ABSTRACT
The increase of children in foster care has been attributed to the growing awareness of child abuse and neglect, as well as to the numerous problems now facing American families. Some of the critical concerns facing the foster care system are the increasing numbers of children entering the system, the tendency for children to move from foster home to foster home, and the lack of permanency felt by many foster children. Research by Hazel reports similar trends in foster care systems throughout Europe. In 1983, the British Association of Adoption and Foster Care Agencies presented evidence on this to the House of Commons Social Services Committee. Hazel notes that of the 17 different European countries studied by the Council of Europe's Coordinated Research Group, all had a developed foster care system. The helping person working with children in foster care must be aware of the numerous problems related to the lack of stability in the lives of foster children.
