Family Foster Care Research Articles

Adoption in Nepal: Mythologized, Misunderstood and Mobilized

Most academic research on international adoption focuses on either psychological or pedagogical aspects of adoption. This research project aims to investigate the social paradigms informing practices of adoption in Nepal. It is crucial to study the ways in which international adoption is institutionalized especially when there is a huge criticism about international adaption practices in Nepal. Central in this process are adoption agencies, Child Care Homes and legal institutions. Increasingly, they have become the brokers of adoption, mediating between birth parents, orphanages, adoptive parents, and various state agents from sending and receiving countries.The general objective of the study is to review the legal procedures and gaps regarding inter and intra country adoption procedures, study the status of child care homes in the Kathmandu Valley and to identify the people’s perspective on domestic and international child adoption.The main findings and recommendations are: 1. Though the current study is located within the Kathmandu valley the results will have implication for the Nepalese policy on both domestic and intercountry adoptions. 2 .From the Public Perceptions study, it is clear that in Nepal a large majority of the general public are not fully aware of the intricacies of adoption policy and processes, hence leading to misconceptions about adoptions, especially with intercountry adoptions. 3. Public perception suggests that laws and policies should be made transparent, and monitoring body is to be formed to ensure the safety of the child. The child should not be adopted until the prospective adoptive parents prove that they have sound economic condition or financial security and are committed to the child’s future and well-being. 4. The child care homes that are involved with adoption services were not very open to share their work with others, They were not entirely transparent and worried about the future of the sector. 5. The children who are currently kept at the so-called child care homes and are ready for the intercountry adoptions legally may not be real orphans. Some may be ‘paper orphans.’ Hence the government should further investigate the facts and make necessary legal and social arrangements to protect the rights of the children. 6. The international agencies that are involved in intercountry adoptions are also showing inhibition when it comes to sharing views and details of their work in Nepal. This may be due to their unclear role, uncertainties involved with the law and policy at the time the study was carried out. 7. The adoption policy is heavily contested by the different interest groups (The Hague Conference on Private International Law, Government bureaucrats, NGOs, INGOs, Law makers, Media, Embassies Child care homes, Academic and research institutes) in Nepal and hence the policy is an outcome of push and pulls factors. 8. The evidence suggests that 35 percent of respondents opined that they do not pay attention to caste, while 16 percent of the respondents remarked that categorization (age, sex, caste or religion) does not make any difference to them. It is very encouraging and the government policies should further encourage domestic adoption in Nepal. 9. There are ample opportunities to encourage domestic adoptions but this is not yet fully explored both by government and non governmental institutions. A useful approach could be to start with foster care families and progressively encourage domestic adoption practices in Nepal. Domestic adoptions based on only social On the basis of the results this study strongly recommends that Nepal should ratify the Hague Convention as soon as possible and make rules for institutions involved in adoption to follow the Convention and other international ethical standards and practices. 11. This study shows the evidence that there are lacunas in the adoption policy formulation in the country. The majority of the respondents interviewed stated that they are not aware of the current policies and were not consulted or involved in the policy making. This suggests that the policy making is guided by self interests of few stakeholders and hence may not work in the best interests of the child. 12. There is a need for trained human resources ( trained social workers and child psychologists) to work in the child care/orphanages as the study found that the staff working in the current homes are not trained in general and not skilled to work with children with difficulties. 13. The study strongly recommends that no child should be placed outside his or her family unless it serves the child’s best interests. The institutional care/model to address the issue of orphans (especially in the case of double orphans) also needs further investigation and policy dialogue in Nepal. 14. Further academic research in this area is urgently needed to provide inputs policy making process in the country and also to provide alternative approaches to intercountry adoption.

Adults foster family care in Italian mental health services: a survey

Adults foster family care in Italian mental health services: a survey

Outcomes of Group Care for Youth: A Review of Comparative Studies

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review empirical evidence of the effects of placement in group care compared to other interventions. Method: Two-group empirical studies were identified and effect sizes for all reported outcomes were calculated. Results: Nineteen two-group studies were found that compared group care with family foster care, treatment foster care, no placement, and different group care models. Most effects were small to moderate, with strongest effects for shorter lengths of stay for family-centered group care models and decreased delinquency for Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) compared to group care. Conclusion: Based on the limited number of two-group studies of varying quality, outcomes of group care are often worse than alternative interventions. However, some group care models seem more promising than others.

