Non-kinship Foster Care Research Articles

Intergenerational conflict, contact with biological parents, and child functioning in kinship caregiver families

Over time, federal child welfare policy has shaped a preference for states to make every effort to place children with kinship caregivers before non-kin, foster caregivers. The current study focuses on two aspects of out-of-home care that past research indicates differ between kin and non-kin foster care arrangements: frequency of conflict between caregivers and biological parents (higher among kin foster care) and children’s contact with biological parents (easier to facilitate among kin foster care). Using a convenience sample of kinship caregivers recruited from a midwestern state, we examined cross-sectional associations between intergenerational conflict, child contact with biological mothers and fathers, and child well-being among kinship care households. N = 205 kinship caregivers completed an extensive telephone interview about a range of relevant topics, including study child well-being (i.e., the child that requires the most care and attention from the kin caregiver). After controlling for a range of caregiver, child, and contextual factors, more frequent intergenerational conflict was associated with a greater likelihood of child hyperactivity disorder, mental health concerns, learning disabilities, and any of the diagnoses individually or in combination. Results concerning child contact with biological mothers and fathers were less conclusive. The findings will add to our understanding of kinship care as a preferred form of non-parental care and have value to those implementing the 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act (H.R. 1892).

(Re)defining family: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of foster children’s views of family in non-kinship foster care

BackgroundFoster children in non-kinship foster care experience multiple changes in their family situation, leading them to reflect more on the meaning of family and where they belong. Yet, the current literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of foster children’s perspectives on family and the approaches used to examine them. GoalThis systematic review and meta-synthesis examines (1) what family means to foster children and (2) who they consider family, as well as (3) the patterns within and between studies examining their family understandings in terms of study characteristics, design, and outcomes. MethodsIn November 2022, the Web of Science Core Collection, ProQuest Central, and Scopus databases were queried without restrictions on date or geographic location, resulting in 2879 records. Following PRISMA guidelines, 21 articles were selected for analysis. Results(1) Foster children’s meanings of family encompassed biological relatedness, the act of doing family, an ongoing process and/or a weird concept. (2) Who foster children considered family could be categorized into the following groups: belonging to one family (either their birth or foster family), belonging to two families (birth and foster family), belonging to multiple family systems, or experiencing no sense of family. (3) We identified two research approaches: the dual approach, which states that foster children can belong to a maximum of two families, their birth family and/or foster family, and the plural approach, which states that foster children can belong to various family systems. DiscussionThe findings emphasize the important role of foster care workers in assisting foster children exercise relational agency, helping foster children make sense of their positions, and actively seeking ways in which foster children can develop or strengthen healthy connections, relationships, and family belonging. For researchers studying family perspectives in foster care, it is important to be aware of how these two research approaches shape their family conceptualization, study design, and presentation of findings. Further implications for practice and research are discussed and a future research agenda is outlined.

Understanding subgroups of child welfare placement histories in the context of youth behavior and development: a latent class analysis

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify latent classes of child welfare placement histories, with a focus on entry to residential treatment settings (RTS), and how youth behavior and development are associated with the probability of latent class membership. This study utilized secondary child welfare administrative data. The study found that a four-class model was the best fit for the data. The four latent classes were defined by instability while in family settings, stability in kinship care, movement through congregate care settings, and stability in non-kinship foster care. Youth behavior and developmental period were significantly associated with latent class membership.

Differences in the evaluation and satisfaction with foster care between kinship and non-kin foster carers

ABSTRACT Understanding the distinctive features of kinship and non-kin foster care has sparked research interest aimed at developing policies and programs. This study analyses 930 cases of fostered children (35.5% in non-kin foster care and 64.5% in kinship care) based on the information provided by child care professionals and the evaluations made by 221 foster carers (34.8% in non-kin foster care and 65.2% in kinship care) using different questionnaires. Significant differences were obtained between kinship and non-kin foster care, indicating more favourable results on stability in kinship placements, although the less favourable results regarding the education and employment of kinship carers. Significant differences were observed in how foster carers perceived their role, with kinship carers reporting greater facility in raising the fostered child and higher satisfaction with the placement. However, they were less satisfied with the financial support. Cluster analysis confirmed these differences, identifying two groups based on the overall evaluation of raising foster children and satisfaction with the placement. The findings serve to provide evidence in support of kinship care and also indicate the need to re-examine the role played by the information made available to non-kin foster parents about the biological family and the impact on the foster placement.

