Why are children placed in foster care?

I am a social worker, and have worked in Australia in the foster care system for many years. Children enter foster care for a range of reasons. Children who come into care may be placed into care by their parents/caregivers to provide a family break or respite. Children may be placed into care by the Department of Human Services because they are at risk of harm. There are many factors contributing to pressure on families in Australia. In this hub I will look at some of the factors that lead to children being placed in foster care. I will briefly consider societal and systemic factors, parent challenges, and factors directly relating to the child.

Societal / Systemic Stressors

• Our society has never been more mobile. It was not so long ago that generations would live together in the one house, or within very close proximity of each other. In this kind of living arrangement, if one family member struggles, another is close by to notice, and to help. And most importantly, support is often at hand before problems arise. As the African proverb states, "it takes a village to raise a child". Families always have their problems, and abuse and neglect are not merely modern phenomena. However, social isolation is a significant stressor facing many people today. The absence of social support compounds struggles in other areas. It is difficult to change, as the problem runs deep within society. Community is not easily manufactured. The very architecture of our modern homes reinforce our separateness from those around us. Remote garages leading to internal doors mean that we barely are seen at the front of our houses.
• Broad societal issues such as the lack of affordable housing in areas with reasonable employment and transport options leave people living further away from family, and work options, in locations that are often under-resourced and cash poor.
• Cost of living, high rents, rising cost of fuel and other goods and services also contribute to family strain.
• The family unit itself has undergone radical change. Family structures are more complex and changeable than ever before.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but show that there are a range of factors that make raising children more difficult, and often people experiencing the brunt of these pressures are not necessarily able to do much about them.

Factors within the parent/caregiver

Societal factors provide a backdrop of stress for many families. Some families struggle with additional compounding issues such as:

• homelessness
• unemployment or underemployment
• mental health issues
• drug and alcohol addictions
• domestic violence
• past experiences of abuse
• parent disabilities
• under-developed parenting skills

There are so many factors that impact on a person's capacity to function to their full potential, including to parent. Most children who come into care come from families where multiple sources of stress are evident. In my experience, substance abuse and poor mental health combined with past experiences of abuse in a context of social isolation and unemployment make for a fairly standard picture of families in crisis in need of foster care.
I have stressed these areas because people sometimes describe these families as "bad", "selfish", and other judgmental or derogatory terms. Parents of children who enter foster care often have deep-seated areas of hurt, need and challenge. For some, these issues ares so overwhelming that they are unable to meet the physical, emotional and psychological needs of their children. Parenting is difficult at the best of times. Throw in a handful of these issues, and it is not hard to see why some families reach substantial crisis.

Factors within the child

Some children can be very challenging to raise. Developmental delays, disabilities, and disorders such as ADHD all provide additional stress for parents. And require parents to seek out resources, supports and parenting strategies to best meet the needs of the child.

Children enter foster care for a range of reasons. Many services provide support for parents of children with special needs, other services target many of the parent factors identified here. However, addressing the broader societal and political issues of family breakdown, economic disadvantage, isolation and uneven distribution of resources is critical to bring about real change and reduction in the need for foster care.