Improving the Mental Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth in Foster Care
Improving the Mental Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth in Foster Care
Written by Erin Bader
The Need for Specialized Mental Heath Resources
This month, the National Center team encourages you to take time to learn about the experiences of children and youth who are in foster care and the need to increase the accessibility of competent mental health services for them. May is both National Foster Care Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, so it is a prime time to examine this critical need. According to the FY2022 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, there were over 368,500 children in foster care as of September 30, 2022. While individual experiences are unique, these children may experience separation and loss, placement and school changes, trauma, and disconnection from important relationships; all of which can negatively impact mental health.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) identifies mental and behavioral health as the largest unmet health need for children and teens in foster care. They emphasize that the trauma of removal from a familiar environment and placement in foster care is exacerbated by “the ongoing separation, losses, and uncertainty that are endemic to foster care.”
The Repercussions of Childhood Trauma
President Biden also addressed the need for mental health services. In the National Foster Care Month Proclamation, he states that many youth “carry lasting physical and emotional scars from trauma they experienced at a young age, which can increase their risk of mental health issues or lead to substance use disorders. These challenges are magnified for children of color, who are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system: 1 in 9 Black children and 1 in 7 Native American children spend part of their childhood in foster care. “
Facts and Stats
Experiencing child welfare and foster care can negatively impact the child’s present functioning, mental health, and well-being. Research tells us that children in foster care:
- are 3–4 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder (Greiner & Beal, 2017)
- experience higher rates of various mental health disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reactive attachment disorder, and behavioral problems, as compared with the general population (Greiner & Beal, 2017; Havlicek et al., 2013; Lohr & Jones, 2016; McMillen et al., 2005; Tarren-Sweeney, 2008)
- face disproportionate use of psychotropic medication for compared with children not in care
This is why the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services is focused on building collaboration between child welfare and mental health systems, increasing the accessibility of adoption competent mental health services, and enhancing workforce competence.