scholarly journals IS FOSTER CARE THE SAFE PLACE WE BELIEVE IT TO BE? IF NOT, WHY NOT?

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-515
Author(s):  
Rankwe Reuben Masha ◽  
Petro Botha
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Safe Place ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

Foster care is an important part of the child protection system; however, it seems that some foster children are not protected – they are abused and neglected. The aims of this article are to confirm on a small scale whether children in foster care are indeed being abused and neglected and to develop an understanding of factors contributing to the abuse and neglect of these foster children. A qualitative research approach was applied. Findings confirmed the occurrence of abuse and/or neglect and provided information on factors relating to foster parents and the foster care system itself contributing to this phenomenon.

Predictors of Adoption and Guardianship Dissolution: The Role of Race, Age, and Gender Among Children in Foster Care

2020 ◽  
pp. 107755952095217
Author(s):  
Kierra M. P. Sattler ◽  
Sarah A. Font
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Cognitive Disability ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Entry Cohort ◽  
And Gender

Adoption and guardianship are meant to provide permanency to foster children when reunification is not a viable option. Unfortunately, sometimes adoption and guardianship placements dissolve resulting in children returning to care. Currently, there is limited research on the prevalence and predictors of adoption and guardianship dissolutions. This study investigated rates of guardianship and adoption dissolution using a complete entry cohort from a large state foster care system and the associations between child characteristics and risk factors with dissolution. Drawing on a complete entry cohort of foster children in Texas that exited to either adoption or guardianship placements, results demonstrated that over 2% of adoptive placements and 7% of guardianship placements were dissolved. Compared with White and Hispanic children, Black children had a higher risk of guardianship, but not adoption, dissolution. Older age was associated with a higher risk of adoption dissolution, and females had a higher risk of guardianship dissolution than males. Behavior problems, cognitive disability status, and mental health issues were all associated with a higher risk of dissolution. These findings have important implications for caseworkers and policymakers on permanency for children in adoptive or guardianship placements.

scholarly journals Do prescribers deprescribe psychotropic medication for children in foster care?

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor O’Brien ◽  
John T. Rapp ◽  
Erica D. Kierce
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Psychotropic Medication ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Psychotropic Medications ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
The Mean

Approximately one third of children in foster care in the U.S. receive psychotropic medication; however, few studies have evaluated the extent to which either the number or dosage of drugs changes across time. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of Medicaid files for 30 individuals placed in a foster care system that included an analysis of 10 consecutive visits with a prescribing practitioner spanning 8–14 months. Specifically, we evaluated the data for evidence of deprescribing. Results indicate practitioners changed psychotropic medication during 70% of visits and most changes involved removing and adding psychotropic medication within the same class. Results also show 60% of visits across participants involved prescriptions for four or more psychotropic medications, whereas only 0.33% of trials involved no psychotropic medication. Furthermore, results show the mean number of psychotropic medications per foster child at the end of the study ( M = 3.97) did not decrease in comparison to the start of the study ( M = 3.53). Taken together, these results indicate that prescribers do not regularly engage in a clear deprescribing process for psychotropic medication when serving foster youth. We discuss some limitations to the current study and directions for future research on prescribing patterns with foster children.

Foster Care Children

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-138
Author(s):  
JOHN D. MADDEN
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Foster Child ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Social Pediatrics ◽  
The Family ◽  
Care System

To the Editor.— Schor's article, "The Foster Care System and Health Status of Foster Children" (Pediatrics 1982;69:521) may well prove to be a landmark paper in social pediatrics. The related editorial by Sokoloff (Pediatrics 1982;69:649) provided invaluable advice as to how we, as pediatricians, can better serve children in foster care. One point in Sokoloff's editorial particularly caught my attention. He expressed the hope that pediatricians providing health care to the natural children within the family would also be willing to attend the needs of the foster child and that the fact that in some states Medicaid is responsible financially for these children would not deter the physician from doing so.

Caring for children who care: Acknowledging the importance of the natural children of foster parents

2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Tadros
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Individual Member ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
The Voice

In the arena of social welfare it is not unusual for practitioners to endeavour to give a voice to the disadvantaged by working to empower clients; placing value on each individual member in a family; helping communities care for each other; advocating for the rights of children and women. No doubt this is all familiar rhetoric to most welfare and social workers. However, in the area of foster care a voice that has seldom been heard is the voice of the ‘children who care’. The natural children of foster carers are valuable members of the caring team and whilst many foster parents are aware of their own children's contribution in caring for foster children, foster care agencies and social workers/caseworkers have not formally acknowledged them or accorded to them the support they deserve. Better outcomes for children in foster care and for families who care will be achieved if practitioners consult with, support, and acknowledge the ‘children who care’.

scholarly journals Coping with Adversity in the Lives of Children in Foster Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viola Tamášová ◽  
Silvia Barnová
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Semantic Categories ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Biological Parents ◽  
Biological Children ◽  
The Family ◽  
Biological Parenthood

