“Imagine if you woke up with a different family every 9.3 days for years.” — Robert Latham, “This is not okay — Visualizing foster care placement instability”
Children in foster care tend to move a lot.
An investigative report by Florida journalists sought to dive deep into the question of instability. For a significant population of foster children, stays of only a few days at a single home were common. In one example, a child moved to 36 different homes, many before he was five years old.
Download Now: The Essential Guide To Becoming A Foster Parent In Washington State
The effect of instability on foster children is profound. It impacts their mental health, emotional well-being, ability to form meaningful relationships, and educational outcomes.
It also typically drives them to develop behavioral issues that make it more likely they will be removed from homes and moved again, which only adds to the root of the problem.
Tackling instability demands understanding the factors that cause it in the first place, and foster parents are in an ideal position to do so.
Understanding the factors that lead to instability is the first step to equipping foster parents with the tools to anticipate and prepare for those challenges.
For example, older youth typically have higher rates of instability, in part because they have more mobility. Foster parents who take placement of older youth can enroll in training programs to learn how to address these issues and decrease the likelihood of another move.
Instability comes from lots of sources. From a foster child’s age to the capacity of their caseworker, there is no single reason why children are more likely to experience instability. Here’s a summary of the most common factors.
To combat these components, foster parents should take a proactive approach to prepare for the challenges of instability.
Foster parents are on the front lines of every foster child’s battle with instability. It is their responsibility and an opportunity to significantly improve a child’s chances of finding a safe, secure, loving home.
You can provide foster children with a higher chance of stability through the following:
Become an expert about your child.
If your child has behavioral issues, find a non-profit offering training programs related to the issues they face.
Read articles, talk to parents who have fostered similar children, and take every opportunity to find out how you can better serve your foster child.
A foster child might have moved a dozen times before they arrive at your home.
Accept that instability might be their norm and use it as motivation to show them that they deserve a consistent, loving home they can count on.
Nothing can compare to the bond a child has with their parents. Make an effort to get to know them and foster connections between them and their child.
When you form meaningful relationships with a child’s parents, you’re more likely to learn things about your child that will help their transition into your home, like their favorite foods, their bedtime routine, or even their favorite games.
Putting an end to instability isn’t easy, especially if you’re caring for a child with a history of behavioral issues. But you don’t have to do it alone.
Take advantage of respite care, talk with fellow foster parents, and attend support groups arranged by local non-profits or your agency. Use whatever support you can so that you’re fit to support a child who needs you in a big way.
Start curbing the problem of instability now. Find out how you can help in this free guide to becoming a foster parent in WA.