Abstract
This commentary presents data about the emotional, behavioral, and substance abuse disorders of youth in foster care and former recipients of foster care (“alumni”) in the United States to underscore the reasons why high quality mental health services are essential.
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Notes
These data are from the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARSs)—which used data from 45 states and other jurisdictions, including Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, to derive these estimates. For total children served in 2008, see: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/trends.htm Note that AFCARS data are periodically updated, therefore, the data cited may not match the data on the current website.
The most accurate and comprehensive length of stay and other placement data, however, are not from point-in-time snapshot studies, but from cohort or administrative data base studies that follow children over time to pick up the dynamics of change. With these data, we see that infants and adolescents spent longer periods in care (Wulczyn et al. 2007).
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to the youth in foster care and alumni who shared their stories and completed interviews for the studies we summarized. I also appreciate the comments from two anonymous reviewers which helped strengthen this article. Special thanks to my co-authors of a recent journal article devoted to the mental health functioning of children and alumni of foster care that I drew from: Catherine Roller White of Casey Family Programs, Lovie J. Jackson of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, and Tamera Wiggins of the Psychology Department, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Queensland Health, Australia.
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Pecora, P.J. Why Current and Former Recipients of Foster Care Need High Quality Mental Health Services. Adm Policy Ment Health 37, 185–190 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-010-0295-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-010-0295-y