Fostering a sense of belonging: The role of family terminology and discourse for individuals involved in non-kinship foster care

ABSTRACT This study examines how fostered individuals, foster carers, bio-legal children of foster carers and birth parents use discourse to construct and maintain family identity and what may influence this use. Focus group and interview data show how family terminology may create a sense of family, affirm and strengthen ties, erase distinctions, promote inclusion and conformity and protect, refute and explain ties to in- and outsiders. Family terminology use is dynamic and can be influenced by (conflicting) beliefs about who is entitled to these terms and the difficulty of sharing terms. Stakeholders showed many commonalities. Practice and research implications are discussed.

Non-kinship foster care in Nigeria: Socioeconomic and demographic drivers of mothers’ willingness to foster

Research in Africa indicates an increasing number of children needing a secure and stable alternative family environment, yet the commonly used kinship care system is insufficient to meet this need requiring the support of non-kinship care. This study examined the socioeconomic and demographic drivers of willingness to foster non-kin children among mothers in Nigeria. Data from 779 mothers of children ages 2-10 were analyzed using Pearson correlation matrix and linear regression analysis to examine the associations among socioeconomic/demographic characteristics and willingness to foster. Attributes of the mothers such as region, neighborhood (rural or urban), education, occupation, and age are some determinants of willingness to foster, which also varies across children with special needs, diversity, and under six. Efforts to improve non-kinship foster care in Nigeria should consider mothers’ socioeconomic and demographic attributes when seeking to attract foster parents. The findings of this study provide implications for research, social work practice, and education in Nigeria and Africa.

A qualitative study about changes that parents experience through a pilot parenting support program to improve the quality of contact visits in non-kinship foster care

Despite the important impact that contact with birth parents during non-kinship foster care can have on a child's well-being, there are few psychoeducational programs aimed at improving the quality of visits. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of changes in birth parents who have completed the first program of this kind to be developed in Spain, here in its pilot application. The aim of the program Visits: a context for family development is to improve parents' emotional, communication, and parenting competences, and it comprises a total of seven sessions: six individual sessions that take place in the hour prior to consecutive scheduled visits with the child, and one group session involving all participating birth parents. A total of five families began the program, and three mothers completed all seven sessions. We conducted semi-structured interviews with mothers before and after the intervention so as to explore their perceptions regarding changes in their parenting competences and the quality of visits with their child. These data were complemented by participant-observer notes taken by one of the researchers during program sessions. Through content and semantic network analysis of interviews, we were able to identify changes in relation to five aspects of contact visits following participation in the parenting program. The results suggest that the program has the potential to enhance the parenting competences of birth mothers, to improve parent–child interaction during contact visits, and to encourage collaboration between the birth and foster families. These preliminary findings support the utility of the program for improving the quality of contact visits between birth parents and their children in non-kinship foster care.

What do childcare professionals agree on when they propose non-kin foster care?

ABSTRACT Decision-making around foster care is a highly complex process, both because of the nature of the issues to be decided and because of the positive or negative implications it may have, mainly on the lives of the children, but also for foster carers and birth families. To focus research on decision-making is to go to the core of the child protection system. The aim of this article is to analyse the factors that intervene in decision-making by childcare professionals regarding non-kin foster care in the north-east of Spain, given that three services intervene throughout this process for the same child. Moreover, coincidences and discrepancies in the weight given to the factors involved in the decision-making process have been analysed. Firstly, we analysed 90 cases of children in foster care assessed by the three services involved, and secondly, we obtained the evaluation made by 57 professionals from 28 childcare teams on general aspects of decision-making. The results highlight how the child’s young age and the likelihood of the birth parents not recovering are factors that play an important role in the decision to propose foster care, thus opening the debate on the current role of foster care within the care system.

