abstract: Although child welfare services are anticipated, in part, to lessen the negative influence of maltreatment on childhood and adolescent development, there is evidence that involvement in the foster care system negatively affects adolescent substance use. Within the literature, limited empirical research has emerged in regard to this issue. The present study aims to fill this critical gap in the literature by examining the association between baseline biological, psychological, and social risk and protective factors on adolescent involvement in substance use, and frequency of substance use, over a period of 24 months for foster care involved youth. Furthermore, the present study compares substance use behaviors between youth with differing experiences of maltreatment subtypes and severity levels. Data come from VOYAGES, a longitudinal study of older adolescents in the custody of the Missouri Children’s Division for foster care services. The current analysis reports on those youth who completed both the baseline and the final interview (N=323). Key findings include significant associations between baseline peer substance use, lowered levels of school commitment, mentorship, and familial support with later adolescent substance use. Overall, the existence of numerous individual risk factors far outweighs the potential of protective factors buffering against subsequent substance use in the current study. The foster care system, although well-intentioned, potentially barricades individuals from successfully navigating through adolescence and early adulthood without engaging in risky behaviors such as substance use. Given the high prevalence of substance use among those placed in the care of the foster care system, prevention efforts for this population requires an improved understanding of psychosocial risk and protective factors. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminology and Criminal Justice 2019

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Foster care is a major area of interest within the field of social work studies. The South African welfare system has not done enough to assist the youth exiting the system. This study aimed to explore and describe the experiences and support systems for youth exiting the foster care system. A qualitative exploratory-descriptive research approach was utilized with of focus group discussions, which were thematically analysed. The Humanities Social Science Research Ethics Committee ethically approved this study. Four themes were identified: insight into foster care system, challenges experienced by the youth exiting care, support needed by youth exiting care and challenges experienced by the social workers to manage foster care placements.

This qualitative study sought to fill the gap in existing literature on camp counselor training through the following research questions: (1) How have different summer youth camps developed counselor training specific to youth in foster care, (2) what topics and best practices are used by the summer youth camps during their training for their summer camp counselors, and (3) how have those individuals working within the camping ministry field perceived the effectiveness of the training for summer camp counselors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten different camp professionals to answer these questions. The data showed a heavy emphasis on topics such as understanding the background of the campers, especially in the area of trauma and abuse. Camp counselors were more receptive to the training when it was taught in an experiential style, rather than a lecture style. Overall, camp professionals viewed the training they provided for their counselors as effective.

The diploma thesis discusses the impact of foster care on biological children of foster parents from the perspective of foster parents, biological children of foster parents and experts in their work with the issue of foster care encounter. Aim of this work is to propose options for social work with biological children of applicants for foster care in the way they are not negatively affected. Key words: foster care, biological children of foster parents, accompanying foster families, preparing for foster care

A better understanding of kinship foster families' perceptions of the familial factors and parenting beliefs that promote or inhibit successful fostering can inform child welfare practice and policy. To this end, and to extend previous research [Buehler, C., Cox, M. E., and Cuddeback, G. (2003). Foster parents' perceptions of factors that promote or inhibit successful fostering. Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice, 2(1), 61-84.], semi-structured interviews were conducted with kinship foster parents to explore their perceptions with regard to the familial factors and parenting beliefs that promote or inhibit successful fostering. Nine kinship foster parents from 8 families were interviewed. The results of this study were compared to the results of the Buehler et al. [Buehler, C., Cox, M. E., and Cuddeback, G. (2003). Foster parents' perceptions of factors that promote or inhibit successful fostering. Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice, 2(1), 61-84.] study on nonkinship foster parents. Similar themes emerged from both groups, but kinship foster parents described more complex issues with their families- of-origin. Characteristics that promote successful fostering of kin include support of family, commitment to children, faith, good parenting abilities, church involvement, flexibility, and adequate resources. Characteristics that inhibit successful fostering of kin include strained relations with birth family, poor discipline strategies, inability to deal with "the system," lack of resources, and inability to deal with children's emotional, behavioral, physical problems. The findings suggest a need to focus on special training and support services for kinship foster parents, as well as assessments specific to kinship fostering.

Bibliography: leaves 79-94. / The field of related foster care has to a large extent been neglected. Related foster care is regarded with considerable scepticism and ambivalence by many social workers because of a number of pitfalls which are often associated with such placements. The aim of this study is to explore the relative merits of related and unrelated foster placements, and thus to enhance knowledge in this area and so improve service delivery to foster children, their parents, by foster parents and child and family welfare agencies. A literature survey was undertaken during which it was evident that the field of related foster care has received little attention in both literature and research. The literature studies have highlighted some of the pros and cons of related and unrelated foster placements. A questionnaire was constructed and administered to a sample of related and unrelated foster parents. A descriptive analysis was made of the results with the focus being on the behaviour and academic functioning of the children. The overall findings in this study showed that children fostered by relatives seemed to be doing at least the same as, and in some aspects better than, those children fostered by recruited unrelated foster parents. Over a 11 there appeared to be some significant advantages for those children who were being fostered by relatives.

