Psychotropic Medication

Recently, there have been state, and federal mandates to go against reunification with the biological families. These mandates were established to protect the child from further damage (Martin,

When a child is placed into foster care, many times they have trouble adjusting. This may be caused by developmental delay. In an article, by Brenda Harden, she states that, “Moreover, research demonstrates that children exposed to violent, dangerous, and/or highly unstable environments are more likely to experience developmental difficulties.1 Children exposed to violence within their homes experience the most deleterious outcomes. For example, children exposed to physical maltreatment often experience impairments in their physical health, cognitive development, academic achievement, interpersonal relationships, and mental health.” Most children are more likely to experience problems if it has to do with violence or abuse before they were taken away and placed into the system.

The most common psychological problems developed by these children are ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder. Many children suffer from attachment disorders from their foster families when taken in at a young age. Removing children from their home has proved to be traumatic to the psychological development of the child, thus creating a tough decision for child protective services when children cannot be taken in by family members (Lohr & Jones, 2016). Researchers have found that children who are in foster homes or congregate homes are more likely to be put on psychiatric medications including antianxiety, antipsychotics, stimulants, and

In the movie Short Term 12, a drama about a foster-care facility for troubled teenagers portrays the emotional journey of the teenagers and the staff running the facility. A troubled teenage girl named Jayden is brought into Short Term 12 because her father is not able to deal with her. Jayden has a past of self-harm and upon arrival is disinterested in befriending the other adolescents as she is not interested in “wasting time on short-term relationships.” Jayden displays symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder as she defies authority figures and throws tantrums. Using the illness prospective, Jayden can be diagnosed as having oppositional defiant disorder as well as depression.

Children and Youth Services Review, 27(4), 353-374. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2004.11.010 Euser, S., Alink, L. R. A., Tharner, A., van IJzendoorn, M.,H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. (2014). Out of home placement to promote safety? the prevalence of physical abuse in residential and foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 37, 64-70.

Attachment issues can cause physical problems, such as failure to thrive, as well as emotional disorders like depression, failure to form attachments to caregivers, or mental-health disturbances. The more times a child is moved, the less likely he is to form secure attachments. Between 33 and 66 percent of foster-care arrangements are disrupted during the first two years, reports developmental psychologist, Brenda Jones Harden in "Safety and Stability for Foster Children," an article published in the winter 2004 issue of the journal The Future of Children. Kids with attachment issues might be distrustful and suspicious, unable to follow rules, or appear to have no sense of guilt over their behavior. Some attach too easily to any adult that try tries to care for them, but on a shallow level and to meet

According to Crosson-Tower (2010), children enter foster care for causes such as but not limited to physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, domestic violence, substance abuse, and physical or mental illness of parents. In addition, she states that the death of parents can cause a child to enter foster care if no available relatives could undertake their care. Many of these causes of child maltreatment may also come from parents who are poor, uneducated, and experienced childhood trauma (Crosson-Tower, 2010). Therefore, the cycle of child abuse and neglect will continue if not provided the necessary services to prevent and treat the

Introduction Children in foster care have been legally removed from their birth families and placed under the care and control of state-run child welfare agencies. Every year, almost 30,000 kids age out of the foster care system after childhoods when many moves from house to house and school to school (NPR). For most foster kids, as soon as they turn 18, they're cut off from a place to live and financial support. They're suddenly on their own, suddenly responsible to find housing, money, clothing, and food; while trying to continue their education, and in most cases, they give up pursuing the latter path. While other kids their age are still getting help from a parent or guardian.

The overarching goal of Child Protective Services (CPS) is to protect children from instances of future abuse or neglect. In general, CPS is responsible for investigations of allegations of abuse and neglect, to initiate child protective proceedings and place children into foster homes when needed, with each state taking a different approach in how their agency is structured and operated. In the state of New York, CPS “first obligation is to help the family with services to prevent its break-up or to reunite it if the child has already left home” (FindLaw, 2016). The protection of the child focuses “on the child in the context of the family, and recognizes the value of the family to the child” (NY Committee on Children and Families, 2001).

Splitting up sibling relationships in foster care can affect some children to have behavioral problems. With the

Joseph A. Doyle Jr. (2007) discusses, “Children investigated for abuse or neglect are not tracked over time in a systematic way.” (p.1584). If the foster system does not efficiently track the wellbeing of these children, it makes it difficult to provide all the necessary support for them. Providing a program that will help track, transition, and counsel these children will greatly impact the overall improvement of the foster system. Foster care was not meant to be a permanent solution for these children.

They often act in a indiscriminate fashion toward adult. Many exhibit extreme behavior problems, such as hiding or hoarding food, excessive eating or drinking, rumination, self-stimulating and repetitive behaviors, and sleep disturbance. Despite excessive appetites, these children may fail to gain weight or grow normally while in placement. Unfortunately, these children frequently experience a succession of foster homes because their extreme behaviors and lack of emotional reciprocity challenge abilities of foster parents. (Simms, et al).

Each day, the safety and well-being of children across the Nation are threatened by child abuse and neglect. Intervening effectively in the lives of these children and their families are not the sole responsibility of any agency, but rather the safety and the care of the children in need. Child Protective Services (CPS) was created by law to make sure children are safe and to help families create a safe environment for their children. When investigating a report of abuse or neglect, CPS seeks active involvement from the children’s parents and other family members to help solve issues that lead to abuse or neglect. The objective of CPS is to reunify parents and children whenever possible, and if reunification is not possible, CPS will seek to

Most children are entering foster care in the early years of life when brain growth and development are most active. It is known that emotional and cognitive disruptions in the early lives of children have the potential to impair brain development. Child maltreatment during infancy and early childhood has been shown to negatively affect child development, including brain and cognitive development, attachment, and academic achievement. The experiences of infancy and early childhood provide the organizing framework for the expression of children 's intelligence, emotions, and personalities. When those experiences are primarily negative, children may develop emotional, behavioral, and learning problems that persist throughout their lifetime, especially in the absence of targeted interventions.

Our foster care system was developed in the 19 century, and it all started with Charles Loring Brace taking in homeless children. The system has come a long way since it started by passing laws, such as the child abuse prevention and treatment act, that protect children, and among another things, however, it still has problems. Some of the major issues they have are children placements, preparing them for adulthood, the rules and regulations with the foster parents, and drug abuse among teens in foster care. Child welfare promises these kids a place to call home, to be loved, supported and cherished, as every child should. Some of these kids go from foster home to another one, which affects them in their development.