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Over 500,000
children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster
care. Placements in foster care have dramatically increased
over the past 10 years. Despite the increasing numbers, children
in foster care and foster parents are mostly invisible in
communities and often lack many needed supports and resources.
In situations of abuse and neglect, children may be removed
from their parents' home by a child welfare agency and placed
in foster care. Other reasons for foster placement include
severe behavioral problems in the child and/or a variety of
parental problems, such as abandonment, illness (physical
or emotional), incarceration, AIDS, alcohol/substance abuse,
and death.
African-American
children make up approximately two thirds of the foster care
population and remain in care longer. Two out of three children
who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents
within two years. A significant number, however, can spend
long periods of time in care awaiting adoption or other permanent
arrangement. Making decisions about the future for a child
in foster care is called Apermanency planning. Options include:
returning the child to his/her birth parents; termination
of parental rights (a formal legal procedure) to be followed,
hopefully, by adoption; or long-term care with foster parents
or relatives. Most states encourage efforts to provide the
birth parents with support and needed services (e.g. mental
health or drug/alcohol treatment, parent skills, training
and assistance with child care and/or adequate housing) so
their child can be returned to them. When parental rights
have been terminated by the court, most states will try to
place children with relatives (A kinship foster care or Arelative
placement) which may lead to adoption by the relative.
Being
removed from their home and placed in foster care is a difficult
and stressful experience for any child. Many of these children
have suffered some form of serious abuse or neglect. About
30% of children in foster care have severe emotional, behavioral,
or developmental problems. Physical health problems are also
common. Most children, however, show remarkable resiliency
and determination to go on with their lives. Children in foster
care often struggle with the following issues:
- blaming
themselves and feeling guilty about removal from their birth
parents
- wishing
to return to birth parents even if they were abused by them
- feeling
unwanted if awaiting adoption for a long time
- feeling
helpless about multiple changes in foster parents over time
- having
mixed emotions about attaching to foster parents
- feeling
insecure and uncertain about their future
- reluctantly
acknowledging positive feelings for foster parents
Foster
parents open their homes and hearts to children in need of
temporary care, a task both rewarding and difficult. Unfortunately,
there has been a decrease in the number of foster parents
(non-relative) available to care for children over the past
10 years. This results in larger numbers of children remaining
in institutional settings. The number of relative caregivers
(kinship foster care), however, has increased.
Reimbursement
rates for foster parents are lower in most states than the
true costs of providing routine care for the child. Important
challenges for foster parents include:
- recognizing
the limits of their emotional attachment to the child
- understanding
mixed feelings toward the child's birth parents
- recognizing
their difficulties in letting the child return to birth
parents
- dealing
with the complex needs (emotional, physical, etc.) of children
in their care
- working
with sponsoring social agencies
- finding
needed support services in the community
- dealing
with the child's emotions and behavior following visits
with birth parents
Children
in foster care who have emotional or behavioral problems may
be referred for a psychiatric evaluation. Some child and adolescent
psychiatrists provide consultation to Juvenile/Family Courts
and child welfare agencies. Child and adolescent psychiatrists
also provide comprehensive evaluations including diagnosis
and the development of treatment plans. They also provide
direct treatment (e.g. psychotherapy, family therapy, psychiatric
medication) to a child. Children in foster care have special
and complex needs which are best addressed by a coordinated
team which usually includes the birth parents, foster parents,
mental health professionals (including child and adolescent
psychiatrists) and child welfare staff.
For additional
information about foster care contact the Child Welfare League
of America (CWLA) 440 First Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington,
D.C. 20001-2085. For information on related issues, see other
Facts for Families (#09 Child Sexual Abuse;
#05 Child Abuse- The Hidden Bruises; #15 The Adopted Child;
#08 Children and Grief).
Article
#64 Updated 8/98
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