{"id":31553,"date":"2023-05-12T13:57:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T13:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/placement-stability-impacts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T16:26:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T16:26:48","slug":"placement-stability-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/placement-stability-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfQu\u00e9 factores influyen en la estabilidad de la colocaci\u00f3n?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n

This brief examines the vital role of placement stability and the obstacles to achieving it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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When children are removed from their families and placed in foster care, child protective services has a duty to ensure that they are placed in safe, stable, and nurturing homes with caregivers \u2013 ideally kin \u2013 who acknowledge and are equipped to help them process the trauma they have experienced. This brief explores the importance of placement stability and the challenges that inhibit it.1<\/sup><\/a> For information about a range of promising approaches that help maintain placement stability, see How can we improve placement stability for children in foster care?<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The importance of placement stability<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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Child development research tells us that children need consistency, predictability, and attachment to a caring adult to thrive<\/b><\/span>. This is especially true for children in foster care, who have experienced trauma leading up to and including removal from their home, as well as the trauma of ongoing separation from family. Children in out-of-home care need stable adult connections to support their well-being. These secure attachments are best formed in stable placements that help young people maintain connection with their family and community, and transition into permanency without delay.<\/p>\n

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Placement stability has a positive impact on all three goals of the child protection agency: safety, permanency, and well-being. The possibility of safety risks increases with every move; permanency is delayed when a child experiences multiple placements; and well-being is affected in many ways, including poorer educational outcomes and increased behavioral and mental health issues. The trauma that accompanies placement changes puts children at risk for negative outcomes such as aggression, delinquency, and depression.2<\/sup><\/a> Multiple placements have also been found to lead to delayed permanency, academic difficulties, and challenges developing meaningful attachments.<\/b><\/span>\u00a03<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>4<\/sup><\/a> Too often, placement changes are blamed on youth and, specifically, behavioral challenges, when in reality such changes are often due to systemic factors such as inadequate, inaccessible, and fragmented services and supports.<\/p>\n

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The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), passed by Congress in 1978, recognized the importance of keeping children connected to their families, communities, and culture. The values and spirit embedded in ICWA<\/span><\/a> form the basis of child welfare best practice for all, emphasizing the importance of preventing removal whenever possible, and in cases where children are removed, reinforcing the importance of placement stability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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