Paediatrics Today

Abstract

Objective – To present data from the first nationwide study on children and adolescents in foster care (institutional care and family care services) in Brazil. It seeks to provide a profile of these institutions, the number of children and adolescents in foster care, the context of the services and the reason the child/adolescent was taken in, set against the population size (small, medium, large, and metropolises) of the municipality where the institution is located. The study also describes the general health conditions of the children and adolescents living in foster care. Materials and methods – Data from 2,617 institutional care and 144 family care units spread across 1,157 Brazilian municipalities are presented. Results – The number of children and adolescents assisted was 37,861, of whom 36,929 were in institutional care services and 932 in family care services. Most children and adolescents in institutional care were located in large municipalities and metropolises (65.4%), while those in family care are more likely to be in small municipalities. The most frequent reasons for taking in the children and adolescents were neglect and abandonment. A total of 7.6% of the children and adolescents in institutional care services and 7.7% of those in family care services were found to have health problems, the most significant being mental health issues, infectious diseases and genetic and congenital diseases. Conclusion – The study provides a better understanding of the situation of children and adolescents in foster care and the associated problems, particularly in developing countries, thereby providing suggestions for the planning and enforcement of public policies aimed at the protection of young people.