TY - JOUR
T1 - Foster children with special needs
T2 - The Children's Aid Society Experience
AU - Diaz, Angela
AU - Edwards, Sharon
AU - Neal, Wendy P.
AU - Elbert, Paula
AU - Rappaport, Mandy
AU - Kierstead, Rudd
AU - Colon, Beverly
PY - 2004/5
Y1 - 2004/5
N2 - Children in foster care have many health needs. This article presents the model of the Children's Aid Society (CAS) of New York City in addressing these needs. In addition to their regular foster care program, CAS developed the Medical Foster Care (MFC) in response to the growing number of boarder babies (children with medical conditions who are abandoned at hospitals), and the Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) for foster children with emotional and behavioral mental health problems. The MFC serves 145 children considered medically fragile, as evidenced by congenital diseases such as heart disease, renal agenesis, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders and mental retardation. The TFC serves 50 children with severe levels of emotional and behavioral symptomatology. As is indicated by the extensive services offered through CAS's regular foster care program, as well as MFC and TFC, these children require specialized treatment. In addition, systems of information maintenance and exchange surrounding the health care of foster children need to be improved. Often agencies are ill-equipped to do adequate background checks on these young people and as a result deliver them to foster care situations where their health needs are not revealed and therefore not addressed. Health care providers also need to stay informed on the overall subject of foster care, as their voices will probably be crucial in ensuring that the extensive needs of these children are adequately represented to government, medical and other service providers.
AB - Children in foster care have many health needs. This article presents the model of the Children's Aid Society (CAS) of New York City in addressing these needs. In addition to their regular foster care program, CAS developed the Medical Foster Care (MFC) in response to the growing number of boarder babies (children with medical conditions who are abandoned at hospitals), and the Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) for foster children with emotional and behavioral mental health problems. The MFC serves 145 children considered medically fragile, as evidenced by congenital diseases such as heart disease, renal agenesis, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders and mental retardation. The TFC serves 50 children with severe levels of emotional and behavioral symptomatology. As is indicated by the extensive services offered through CAS's regular foster care program, as well as MFC and TFC, these children require specialized treatment. In addition, systems of information maintenance and exchange surrounding the health care of foster children need to be improved. Often agencies are ill-equipped to do adequate background checks on these young people and as a result deliver them to foster care situations where their health needs are not revealed and therefore not addressed. Health care providers also need to stay informed on the overall subject of foster care, as their voices will probably be crucial in ensuring that the extensive needs of these children are adequately represented to government, medical and other service providers.
KW - Children's Aid Society
KW - Foster care adolescent health
KW - Foster care children
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2542535288&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 15164129
AN - SCOPUS:2542535288
SN - 0027-2507
VL - 71
SP - 166
EP - 169
JO - Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine
JF - Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine
IS - 3
ER -