A home is where children are supposed to feel loved and protected. But what happens when toddlers do not get these? Foster care is intended to help abandoned and abused children to find homes where they can be safe and nurtured.

What Foster Care Means

Adoption and foster care are two different things. In adoption, the couple who adopts become accountable for everything that concerns the child until the child grows up. Once every paper work has been settled, the child will have the couple’s last name. In foster care, a social worker is always present to check-up on the child. The child’s last name will not be changed and childcare is temporary.

Its Positive Effects to Toddlers

Resolves Family Issues

Most foster care institutions have psychological counseling to help toddlers understand things easier. Because of the counselings they get, they are able to come into terms with their past. Feelings are mended and broken hearts are slowly healed.

Proper Guidance Is Gained

It is not true that children in foster care are not well-taken care of. Most foster care institutions assure toddlers of a secure, loving and nurturing environment that is far different from what they are used to. Toddlers are given a chance to prosper at their own pace, be happy and resolve personal issues with the professional help they get.

Good Education Is Attained

Foster care allows children to go to school. There are bigger chances for toddlers to become a well-rounded individual with a bright future with the permanent fixture of a school, teachers, classmates, friends, lessons and extracurricular activities.

Its Negative Effects to Toddlers

Attachment Issues

Since foster care is temporary, toddlers become emotionally troubled whether or not they should build relationships especially since they tend to move around various foster families. This can lead to poor social interaction which can generally cause serious personality problems in the future. The uncertainty between the need to belong and the hesitation to feel emotionally attached is so strong that toddlers in foster care often become loners.

Vulnerability

Toddlers do not have any say in when and where they go. Hence, they feel helpless that they cannot mend their situation. Once they feel this weakness, they begin to develop the feeling of being unwanted which in turn often leads to depression, loneliness and rebellion.

High Risk to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

75% of children in a foster care have experienced physical and emotional abuse from their biological parents. Thus, there is a very big possibility that the shock and stress can lead to long-term trauma. Once psychological issues are not treated properly, toddlers can carry out their experiences and ultimately repeat them in the future.

Poor Self- Confidence

Children who are under the care of a foster care provider often feel very angry and rejected. The rejection they feel intensifies their sense of loss. Hence, the awkward feeling they get increases their lack of confidence and in order for them to cover-up their poor self-esteem, they can do two things – be too shy to mingle with their peers or become a bully to cover up their insecurities.

In a nutshell, foster care can either make children better or worse. There is no definite answer to this question as its effects fully depend on how a child copes up with this kind of childcare set-up.