Continuity of activities and child well-being for foster care youth

Abstract

Permanency in placements and relationships of foster care children and youth is an important but challenging goal for public child welfare workers, social work practitioners, and social service providers. Research on at-risk children has repeatedly stressed the importance of continuity of attachment ties which is not always possible or desirable for children in foster care. Factors other than attachment and relationship continuity have been found to influence children's adjustment and well-being such as school and peer experiences, leisure time activities and interests, and larger social environments. But there is little research on the impact of maintaining activities across placements and child wellbeing. This study surveyed 103 foster care parents asking questions about the child's school, leisure, family, church, social, and therapeutic activities prior to and currently with the foster care family. The research found that the majority of foster care parents did not know about the child activities prior to placement in their home. It is not the increased number but the sameness of school activities that appears to improve the child's well-being. More research is needed to find out from the foster care children what activities are meaningful to them and to see if maintaining these normalizing activities will impact placement disruptions.