Former foster youth remember multiple placement moves: A journey of loss and hope

Unrau, Yvonne A.; Seita, John R.; Putney, Kristin S.

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.03.010

Cited by 163 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…A pesar de la insistencia de varios autores que consideran que los niños y adolescentes deben pasar el mínimo tiempo posible en centros residenciales (HydeEn relación a la inestabilidad de las medidas aplicadas, diversos estudios vienen subrayando que varios cambios de residencia conllevan consecuencias negativas para el desarrollo de los niños, entre las cuales destacan la difi cultad para mantener vínculos estables en el futuro, discontinuidad en la escuela, bajo rendimiento académico, difi cultad de adaptación, sentimiento de inseguridad y difi cultad en formar redes de amistad (Casas & Montserrat, 2009;Del Valle et al, 2003;Hyde & Kammerer, 2009;Stein, 2005;Unrau et al, 2008). En nuestro estudio, los frecuentes cambios de residencia se presentan como una realidad vivida por los jóvenes, ya que la media ha sido de 4 cambios y el 43% de la muestra había sido trasladado más de cuatro veces.…”

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“…Al dejar el centro residencial, algunos jóvenes (36%) también han explicado no contar con la preparación y las informaciones necesarias, por parte del equipo técnico, para hacer dicha transición; lo que apoya los hallazgos de investigaciones como de Hyde y Kammerer (2009), Maunders et al (1999), Stein (2005), y Unrau et al (2008). Sobre este tema, los últimos autores hacen referencia a la difi cultad de los profesionales para explicar a los niños y adolescentes los cambios por los que van a pasar.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…Autores como Unrau, Seita y Putney (2008) analizaron, en su estudio, cómo los cambios de centro y/o familia de acogida afectaron a los jóvenes. Los resultados más relevantes apuntaron una sensación de pérdida de control sobre su vida; la pérdida de contacto con los amigos y, consecuentemente, la difi cultad en establecer contactos más duraderos; la discontinuidad en la escuela; la separación de grupos de hermanos y la baja autoestima.…”

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Jóvenes que estuvieron en el sistema de protección social a la infancia: Reflexiones a partir de una investigación realizada en Girona, España

Silva¹,

Montserrat²

2014

Psicol. Reflex. Crit.

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ResumenLos estudios sobre la atención residencial en España son aún escasos a pesar de la importancia de este recurso. Se presenta una investigación realizada con metodología cualitativa, que analiza la situación vivida por jóvenes que pasaron por centros residenciales de la provincia de Girona (1994Girona ( -2002, a partir de sus opiniones y percepciones expresadas en una entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados obtenidos, agrupados en subcategorías, muestran su desconocimiento del motivo del ingreso en el centro y cambios posteriores, a la vez que reconocen que fue mejor entrar en el centro que permanecer en casa, y apuntan insufi cientes apoyos para la transición a la vida adulta. Supone implicaciones a nivel de políticas de infancia y juventud y para la práctica profesional e investigadora. Palabras clave: Protección a la infancia, centros residenciales, jóvenes ex-tutelados, maltrato infantil. AbstractResearch on residential care is still scarce despite its high implementation in Spain. This article presents the results of a research using qualitative methods. The study analyses the situation experienced by young people who lived in foster care in the province of Girona (1994Girona ( -2002 based on their opinions and perceptions expressed in a semi-structured interview. The results, clustered into subcategories, show lack of knowledge about the reasons why they needed foster care, if it was better being there than staying with their parents, and the lack of support for transition to adulthood. The study shows implications for children and youth policies, professional practice and research.

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Jóvenes que estuvieron en el sistema de protección social a la infancia: Reflexiones a partir de una investigación realizada en Girona, España

Silva¹,

Montserrat²

2014

Psicol. Reflex. Crit.

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“…Some view success in terms of a positive reunification of the child with their original family (Brown & Campbell, 2007), but perhaps the most commonly agreed requirement for success is placement stability. There is widespread agreement on the disruptive nature of placement moves on foster children (Unrau, Seita, & Putney, 2008;Webster, Barth, & Needell, 2000) and placement stability has been linked to a an increased likelihood of positive outcomes for foster children including behavioural well-being (Rubin, et al, 2007), psychosocial wellbeing (Barber & Delfabbro, 2003) and mental health (James, 2004;Rubin, et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Through the Eyes of Ex-Foster Children: Placement Success and the Characteristics of Good Foster Carers

Randle¹

2013

Practice

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Randle, M. (2013). Through the eyes of ex-foster children: placement success and the characteristics of good foster carers. Practice: social work in action, 25 (1), 3-19. Through the eyes of ex-foster children: placement success and the characteristics of good foster carers AbstractMost research focusing on foster placement success or the characteristics of good foster carers is based on the opinions of people currently involved in the foster care system, such as foster carers, social workers or children in care. The few studies which include former foster children usually collect factual (usually quantitative) data to evaluate their pathways or achievements since leaving care, such as educational attainment or employment. This study differs because it examines the perceptions and opinions of adults who were in foster care as children, in relation to the important issues of what constitutes successful foster placement and the characteristics of the foster carers who are most likely to be able to make possible such a placement. For the most part, a successful placement is described by participants in terms of how they feel when they are therehappy, wanted, loved, listened to and safe. As well as the more commonly known characteristics of good foster carers, ex-foster children nominate important attributes as fun-loving, good-listeners and honest. This new perspective adds an important dimension to what we know about foster placement success and should be taken into consideration when making decisions about the delivery of foster care programmes.

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“…Instability is one of the major reasons why welfare outcomes for children in out-of-home care are often so disappointing, for constant change can have a major impact not only on children and young people's patterns of attachment and emotional wellbeing (Ward, Munro and Dearden, 2006) and their sense of self-esteem and identity (Skuse and Ward, 2003;Unrau, Seita and Putney, 2008) but also on their access to education (Social Exclusion Unit, 2003 ) and health care (Ward et al, 2002). This paper presents findings from a cluster of studies commissioned by the English government (Department for Children, Schools and Families) to explore how welfare outcomes for children placed in out of home care might be improved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of instability: Moves within the care system, their reasons, contexts and consequences

Ward

2009

Children and Youth Services Review

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The unstable nature of placements impacts on children's education, health and emotional development and contributes to the poor outcomes of care. The present study examined the moves of 242 long-stay children for a minimum of 3.5 years after they entered the care of six English local authorities using quantitative data extracted from case files and qualitative data from interviews with children and young people.During the study period 965 placements were made and 843 ended. The median length of placements in foster family care was four months and 3.5 months in residential care, and did not substantially increase until the third year of the care episode. While the numbers of placements differed according to children's ages and attributes, even very young children with no additional support needs experienced frequent moves. Instability in care replicated children's experiences within their birth families and reinforced perceptions of transience. While some placements broke down, the majority of moves were planned transitions embedded in the case management process. These may be a response to inadequate resources, but they also reflect how social workers and the courts struggled to acknowledge that some parents would not be able to provide adequate care within a child's timescale.

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Former foster youth remember multiple placement moves: A journey of loss and hope

Cited by 163 publications

References 14 publications

Jóvenes que estuvieron en el sistema de protección social a la infancia: Reflexiones a partir de una investigación realizada en Girona, España

Jóvenes que estuvieron en el sistema de protección social a la infancia: Reflexiones a partir de una investigación realizada en Girona, España

Through the Eyes of Ex-Foster Children: Placement Success and the Characteristics of Good Foster Carers

Patterns of instability: Moves within the care system, their reasons, contexts and consequences

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