Foster Care Instability in District of Columbia

District of Columbia

Children need consistency, predictability and attachment to caring adults to thrive. This is especially true for children in foster care, who have often experienced trauma leading up to their foster placement.

The trauma of unstable or negative foster care experiences can cause both short-term and lifelong consequences. Physical, mental and emotional health issues associated with foster care include:

• Academic difficulties.
• Attachment issues, separation anxiety and distrust of others.
• Chronic unemployment.
• Low self-esteem and self-efficacy. 
• Less inclusion in positive social networks. 
• Substance use and risky sexual behaviors.

Children at risk of increased foster care instability include:

• Older children compared with younger children. 
• Children clinically diagnosed with an emotional disorder; additional medical diagnoses increase the risk.
• Children who are in the foster care system for more extended periods.

Strategies to improve foster care stability include:

• Addressing children’s emotional and behavioral health needs. 

• Promoting caseworker retention and ongoing education, including training professionals on attachment theory and other concepts and practices that impact the stability of foster care. 
• Prioritizing placement of children with relatives. A Child Trends analysis shows a positive upward trend in foster care with relatives among American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Healthy People 2030 has a goal to increase the proportion of adolescents in foster care who show signs of being ready for adulthood.

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Edwards, Frank, Theresa Rocha Beardall, and Hannah Curtis. “American Indian and Alaska Native Overexposure to Foster Care and Family Surveillance in the US: A Quantitative Overview of Contemporary System Contact.” Children and Youth Services Review 149 (June 2023): 106915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106915.

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Smithgall, Cheryl, Robert Matthew Gladden, Eboni Howard, Robert Goerge, and Mark Courtney. “Educational Experiences of Children in Out-Of-Home Care.” Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, 2004. https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Smithgall_Educational-Experiences-Children-Out-of-Home_Report_2004.pdf.

Stott, Tonia. “Placement Instability and Risky Behaviors of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care.” Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 29, no. 1 (February 2012): 61–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-011-0247-8.

Wedeles, Julia. “Placement Stability in Child Welfare.” PARTicle, 2016. https://www.oacas.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PARTicle-Placement-Stability-in-Child-Welfare-FINAL.pdf.