Foster Care
- Introduction
- What is foster care?
- How do I work with the medical home?
- What screenings do children in foster care need?
- What is the prognosis for children in foster care?
- What is the risk for other conditions?
- What treatments/therapies/medications are recommended or available?
- How will my child and our family be impacted?
- Why does my child in foster care need more visits?
- How do I find a doctor or get medications refilled?
- How can I get help for my foster child with behavior problems?
- What effects might be caused by prenatal exposures to alcohol and other substances?
Introduction
What is foster care?
How do I work with the medical home?
What screenings do children in foster care need?

What is the prognosis for children in foster care?
What is the risk for other conditions?
What treatments/therapies/medications are recommended or available?
How will my child and our family be impacted?
Why does my child in foster care need more visits?
How do I find a doctor or get medications refilled?
How can I get help for my foster child with behavior problems?
What effects might be caused by prenatal exposures to alcohol and other substances?
Resources
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Support
Foster Care Alumni of America
Connects the alumni community and works to transform policy and practice to help ensure opportunity for people in and from
foster care.
Foster Care to Success--Aging Out Institute
Nonprofit organization with resources, programs, and research to help youth age out of foster care and into independence successfully.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Provides information about mental illnesses, links to state chapters, information about conferences, and links to additional
resources.
NAMI Utah
Utah Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; provides advocacy and information about mental illnesses.
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
This nonprofit organization provides a wealth of information and links to local resources and summer camps for children with
FASDs.
General
Children in Foster Care (How Kids Develop)
Information for parents and professionals about how to identify healthy development, typical reactions and adjustment issues
for children in foster care, and when to be alert that a problem needs further investigation and intervention; developed by
the First 5 Commission of San Diego.
Time for Reform: Aging Out and On Their Own (PEW Charitable Trusts)
Challenges of adolescents aging out of foster care systems with no permanent home or support.
Time for Reform: Preventing Youth From Aging Out On Their Own (PEW Charitable Trusts)
Recommendations for policy-level changes to enhance the success of those transitioning out of foster care.
Improving Outcomes for Youth Transitioning out of Foster Care (Hawai'i Kids Count) ( 2.7 MB)
Strategies, such as supporting educational success, providing employment and affordable housing opportunities, and ensuring
access to health care, to improve outcomes for youth transitioning out of foster care.
Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents (CWIG) ( 680 KB)
Discusses the critical role of foster parents, laws, and programs supporting transitioning youth; Child Welfare Information
Gateway.
Healthy Foster Care America (AAP)
Resources for children and teens in foster care and foster parents; American Academy of Pediatrics.
National Foster Care & Adoption Directory Search
The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory (formerly the National Adoption Directory) offers adoption and post-adoption
resources by state.
Parent Education Materials for Post-Trauma Children
Tips, questions, and answers for things parents can do to help their child after a trauma; from the Center for Pediatric Traumatic
Stress at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
FosterClub
FosterClub is a national network for youth in foster care. This site has excellent resources for youth in foster care, including:
entering foster care; message board; topical information about things like foster families, court, your caseworker and the
agency, school, friends and relationships, health, and leaving foster care; and state-by-state information and resources.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (CDC)
One of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health
and well-being; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fostering Healthy Children Program (UDOH)
Program nursing staff works in partnership with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services caseworkers to coordinate health
care services (including medical, dental and mental health) for Utah foster children; program of the Utah Department of Health.
MotherToBaby
MotherToBaby, a service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists, is dedicated to providing evidence-based
information to mothers, health care professionals, and the general public about medications and other exposures during pregnancy
and while breastfeeding.
Patient Education
SEEK Parent Handouts
Information for parents about depression, substance abuse, discipline, stress, intimate partner violence, and food insecurity.
Includes lists of national hotlines and other resources. Customizable space to include local resources; University of Maryland
School of Medicine.
Tools
Four Steps to Reframing Worksheet ( 94 KB)
A tool for children that helps breakdown problems into smaller steps. Adapted from the Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention
Program – Newly Diagnosed (SCCIP-ND) manual; site developed by The Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress and The Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia.
Services
Adolescent Health Transition Programs
See all Adolescent Health Transition Programs services providers (2) in our database.
College Disability Centers
We currently have no College Disability Centers service providers listed; search our Services database for related services.
Crisis Intervention Mental Health
See all Crisis Intervention Mental Health services providers (4) in our database.
Dental Care Expense Assistance
We currently have no Dental Care Expense Assistance service providers listed; search our Services database for related services.
Disability/Diagnosis-Specific Advocacy
See all Disability/Diagnosis-Specific Advocacy services providers (6) in our database.
Early Childhood Education/Preschool
See all Early Childhood Education/Preschool services providers (10) in our database.
Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities/Delays
See all Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities/Delays services providers (21) in our database.
Emergency Financial Assistance
See all Emergency Financial Assistance services providers (6) in our database.
Family Support Centers/Outreach
See all Family Support Centers/Outreach services providers (6) in our database.
Head Start/Early Head Start
See all Head Start/Early Head Start services providers (4) in our database.
Local Support Groups, Addiction
See all Local Support Groups, Addiction services providers (1) in our database.
Local Support Groups, Child Abuse
See all Local Support Groups, Child Abuse services providers (1) in our database.
Local Support Groups, Disability/Diag
We currently have no Local Support Groups, Disability/Diag service providers listed; search our Services database for related services.
National Support Services, Disab/Diag
We currently have no National Support Services, Disab/Diag service providers listed; search our Services database for related services.
Occupational Therapy, Pediatric
See all Occupational Therapy, Pediatric services providers (28) in our database.
Outpatient Community Mental Health Agencies
We currently have no Outpatient Community Mental Health Agencies service providers listed; search our Services database for related services.
Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs
See all Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs services providers (3) in our database.
Psychiatrist, Child-18 (MD)
See all Psychiatrist, Child-18 (MD) services providers (17) in our database.
Psychologist, Child-18 (PhD, PsyD)
See all Psychologist, Child-18 (PhD, PsyD) services providers (9) in our database.
For other services related to this condition, browse our Services categories or search our database.
Page Bibliography
Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS.
Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood
Experiences (ACE) Study.
Am J Prev Med.
1998;14(4):245-58.
PubMed abstract
Describes the relationship between the breadth of exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple
risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults.