Will I Ever See You Again? Attachment Challenges for Foster Children

An understanding of attachment theory is especially important for everyone who works with foster children because these children come into care with scars from abuse and neglect that affect their ability to trust and form emotional attachments to subsequent caregivers. Additionally, what happens to foster children after they are in the child welfare system further reduces the child's chance of having a meaningful relationship in the future. As case workers, judges, psychologists, therapists, foster parents, foster siblings, teachers, adoptive parents, and others move in and out of the foster child's life, "never become too attached to anyone and never take someone's home for granted" (Pelzer, 1997) becomes the child's rule of thumb. Additionally, psychologists believe that attachment problems like those commonly found in foster children can lead to severe psychological, neurological, and adjustment disorders. This book is enriched by Dr. Jacobs' experiences as a foster child, as a member of Arizona's Foster Care Review Board, and as a researcher investigating the unique experiences and challenges faced by this very specific population of children. "Will I Ever See You Again" reviews theories of attachment as they apply specifically to foster children, identifies factors (occurring both before and after they entered state care) which contribute to attachment problems in foster children, and offers suggestions for changes to improve these children's chances to develop meaningful, future relationships.