The Effects of Foster Homes for Children

Before Foster Care

• Most children who are placed into foster care were living in unhealthy and unstable environments before they were removed from the home. Many children come from family situations involving abuse, neglect or drug abuse by a parent or family member. This lack of a stable and nurturing environment sets the child up for later difficulties, especially when adapting to foster care.

Short-Term Effects

• Children in foster care may not have adequate time or the opportunity to visit with their birth parents. This means that they may have trouble bonding with their parents in the limited visiting times. Bonding is an important part of a child's development. Children who are placed into foster care often must leave their neighborhoods, communities, schools and even most of their belongings. They often feel angry, rejected or a sense of loss. Foster children are more likely to be teased by peers and classmates, which only intensifies these feelings. Repeated moves can be stressful for children as well.

Long-Term Effects

• The effects on children in foster care can be long-lasting. Foster children are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses and behavioral, emotional or developmental problems. They have poor academic prospects compared to their classmates, as well as a higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, incarceration, poverty, suicide and eating disorders. According to a report by the "San Francisco Chronicle," nearly half of California children in the foster system during their teen years become homeless on their 18th birthday.

More Long-Term Effects

• Children who age out of foster care, whether or not they become homeless, continue to lack the vital structure that a family provides throughout their lifetime. Lack of family support for things like higher education is one reason that these children have fewer academic and career prospects than their peers. Lack of a stable environment and accountability to parents or relatives may also mean that these children were never taught how to function in an adult capacity, which can also have many deleterious effects.