IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Foster care is designed to be a window of opportunity for healing from the hurts and losses from pre-placement trauma and/or neglect as well as the ongoing losses experienced while in foster care. The key concept of foster care is the belief that children fare best in nurturing families.  Children and teens in foster care have at least 2, and sometimes, more families:  birth, foster, kinship or pre-adoptive. Healthy Foster Care America is built on the premise that we can best help children to heal by working together to ensure children in foster care have access to high-quality, comprehensive health care while we provide their parents and caregivers with necessary education and support. It is hoped that the result of our work will be healthier children, teens, and families; greater placement stability for children and teens while in foster care; and a more timely achievement of permanency.

While it is impossible to predict all of the health concerns that individual children and teens might have, we do know they have many more physical, mental, dental, and developmental health concerns compared to those who are not in care.  This section provides information about the range of health care issues and needs of children and teens in foster care.  Pediatricians are in an ideal position to help children, teens, and their families meet these needs, and should be integral members of the professional team.  The tools provided here aim to facilitate communication and collaboration between professionals, so that we can work together to improve the health and well-being of children and teens in foster care.