Foster Care Case Management and Child developmental Outcomes: Big Data Analysis for Case Management Records

연구목적: 본 연구의 목적은 가정위탁 사례관리의 현황과 그 성과를 파악하는 데 있다. 이를위하여 이전에 분석된 적이 없었던 가정위탁 사례관리기록의 내용을 분석하고 위탁아동, 위탁부모, 친부모에게 제공된 서비스의 양과 아동 발달성과 간의 관계를 파악하였다. 방법: 본 연구는 2019 가정위탁패널 1-2차년도 조사에 참여한 261명 아동에 대한 10개월 간의사례관리 기록(서비스제공일지)과 설문조사를 통해 측정된 그들의 발달성과를 분석하였다. 서비스제공일지 내용 분석을 위해서는 빅데이터 분석방법 중 키워드 빈도분석, 토픽모델링 분석등을 활용하였으며 서비스 제공 양과 아동 발달성과 간의 관계는 회귀분석을 통해 확인하였다. 결과: 서비스제공일지 분석 결과, 우선 위탁유형 별로 제공된 서비스 종류에 있어 큰 차이가없음을 알 수 있었다. 키워드분석 및 토픽모델링 분석 결과, 여성 양육자에 대한 키워드와 토픽이주되게 드러나 가정위탁의 주양육자는 여성이라고 인식된다는 점과 가정위탁 사례관리 기록이아동 중심보다는 양육자 중심으로 기술된다는 것을 파악할 수 있었다. 또한, 일반위탁의 경우친족위탁에서 나타나지 않던 ‘친가정서비스’, ‘자조모임’, ‘공적자원연계’ 등이 제공일지의 토픽으로 등장하였다. 각 서비스 종류의 양이 아동발달에 미친 영향을 보면, 전화상담이 많이 제공될수록 자아존중감, 우울·불안, 위축, 공격성에, 자립지원서비스는 위축에 각각 영향을 미치는것으로 나타났다. 결론: 본 연구 결과를 바탕으로 가정위탁 사례관리 개선 및 사례관리 기록 체계 개선방안에대하여 논하였다.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the status of foster care case management and the relationship between case management and children's developmental outcomes. Methods: This study analyzed the contents of case management records of ten months of 261 foster care children who participated in the second wave survey of the 2019 foster care panel. In addition, the study merged data pertaining to the service provisions and survey results which measured children’s developmental outcomes. Results: As big data analysis, we used the keyword frequency analysis and topic modeling analysis methods. To analyze the relationship between service provision amounts and children's developmental outcomes, a partial correlation analysis was utilized. The results of the big data analysis were as follows. Firstly, there were no significant differences according to the types of foster care. Secondly, case management records showed that the main caregivers for children were women regardless of the type of foster care. Thirdly, the results of the topic modeling analysis revealed that ‘family home service’, ‘self-help groups’, and ‘links to public services’ were the main topics in terms of services provided only in non-kinship foster care groups. The results of the regression analysis showed that when more ‘telephone counseling’ and ‘services for independent living’ were provided, better outcomes in children's self-esteem, depression/anxiety, social withdrawal, and aggression could be expected. Conclusions: Based on these results, practice and policy implications were discussed to improve foster care case management.

Foster children's perspectives on participation in child welfare processes: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

The objective of this meta-synthesis was to systematically synthesise qualitative research that explores foster children's perspectives on participation in child welfare processes. Searches were conducted in Medline (OVID), Embase, PsycINFO, and Social Science Citation Index. Children in non-kinship foster care in any setting (high-income, middle-income, low-income countries) who self-reported their experiences of care (removal from home, foster family processes, placement breakdown) were eligible for inclusion. Selected studies took place in 11 high-income countries. A total of 8436 citations were identified and 25 articles were included in this meta-synthesis. Studies summarized the views of 376 children. Children had been in foster care between two weeks and 17 years. Findings synthesize 'facets' of children's participation (e.g., being asked vs making decisions), as well as children's perceived barriers and facilitators to participation. A main priority for children was the quality of their relationships, especially in terms of values (e.g., fairness, honesty, inclusivity). No one way of participating in child welfare processes is better than another, as some children more clearly expressed a desire for passive listening roles and others indicated a desire for active roles in decision-making. However, meaningful adults in foster children's lives have a responsibility to act in a way that strengthens the emphasis on children's needs and voices.

