Suicide in Foster Care: A High-Priority Safety Concern

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Social Work

Background:

• Youth in foster care exhibit disproportionately high rates of suicide.
• Routine universal suicide-risk assessments are frequently absent in foster care agencies.
• Barriers to implementing universal suicide screenings hinder effective prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• Advocate for the critical need for universal suicide-risk assessments in foster care.
• Identify contextual factors impeding the implementation of suicide screenings.
• Propose strategies for integrating suicide risk assessments into routine care.

Main Methods:

• Review of current practices and barriers in foster care suicide prevention.
• Analysis of stakeholder perspectives (clinicians, agencies, foster parents, case managers).
• Discussion of potential implementation strategies and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Main Results:

• Universal suicide-risk assessments are not standard practice despite high-risk populations.
• Multiple stakeholders are involved, but access varies.
• Case managers offer a promising avenue for consistent screening due to frequent youth contact.

Conclusions:

• Implementing universal suicide-risk assessments is vital for protecting youths in foster care.
• Case managers are uniquely positioned to conduct screenings and require specialized training.
• A multi-stakeholder approach, prioritizing case manager involvement, can enhance suicide prevention efforts.