Health outcomes for adults in family foster care as children: An analysis by ethnicity

Studies have linked the experience of child abuse or adversity to health problems in adulthood, and researchers have long documented health problems affecting children in foster care. Yet, the adult health outcomes of maltreated children placed in foster care have not been sufficiently isolated. Although information on transitioning youth and young adults is now beginning to emerge, the impact of ethnicity on adult health outcomes has been largely ignored. Given the overrepresentation of ethnic minority children in foster care and the national disparities in the health of ethnic minorities, this study examined the relationship between ethnicity and physical health outcomes for African American, Hispanic, and White adults who experienced family foster care as children. Logistic regression models indicated that ethnicity was not a significant predictor of physical health ( p > .05). However, gender and age were associated significantly with their physical health outcomes.

Children's appraisals of their experiences in out-of-home care

Few studies have asked children directly about their experiences in out-of-home care. This study uses data collected from 180 nine-to-11-year-old children currently in out-of-home care who were asked about their perceptions and appraisals of out-of-home care. Analysis of variance and chi-square analyses were used to examine whether children's appraisals of their lives following removal from their families of origin differ as a function of age, gender, race/ethnicity, type and severity of maltreatment, length of time in out-of-home care, placement type, attachment to current caregivers, and rating of current caregiver/home. Youth who were sexually and emotionally abused, youth who were satisfied with their current caregivers and placements, and girls were more likely to state that their lives would have been worse had they remained with their families of origin. Youth who were physically abused were more likely to report that their lives would have remained the same. Children living in group care were more likely than those living in family foster care or with kin to report that their lives would have been better had they remained with their families of origin. Differences were not found between children living in family foster care and those living with kin nor did children's appraisals differ based on age, race, ethnicity, length of time in out-of-home care, neglect, or severity of maltreatment.

Predictors of exit type and length of stay in non-kinship family foster care — The German experience

This paper examines factors influencing length of stay in non-kinship family foster care. It also examines the effects of different covariates on the likelihood of four post-care exit types being reached (reunification, independence, foster family, and institutional care), using a multinomial regression. The data forming the basis for the analysis are official statistics of the German child and youth welfare service relating to two exit cohorts for the years 2005 and 2006, an overall total of 9995 cases. Age at entry to non-kinship family foster care was in the range 0 to 21 years. Where children had been in the younger age groups at entry, and in instances of parental loss of custody, the length of stay (LOS) in non-kinship family foster care increases significantly. A shorter LOS can be observed mainly in instances of non-German children, children of unmarried parents, return to a single parent responsible for upbringing, and where there had been prior home-based care. The effects of the independent variables differ according to exit type. The likelihood of reunification with the family of origin or with relatives is smaller than with other exit types if the custody rights have in the past been withdrawn, the child has already been placed out-of-home prior to the current care spell, or with longer LOS.

Prevalence and timing of diagnosable mental health, alcohol, and substance use problems among older adolescents in the child welfare system

This study reports the prevalence of PTSD, major depression, alcohol abuse/dependence and substance abuse/dependence diagnoses assessed with a structured clinical interview protocol in a population-based, multi-state, age cohort of older adolescents about to exit child welfare systems. PTSD was the most common diagnosis and was observed at rates above those seen in the general population. Rates of specific diagnoses varied according to gender, race, type of child welfare placement, and state of residence. In general, African American youth and those in kinship family foster care were less likely to have mental health and substance use problems. Analysis of the timing of onset relative to entry into care revealed that Caucasian youth were more likely to have diagnoses prior to entry into state custody, and race differentials were less pronounced for diagnosis after placement in foster care. Observed state-to-state differences suggest that age of entry into care and the likelihood of pre-existing mental health and substance use conditions could be attributable to child welfare policies regarding screening and placement.

