PSYC 319 Adoption/Foster Care

what is foster care?

temporary short- or long-term out-of-home placement when parents cannot care for a child

• child is legally in government care

what is the typical goal of foster care?

reunification with birth parents; occurs in approximately 50% of cases

why are children placed into foster care?

abuse or absence of care

which groups are overrepresented in foster care?

• Black and Indigenous youth

  • eg: Indigenous children are 8% of all youth but 50% of youth in foster care

what historical factors contribute to Indigenous overrepresentation in foster care?

residential schools; Sixties Scoop; ongoing cultural bias in placement decisions

what evidence shows that adoption and foster care be risk factors?

adopted/foster children show 2–2.5x higher risk of negative outcomes than children without these experiences

what negative outcomes are associated with adoption and foster care?

• school problems/learning disabilities

• externalizing behaviour

• mental health issues

• substance abuse

• insecure attachment

who is particularly at risk for negative outcomes: adopted or foster children?

children in foster care, compared with adopted children

why might adoption and foster care be associated with negative outcomes?

• prior adversity

• loss/separation

• stigma

• identity and cultural challenges

• genetic predispositions

what is a major foster-care-specific risk factor?

placement instability, including repeated changes in caregivers or homes

how might cross-racial adoption affect outcomes?

mixed findings; outcomes depend partly on parents’ cultural socialization and preparation for bias

what parental approach is associated with better outcomes in cross-racial adoption?

cultural socialization and preparing children for racial bias

what parental approach is associated with poorer outcomes in cross-racial adoption?

colourblind approach that minimizes or ignores racial differences

how can adoption and foster care be protective interventions?

can remove children from institutional care, maltreatment, neglect, or poverty and provide more supportive care

what was the Bucharest Early Intervention Project?

randomized study assigning institutionalized children to high-quality foster care or institutional care as usual; included community comparison

what did the Bucharest Early Intervention Project find?

high-quality foster care improved attachment and brain activity compared to institutional care as usual

• larger increases in outcomes before the 24 month mark

why did timing matter in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project?

placement before 24 months was linked to greater recovery in secure attachment and brain activation

what two factors were especially important in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project?

timing of placement and quality of foster parenting

what ethical concern arises from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project?

random assignment left some children in institutional care as usual

why can adoption/foster care be both risk factors and protective interventions?

• compared to unaffected peers: greater risk

• compared with children remaining in adversity: possible improvement

what did research comparing maltreated children at home vs foster care find?

no differences in outcome among birth-family, kinship foster, and non-kinship foster groups

• maltreatment comparison did best

why might foster care not improve outcomes after home maltreatment?

removal may add separation, instability, cultural deprivation, or maltreatment within foster care

what limits conclusions from home vs foster-care studies?

groups may differ in maltreatment severity, duration, timing, and other background factors

how can adoption/foster care research inform policy?

• prioritize early and high-quality care

• minimize instability

• consider removal trauma

• support culture

• address systemic bias

why should child welfare decisions consider individual differences?

average research effects do not describe every child

• benefits and risks depend on circumstances