Fighting for the Forgotten: Risk and Resilience of Children and Families Involved with the Foster Care System

Deborah Shropshire, Amanda Williams Affiliated with University of Southern Mississippi, Lauren Burge, Larissa Hines – Springer Link

Abstract

Children and youth in foster care are some of the most underserved and holistically unhealthy people in our country today. Toxic stress, mental illness, environmental instability, and unrecognized or under diagnosed chronic disease are just a few issues that plague this special population of children that then grow into ill or maladapted adults with higher rates of morbidity and mortality than their “nonfoster” counterparts. Their story is not complete however. We can increase the resilience of our foster children and rewrite the outcomes of their futures through the responsible and intentional interventions of our health care professionals, child welfare workers, and communities.