Health care needs of children in the foster care system

Nearly 750 000 children are currently in foster care in the United States. Recent trends in foster care include reliance on extended family members to care for children in kinship care placements, increased efforts to reduce the length of placement, acceleration of termination of parental rights pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 2000-10, Vol.106 (4), p.909-918
Main Authors: SIMMS, Mark D, DUBOWITZ, Howard, SZILAGYI, Moira A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Analysis. Health state
Biological and medical sciences
Care and treatment
Child
Epidemiology
Family Relations
Foster children
Foster Home Care - history
Foster Home Care - legislation & jurisprudence
Foster Home Care - psychology
General aspects
Health Care Reform
Health Services - utilization
Health Status
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
Humans
Medical sciences
Mental Health Services
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Social Welfare
United States
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Summary:Nearly 750 000 children are currently in foster care in the United States. Recent trends in foster care include reliance on extended family members to care for children in kinship care placements, increased efforts to reduce the length of placement, acceleration of termination of parental rights proceedings, and emphasis on adoption. It is not clear what impact welfare reform may have on the number of children who may require foster care placement. Although most children enter foster care with medical, mental health, or developmental problems, many do not receive adequate or appropriate care while in placement. Psychological and emotional problems, in particular, may worsen rather than improve. Multiple barriers to adequate health care for this population exist. Health care practitioners can help to improve the health and well-being of children in foster care by performing timely and thorough admission evaluations, providing continuity of care, and playing an active advocacy role. Potential areas for health services research include study of the impact of different models of health care delivery, the role of a medical home in providing continuity of care, the perception of the foster care experience by the child, children's adjustment to foster care, and foster parent education on health outcomes.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275