I'll make it work: Young people's views of leaving care in Queensland

Young people leaving state care are undoubtedly among the most vulnerable groups in society. Despite their susceptibility to a range of problems in young adulthood, few Australian studies have examined how young people feel about leaving care and the supports they feel they - will need. This paper presents selected findings from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian's third survey of children and young people in foster and kinship care conducted in Queensland in 2009 which attracted 2727 responses. The paper focuses specifically on the views of 124 young people aged 16 to 18 years. Young people were surveyed on a range of issues including: leaving care, their health and wellbeing, education, placement histories, and perceptions of both their current placement and the care system in general. Findings indicate that most are optimistic about managing independent living but anticipate needing a range of supports, especially financial assistance and help finding accommodation. Over half would prefer to continue living with their foster or kinship care family and more than three-quarters would like ongoing contact with the family after they leave care.

The Development of Foster Family Care in Post-Communist Countries: The Experience of Lithuania

Dalija Snieškienė charts the development of foster family care in Lithuania since 1945. Using a framework comprising the concepts of identity, resources and relationships, she analyses services in three historical periods: the Communist system 1945–91; the early years of independence 1991–2004; and the status of Lithuania as a democratic EU state for the past five years. The factors affecting the nature, causes and consequences of reform are explored.

Patterns of instability: Moves within the care system, their reasons, contexts and consequences

The unstable nature of placements impacts on children's education, health and emotional development and contributes to the poor outcomes of care. The present study examined the moves of 242 long-stay children for a minimum of 3.5 years after they entered the care of six English local authorities; it used quantitative data extracted from case files and qualitative data from interviews with children and young people. During the study period 965 placements were made and 843 ended. The median length of placements was four months in foster family care and 3.5 months in residential care, and did not substantially increase until the third year of the care episode. While the numbers of placements differed according to children's ages and attributes, even very young children with no additional support needs experienced frequent moves. Instability in care replicated children's experiences within their birth families and reinforced perceptions of transience. While some placements broke down, the majority of moves were planned transitions embedded in the case management process. These may be a response to inadequate resources, but they also reflect how social workers and the courts struggled to acknowledge that some parents would not be able to provide adequate care within a child's timescale.

Growing up in foster care: providing a secure base through adolescence

ABSTRACTAs the UK Government White Paper, Care Matters: Time for Change, suggested, foster children need the care system to provide them with good quality foster family care that will help them through childhood to success and fulfilment of their potential in adult life.This paper draws on the third phase of Growing Up in Foster Care, a longitudinal study of 52 children in planned, long‐term foster care (1997–2006). It aims to increase our understanding of the transformational power of foster family relationships over time and particularly in adolescence. It shows how a secure base parenting model, using concepts from attachment and resilience, can be applied to foster care of adolescents. The paper uses case material to demonstrate each dimension of this secure base model and to emphasise how, even when adolescents have had stable and effective placements, they are likely to need support through into adulthood.

The Randomized Controlled Trial as a Demonstration Project: An Ethical Perspective

The Randomized Controlled Trial as a Demonstration Project: An Ethical Perspective

Caregiving environment and socio-emotional development of foster-placed FASD-children

The study investigated the role of the postnatal caregiving environment in the socio-emotional development of children under the age of 16 who had been exposed to alcohol in utero and placed in foster family care ( n = 38). Quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis were utilized. Based on psychological examinations, most of the children (76%) were reported to have at least one developmental problem; concentration, attention and language/speech problems being the most typical. The critical issues affecting children's development were 1) the range of somatic illnesses and disabilities that had impaired their functional capacity, 2) children's age at the time of the first placement and of entry into long-term foster family care, and 3) the number of traumatic experiences. Placement outside a biological family at an early age decreased, and traumatic experiences, illnesses and disabilities increased socio-emotional problems (including neuropsychological problems). Undiagnosed children had more behavioural problems measured by the Child Behaviour Checklist than children with foetal alcohol syndrome, but in general the differences between the diagnostic categories were small. Damage to the central nervous system by prenatal alcohol exposure together with lack of constructive early interaction seems to launch a process which may make it difficult for the child to form a coherent picture of him-/herself and to control his/her feelings and behaviour.

