Foster Family Characteristics and Behavioral and Emotional Problems of Foster Children: A Narrative Review*

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the foster family characteristics that are thought to contribute to the behavioral and emotional problems of foster children. The review is shaped by an understanding of the personal and familial factors associated with children's problem behaviors in the general population. These factors include parenting, the family home environment, family functioning, marital functioning, family demography, child temperament, parents' mental health, and social support. Limitations within the existing research on these foster family characteristics are noted, and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Life in Government Care: The Connection of Youth to Family

The purpose of this paper is to examine the family attachments of youth who have lived in foster care. Though young people are the primary recipients of services in the child welfare system, their voices are seldom heard both in research and their own plans of care. Data was gathered through a questionnaire distributed to youth aged 17–24 years. Youth named siblings more frequently than any other family member with whom they now have contact, and identified their birth family as their primary object of attachment, despite the birth family being identified the least often as those to whom the youth turn when they are sick or who they talk to about their feelings. Youth who lived in many foster homes stated they do not feel part of any family. Many youth stated that they did not feel listened to by their social workers. Support for co-operative relationships between foster parents and birth parents and alternate dispute resolution are discussed as ways of preventing young people from severing their vital family connections. This article documents a research project about how the experiences of youth’ in government care, including both foster care and group home care, affect their sense of belonging and connection to “family”. It reports findings that show that as the number of foster placements increase the “feeling of being part of a family” diminishes among youth. The research participants, twenty youth aged 17–23 years, most often identify siblings as family members with whom they still have contact, and the birth family is considered to be their most salient attachment. Many youth state that they did not feel listened to or understood by their social workers. Recommendations for social policy and child and youth care practice are discussed.     

Parental Involvement During the Placement of a Child in Family Foster Care: Factors Associated with the Continuation of Parental Roles

This article presents the results of a study on parental involvement in family foster care. The aims of the study were: (a) to describe the participation of the parents, and (b) to identify variables associated with their participation. Fifty-eight (58) parents having a child in family foster care were interviewed with a face-to-face questionnaire. The results indicate that parents participate little in care-related tasks or school activities, but are more involved in decision-making and discussions concerning the child. We observed greater participation where the parent had a spouse or partner and where the social workers and foster parents seemed to have a positive attitude towards parental participation and towards the parents themselves.

Meeting Children's Mental and Physical Health Needs in Child Welfare: The Importance of Caregivers

Caregivers in the child welfare system are an important element in ensuring that mental and pediatric health services for their children are utilized appropriately. The high prevalence of mental and physical health problems of children in the child welfare system along with the inadequate utilization of health services make the role of caregivers essential for improving health outcomes. This article explores the barriers to meeting the health needs of this vulnerable population of children and how different types of caregivers (unrelated foster, kinship foster, and birth parents) utilize mental and pediatric health services. Child welfare caseworkers need to increase their communication with caregivers, assess adherence to health care recommendations, and help alleviate barriers to care.     

Common needs but divergent interventions for U.S. homeless and foster care children: results from a systematic review

Many children living in homeless situations in the U.S. have temporary stays in foster care, and both populations suffer disproportionately higher rates of physical, psychological and social difficulties compared with other children. However, very little is known about which specific interventions achieve the best outcomes for children in these overlapping transitional living situations. To address this gap, we review existing literature to identify the most promising practices for children living in transition. A standardised vocabulary specific to each of three electronic databases (i.e. Medline, PsychINFO and CINAHL) was employed to identify studies that described an intervention specifically targeting foster care or homeless children and families. Separate systematic searches were conducted for homeless and foster children, and only studies published in English between January 1993 and February 2009 were selected. The final sample (n = 43) of articles described interventions that fell into two categories: mental health (n = 17) and case management (n = 26). No article included a sample containing both homeless and foster care children, and most studies on homeless children used case management interventions while most studies on foster care children focused on mental health interventions. Few articles employed rigorous study designs. Although repeatedly studies have demonstrated the overlap between populations of homeless and foster care children, studies focused on one population or the other. Virtually all studies on both homeless and foster children devised interventions to reduce trauma and family instability; yet, no evidence-based practice addresses the overlapping needs and potentially relevant evidence-based practice for these two populations. An important and vital next step is to establish an effective evidence-based intervention that reduces the impact of trauma on both U.S. populations of children living in transition.     

Are foster parents reliable informants of children's behaviour problems?

