The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the social and psychological implications created by unstable placements and trauma experienced by former foster youth. The participants of the study were recruited from college campuses via Extended Opportunity Program and Services liaisons as well as the Guardian Scholar Program liaisons. The sample included individuals that identified as former foster youth and individuals that identified as never being in foster care. The findings indicated the social and psychological differences among former foster youth that resided in unstable living arrangements as compared to youth that were not in foster care.

In 2015, over 427,000 children were in foster care and the largest population were in California's system. Of those children, more than 9,400 were prescribed psychotropic medications. Increases of psychotropic medication use have led to investigations and findings of medication oversights in foster care. Medication oversights included medication nonadherence, which was linked to an increase of problematic behaviors in foster children. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the issues of medication adherence for foster care providers who care for foster children of mild to chronic health concerns who were prescribed medications and experienced multiple placements. By utilizing the health belief model as a guide to formulate the research question and interview questions, an understanding of how the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of foster care providers were impacting proper medication adherence behaviors began to manifest. Data gathered through semistructured interviews of foster care providers were analyzed to code and identify themes. The results of this phenomenological study revealed the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes of foster care providers related to medication adherence behaviors. Multiple barriers to medication adherence for foster children included systemic interferences, limited health information, limited knowledge regarding medications and medication side effects, and child refusal. These findings may be used to create educational trainings, inform policymakers, and develop regulations for medication use in foster care, which could bring about positive change by increasing the potential for better health outcomes for foster children.

In this study, the researchers explored child welfare workers’ perceptions on placement changes for youth in foster care and the impact these changes had on youths’ overall outcomes. Using a Post Positivist paradigm, qualitative research was completed using snowball-sampling procedures. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with sixteen members from their personal networks of child welfare social workers that have direct contact with foster youth. The research participants included current child welfare social workers from two counties in Southern California. The study’s findings suggest that children’s behaviors and foster parents’ reactions to those behaviors impacted placement changes. Further, participants felt that these changes significantly impacted youths’ educational outcomes. Participants identified a variety of interventions they used to try to mitigate placement changes, some with more or less success. Finally, workers identified barriers within the child welfare system, including communications and compensation, that might have an impact on placement changes. Implications for social work practice, policy and research are discussed.