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Running Away from Foster Care: What Do We Know and What Do We Do?

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Abstract

Running away is a serious problem behavior that occurs frequently among youth in the foster care system. Given the severity of the problem, it is important to understand the phenomenon and seek solutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature to determine what is known about youth running away from foster care placements and to identify strategies that have been implemented to reduce the magnitude of the problem. We begin by describing how running away has been defined within the child welfare system and what is known about the prevalence of runaway behavior among youth in foster care. We then consider risk factors related to running away, along with ramifications for youth when they run away. Lastly, we discuss motivations for running and offer suggestions of strategies that can be helpful in efforts to prevent or reduce running. Strategies include promising research that uses a behavioral functional assessment and intervention approach to decrease running and stabilize placements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Kimberly Crosland & Glen Dunlap

  2. University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89509, USA

    Glen Dunlap

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  1. Kimberly Crosland
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  2. Glen Dunlap
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Correspondence to Kimberly Crosland.

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Crosland, K., Dunlap, G. Running Away from Foster Care: What Do We Know and What Do We Do?. J Child Fam Stud 24, 1697–1706 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9972-x

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