The practice of informal child fostering is pervasive in the Caribbean and other parts of the developing world. While the reasons for fostering out a child are clear it is not clear why an individual would accept the task of caring for someone else's child. In this paper we argue that acceptance...

This study analyzed teachers' assessments of behavior problems in 97 children in foster care (54 boys and 43 girls) compared to a gender- and age-matched control group consisting of 97 classmates. The Teacher Report Form (TRF) was applied. The results show that although most of the foster...

The objective of this qualitative study was to examine issues that unrelated and kinship foster caregivers in Los Angeles, CA, have in seeking help and accessing and using health care for children in foster care. There were four themes identified for all caregivers: (1) “Doing Our Best”...

Foster children manifest a high incidence of externalizing behavior disorders compared with children from the general population and these problems are associated with unplanned disruptions in foster care placement. This study is a randomized trial (Treatment vs. Waiting list) for investigating...

This study analyzed foster carers' and teachers' assessments of behavior problems and impulsivity/inattention in 104 children in foster care (56 boys and 48 girls). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Conners' Parent Rating Scale—Revised were completed by foster parents, while the...

We conducted a randomized effectiveness trial to test the hypothesis that foster children of primary-school age who were exposed to an individualized direct-instruction tutoring intervention delivered by their foster parents would experience significantly greater pre-test to post-test gains in...

Adoption is particularly important for foster children with special mental health needs who are unable to return home, as adoption increases parental support often critically needed by youth with mental health issues. Unfortunately, significant behavior problems frequently inhibit foster parents...

The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics and risk factors of children who run away from foster care. By examining variables from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) dataset, this study compared two groups of foster children: those who run away...

Many foster parents are ill prepared to meet the behavioral needs of children placed in their homes. Research suggests they lack training in evidence-based behavioral interventions and feel unsupported by child welfare professionals. Given the complex needs of foster children and increased rates...