6660 Week 11 Initial Response Psychological Issues for Children and Adolescents in Foster Care

 Children in foster care have high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and are at risk for mental health issues. Research suggests that intervening with children in foster care can be challenging for several reasons, including the severity and complexity of their mental health problems, and challenges engaging this often transitory population in mental health services (Hambrick, Oppenheim-Weller, S., N'zi, & Taussig, 2016). In their study, Ferrara et al., (2013), found that there was high percentage of children with psychiatric disorders in foster care (22.3%) and high percentage of psychiatric disorders diagnosed immediately while arriving at the foster care (56%). Pertinent psychological disorders in this group include emotional disorders (24.0%), ADHD (19.0%), and behavioral disorders (21.5%) [Lehmann et al., 2013]. Specifically, children in foster care may experience physical or sexual abuse, neglect, witness of domestic violence, homelessness, exposure to drugs/alcohol within the home and neglect of medical issues. Assessment Tools