Re: Impact of multiple placements

[Aron Shlonsky <aron.shlonsky@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

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Hi Ben,
The most definitive work I've seen to date is:
Newton, R.R., Litrownik, A.J., & Landsverk, J.A. (2000). Children and 
youth in foster care:
Disentangling the relationship between problem behaviors and number of 
placements.
Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(10), 1363-1374.

Really one of the few that (at least partially) teases out the 'chicken 
or egg' problem.
Best,
Aron



Ben Saunders wrote:

> I am looking for definitive research (if it exists) on the impact, if 
> any, of multiple fostercare placements on children. It appears to be a 
> well-accepted clinical proposition that children who experience 
> changes in fostercare placements and multiple fostercare placements 
> are negatively impacted by these movements compared to children in 
> only one or fewer placements, or children never removed.  In other 
> words, multiple fostercare placements result in increased emotional 
> and behavioral difficulties for children.  However, it also clinical 
> lore that children with existing significant emotional and behavior 
> problems at the time of removal are more likely to fail in placements, 
> suggesting a reverse causal direction, i.e., kids with serious 
> problems are a handful to manage and foster parents with those 
> children are more likely to just give up and have them removed and 
> placed elsewhere. Problem kids have more placements.  Fostercare is 
> not my area, so I am looking for the best, most well-accepted research 
> into this question of the relationship between multiple fostercare 
> placements and emotional and behavioral problems among children.  Any 
> citations, summaries, or directions would be appreciated.  You may 
> contact me back channel at saunders@musc.edu.
>
> Thanks, Ben


-- 
Aron Shlonsky
Associate Professor
University of Toronto
Faculty of Social Work
246 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1
Canada
Phone: (416) 978-6718
Fax: (416) 978-7072
email: aron.shlonsky@utoronto.ca

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