Many children are unable to remain in the care of their biological families, and often the only solution is to commit them to long-term foster-care in order to ensure their emotional, physical and social well-being. Children in long-term foster-care in South Africa are subject to impermanence in their living arrangements. Long-term foster-care, in reality, is for an unlimited time-period, during which the biological family can at any time rehabilitate itself and petition the court for the return of the child. This is further exacerbated by childcare legislation which does not provide for legal guardianship in foster-care through termination of parental rights and reconstruction services to natural parents. At present, the move in childcare practice is to institute permanency planning philosophy and tennets for children placed in foster-care in order for them to experience stability and continuity of relationships and family life. The move to implement permanency planning in foster-care is new in South Africa and is not supported through South African research and legislative procedures. There is a definite need for the development of a guideline which will exclude natural parents from resuming the care of their placed child, thereby advocating foster care as the next option of permanency for a child, given the situation where adoption is not a feasible alternative. This guideline can hopefully be utilised to gather data motivating for legal guardianship in foster care, through termination of parental rights, thereby assuring the long-term foster child of permanency in his living arrangements.

Children placed in foster care face considerable stress and trauma related to being removed from their homes and subsequently living in a new environment. They may exhibit severe disruptive or antisocial behavior as a consequence. Clinicians and researchers often have not considered that these behaviors may be due to children's underdeveloped cognitive control and response. Treatment approaches that offer more holistic perspectives on stress and the inclusion of individual and specialized therapies may help foster children to better control their responses and return to their biological families sooner. The purpose of this study was to focus on whether individual therapy and the inclusion of rehabilitative strategies decreased severe disruptive/antisocial behavior in children placed in foster care or foster homes. Using archival data, disruptive behavior tallies were compared between foster children who began individual therapy and then the same children with the inclusion of rehabilitative strategies. A significant decrease in disruptive behavior was found with foster children within three months of individual therapy and then again, three months after the inclusion of rehabilitative strategies, regardless of gender. Gender was found to have no significance in participants' response to treatment. Findings demonstrate the value of using multiple treatments for decreasing disruptive behavior in foster children. Using multiple treatments, clinicians may be better able to help children positively transform their lives as they navigate the foster care system, resulting in potential positive social change.

This research evaluates the results of a change in policy by Oregon's Children's Services Division permitting foster parents to adopt their foster child. A comparison was made between two groups of children, both of whom were seen by their caseworkers as not likely to return home and adoptable. One group was believed likely to be adopted by foster parents and the other believed likely to be adopted by new parents. Process and outcome of placement efforts for the two groups are described and compared. The study sample, comprised of 155 children, were followed for 28 months from the time the decision was made that they were not likely to return home and were adoptable. Decisions necessary to reach the adoption goal were identified, and the time they took were summarized for the sample. An assessment was made of the extent to which variables having to do with characteristics of the child, his history with the agency and the influence of the agency and court accounted for decisions made and time. From the results of this study it appears that adoption by foster parents is a viable option for permanent placement. It can be accomplished as quickly, for as many children, and with no more risk than adoption by new parents. No difference was found in the proportion of the sample who were adopted by new parents and those adopted by foster parents. It took approximately one year, no matter what the outcome. Children who might not otherwise be placeable were adopted by foster parents. These were the older children who had been in foster care longer and were considered less placeable. This provides a placement option for those most difficult to place. Though adoption was seen as likely, half of the sample (74 of 155) remained in foster care. Of these, 31 percent (23 of 74) were freed from parents but not adopted. Children who remained in foster care are the oldest and the least placeable in the sample. For these children the options for exit from foster care are limited, and this seems to call for an intensive effort to find adoptive homes. Also needed is a closer monitoring of cases from entry into foster care to assure that the case is resolved as quickly as possible. Children were more likely to be placed in a permanent home if they liere part of a demonstration project which assigned special caseworkers to work intensively toward the goal of finding a permanent home for the child. Return to parents had the highest priority; or, if this was not possible, adoption. Eleven percent of the sample returned to their parents, though they had been thought not likely to return home. Children chosen for the project efforts were younger and more placeable. Methods used by the project caseworkers should be made available for every case to facilitate their early resolution. Several findings point to a need for some formal case review process. Some case decisions which should have been made on the facts of the case were accounted for, at least in part, by caseworker attitude. Such bias might be reduced by basing decisions on the consensus of several informed people.

The deinstitutionalization movement has challenged administrators and professionals to develop new methods of providing services to handicapped clients who reside in geographically dispersed areas. Geographic dispersion limits the frequency of direct contact with clients and increases dependency on parents or paraprofessionals for program implementation and data collection. A difficulty is that these direct service providers' program implementation or data collection efforts may be reinforced infrequently. This problem may be especially acute when the service recipients are severely or profoundly handicapped. Such individuals have slow rates of learning thus making it difficult for the service providers to discern progress.