A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Exploration of Young People's Perspectives on Foster Care and Their Reflections on How to Change the Child Welfare System

Background and Purpose:

In the United States, there is currently intense discussion about child welfare reform, including calls to dismantle the system. Unfortunately, the voices of what might arguably be the most critical stakeholder group, namely young people involved in the child welfare system, are rarely heard. Even when young people’s input about the child welfare system is solicited, there tends to be a lack of diversity in the characteristics of the young people who are heard, despite the fact that there is great diversity in their experiences. The current study sought to augment our understanding of young people’s perceptions of being placed in out-of-home care as well as their recommendations for improving the child welfare system. It was a mixed-method exploratory study that used data gathered during pre-adolescence, shortly after children had been placed in out-of-home care, as well as data from these same study participants in young adulthood, almost 10 years later.

Methods:

This study, Fostering Healthy Futures, asked 200 preadolescent children who were placed into out-of-home care (OOHC) in the past year a series of questions about being placed (e.g., If you had stayed with your biological parent(s) would your life be [better/the same/worse] than it is now? and Do you get to have enough say about what happens to you while you are in OOHC?). Participants were asked these same questions when interviewed approximately 10 years later when they were between the ages of 18-22. Finally, in young adulthood, participants were asked, If you could change the child welfare system, what would you do?

Results:

• Over 80% of participants at both time points reported that it was somewhat or very helpful to have been placed in OOHC.
• Although 40% of pre-teens felt that their lives would have been better if they had never been removed from their homes, only 11% of these same participants reported this as young adults.
• Alternatively, a third of pre-teens reported that it was very difficult to have been placed in OOHC; in young adulthood, almost two-thirds reported it being very difficult.
• 1 in 5 pre-teens and 40% of young adults reported that they did not get enough information from their caseworkers and almost half of both age groups said they almost never had enough say about what happened to them while in OOHC.

When examining whether the pre-teen or adult ratings of placement in OOHC differed by various characteristics, we found no differences as a function of race/ethnicity, gender, type of maltreatment, ACEs, emancipation or reunification status, number of caregiver changes or type of placement, behavioral health functioning, or cultural pride. There were impassioned responses to the question about changing the system that included the need for better screening of foster parents, the need to give birth parents more time before removing children, and the need for greater input in child welfare decision-making.

Conclusions and Implications: The discussion will underscore the nuanced perspectives of those with lived experience, highlighting the importance of youth voice in child welfare decision making.