Social Work Research

Social and Mental Developmental skills of Children Placed out of Homes Jemeila Arrington-Dunn

Social Work Research, Coppin State University School of Behavioral and Social Sciences Abstract

In the Social Work practice it is common to take children from dangerous and neglectful environments. Children are placed in foster care when a child protective services worker and a court have resolute that it is not safe for the child to continue at home because of a hazard of ill-treatment, including negligence and physical or sexual abuse. The goal of out of home placements is to place these children in stable healthy environments where they are allowed to thrive both mentally and socially. The clinical investigated question is: How does out of home

These children face many obstacles regarding their social and mental development. Unfortunately this leads to an overwhelming amount of children who are unable to function positively as a contributing member of society when they leave these placements into adulthood. These issue is crucial not only because it is a moral imperative but because childhood is the most opportune time to break the cycle of, criminal behavior, mental instability and countless other issues. All adults are expected to thrive independently as a contributing member of society which can be near impossible when facing these setbacks acquired at an earlier stage in life. The concentrated demographic for this research is children from birth to adulthood (0-18) placed out of the natural home into variable care environments. This issue affects many people. First and foremost the children placed out of the natural home are impacted. The caregivers (both temporary and long term) are affected because they are in most direct contact with these youth and have the greatest opportunity to instill positive mental and social skills. The public is also affected because children who become adults with mental and or social setbacks can put others at risk or danger. Lastly the government is impacted by these

The occurrence of developmental delays and behavioral issues for this population are much higher than those found in the general population. In contrast to the estimated 4% to 10% prevalence of developmental delay among children in the general population,33,34 published rates of delay among young children in foster care are reported to be as high as 60%, with 57% exhibiting language delays, 33% showing cognitive problems, 31% displaying gross motor difficulties, and 10% experiencing growth problems.28,35–41 Psychiatric problems are also more common among children in foster care compared with normative samples, even when contrasted with children from similar sociodemographic backgrounds.42,43 Studies report as many as 25% to 40% of children younger than the age of 6 years entering out-of-home care have significant behavioral problems, with the majority displaying externalizing behaviors.40,44,45 The key points this research will address are the normal characteristics of early brain and child development (mental), the attachment setbacks of the said children (social), assessments provided pediatricians and or counselors both before and after the child is placed and suggested treatment routes. The topic at hand has provided foreground to a few policies and guidelines for those involved in the foster care process. The AAP guidelines, first issued in 1994 and reissued in 2002, recommend that all children receive