BACKGROUND: Clinicians and researchers primarily measure behavioural and emotional problems of children in foster care from carer-report checklists. Yet the reliability of these reports is not adequately established. The present study examines one indicator of reliability for foster parent checklist reports: interrater agreement between foster parents and teachers. METHODS: Estimates of interrater agreement of foster parent and teacher responses on the cross-informant scales of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Teacher Report Form (TRF) were obtained for 47 children in long-term foster care, aged 5-11 years. The estimates included calculations of agreement for continuous measures of problem behaviour, as well as for categorical determinations of clinically significant behaviour. RESULTS: Correlations of CBCL and TRF mean raw scores for the total problems (r = 0.71) and externalizing (r = 0.78) scales exceeded those described in prior studies of parent-teacher agreement, while correlation for internalizing scores (r = 0.23) was similar to that found previously. Teachers and foster parents demonstrated moderate to good agreement (kappa = 0.70-0.79) in identifying clinically significant total problems and externalizing problems, but poor agreement in identifying internalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: Discrepancies between these and prior findings are discussed. For children in long-term foster care, foster parents or teachers may be used as informants for total problems, externalizing problems, and social-attention-thought problems. The reliability of data on internalizing symptoms is less certain.     

Re-imagining language,culture, and family in foster care

Nearly half a million children in the United States are currently being served by the foster care system. Infants and toddlers represent the largest single group entering foster care. While these very young children are at the greatest peril for physical, mental health, and developmental issues and tend to spend the longest time in the foster care system, little research has been done to explore their experiences and developmental outcomes. In the family described here, birth family members and foster family members of multiple generations partner with Early Intervention services to support a toddler living within the foster care system.     

Siblings in Family Transitions*

This research focuses on how siblings are organized following two types of family transitions: foster care placements and parental divorce. Its goal was to identify the family characteristics associated with intact and split sibling groups. The sample was composed of 294 families. Results indicate that siblings are more likely to be separated when children are older and when they have larger age gap with their siblings; arrangements in which siblings are separated produce greater instability for them.     

The SOS Children's Villages : School Achievement of Subjects reared in a permanent Foster Care

This paper reports the long term effects of maternal deprivation and of a foster family care for siblings. In a permanent placement (children's villages) a single housemother cares for siblings until adulthood and receives the help of a psycho-educative team. Investigation on school achievement and on level of education was made on all the subjects reared in a voluntary association of children's villages. It proves to be better compared with children in traditional foster care and children brought up by their parents from very disadvantaged backgrounds. A large part of school failure is lessened for children admitted before 6.     

The case for enhanced educational supports for children in public care: An integrative literature review of the educational pathway of children in care

For many years, the adult outcomes of young people who have grown up in foster care have been an object of broad concern. Numerous studies show that young adults who were former foster children lagged behind their community peers on a number of socio-economic indicators. Educational attainment is seen as a key developmental outcome and one that is highly associated with positive adult adjustment. Most young people today undertake a gradual process of becoming independent, but this emancipation process is very different and often traumatic for young people who age out of child protection care. This review considers the published literature that explores the educational and associated outcomes of children who leave the care of child protective services.     

A 2-year follow-up of orphans' competence, socioemotional problems and post-traumatic stress symptoms in traditional foster care and orphanages in Iraqi Kurdistan

BACKGROUND: This paper aims to compare orphans' development in two different care systems. METHODS: Based on age, sex, psychological trauma scores, competence and psychological problem scores, two comparable samples were found representing orphans in the traditional foster care (n = 94) and the orphanages (n = 48) in a middle-large city in Iraqi Kurdistan. At an index interview, Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), Harvard-Uppsala Trauma Questionnaire for Children and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms for Children (PTSS-C) were administered to the caregivers. After 1 year the CBCL, and after 2 years both the CBCL and the PTSS-C, were-re-administered, consecutively. RESULTS: Although both samples revealed significant decrease in the means of total competence and problem scores over time, the improvement in activity scale, externalizing problem scores and post-traumatic stress disorder-related symptoms proved to be more significant in the foster care than in the orphanages. While the activity scale improved in the foster care, the school competence deteriorated in both samples, particularly among the girls in the orphanages. The improvement of boys' activity scores in the foster care, and deterioration of girls' school competence in the orphanages were the most significant gender differences between samples over time. CONCLUSIONS: Even if the two orphan care systems showed more similarities than differences, the foster care revealed better outcomes over time. The results are discussed in relation to gender, age, socio-economic situation, cultural values and the characteristics of each care system.     

The View from Down Here: Foster Children's Stories

Foster children have stories and the whole foster care system, including the child, need to hear them. The story metaphor is useful in understanding how foster children perceive and process their world. Stories can help foster children better understand themselves, and help case managers, therapists, foster parents, teachers and policy makers hear these children in order to better attend to their needs. These children desire to have a greater part in the decisions that affect their lives, and hearing from them is important in honoring the unique and powerful story each child experiences. A framework for understanding and using stories is offered and relevant studies are reviewed and research suggestions are made.     

