Being placed in foster care is often a necessary intervention for some children, yet many advocates express concerns about the prolonged periods children can spend in these systems, potentially leading to adverse effects due to the lack of a permanent family attachment. A groundbreaking study co-authored by an MIT economist reveals that an innovative program in Chile, which provides legal aid to children in foster care, significantly reduces their time in the system and enhances long-term social outcomes, while also cutting government spending.
The study, published in the American Economic Review, highlights the success of the “Mi Abogado” program, which means “My Lawyer” in Spanish. This initiative was found to expedite the return of children to their families by approximately 30 percent faster than traditional methods. “It was amazingly successful because the program got kids out of foster care about 30 percent faster,” says Joseph Doyle, an economist at the MIT Sloan School of Management, who co-authored the research. “Because foster care is expensive, that paid for the program by itself about four times over. If you improve the case management of kids in foster care, you can improve a child’s well-being and save money.”
Rigorous Study Design and Impact
The study was conducted by examining the Chilean government’s “Mi Abogado” program, which provides enhanced legal support alongside access to psychologists and social workers. A critical feature of this program is the reduced caseload for legal advocates, allowing them to focus more intently on each child’s case. Introduced in 2017, Mi Abogado’s randomized participant selection allowed researchers to clearly assess its impact.
“Very few foster-care redesigns are evaluated in such a rigorous way, and we need more of this innovative approach to policy improvement,” Doyle notes. The study analyzed 1,781 children in Chile’s foster care system in 2019, with 581 receiving Mi Abogado services. Over two years, data showed a 30 percent reduction in criminal justice system contact and a 5 percent increase in school attendance among program participants.
“They were getting involved with crime less and attending school more,” Doyle says.
Understanding the Elements of Success
Despite the promising results, Doyle acknowledges the need for further analysis to pinpoint which components of Mi Abogado were most effective. “We would like to see more about what exactly they are doing for children to speed their exit from care,” Doyle says. “Is it mostly about therapy? Is it working with judges and cutting through red tape? We think the lawyer is a very important part. But the results suggest it is not just the lawyer that improves outcomes.”
Potential for Broader Application
This study is part of a broader body of work by Doyle focusing on foster care and related issues. Another forthcoming paper by Doyle and colleagues indicates that around 5 percent of U.S. children experience foster care, a statistic that holds internationally as well. “People don’t appreciate how common child protective services and foster care are,” Doyle remarks. “Children involved in these systems are particularly vulnerable.”
With various U.S. jurisdictions managing their own foster-care systems, Doyle suggests that there is potential for these entities to learn from the Mi Abogado program. While implementing such programs requires political will, Doyle remains optimistic about policymakers’ openness to innovative solutions. “It’s not really a partisan issue,” Doyle says. “Most people want to help protect kids, and, if an intervention is needed for kids, have an interest in making the intervention run well.”
“Here we have a case where the child outcomes are improved and the government saved money,” Doyle observes. “I’d like to see more experimentation with programs like this in other places.”
Support for the research was provided in part by the MIT Sloan Latin America Office, with data from Chile’s Studies Department of the Ministry of Education.