrate significant progress in goal attainment, no outcome differences were observed between groups. Several factors--disposition after termination, length of stay, and the reasons for placement and termination--did significantly affect treatment outcomes. The structural and functional equivalency of group homes and institutions contributed to the lack of outcome differences. Three factors--race, gender, and socioeconomic status--determined residents' placement regardless of other factors that would indicate that another type of facility was more appropriate
