Paper
The challenge of growing up in care: a longitudinal study of outcomes
- issue: Issue 3 / 2009
- authors: Elizabeth Fernandez
- keywords: carers, foster care
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- downloaded: 0
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abstract
Background
Across Australia, over the last five years, the numbers of notifications of child abuse and neglect increased from 107,134 in 1999-2000 to 252,831 in 2004-2005. On investigation of maltreatment reports and substantiation or verification a court may make Care and Protection Orders. The number of Care and Protection Orders varied from 3.4 to 5.8 per 1000 in different Australian states. In 2005 there were 23,695 children in out-of-home care representing an increase of 70% since 1996 and a rate of 4.9 per 1,000 children in care rising from 3.0 per 1,000 in 1997 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2006). Children in care are a profoundly disadvantaged group and their position in out-of-home care systems has been subject to intense criticism for the protracted periods children spend in unplanned care, the instability they experience, their poor educational achievement and vocational prognosis, and importantly, the lack of preventive and supportive services to families. This paper reports research undertaken on children's and carers' and teachers' perspectives on the experience of being in care and interventions affecting children in care.
Method
The research involves a longitudinal study using a prospective, repeated measures design. Children and young people's needs, strengths and difficulties and caregivers' responses to these are assessed at different stages of the care process: at four months after entry to care and at 18-24 month intervals thereafter. Quantitative and qualitative methods were combined to document the process of interactions between children, caseworkers and carers and capture outcomes. Personal interviews with children over eight years of age and caseworkers and foster carers of children of all ages are the main sources of data. Semi-structured interview instruments incorporated items from the Assessment and Action Records that are part of the Looking After Children framework (Parker et al. 1992). Standardized measures used included the Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) with versions completed by carers and teachers, the Hare Self Esteem Scale, and the Interpersonal Parent and Peer Attachment Scale. The sample was drawn from Barnardo's Find-A-Family Programme which specialises in long term care, placing children in need of permanency with foster families. The sample included 59 children, 29 boys and 30 girls, ages ranging from four to fifteen.
Selected findings
Overall findings from the study indicate that despite concerns related to placement stability, academic performance and emotional and social development, children in this sample displayed resilient outcomes in some domains such as family and social relationships and pro-social behaviours as they progressed over time in their care placements. Results from teachers' comparative assessments of the children in care and a comparison group lend support to the resilience literature that views the school environment and educational process as affording structure, boundaries and security to children in care systems and enhancing their wellbeing. The voices of children add an important dimension to the study bringing into the research their lived experiences and demonstrating their potential to contribute to policy and service development.
Salient results relate to care history, foster family attachment and cohesion, birth family contact, children's self esteem and emotional and behavioural outcomes.
- On average children are in care for 8.2 years and have had an average of 4.4 placements.
- 75% of children indicated they got on very well with their foster mothers and 55% rated their relationship with the foster father similarly. 86% were positive about their relationship with their foster sibling.
- Higher cohesion scores were associated with positive feelings, outcomes and behaviours.
- Analyses of foster parent and peer attachment assessed through the Interpersonal Parent and Peer Attachment Scale (IPPA) at the third and sixth year in care indicated statistically significant changes in the positive direction on maternal attachment, trust and communication and overall peer attachment. The strongest changes were observed for boys and older children who seemed to be catching up with girls and younger children.
Other significant correlations noted were:
- Greater maternal trust and communication was associated with less conduct problems and lower peer problem ratings.
- Better foster father cohesion was associated with fewer conduct problems and fewer pro-social problems.
- The majority of respondents reported contact with birth mothers (90%) and birth fathers (58%) with 78% wanting more contact with birth fathers.
- Birth father contact was associated with fewer negative feelings and mood statements and increased relationship building skills.
- Higher number of placement changes impact negatively on development of pro-social behaviours and peer self esteem.
- Girls remained stable in their self esteem scores over 3 waves of data collection, boys improved on their self esteem scores at the third wave.
- Children who have been with their carer for three years have on average better academic adjustment and overall adjustment as assessed by caseworkers.
Conclusions and implications
Based on a framework of resilience, child welfare practitioners could develop strategic interventions that promote children's strengths and competence to enable them to recover from early adversity. Such interventions may range from fostering children's relationship building skills to supporting carers and teachers in acknowledging and reinforcing children's pro-social behaviours and self worth, or facilitating the school experience through mentoring opportunities and positive peer and adult attachment relationships. The importance of developing a sound theoretical and empirical foundation for improved practice in child welfare is stressed. Methodological issues that are unique to the conduct of longitudinal research and the vulnerabilities of children and young people in the research process (Greig and Taylor 1999) will be addressed in this paper.
References
Fernandez, E. (2007) 'Unraveling Emotional, Behavioural and Educational Outcomes in a Longitudinal Study of Children in Foster-Care.' British Journal of Social Work. (Advanced access available 18 April 2007 - doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcm028).
Fernandez, E. (2007) 'How Children Experience Fostering Outcomes: Participatory Research with Children.' Child and Family Social Work 12, 4, 349-359.
Greig, A. and Taylor, J. (1999) Doing Research with Children. London: Sage.
Contact details
Dr Elizabeth Fernandez, School of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.
Tel: 612 93851865 Fax: 612 96628991
Email: e.fernandez@unsw.edu.au