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Synonyms

Kinship care; Out-of-home placements; Parental rights termination

Definition

Temporary care provided for children who are unable to live with their biological parents and are typically placed by state agencies [4].

Description

In the United States over 500,000 children are currently in some foster care placement [1]. Some of the reasons for foster care placements include cases where children have been abused or neglected, have severe emotional or behavioral problems, or there have been parental problems such as drug abuse, incarceration, abandonment, serious illness, or death [1]. The largest population of children in foster care is African American children who represent two thirds of all children and foster care and are more likely to remain in foster care for longer periods of time [1]. However, two thirds of children in foster care will be reunited with their parents within 2 years. Unfortunately, many children spend years waiting in the system to either go back to their...

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References

  1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Facts for families foster care [Data File]. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/foster_care

  2. Child Welfare Information Gateway Protecting Children Strengthening Families. Child welfare/foster care statistics [Data File]. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/foster.cfm

  3. Geenen, S., & Powers, L. E. (2007). Tomorrow is another problem: The experiences of youth in foster care during their transition into adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review, 29, 1085–1101.

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  4. United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Child welfare policy manual [Data File]. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/j2ee/programs/cb/laws_policies/laws/cwpm/policy_dsp.jsp?citID=207#820

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Dvorak, S., Howe, T.R. (2011). Foster Care. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1161

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1161

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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