Examining issues of child abuse in Irish foster children

Abstract

The implications of child abuse have been studied for many years. Psychologists have been slower to look at the specific issues regarding children in foster care who have histories of abuse, despite the growing numbers of such children. This paper looks specifically at a sample of Irishfoster children and discusses issues that pertain to the Irish context. The study examined 127 foster placements, involving 71 placements in which the children had a history of child abuse and/or neglect. It was found that children who had such a history were far less likely to experience successful foster placements. While no significant relationship was found between gender and placement outcome, and age and placement outcome, possible reasons for these results are discussed. The problems, from a psychological perspective, of viewing foster care data based on child abuse as a reason for admission to care are highlighted.