This study identifies the human rights of children who live in foster care due to a family supervision order, and analyses the extent to which Dutch laws and regulations protect these rights. The... Show moreThis study identifies the human rights of children who live in foster care due to a family supervision order, and analyses the extent to which Dutch laws and regulations protect these rights. The aim of the research is to provide insight into the rights of foster children regarding four important decisions about their lives. Although the interests of the child are often taken as a starting point for these decisions, this does not do justice to the recognition of children as subjects of rights. After all, individual interpretations of the best interests of the child will inevitably depend on the normative frameworks of the decision-maker. It is argued that by identifying which children's rights can be derived from a human rights framework, children in foster care can be given stronger protection when making decisions about their life. The study concludes that the literal text of Dutch laws and regulations does not usually conflict with children's and human rights. Yet in many cases, foster children have no effective means of invoking their rights. Therefore recommendations are being made to amend the law and regulations to better protect the rights of children in foster care. Show less
This dissertation aimed to contribute to the quality of foster care addressing three main objectives: The first objective was to investigate if existing parenting interventions are effective in... Show moreThis dissertation aimed to contribute to the quality of foster care addressing three main objectives: The first objective was to investigate if existing parenting interventions are effective in supporting/improving parenting and child outcomes in foster care using a meta-analytic approach. The second objective was to study the effectiveness of an adapted version of Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) for foster care, i.e., VIPP-FC. The implementation of VIPP-SD in different types of families and in childcare settings was first reviewed, with special attention to VIPP-FC. Subsequently, the study protocol of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of VIPP-FC was described. In addition, the results of this RCT regarding the effectiveness of VIPP-FC on parenting behavior and attitudes were presented. The third objective was to examine correlates of indiscriminate friendliness (IF) displayed by foster children. To answer this question, the relations of attachment security, parental sensitivity, and child inhibitory control with IF were examined using data collected during the pretest of the VIPP-FC RCT. Results are described and discussed in different chapters, and implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future research are additionally provided. Show less
Foster and adoptive parents often face challenges while taking care of children who, due to their adverse early life experiences, are at risk of developing insecure attachment relationships,... Show moreFoster and adoptive parents often face challenges while taking care of children who, due to their adverse early life experiences, are at risk of developing insecure attachment relationships, behavior problems, and stress dysregulation. Several intervention programs have been developed to help foster and adoptive parents to overcome these challenges. In the current study, a series of eight meta-analyses were performed to examine the effectiveness of these intervention programs on four parent outcomes (sensitive parenting, k = 11, N = 684; dysfunctional discipline, k = 4, N = 239; parenting knowledge and attitudes, k = 7, N = 535; parenting stress, k = 18, N = 1,306), three child outcomes (attachment security, k = 6, N = 395; behavior problems, k = 33, N = 2,661; diurnal cortisol levels, k = 3, N = 261), and placement disruption (k = 7, N = 1,100). Results show positive effects for the four parent outcomes and child behavior problems, but not for attachment security, child diurnal cortisol levels, or placement disruption. Indirect effects on child outcomes may be delayed, and therefore long-term follow-up studies are needed to examine the effects of parenting interventions on children. Show less
The World Health Organization recently estimated that in Europe alone 117 million children suffer from maltreatment or other adverse childhood experiences. Some of these children need to be... Show moreThe World Health Organization recently estimated that in Europe alone 117 million children suffer from maltreatment or other adverse childhood experiences. Some of these children need to be placed in (24-h) settings for out-of-home care, such as foster care, family-style group care, and residential care. However, children do not always benefit from these services, as suggested by the substantial numbers of children repeatedly experiencing placement breakdowns. Aim of this research is to increase the effectivity and efficiency of out-of-home care services. For this purpose, typical baseline child and family characteristics of out-of-home placed children were linked to children’s development in the various 24-h settings. This knowledge both can provide building blocks for the development of sound decision-making strategies for referral to a certain type of out-of-home care and provide insight into which child and family factors need additional treatment during placement. Together, this increases the likelihood that children for whom (temporary) out-of-home placement is inevitable will receive optimal services with regard to their developmental needs. The research findings have been translated into three fundamental steps to transform the current stepped-care method for allocation decisions into a collaborative, effective, and matched-care model for allocation. Show less
