Foster Care

The resiliency of children in the child welfare system often is tested by multiple risk factors, including: prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs, early separations from biological caregivers, poor access to appropriate health care and developmental services, experiences of neglect and maltreatment, exposure to unsafe communities, and family mental health problems. During critical years of development, these high-risk and vulnerable children often do not receive the attention and care that support optimal developmental outcomes.

Many of these children travel through multiple foster placements or are removed and then placed back with their biological families many times over. This level of disruption and change often creates significant and long-term difficulty for the child.

It is always in the best interest of the child to provide her with preparation for upcoming placement changes or decisions, as moving from one place to another can be a very frightening experience for a young child. As a caregiver, your reassurance and support can make a great difference in how the child experiences placement changes within the foster care system. Here are just a few tips for helping prepare a child when he is leaving a placement or entering a new home:

When a child enters a home

Prepare other children living in your home by providing the child’s name, age, and other information you have beforehand. Be prepared for children living in your home to have a reaction to the entrance of a new sibling. Consider the additional demands on your time this child will present, as you may need to enlist the support of family or friends to help you juggle new responsibilities. Encourage communication within the family about the child’s arrival before the child comes to your home, so that everyone may better anticipate the likely changes within the home.
Gently welcome the child into your home. It is important to remain aware of how overwhelming this experience may be for the child. Provide information at a rate that seems most acceptable for the child, as presenting too much at once may be very difficult for the child to manage. She will likely require a lot of support and encouragement. Show the child where she will sleep at night and help him/her store him/her belongings in the appropriate place. When you introduce the child to others living in the home, provide him/her name, age, and something that may help the child connect to them, such as an interest or hobby or whether or not he/she will be attending the same school as the new child. If there are certain rules in the home, be sure to provide them to the child, along with an explanation of what happens when those are broken. Explain any responsibilities or chores that the child may have. Be certain to provide these details and explanations at an appropriate pace, as there is a lot for the child to learn when they first come to your home.
Expect emotional reactions to the arrival. The child who enters your home will likely have tremendous emotional reactions to the changes she is enduring. Many of these reactions may be expressed through her behavior. Be aware that many of these children have already endured great amounts of change and disruption, which can make it very difficult to trust others and feel safe or protected by caregivers. Entrance into the foster care system often has important implications for a child’s capacity to engage in supportive, caring attachment relationships. This frequently presents many challenges to the caregiver-child relationship, as these children often respond to care giving efforts with mistrust, fear, or even retaliation. Seemingly awkward or baffling behaviors may be understood as the child’s efforts to ensure safety, security, and predictability. Often times, however, these efforts often jeopardize the child’s opportunities to experience the nurturing support they need the most.
Keep communication lines open. Be sure to give updates to mental health professionals and case management providers for the child to inform them about how the child manages this change. Also, these individuals may offer you helpful strategies to help support your relationship with the child.

When a child leaves a home

Keep the child informed about placement decisions. Be sure to provide information to her in developmentally appropriate language. In your discussions, try to balance between allowing him enough information to understand the changes, while protecting him from information that may be inappropriate for him to know regarding the reasoning and rationale for the placement decision.
Be aware that many children may not be able to comprehend periods of time or distinguish between permanent or temporary placements. Carefully explain issues of time and permanency in a vocabulary that makes sense to the child given his age. Ongoing communication with the child’s case manager or therapist may help you design the best ways to talk with your child about changes in placement.
Anticipate the emotional impact of saying good-bye. When a child leaves a home under any circumstances, she experiences a significant emotional response to the event. Many children do not understand the reasons for their departure or blame themselves for the upcoming move. Others fear what they may encounter in their new home. For some children, another move is the next in a long list of transitions, changes, and unexpected events in their lives. The child may likely have strong feelings of loss and grief upon leaving your home and care. Often times, a child may express her feelings around such transitions through his/her behavior, and you may notice her becoming increasingly aggressive or withdrawn. As a caretaker, your efforts and engagement in this difficult life transition can have a tremendous impact on the amount of safety and security the child experiences.
Provide reassurance and consistency for the child. The transition to a new home can be highly stressful to a child, as it is often filled with great uncertainty and fear. Offer him as much supportive information as possible about the new placement. You may be able to tell him the names of their new foster parent(s), the number and ages of other children in the home, or the expected date of departure from your home. Try to structure the child’s schedule to provide consistency and predictability, as the transition can be highly disorganizing for the child.
Offer the child something to take with her and/or something to leave behind. Children, especially those who are very young, may better manage the transition from one place to another if they have a concrete item to take with them, reminding them of their previous home. This may be an art project that you complete with the child prior to his leaving, a picture of your family, or an item from the home. It may also be helpful for the child to create something to leave with the foster family. This can help to address difficulties children staying in the home may experience upon another child’s departure.

Please note that Children's Research Triangle/Child Study Center is not a foster care agency. If you are looking for a foster care agency or assistance with foster care, please call the National Foster Care Hotline at (800) 624-KIDS or contact the Department of Human Services in your state.