Abstract Introduction:The theoretical-empirical study is based on two particular case studies of families bringing up children from institutional care. It deals with the real needs of foster families, with the foster parents’ perception of fostering and their experiences from the time spent with children in foster care, about the children’s behaviour in adverse situations, which the foster parents must deal with in the period of the child’s adaptation to the new environment of their households. The authors accentuate the importance of communication and emotional education from the aspect of personality development of children placed into new families. These children should be prepared for moving from a known into an unknown environment. In the conclusions, the authors give several specific recommendations within the framework of semantic categories dealt with in the chapters and subchapters of the study. Methods:The study is based on a theoretical analysis of the presented issues. For the purposes of the research, the following research methods were used - Content analysis of official documents (job description of social workers in foster family care). - Case studies of two clients of the offices of Social and Legal Protection of Children and Social Curatorship in the field offices of Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in Nitra and Bratislava Self-Governing Regions carried out in 2018. - Logical operations - analysis, synthesis, comparison. - Interviews with foster carers (Family 1 and Family 2) carried out throughout the whole year 2018. - Generalization in semantic categories which, at the same time, are the titles of the chapters and subchapters bellow, and also in the conclusions and recommendations for foster care and the social practice. Results:For personal development, children need relationships with others. Maternal and paternal love, and care are the basic elements of these relationships - as confirmed in the interviews with foster parents. Alongside with biological parenthood, the so-called “psychological parenthood” has an important role to play. The role of a psychological parent can be filled by the members of own (i.e. biological) family as well as by adoptive parents, foster parents, the biological parents’ partners (stepmothers and stepfathers) and - under certain conditions - also by personnel in facilities of social care. Their psychological needs and the extent of their satisfaction determine what they will experience and how they will feel. Discussion:It is important to prepare parents to accept the fact that foster parenthood is different from biological parenthood. Prospective foster parents often come to the offices of Social and Legal Protection of Children and Social Curatorship with the opinion that not even biological parents are being prepared for their parental roles. Foster parents already having biological children argue - as it follows from the interviews carried out throughout the research - that they are experienced parents and, so, they can bring up foster children as well. They do not realize that foster children bring something new that biological children have never experienced. Biological and foster parenthood are definitely not the same. Conclusions:In the conclusions, the authors point out that children in foster care identify with their parents’ values and opinions. For children who have faced significant adversity in their lives, it is beneficial if the family environment and education are harmonious. Such good conditions can have a positive impact on the children’s entire future lives. In the process of adaptation, the whole network of relationships within the family must be re-structuralized, which requires well-prepared family members.

scholarly journals Attitudes of Health Professionals and Primary School Staff towards the Separation of Children from Families and Foster Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45
Author(s):  
Suzana Vidović Vondra ◽  
Sanja Narić ◽  
Ana Pavelić Tremac ◽  
Josipa Kurtović
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Child Separation

In Croatia, the process of deinstitutionalization of childcare is underway, and it should increase the placement of children in non-institutional forms of care such as foster care. The aim of the study was to examine attitudes towards foster care and child separation among school and adult mental health professionals. The sample consisted of 159 respondents (employees of elementary schools in Kutina, Popovača and Velika Ludina and employees of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital “Dr. Ivan Barbot” in Popovača). The survey covered all relevant sociodemographic variables, and the Scale of Attitudes Towards Separation of Children from Family and the Attitudes Towards Foster Care Scale were used to examine attitudes [Kamenov, Sladovic Franz & Ajdukovic, 2005]. In the sample examined, attitudes to foster care and separation are slightly positive, indicating that there is plenty of room for activities aimed at empowering these views. If further attitudes are to be strengthened, therefore the population of potential future foster parents is also expected to expand. It is important to highlight the role of healthcare professionals involved in the mental health care of foster children and to consider their role in modifying general attitudes towards foster care for children and their role in building an optimal foster care system.

Caring for Foster Children

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 649-650
Author(s):  
Burton Z. Sokoloff
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Health Supervision ◽  
Quality Of Health Services ◽  
Strongly Agree

The poor quality of health services rendered to the half million foster children in this country is well documented elsewhere in this issue.1 This is an area of pediatric care of which we cannot be proud. Schor's "unfortunate discovery that children who have been under the protective and hopefully remedial care of the foster care system continues to demonstrate evidence of inadequate health supervision" must serve as a stimulus for changes. I strongly agree with Schor that the pediatric literatore has contributed to the problem by failing to describe adequately the special problems inherent in children in foster care—a population at high risk.

scholarly journals The view of foster parents’ on the adequacy of foster care grant in meeting the needs of recipients in Amathole District, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-115
Author(s):  
Eleanor A Hendricks
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Support ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Educational Policies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Child Support Grant ◽  
Depth Interviews

Initially, foster care grant originated to assist children removed from their families of origin and placed in alternative care due to their vulnerability, neglect and abuse. Foster care grant forms part of the child protection system and it is issued to children whom require care and protection and are deprived of proper upkeep. The aim of the study was to explore the view of foster parents on the sufficiency of the child support grant in meeting the basic needs of beneficiaries. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. Moreover, in-depth interviews were used to collect data with purposively selected participants. The finding of this study revealed that the grant is sufficient in providing for the nutritional, educational and sartorial needs of beneficiaries. The study sample consisted of twenty-five participants. The study concluded that the grant is sufficient but could be increased to provide funds for some additional stuffs like educational policies, which is essential in securing a decent future for children.  Keywords: Sufficiency, basic needs, foster care grant, beneficiaries.

scholarly journals The Statistical Analysis of the Academic Achievement of Young People Living in the Child Protection System

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Ildikó Erdei ◽  
Karolina Eszter Kovács
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Children In Foster Care

In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on placing children in foster care. Our main research aims to explore the connections between the future orientation of disadvantaged young people living in residential care homes and foster families. In our pilot-study, we made it measurable by a comparative analysis of their study results. The sample consists of children raised in the child protection specialist and aftercare system of the Greek Catholic Child Protection Centre of Debrecen and Nyírség. The comparative analysis included 57 children and young people living in residential care homes and 57 children and young adults living in foster care. The members of both groups were born between 1993 and 2003, so are 15-25-year-olds. The comparative analysis was made on the basis of the available documents and study statistics between June 2019 and November 2019, to measure and compare the academic achievement of young people living in residential care homes and with foster parents. According to the statistical analysis, it was found that the academic achievement, based on year repetitions, show a more favourable picture of students living with foster parents. Depending on our results, a number of additional research questions arise.

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