An empirical analysis of behavioral and emotional problems of foster children as related to re-placement in care

Abstract

Foster care is seen as a temporary service. However, for many children, foster care involves years of long term care. Most professionals feel that if a child must remain in care, the number of foster homes or re-placements the child experiences should be minimized. Evidence suggests that this lack of stability has a detrimental effect on the child's psychosocial development. Even though the research evidence supports the negative impact of re-placement on the foster child, little empirical research has dealt with identification of factors associated with children likely to be re-placed. This article focuses on foster children with behavioral and emotional problems and analyzes the association of these problems with placement stability and continuity. The findings report that children with behavioral and emotional problems are replaced in foster care more often than those children without similar problems.