Foster Care and Children with Disabilities
UCPeople, UCP National

A report released today by United Cerebral Palsy and Children's Rights reveals that at least one-third of the more than 500,000 children and youth in American foster care systems today may have disabilities. The report, titled Forgotten Children: A Case for Action for Children and Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care, also asserts that state foster care systems have largely failed to address the unique needs of children with disabilities and the families who care for them.

The report is a summary and analysis of a range of data and research literature, and is a first-of-its-kind review of how foster care systems serve children and youth with disabilities.

"Our investigation has found that the special needs of children with disabilities are often forgotten entirely, though they represent at least one-third of all children in foster care," said Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. "The very systems intended to protect children in crisis simply were not designed to identify, assess and manage the physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities of children with special needs."

Once in the foster care system, children with disabilities may face a full range of systemic problems that prevent positive life experiences. Caseworkers lack the tools to identify and assess disabilities, foster parents lack even basic information about the special needs of children placed in their homes, and children cannot access comprehensive health care services to address their special needs.

As a result, children with disabilities are more likely than other children in foster care to be neglected, abused and institutionalized, as well as experience poor educational outcomes and achieve lower rates of placement with permanent families.

This report by United Cerebral Palsy and Children's Rights also identifies several promising approaches for states. Foster care systems should adopt health care standards, ensure timely and comprehensive evaluations, manage records more effectively, increase specialized services, improve training programs for parents and caseworkers, and collect and assess data regarding disability status, services and outcomes.

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