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Children in foster care – Five years on

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Paul Delfabbro ,
Daniel King  and
James Barber
Paul Delfabbro
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5005, Email: paul.delfabbro@adelaide.edu.au
Daniel King
Affiliation:
Research Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Adelaide
James Barber
Affiliation:
University of New England, Armidale, NSW
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Abstract

This paper reviews the findings of the South Australian longitudinal study and the extent to which findings are borne out in subsequent national and international research. Included in this paper is an analysis of several issues in out-of-home care, including the disparity between child and carer numbers, the nature and effects of placement instability, the complexity of child behaviour and family contact. Using some recent findings of the ongoing National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) study in the United States, the paper shows how many of the South Australian findings have been also borne out in other studies with larger sample sizes and more sophisticated measures. These comparisons suggest that the out-of-home care experiences of children living in both countries may share many similarities. Findings obtained in either country may be more easily translated to inform policy and practice internationally than has been previously thought.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , 2010 , pp. 22 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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