Foster care from the child's perspective: Knowledge and attitudes about foster care and their relationship with developmental functioning and the foster care environment.

摘要

Sixty-eight 10- to 17-year-old children (38 females, 30 males) who resided in foster homes, group homes, or semi-lock-up facilities because of abuse, neglect, and/or child behavior problems were interviewed. Information was collected about: their knowledge of their foster care situations, the court plans for them, and the purposes and procedures of foster care and court; their attitudes about foster care, their current placements, and their parents; and their social support, self-concepts, and anxiety. Additional information included: children's maladaptive behaviors and adjustment in foster care (collected from foster parents/group-home staff); academic performance (collected from schools); foster care system experiences and court plans (collected from court and child protective agency records); and current foster placement characteristics (including foster parent/group-home staff knowledge and opinions about children).;Foster parent/group-home staff knowledge and opinions predicted more child knowledge and positive attitudes about parents. More time in foster care was related to less knowledge about foster care, more knowledge about the identity of service providers, and more positive attitudes about parents. Placement stability was likewise related to less knowledge, but to less positive attitudes about parents, and more positive attitudes about foster care. Given the relationships found with time in foster care and placement stability, the possible existence of four types of foster placement history patterns (temporary/stable, temporary/unstable, long-term/stable, long-term/unstable) and their effects on children's attitudes, knowledge, and developmental functioning are discussed.;Although children understood the purpose of foster care, their knowledge about their foster care histories and court plans was vague (only 1/3 having accurate knowledge about the reason for placement, time in foster care, and number of placements experienced). Children recognized positive and negative aspects of foster care, and they valued social support and family contact. Children's knowledge and attitudes about foster care did not predict their anxiety, maladaptive behaviors, adjustment in foster care, and grade point averages. Greater knowledge about the purpose and procedures of court, and the identity of service providers, however, was related to better self-concepts.