Essay On Foster Care

Words: 582
Pages: 3

Several studies have been conducted regarding the topic of health services in the child welfare systems. Two studies examined in this review are similar in nature, but vary in methods. Medicaid claims are examined in, “Health Service Utilization of Children in Delaware Foster Care,” to determine what specific health services are being accessed by children in foster care. These health service results are then compared with other children who are enrolled in Medicaid, but remain in the care of their biological parents. Results showed that children in foster care access more services than children who are not in foster care. Furthermore, the children in foster care received higher rates of behavioral health interventions and psychotropic medication …show more content…
Hansel et al. explained that the purpose of the study was to confirm that health problems within foster children stem from factors they experience prior to entering foster care. Examples of these experiences included physical abuse, substance abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, neglect, and poor preventative care (Hansen et al., 2004). Hansen et al., (2004) retrospectively reviewed medical records in a cross-sectional study and determined that results were consistent with previous studies. Hansen et al., (2004), explained: “By comparing children in foster care with other Medicaid-eligible children from the same county, significantly higher percentages of problems were identified and referrals made among the foster care children in all areas assessed. The disparity between the health status of the Medicaid and foster care children likely results from a combination of factors, most significantly the risk factors that contributed to their placement into foster care- abuse, neglect, parental substance abuse, and domestic