“Children Out of Place”

The provision of foster care in Australia has a long and contested history. These histories, along with current media representations of foster care, shape the ways in which the general public understand foster care. Importantly, and where such representations are primarily negative, it is likely that foster care will not be considered a viable option for many people seeking to engage in community work or to care for children. This paper provides an analysis of a sample of representations of foster care in the Australian news media, with a specific focus on the depiction of (1) foster children as “lost children” who are “damaged goods”, (2) foster care systems and social workers as inherently damaging to children, (3) foster carers as primarily either inadequate parents, or good parents only in comparison with “bad social workers”. The paper concludes by highlighting suggestions for future directions within media reporting of foster care in Australia.     

Children's Participation in Child-protection Processes as Experienced by Foster Children and Social Workers

Children in foster care often have no means of influencing matters that concern them, and can easily become outsiders in their own lives. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child enshrines the rights of capable children to express their views freely in matters affecting them and to be heard in any judicial or administrative proceedings concerning them. The aim of this study is to analyse foster children's participation in child welfare processes in different time periods and contexts from the perspective of children and social workers. The data comprise semi-structured interviews of eight children and young people aged seven to 17 in family foster care, as well as interviews of four child welfare social workers. Ethical questions were taken carefully into account. The results suggest that participation in matters concerning them is very significant to children, although they do not always want be active participants (e.g. in meetings). The children hoped that social workers would take a genuine interest in them, listen to them and take their opinions and wishes into consideration. Children sought true and essential information about the reasons for placements and the plans for their future. They felt they were better heard and more able to influence their own affairs after being placed in a foster home than during earlier phases of services. The study identifies many obstacles in children's participation at different systemic levels. Children's loyalty to their parents may prevent them from expressing their opinions. According to social workers, the most serious obstacles in participatory work with children are related to a lack of human and time resources. Social workers need time, work practices, skills and practical wisdom through which children's personal experiences, opinions and wishes can be better heard. They also seek support in handling the emotional aspects of child-protection work and suggest some other measures to develop their work.     

The SOS Children's Villages : School Achievement of Subjects reared in a permanent Foster Care

This paper reports the long term effects of maternal deprivation and of a foster family care for siblings. In a permanent placement (children's villages) a single housemother cares for siblings until adulthood and receives the help of a psycho‐educative team. Investigation on school achievement and on level of education was made on all the subjects reared in a voluntary association of children's villages. It proves to be better compared with children in traditional foster care and children brought up by their parents from very disadvantaged backgrounds. A large part of school failure is lessened for children admitted before 6.     

Working with families in long-term care

Effective communication with families can improve clinical process and outcomes in long-term care. Such communication may be challenging to long-term care clinicians, who may feel they lack requisite skills or are uncomfortable with potentially charged and negative emotions that may result. These barriers can be overcome by using models of family behavior and of physician involvement in family counseling to foster understanding and organize family meetings. We present such models in this article. The first of these, the Pearlin Stress Process Model offers a framework for understanding family adaptation to long-term care. Within the Pearlin model, family function is a critical intervening variable. Structural Family Systems Theory is therefore examined next to guide to recognition of family characteristics that impact communication. We focus on translation of these theories to long-term care practice through clinical case vignettes. Applying the Levels of Physician Involvement in family oriented care to long-term care, we then suggest an organizing, stepwise process for the family meeting itself. We conclude with strategies for conflict management and a discussion of the importance of the interdisciplinary team in family care.     

Creating “Well-Functioning” Residential Care and Defining Its Place in a System of Care

This article presents a model for understanding the elements and dynamics of a well-functioning residential group care resource based upon the study of 10 group care residences over a 14-month period. In addition, seven characteristics related to the differential use of foster care and residential care are presented. Finally, five key processes suggested as necessary for the creation of a system of care for young people are offered for consideration.     

Openness and Contact in Foster Care Adoptions: An Eight‐Year Follow‐Up*

This study examines openness and contact in 231 foster care adoptions from the California Long‐Range Adoption Study (CLAS), an eight‐year prospective longitudinal study. Data were collected using three waves of mailed questionnaires completed by the adoptive parent. Findings indicate that while the practice of openness continues to evolve for most families, there is remarkable stability in levels of contact and communication with the child's biological family, especially in the last four years of the study.     

Adoption and child welfare protection in France

This article presents the French Child Protection system, which is managed by Child Welfare of the local authorities (Aide Sociale à l’Enfance) and by Judicial Juvenile Protection depending on the central government (Protection Judiciaire de la Jeunesse) Children’s judges are involved in child protection. The majority of children in care live in foster families and were placed after court orders All the administrative and judicial measures on families are revised each year, even in case of long‐term placements Foster carers received professional training and are supported by the teams of the foster care agencies Working on child–parent ties is a necessity because the majority of the birth parents retain their parental responsibility. In the French tradition, there is a great reluctance to break family ties. The authors present the adoption policy and practice with its two systems (full adoption and simple adoption) and the foster family care system. The evolution of care situations is argued.