Poverty, Child Maltreatment, and Foster Care

Abstract

Child maltreatment occurs at significantly higher rates among those living in poverty. Children in foster care usually come to the attention of child welfare officials because they are neglected by parents who struggle with conditions associated with poverty: homelessness, history of incarceration, HIV seropositivity, and substance abuse. This article reports the disadvantages experienced by young children in foster care (aged 36 months and younger) via a study of records documenting the multiple risks to their health and development. Low birth weight, prenatal substance exposure, and prematurity were commonly encountered risks. Additionally, the child welfare agency had a low rate of documented screening for early intervention (11% of records surveyed) despite multiple risks and mandates for screening. Implications for nurses are offered. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2007; 13(5), 296-303. DOI: 10.1177/1078390307308421