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SUMMARY
A comprehensive survey of kinship care policies identifies increasing efforts by states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to promote kinship care and support kinship caregivers of children and youth who are known to the child welfare system. Read the policy data and analysis in a five-part series of briefs released throughout early 2024. The survey, fielded in 2022, was conducted by Child Trends for the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
THE SURVEY
To help build an understanding of the full landscape of kinship policies across states and to identify needed…
SUMMARY
This brief, the first in a five-part series, shares the findings of a comprehensive survey of state-level kinship care policies.
Kinship care is an important option to consider for kids moving through the child welfare system. A timely placement with relatives or close family friends can reduce the trauma a child experiences from being separated from their parents, siblings, friends, communities and even social support resources, such as schools and churches.
The survey results presented…
Research shows that youth who leave foster care to live independently are often at risk of homelessness, less education, unemployment/poverty, and mental health issues. There are a number of reasons for this increased risk. A variety of aftercare services for youth leaving foster care are designed to help address these risks.
The purpose of this study was to examine trends in participation and understand the experiences of youth transitioning from foster care who were involved in the Iowa Aftercare Services Program. The authors examine trends in participation, services received,…
While there is a growing body of research suggesting that care leavers experience disadvantages in early adulthood. There is only one study at hand, that use panel data to analyze long term effects. Based on this idea, the authors examine data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), covering a 50-year period, and use matching methods to compare care leavers who have been in residential care or lived with foster parents to a control group. The results indicate that being placed in out-of-home care is associated with disadvantages in terms of unemployment, life satisfaction and health. The…
Transition-age youth with foster care involvement (TAY) face significant risks for food insecurity and other hardships in early adulthood. Using representative survey data of youth transitioning out of foster care in California, the authors examine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity. They find that about 30% of study participants were food insecure at ages 19, 21, and 23.
They also identify multiple risk and protective factors associated with being food insecure, such as TAY’s sexual identity and receipt of public benefits. The results of their study offer life-stage-specific…
This article delves into the challenges faced by orphans in Nigeria, specifically focusing on their psychological development and overall welfare. In 2003, there were an estimated 7 million orphans in the country, a number projected to rise to 8.2 million by 2010. This increase underscores the significant challenges posed by factors such as HIV/AIDS, conflict, and poverty.
Globally, the orphan crisis is alarming, with predictions suggesting that by 2020, as many as 200 million children worldwide could be without parental care. The study emphasizes the importance of offering childcare…
The purpose of this U.S.-based study was to examine two intervening variables, self-care and formal support that affect the relationship between children with behavioural issues and caregiver depression. Specifically, this study examines whether self-care can mediate the relationship between children's behavioural issues and caregivers' depression levels and whether formal support can moderate the relationship between children's behavioural issues and caregivers' depression levels. Data from this study were collected from Qualtrics survey in 2020. A total of 136 participated in the survey,…
Abstract:
Purpose:
Foster care children are a highly vulnerable population and their experiences in care are considered crucial to their developmental and psychosocial wellbeing. Placement instability has been considered a possible risk factor for developmental difficulties due to its impact on the development of a reparative attachment relationship and sense of relational permanence. The current review synthesizes the literature regarding the impact of placement instability on behavioural and mental health outcomes in foster care children. Three major databases and…
Abstract:
The prevalence of grandparents assuming the caregiving responsibilities of their grandchildren has been increasing. Approximately 7.9 million children in the USA live with their grandparents or relatives. Around 2.5 million grandparents raise their grandchildren formally through the child welfare/foster care system; the remaining children are raised informally by their grandparents. Grandparents also assume caregiver roles when the parents are absent due to other commitments, including work, or when they are part of a multigenerational household. Supplementary and…
The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people who have been in care, primarily foster care, kinship care or residential care, remains a public health priority. The Care-experienced cHildren and young people’s Interventions to improve Mental health and wEll-being outcomes Systematic review (CHIMES) synthesized evidence for the effectiveness of interventions targeting: subjective wellbeing; mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders; and suicide-related outcomes. Searches were conducted in 16 bibliographic databases and 22 websites between 1990 and 2022. This was…