Approximately 400,000 children and teenagers are in foster care in America. This means that there are a number of reasons that these kids are placed in homes that are not their homes of origin. Some are for appropriate reasons, but many of them are not. We have known for some time that this kind of placement is a form of trauma to these children.
There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the negative social, behavioral, physical, and neurologic developmental and well-being effects for children in foster care who experience placement instability. Specifically, placement instability has been associated with academic problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and unhealthy attachments to caregivers, among others. Moreover, unstable or disruptions in placements while in foster care have been shown to deter the long-term goal of children exiting foster care to a permanent family.
Independently, placement instability and cumulative Adverse Child Experience exposure have been associated with negative health and well-being outcomes, along with decreased time to and likelihood of reunification for children in foster care.
Notably, foster care is an “expanded ACE,” according to a research study in PubMed. There are ten main ACEs. Outside of that, there are expanded traumatic experiences, one of which is foster care because it is traumatic for a child to be removed from their home. When they are placed in the child welfare system, children and youth see many people they don’t know. That is scary for anyone and can be very traumatic for a child.
We are blessed to have foster parents who have been willing to care for these children, but we as a country have not done a great job of preparing them for the challenges that they will face as parents to children who have been trauma-impacted by the circumstances that originally led them into foster care. The ACE research gives us insight into how deeply this impacts the brain development, the social capabilities, the emotional and physical health of children, and so many other consequences that impact their adult lives.
It is essential for all of those who are helping these children, either as foster parents or professionals, to understand that they need trauma-sensitive therapy like any other child who has been trauma-impacted. To ignore this reality is to downplay the impact of what has been labelled an expanded ACE score in their lives.
With this many children and teenagers in placement, it is important that these factors be treated with the respect that they deserve to provide a healthy environment for these children to grow and develop. It means that we should be training foster parents and professionals in ways that could give them insight into the behaviors and emotional stability of the children and teenagers in their care.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
