Foster care placement breakdown in the Netherlands and Flanders: Prevalence, precursors, and associated factors

Abstract

Family foster care is the option of choice for children in need of out‐of‐home care in Flanders and the Netherlands. Foster care is however a vulnerable intervention, and questions can be raised as to its efficacy. Although the literature on placement breakdown has made significant progress during the last years, empirical knowledge regarding breakdown in Flanders and the Netherlands remains scant. Consequently, this study aimed at investigating prevalence and precursors of breakdowns in long‐term foster care, the duration of placement before breakdown, and the association of child and placement characteristics with breakdown. Case files of 271 Dutch and 309 Flemish foster children were analysed with a coding scheme designed for this study. After 6 years, 398 placements had terminated: 169 placements broke down and 229 placements ended positively. Placements broke down mainly because of behavioural problems of the foster child, foster parents' parenting problems, and conflicts between birth and foster parents. Foster children with behavioural problems, older foster children, foster children denied treatment, and foster children in care because of sexual abuse were more at risk of breakdown. Assessing these factors is important when evaluating the appropriateness of a family foster care placement.

Psychosocial screening and monitoring for children in foster care: Psychometric properties of the Brief Assessment Checklist in a Dutch population study

“…Although there was large variation, foster children resided on average >4.5 years with their current foster family which might indicate that they are stably settled in their foster families. In line with previous studies ( Oosterman, Schuengel, Slot, Bullens, & Doreleijers, 2007 ), a recent retrospective study examined both foster children’s behaviour problems on admission and after 6 months in relation to breakdown and found that only behaviour problems on admission were significantly associated with breakdown ( Vanderfaeillie, Goemans, Damen, Pijnenburg, & Van Holen, n.d. ). It would be of interest to examine whether the risk of breakdown, which is most prevalent during the first months of the placement, can be predicted in a longitudinal study using a screening measure such as the BAC.…”

A meta-analytic review of parenting interventions in foster care and adoption

“…The likelihood that foster and adoptive families already received extra support, for example, a parenting intervention to improve parenting skills, is also greater when the duration of the placement is longer. As stated before, there is evidence that the risk of placement disruption is smaller when caregiving quality is good and when the placement lasts longer (Oosterman et al, 2007; Vanderfaeillie et al, 2017). In addition, if the duration of the placement is longer, it is more likely that the children where younger at time of placement.…”

“…This information suggested that the variation in placement duration is large, but the possible moderating role of placement duration could not be examined. Moreover, longitudinal effectiveness studies of parenting interventions on placement disruption are needed, because (foster care) research shows that the first 18 months after placement may be critical for placement disruption (Vanderfaeillie, Goemans, Damen, Van Holen, & Pijnenburg, 2017). The existing intervention studies often were too short or provided incomplete data on placement duration to draw conclusions about the effects on placement disruption.…”

Risk assessment for foster placement breakdown: The predictive value of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire and foster child and foster family characteristics

“…A number of studies found that the chance of breakdown is highest in the months following the placement, e.g. : highest chance during the first 18 months according to the study by Vanderfaeillie, Goemans, Damen, Van Holen, and Pijnenburg (2018) and during the first 6 months according to the study by Wulczyn, Kogan, and Harden (2003). Within our study, at the moment of assessment with the SDQ only 22% of the foster children were with the foster family for less than 18 months.…”