The goal of this three-wave longitudinal study was to analyze foster parent stress and foster children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a transactional framework. Participants in this... Show moreThe goal of this three-wave longitudinal study was to analyze foster parent stress and foster children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a transactional framework. Participants in this study were 237 children in foster care in the Netherlands with, mostly, long placement durations (M = 56.86 months, SD = 49.10 months). We examined concurrent, prospective unidirectional and bidirectional relations between foster children’s behavior and foster parent stress by using cross-lagged structural equation modeling and examined whether the results were stable across different subgroups of foster children. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found no bidirectional relations. There were unidirectional prospective pathways from foster children’s internalizing and externalizing problems to foster parent stress, but no significant prospective pathways from foster parent stress to foster children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. The results were fairly stable across different subgroups of foster children. The lack of bidirectional relations was unexpected given the presence of transactional relations in biological parent-child dyads. Foster parents seem not to influence their foster children when it comes to regulating problem behavior. Therefore, the question is whether foster parents can, in more general terms, help their foster children benefit from their improved home environment. Show less
Similarities and differences in the (short-term) psychosocial development of children in foster care, family-style group care, and residential care were investigated in a sample of 121 Dutch... Show moreSimilarities and differences in the (short-term) psychosocial development of children in foster care, family-style group care, and residential care were investigated in a sample of 121 Dutch children (M age = 8.78 years; SD = 2.34 years; 47% female; 59% Caucasian) one year after their initial placement. Pretest and posttest measurements were carried out at the substitute caregivers using the CBCL. The results were examined at group level and case level. At group level, the findings showed no evidence for higher effectiveness in favor to the family-oriented settings (foster care, and family-style group care), as hypothesized. By contrast, some small differences were found between foster care and family-style group care, in favor of the latter. At individual level, a more or less equal number of children (18%) with a clinical pretest score on psychosocial functioning clinically significant improved (behavioral normalization). An important concern is that a number of children without clinical psychosocial problems at the time of admission clinically significant deteriorated (behavioral aberration) in psychosocial functioning (20%). This might indicate a poor match between the risks, needs and responsivity of the child on the one hand and the chosen intervention on the other. Future research on factors that (prior and during placement) positively as well as negatively affect the child’s psychosocial development is needed to further clarify this finding. Show less
This dissertation focuses on the development of children in family foster care and examines which characteristics related to the foster child, the foster family, and the foster placement are... Show moreThis dissertation focuses on the development of children in family foster care and examines which characteristics related to the foster child, the foster family, and the foster placement are associated with foster children’s development. We used meta-analysis and longitudinal research to provide a better insight in foster children’s development. In sum, this dissertation clarifies that foster children vary greatly with respect to their developmental functioning. We found several characteristics related to foster children’s development. Although these characteristics partly explain foster children’s development and thereby provide useful insights, they cannot explain the total variance in foster children’s development. It is both this lack of an accurate model for foster children’s development and the heterogeneity of developmental trajectories that lend significance to screening and monitoring of foster children’s development. We advise foster care agencies to systematically implement screening and monitoring measures in order to capture foster children’s developmental diversity. This enables timely identification of those foster children who experience developmental difficulties and are therefore at risk for negative developmental trajectories and breakdown. Researchers and foster care professionals should establish collaborations in order to improve the validity as well as the feasibility of screening and monitoring children in foster care. Show less