Prevalence of mental health problems among children placed in out‐of‐home care in Denmark

ABSTRACTThis paper concerns the prevalence of mental health problems among children in family foster and residential care within a Danish context. All children, born in Denmark in 1995, who are or formerly have been placed in out‐of‐home care (n= 1072), are compared with a group of vulnerable children of the same age, subjected to child protection interventions but living at home (n= 1457, referred to as the ‘in home care children’), and to all contemporaries who are not child protection clients (n= 71 321, referred to as the ‘non‐welfare children’). Prevalence data are established on the basis of national administrative register data, including data on psychiatric diagnoses of the children, and on survey data scoring children in out‐of‐home care, in home care children, and non‐welfare children by means of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results show that 20% of children in out‐of‐home care have at least one psychiatric diagnosis compared to 3% of the non‐welfare children. Almost half of the children in care (48%) are, furthermore, scored within the abnormal range of SDQ, compared to 5% of the non‐welfare children.

Family Foster Care, Kinship Networks, and Residential Care of Abandoned Infants in Egypt

ABSTRACT While infant abandonment has occurred in all segments of society, on all continents, and across all generations, the motivations for this practice are varied and depend upon the social norms of a specific geographic region at a given point in time. Western approaches addressing the care of abandoned infants focus on terminating parental rights and placing the child in an adoptive home. The child assumes the family name and is privy to all rights and responsibilities as biological children. In Egypt, Islamic family law does not allow for adoption of an infant by a nonbiological individual. Nor does the country of Egypt allow assignment of guardianship or fostering of a child by a non-Egyptian parent. Therefore, models of care cannot simply be transferred from one context to the other, although they may learn from each other. Egypt's system of family foster care, kinship networks, and residential (institutional) care are models that are consistent with the cultural values and customs of this population. The family foster care model and kinship networks have been shown to provide the most positive psychosocial outcomes for the child. The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast culturally acceptable approaches to caring for abandoned infants in Egypt.

(Ad)ministering Love: Providing Family Foster Care to Infants With Prenatal Substance Exposure

A significant percentage of children in foster care in North America are younger than 1 year of age and are in foster care because of parental substance use and other social challenges. Infants might present with specific health and behavioral issues that are challenging to manage within the foster family home environment; foster families require specialized skills and knowledge to manage these issues. In this article, the author describes a constructivist grounded theory of the process of becoming and providing family foster caregiving in the context of caring for infants with prenatal alcohol and/or drug exposure. The basic social process of (ad)ministering love was identified. The author further describes the three phases of this process and the core concepts within each phase.

The Child Welfare Profession's Perception of Residential Care for Children

SUMMARY This research study explored the Child Welfare League of America's (CWLA) perception of residential care for children, as a reflection of the child welfare profession as a whole. A content analysis of CWLA's national conference programs and the journal Child Welfare from 1997 to 2006 found that the profession emphasizes family foster care and community-based services and devotes minimal attention to residential care. The child welfare profession is encouraged to dialogue and more critically examine the role of residential care within the cluster of services for children.

Family Foster Care for Abandoned Children in Egypt

Family Foster Care for Abandoned Children in Egypt

Review: Mathew Colton and Margaret Williams (eds) Global Perspectives on Foster Family Care

Review: Mathew Colton and Margaret Williams (eds) Global Perspectives on Foster Family Care

Theoretical Perspectives for Child Welfare Practice on Kinship Foster Care Families

To provide deepened and expanded discussions of the advantages of kinship foster care, this paper attempts to understand the theoretical backgrounds of kinship care. The paper also analyzes research studies regarding caregiving environments and well-being outcomes of children in kinship foster care to examine whether empirical evidence supports theoretical conjectures. In addition, the paper discusses the status of knowledge concerning kinship foster care and the rigorousness of research methods. The paper's analysis and discussion are intended to provide theoretical perspectives for suppositions in practice and, eventually, guide child welfare practice.