Foster Care | Better Care Network

Foster Care

The term “foster care” is used in a variety of ways, and, consequently, it often causes confusion and miscommunication. In the industrialized world it is generally used to refer to formal, temporary placements made by the State with families that are trained, monitored and compensated at some level. In many developing countries, however, fostering is kinship care or other placement with a family, the objective(s) of which may include the care of the child, the child’s access to education, and/or the child’s doing some type of work for the foster family.

Such care is informal and unregulated by the State. Foster care can also be understood as formal care, typically provided by adults who are not related to the child, but may include formalized kinship care. It is usually for a limited period until the child can return home or move into a more permanent placement such as adoption.

In emergency situations, such as armed conflict, informal fostering often occurs spontaneously when a family takes in an unaccompanied child. Also, in some emergency situations, agencies have organized a quasi-formal type of foster care to ensure immediate, family-based care for unaccompanied children. Such foster care should be formally arranged by the local authority or child protection organisation and include assessing each child’s best interests; screening, training, and monitoring of caretakers; and planning for the longer term needs of each child.

Foster care can provide the advantages of family-based care within a child’s own community. In some situations, particularly spontaneous care initiated during an emergency, it can become de facto adoption in settings where State child protection services and formalization of care arrangements are very limited or do not exist.

Foster care plays an important role in a situation where a child’s own family is not providing adequately for his or her care. It can provide protection and care for the child while the family situation is improved, with the eventual aim of family reunification.

It is vital that children are provided opportunities to express their wishes and concerns regarding with whom they live and have contact. The appointment of a legal guardian is a means of ensuring their opinions are taken into account.

Foster caretakers often receive support to meet the child’s needs and prevent placement breakdown. This may include parenting guidance and access to basic services for the child. Payment for care requires thoughtful consideration and should not encourage the separation of children from their families, or the use of a child for financial gain. All placements should be regulated to ensure the standards of care protect the child and encourage her development.

This body of literature provides examples from around the world of spontaneous, informal and formal fostering. It includes guidance on standards of care and child care policy.

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“Be supportive and understanding of the stress that youth are going through:” Foster Care Alumni Recommendations for Youth, Caregivers and Caseworkers on Placement Transitions

Ruth M.Chambers, et al - Children and Youth Services Review, 30 Nov 2019

This qualitative research study examined foster care alumni’s advice for youth in care, caregivers, and child welfare caseworkers on how to best handle placements moves.

Secondary Traumatic Stress in Foster Carers: Risk Factors and Implications for Intervention

Kay M. Bridger, Jens F. Binder, Blerina Kellezi - Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28 Nov 2019

The authors of this study investigated incidence of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and psychological predictors relevant to secondary and primary stress appraisal in UK foster carers.

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Costs for physical and mental health hospitalizations in the first 13 years of life among children engaged with Child Protection Services

Amanda L. Neil, et al - Child Abuse & Neglect, 26 Nov 2019

The purpose of this study was to estimate the costs of hospitalization for physical and mental health conditions by child protection status, including out-of-home-care (OOHC) placement, from birth until 13-years, and to assess the excess costs associated with child protection contact over this period.

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System Involvement among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

Sarah C. Narendorf, et al - Children and Youth Services Review, 23 Nov 2019

This study used a dataset of 1426 young adults experiencing homelessness (YAEH) from 7 different US cities to examine the historical risk and resilience characteristics of those involved in foster care alone, juvenile justice alone, both systems (dual status), and no system involvement.

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The Impact of Maltreatment on Internalizing Symptoms for Foster Youth: an Examination of Spirituality and Appraisals as Moderators

Stephanie K. Gusler, Yo Jackson, Shaquanna Brown -Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 23 Nov 2019

For this study, a sample of youth in foster care was used to provide a new examination of the relation between child maltreatment exposure and internalizing symptoms, to test the possible moderating effects of both appraisals and spirituality, and examine differences between children and adolescents.

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“Ask Me What I Want”: Community-Based Participatory Research to Explore Transition-Age Foster Youth’s Use of Support Services

Saralyn C. Ruff & Kristi Harrison - Children and Youth Services Review, 23 Nov 2019

A number of psychological factors have been found to be relevant in terms of problematic use of digital devices. Some of them may serve as risk factors, while others mean protection. The main goal of present study was to determine user profiles and to examine differences among them based on several psychological variables using cluster analysis.

The road to reunification: Family- and state system-factors associated with successful reunification for children ages zero-to-five

Catherine A. LaBrenz, Rowena Fong, Catherine Cubbin - Child Abuse & Neglect, 22 Nov 2019

This study examined family- and state child welfare system predictors of successful reunification in the United States, or reunification with no reentries into foster care.

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Predictors of placement disruptions in foster care

Allison Vreeland, et al - Child Abuse & Neglect, 22 Nov 2019

The objective of this study was to examine the utility of child protective services data in identifying predictors of placement disruption.

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The looked-after child in time: Creating and analysing longitudinal data on placement history and educational outcomes

Gillian Raab & Cecilia MacIntyre - The International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS), 22 Nov 2019

Cross-sectional analysis by the Scottish Government show that the educational outcomes for looked after children are much poorer than for other children in Scotland. This presentation will discuss methods to create a longitudinal data set from these data and thus infer how a child’s lifetime history of care relates to their educational outcomes.

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Foster children are at risk for developing problems in social-emotional functioning: A follow-up study at 8 years of age

Heidi Jacobsen, Hans Bugge Bergsund, Tore Wentzel-Larsen, Lars Smith, Vibeke Moe - Children and Youth Services Review, 22 Nov 2019

The first aim of this study was to investigate foster children’s social-emotional functioning (externalizing, internalizing and total problem behavior) reported by female and male caregivers, as well as by teachers, at 8 years of age, as compared with a non-foster group. The second aim was to investigate the predictive power of internalizing and externalizing behavior from age 2 and 3 years.

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