Is contact with birth parents beneficial to children in non-kinship foster care? A scoping review of the evidence

Many children in non-kinship foster care maintain contact with their birth parents, although debate continues about whether or not, or under what circumstances, it is beneficial to the child. In this scoping review we analyze the findings of studies conducted over the past two decades that have specifically examined face-to-face contact with birth parents for children in non-kinship foster care, our aim being to determine more clearly when it may contribute positively to the child's well-being. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines and involved a search of nine electronic databases. A total of 21 studies met the criteria for inclusion in the review, namely primary studies analyzing one or more aspects of these contact visits, written in English or Spanish, and published during the period 1997–2022. In analyzing these studies we grouped their findings according to four broad areas of interest: characteristics of contact visits, appraisal of visits by families and professionals, relationship between contact and fostering outcomes, and impact of contact on children. The four main conclusions we draw from the review are: a) surprisingly few studies have specifically examined the effects of face-to-face contact with birth parents in non-kinship foster care; b) the findings to date are neither conclusive nor generalizable, although they are not generally encouraging; c) under the right circumstances (e.g., adequate supervision, conducted in a context of emotional security for the child), contact can contribute to the child's well-being and increase the likelihood of family reunification; and d) more robust research is needed to guide the development of interventions that can improve parent–child relationships and the quality of contact visits.

Discrepancies between Foster Care Entry and Mental Health Service Use for Black and Latinx Youth

ABSTRACT Black and Latinx youth are more likely to be placed into foster care compared to non-Latinx white youth. Foster care placement can facilitate mental health service use, yet youth from marginalized and oppressed racial and ethnic groups in foster care are still less likely to receive mental health services compared to non-Latinx white youth. This study aims to examine this discrepancy Black and Latinx youth face by testing (a) whether mental health need moderates the relationship between race or ethnicity and foster care placement and (b) whether race or ethnicity moderates the relationship between foster care placement and mental health service use. Data come from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a longitudinal national probability study of youth in contact with the child welfare system. Internalizing need was associated with a decreased likelihood of foster care placement for non-Latinx white youth compared to those with no need; findings showed the opposite for Latinx youth. Race and ethnicity did not significantly moderate the relationship between foster care placement and mental health service use, although predicted probabilities suggest that differences in mental health service use were more pronounced for Black and Latinx youth in in-home and kinship care compared to non-kinship foster care. Results suggest that despite main effects of race and ethnicity on foster care placement and mental health service use, discrepancies across these outcomes are not explained by race and ethnicity alone. Findings highlight the need to comprehensively examine predictors together, rather than separately, when assessing foster care care placement and mental health service use. A multi-pronged approach is outlined for child welfare reform.

Trajectories of adolescent psychopathology among youth who were maltreated and placed in out-of-home care

BackgroundAlthough researchers have found an increased risk for psychopathology among maltreated adolescents placed in out-of-home care, different trajectories of psychopathology by out-of-home placements have not been previously studied. ObjectiveThe current study is built on previous investigation of youth in different long-term out-of-home placements and examined the trajectories of adolescent psychopathology by out-of-home placement classes. Participants and settingWe leveraged data from the Southwestern site of the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Participants included caregiver-youth dyads (N = 273), who had substantiated reports of child maltreatment (CM) prior to children's age four and were placed in out-of-home care. MethodsFive out-of-home placement classes from ages 4 to 12 (i.e., stable adopted, stable reunified, stable kinship care, stable non-kin foster care, and unstable placement) were identified from previous study and participants were interviewed at youth ages 12, 14, and 16 to assess adolescent psychopathology. Latent Growth Curve Analysis was used to examine trajectories of psychopathology by placement classes. ResultsAdolescents in unstable placement and stable adopted classes had higher intercepts and more positive or less negative slopes for psychopathology compared to those in stable kinship care and stable reunified classes. ConclusionsAdolescents in unstable placement and stable adopted classes were at similarly elevated risk for psychopathology, whereas adolescents in stable kinship care and stable reunified classes were at lower risk for psychopathology. We discuss the clinical implication to preventing and intervening risks for psychopathology among maltreated youth in unstable and adopted placements.

