Thursday, June 5, 2008

Kinship Care vs Foster Care

New research from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:

Children removed from their homes after reports of maltreatment have significantly fewer behavior problems three years after placement with relatives than if they are put into foster care.

The study, which looked at a national sample of U.S. children removed from their homes following reports of maltreatment, is published in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The results of the study provide compelling evidence to support efforts in recent years to identify what is sometimes referred to as "kinship care" as an alternative for placing children into non-relative foster care and to maximize the supports and services that will help children achieve permanency in these settings.

"Our results suggest for the first time, in a national population group, that family care may offer protective value in terms of well-being and stability for children in out-of-home care."
David M. Rubin, M.D., M.S.C.E., pediatric researcher and lead author of the study.

Full Article and Source:
Kinship Care More Beneficial Than Foster Care, Study Finds

See also:
American Medical Association
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine:

Kinship Care and Lessened Child Behavior Problems

Impact of Kinship Care on Behavioral Well-being for Children in Out-of-Home Care

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Surprise, surprise! In most cases, the care of a family IS better than strangers. So why do probate courts routinely take the care of a person being conserved away from their family and hand them over to perfect strangers who "know what is best"? You guessed it, it's because the conservatee has an estate to plunder and the family presents an obstacle to rape and pillage!

Maybe it's time for a study showing that families actually do CONSERVE the person's estate better than guardians billing $200-300/hour! The amazing finding will be made that it's because the family actually CARES about the person and sees them as more than just an open checkbook!