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Disrupting a Foster Care Placement

Why Disruptions Occur and What Foster Parents Should Consider First

May 31, 2008

Disrupting a foster care placement is often a difficult decision for the foster family to make - a decision that should be given careful consideration.

A disruption occurs when the foster parents request that a foster child be moved from their home into another foster placement. This usually is the result of being unable to continue to care for the child for one reason or another. It may be that the foster family is moving out-of-state, or that the child has a medical or physical condition that the foster parents feel is beyond their expertise. A foster placement may also disrupt due to the child’s behavioral problems and the family's feeling they cannot cope with it.

Whatever the reason for the disruption, the foster child will experience another trauma in his life, so disruption should be taken seriously and with careful thought and planning. When at all possible, it is ideal for the foster child to remain in his or her current placement until the child can be reintegrated back into the biological family or placed with an adoptive family.

Preventing Disruption in Foster Care

Even in difficult situations where disruption seems inevitable, there are times in which a placement can be saved when the foster family is willing and able to devise a plan of dealing with the dilemma that is threatening the placement.

For instance, a child who is acting out in an inappropriate manner may need to have intensive therapy set up, medication to help keep his behaviors in check, and a plan set in place to help the foster family cope as they learn new ways to parent a child with his special needs.

Sometimes the foster family simply becomes “burned-out.” In times like these, placements may be saved by arranging respite care (short-term care with another foster family) for the child while the family takes a break. In fact, taking a breather by taking advantage of respite care is a great preventative measure for burn-out. Everyone needs a rest now and then!

Before Disrupting the Placement

Before disrupting a foster placement, consider the following:

Has the situation been discussed with the child’s social worker in an attempt to remedy the need for disruption?
Would therapy, medication, education, or other approach aid in saving the placement?
Would a weekend or so of respite care help to regain focus?
What would it take to continue to care for this child? Perhaps being educated about the child’s behavior or condition, and then learning how to cope with it, would help? Joining a support group, either in-person or online, can offer encouragement as well as strategies for dealing with the situation.
Has every reasonable effort been made in order to avoid disruption?

When Disruption Does Occur

Unfortunately, there are times when disruption is unavoidable. There are times when it is best for all involved to move the foster child into a new home. When a child disrupts a household to the extent that the welfare of the other children in the home is jeopardized, and a suitable solution cannot be found, it then becomes necessary to find a new placement for the disruptive child. Certain medical conditions may warrant a move for the child.

Whatever the reason, when a disruption is inevitable, and every attempt has been made to avoid it, the foster family shouldn’t be allowed to feel like a failure. Some children need more specialized care than some families are equipped to provide, and in the long run, the change in living arrangements is exactly what the child may have needed.

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The copyright of the article Disrupting a Foster Care Placement in Foster Parenting is owned by Crystal Killion. Permission to republish Disrupting a Foster Care Placement in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.