Academic Trajectories of Children in Formal and Informal Kinship Care.

The academic achievement places children on a positive trajectory for their lifespan. The aim of this study was to examine the academic trajectories of children in out-of-home care (OOCH) and whether kinship care has a protective effect relative to nonkin foster care. The sample analyzed for this study consists of 519,306 racially diverse youth in North Carolina schools 8 to 11 years old in the school year 2009-2010 (e.g., 27% African American, 12% Latinx, 53% White). Four longitudinal administrative data sources were merged to create this unique sample. Multilevel modeling revealed no difference between formal and non-OOHC, but showed differences between nonkin foster, informal, and non-OOHC. Children's academic performance who reside in formal kinship care is similar to children in non-OOHC.

Pediatrician Guidance in Supporting Families of Children Who Are Adopted, Fostered, or in Kinship Care.

The child welfare system strives to provide children and adolescents in foster care with a safe, nurturing environment through kinship and nonkinship foster care placement with the goal of either reunification with birth parents or adoption. Pediatricians can support families who care for children and adolescents who are fostered and adopted while attending to children's medical needs and helping each child attain their developmental potential. Although this report primarily focuses on children in the US child welfare system, private and internationally adopted children often have similar needs.

Effect of home environment on academic achievement in child protective service-involved children: Results from the second national survey of child and adolescent well-being study

BackgroundChildren involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) have been shown to have lower academic achievement. It is unclear whether certain qualities of the home environment can optimize academic achievement in this vulnerable population. ObjectiveThis study sought to determine whether home environments with higher levels of emotional support and cognitive stimulation predict later academic achievement and whether this relationship is moderated by placement type (i.e. biological/adoptive parent care, kinship care, or non-kinship foster care). Participants and SettingThis study included 1,206 children from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-II) who were involved with CPS between 2–7 years of age. MethodsMultivariate analyses were completed to examine the effect of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) score on later Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-ACH) scores. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine the effect of placement type on this relationship. ResultsAlthough these relationships between HOME scores and WJ-ACH scores were significant in bivariate analyses, they were not statistically significant in multivariate analyses, primarily due to the variable of household income. Although children placed primarily in non-kinship foster care demonstrated higher WJ-ACH scores for Passage Comprehension and Letter-Word Identification subscales, placement type did not appear to moderate the relationship between HOME scores and academic achievement. ConclusionChild- and caregiver-level factors, as well as financial resources available in the environment, may account for the relationship between home environment and academic achievement.

Foster children’s attachment representations: the role of type of maltreatment and the relationship with birth family

ABSTRACT Children in foster care are at risk of developing insecure and disorganized attachment, which is problematic for establishing new relationships in foster families. However, most previous studies have focused on attachment behaviors in young children rather than on attachment representations. We compared foster children’s attachment representations with those of a community group, analyzing also the contribution made by different factors to foster children’s attachment representations. We assessed the attachment representations of 109 children aged between 4 and 9 years (51 children in non-kin foster care and 58 community children) in southern Spain, using a narrative story stem measure. Case records information were collected for adversity and child protection variables. Foster children had fewer security and more avoidance indicators than their community counterparts, with those who had suffered more severe maltreatment scoring lower for security and higher for disorganization. Exposure to physical and emotional abuse and birth parents’ opposition to the foster placement predicted more disorganized attachment representations. Interventions with foster children should consider their heterogeneity in terms of attachment outcomes, and foster caregivers of abused children may need guidance in order to provide therapeutic caregiving.

