Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Foster Care: A Research Synthesis
Reva I. Allen
Thomas P. McDonald
Irving Piliavin
Alex Westerfelt


What lasting impact has foster care had on the adult lives of former foster children? Noting how trends in expectations and outcomes in foster care have changed over the past 30 years, this comprehensive and critical review of the impact foster care has had on children provides a framework for the critical assessment of trends in programs and policies; identifies what is known and not known concerning the impact of foster care; and offers recommendations for future data collection and research, as well as program and policy development. It is a welcome addition to the literature for program administrators, policymakers, and researchers in the child welfare field.