Foster Children Essay

3239 Words13 Pages
Abstract This research paper describes the importance of stability in the foster child’s life. It discusses multiple types of foster family homes and how each affects the stability of the foster child’s life. It examines the kinship foster care home; foster family homes, and how both affect behavioral and psychological aspects of the foster child. The paper interprets studies showing that there is a higher rate of emotional and behavioral problems with foster children relating to foster family homes due to non-kinship or family relationships. It describes the negative aspects and the positive aspects of attachment and commitment of foster families. It examines the effects of foster children in ethnic dissimilar homes and the rate of emotional distress and anxiety that link the dissimilar cultures to foster child/foster family relationships. The argument that importance of a stable foster family is the key to positive behavioral and communication styles is supported throughout the paper. Foster care is administered when a child’s family is incapable of maintaining a child-rearing environment due to complications such as neglect, physical or sexual abuse, substance abuse, or incarceration (Nilsen & Affronti. 2009. Psychosocial Adjustment in Foster Care section, para. 2). Children are temporarily separated from their immediate families and put into different homes that provide a more stable environment. The placement of foster children can be different depending on their specific family conditions. Kinship foster care is one example, which temporarily places children with other family members. There are two types of kinship foster care, formal and informal. Formal kinship care is when a child’s relative acts as the foster parent while the state has custody of them. Informal kinship care is when, “caregiving arrangements… occur without the involvement of the
Open Document