Differential associations of threat and deprivation with emotion understanding in maltreated children in foster care

AbstractChildren in foster care are a remarkably heterogeneous group regarding their adaptation, and disrupted emotion understanding is one of the processes that may lead to differential outcomes in them. Previous research has found different effects for abused and for neglected children in emotion recognition. However, very few studies have analysed more complex forms of emotion understanding in maltreated children while considering different adversity dimensions. The present study analysed associations between threat and deprivation exposure and different facets of emotion understanding in a sample of maltreated children in foster care. The sample comprised 51 children from 4 to 9 years old (M = 7.07, SD = 1.63) in nonkin foster care in Spain. We used the Test of Emotional Comprehension to measure emotion understanding and maltreatment reports to measure exposure to threat and deprivation. Threat exposure predicted enhanced external emotion understanding after controlling for age, vocabulary, and deprivation, particularly understanding emotions based on desires. Deprivation predicted worse external emotion understanding. Our findings reinforce the limits of cumulative risks models for understanding foster children's developmental outcomes and the value of assessing separately adversity dimensions when possible, given the variable relations of threat and deprivation exposure with social cognitive development.

Kinship care first? Factors associated with placement moves in out-of-home care

The type of care setting a child is placed in when they enter the child welfare system has long-lasting effects. Although numerous studies have examined factors associated with placement decisions and placement moves, few studies have paid attention to factors involved in both placing children into and removing children from kinship care. This study focused on kinship care as the top of the hierarchy of out-of-home placements and utilized data obtained from a U.S. mid-Atlantic State Automated Child Welfare Information System. The study followed children who were placed in out-of-home care over a three-year period. Descriptive, bivariate, and regression analyses were conducted to identify: (1) Among children experiencing the first out-of-home care placement (N = 3838), what factors were associated with an initial placement into kinship care versus non-kin foster care and group homes/residential treatment centers (RTCs); and (2) Among children experiencing a second out-of-home placement during this period (n = 1893; 49% of the original sample), what factors were associated with being moved from kinship care to a less-preferred care setting and vice versa. Two factors increased the odds of initially being placed in kinship care: Race of the child (African American children were more likely to be placed in kinship care) and presence of parental substance abuse; in contrast, the presence of child behavioral problems and disabilities, as well as advanced age, decreased the odds of kinship placement. For children experiencing a second move from kinship care into non-kin foster care, the associated factors were: Older children, behavioral problems, and parental incarceration. Finally, for children placed initially in non-kin foster care and moved to kinship care, moves were primarily associated with parental characteristics, including housing issues, substance abuse, and difficulty coping with the child. Implications for policy, research, and practice are discussed.

Behavioral Observation and Analysis of Participants in Foster Care Visits

ObjectiveTo identify situations and behaviors occurring during contact visits that are likely to have an impact on a foster child's well‐being.BackgroundIt has been argued that contact visits between foster children and birth parents can help to maintain attachment bonds and support the child's development. However, contact continues to be a subject of controversy, and evidence of both benefits and drawbacks has been reported in the literature. Few studies have examined what actually occurs during such visits, how parents and children interact, and what role is played by those involved.MethodWe conducted an in‐depth qualitative observational analysis of the behavior of participants in contact visits (birth parent, child, and social worker), as well as of the characteristics of the venue. Participants were 20 children in nonkinship foster care and their birth parents. Information regarding the characteristics of visits was provided by the child protection services and the fostering agencies involved.ResultsThe analysis revealed a large number of positive behaviors among parents, children, and social workers, but also the need for improvement in several areas (e.g., family relationships, social/communication skills, and presents).ConclusionsThis study highlights the need to improve contact visits by developing intervention strategies targeting all those involved. Notably, the support and supervision provided by social workers was not always adequate.ImplicationsThe results of this study could be used to develop an instrument for assessing the quality of contact visits and identifying aspects that need to be improved.