How often does child maltreatment occur in the Netherlands and which factors increase the risk of child maltreatment? In this thesis we describe the findings of two epidemiological studies aimed at... Show moreHow often does child maltreatment occur in the Netherlands and which factors increase the risk of child maltreatment? In this thesis we describe the findings of two epidemiological studies aimed at answering these questions. First, in the Netherlands__ Prevalence study on Maltreatment of children and youth (NPM-2010) we examined the year prevalence of child maltreatment in the general Dutch population, using sentinel reports, substantiated CPS reports, and high school students__ self-report. Overall prevalence rates were 33.8 per 1,000 children based on combined sentinel and CPS reports and 99.4 per 1,000 based on self-report. Important risk factors for maltreatment were low SES, single parent families, large families, stepfamilies, and immigrant status. Second, we examined the year prevalence of child sexual and physical abuse in residential and foster care. Children without disabilities had an increased risk of sexual abuse in residential care, and an increased risk of physical abuse in both types of care compared to the general population. Children with a mild intellectual disability were at increased risk of sexual abuse in both residential and foster care compared to regular out-of-home care and compared to the general population. Findings presented in this thesis contribute to the prevention of future child maltreatment in different care settings. Show less
In recent years the international community has paid closer attention to the phenomenon of child-headed households; these are households where a child has taken over the majority of... Show moreIn recent years the international community has paid closer attention to the phenomenon of child-headed households; these are households where a child has taken over the majority of responsibilities of the main caregiver. The primary factors leading to this situation are HIV/AIDS, poverty, conflict and the disintegration of the traditional extended family network. Although children who are deprived of adequate parental care have the right to alternative care, millions of children – including those living in child-headed households – have no recourse to this fundamental right. This study presents an overview of alternative care as well as the factual situation of child-headed households in a selected group of focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa and further provides recommendations aimed at both legal and policymaking issues relating to the existing alternative care systems. This research seeks answers to the question: “What does the internationally recognised right to alternative care for children entail and is the recognition of child-headed households as a form of alternative care in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards which have been adopted as a measure to protect the inherent rights of children to protection, development, survival and participation?” Show less
This thesis examined the development of adopted children to shed more light on the effects of deprivation on child development and the potential for catch-up and recovery after placement in the... Show moreThis thesis examined the development of adopted children to shed more light on the effects of deprivation on child development and the potential for catch-up and recovery after placement in the more advantageous environment of an adoptive family. In the first part of the thesis a meta-analysis is presented in which we compared adopted children’s attachment relationships with the normative attachment distribution of nonadopted children raised by their biological parents, and - as a comparison - we also compared the attachment distribution of foster children with the normative distribution. The second and third parts of the thesis focus on the development of former foster and post-institutionalized children, 11 to 16 months old at arrival, two and six months after their adoption from China. Several salient developmental domains were studied: attachment, cognitive and motor development, physical growth, stress regulation, and social-emotional behavior. Show less
De rechten en plichten van ouders, pleegouders en pleegkinderen zijn mede afhankelijk van de vraag of sprake is van een vrijwillige of justitiële plaatsing. De wet kent diverse voorzieningen waarin... Show moreDe rechten en plichten van ouders, pleegouders en pleegkinderen zijn mede afhankelijk van de vraag of sprake is van een vrijwillige of justitiële plaatsing. De wet kent diverse voorzieningen waarin speciale aandacht wordt gegeven aan de (rechts)positie van het pleegkind en/of zijn pleegouders. Maar deze en andere wettelijke voorzieningen bieden onvoldoende bescherming aan het recht van pleegouders en pleegkinderen op eerbiediging van hun gezinsleven (art. 8 EVRM), met name in geval van een langdurig verblijf van een pleegkind in een pleeggezin. De centrale vraag in deze studie is of, en zo ja in welke mate, de wet (en de praktijk) moet worden gewijzigd om bij langdurig verblijf van een kind in een pleeggezin (al dan niet in het kader van een kinderbeschermingsmaatregel) aan het aldus ontstane gezinsleven (family life) de passende (ook door internationale verdragen verlangde) bescherming en erkenning te geven, onder gelijktijdige respectering van de rechten van de eigen ouders van het kind. De ervaringen met de aanpak van langdurige pleegzorg in de Verenigde Staten zijn bij de beschouwingen betrokken. Het onderzoek wordt afgesloten met voorstellen die moeten leiden tot een verbetering van het wettelijk kader, waarbij het accent ligt op de inrichting en hantering van kinderbeschermingsmaatregelen. Show less
