Practitioner review: Children in foster care--vulnerabilities and evidence-based interventions that promote

Leslie D Leve1, Gordon T Harold, Patricia Chamberlain

  • 1Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, OR 97401, USA. lesliel@oslc.org

Insights

Children in foster care face increased risks for negative outcomes. Evidence-based interventions show promise for improving foster child well-being and addressing vulnerabilities.

Area of Science:

  • Child Welfare
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Children in foster care are at higher risk for adverse emotional, behavioral, neurobiological, and social outcomes.
  • Causes include abuse, neglect, and factors like prenatal substance exposure and frequent placement changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe risks and vulnerabilities in foster children.
  • To summarize evidence-based interventions for foster families.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of the PsycINFO database (to March 2012).
  • Identification and summary of eight efficacious evidence-based interventions.

Main Results:

  • Development of interventions for foster children has lagged but several show promise.
  • Service system constraints present challenges and opportunities for intervention implementation.

Conclusions:

  • Increased efforts are needed to understand foster child vulnerability pathways.
  • Implementing effective interventions is crucial for improving outcomes; international evaluation is also warranted.
Abstract

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