Unravelling emotional, behaviourak and educational outcomes in a longitudinal study of children in foster- care /
Unravelling emotional, behaviourak and educational outcomes in a longitudinal study of children in foster- care /
Elizabeth Fernandez
- Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, September, 2008.
- 1283- 1301 p.
- Monthly
- October, 2008.
- Volume 38, Number 7 .
The experience of out- of- home care has the potential to impact on children's psycho- social outcomes in significant ways. This article highlights the interactive contribution of carers, teachers and children to the fostering experience. The paper reports on a strand of longitudinal study of children in long- term foster- care. Using a mixed- methods, repeated- measures, muti- informant approach, it focuses on emotional, behavioral and educational outcomes. Children in the study were assessed by carers and teachers for competencies and problem behaviors using the Achenbach Child Behavior check- list and its companion, the Teacher Report Form. The results suggest high prevalence rates of Externalizing and Internalizing problems with demonstrated gains in terms of improved scores and adaptive functioning at subsequent assessments as they progressed in placements. While drawing attention to the adversities reflected in the children's experience, the findings is the similarity between care children and controls in later assessments. Discussion of results and implications for practice Centre on the need for a co- ordinated strategy for improved recognition and integrated responses to children's psychological and educational needs that draw on resilience-oriented interventions and target interrelated systems of service delivery. The findings have broad implications for practitioners concerned with psycho- social outcomes for children in care, and for researchers integrating multiple perspectives in longitudinal research.