Somebody's Children or Nobody's Children? How the Sociological Perspective Could Enliven Research on Foster Care

Posted: 3 Aug 2014

See all articles by Christopher Wildeman

Christopher Wildeman

Duke University - Department of Sociology; Rockwool Foundation Research Unit

Jane Waldfogel

IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Columbia University - School of Social Work; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Date Written: July 2014

Abstract

Social scientists have long been concerned about how the fortunes of parents affect their children, with acute interest in the most marginalized children. Yet little sociological research considers children in foster care. In this review, we take a three-pronged approach to show why this inattention is problematic. First, we provide overviews of the history of the foster care system and how children end up in foster care, as well as an estimate of how many children ever enter foster care. Second, we review research on the factors that shape the risk of foster care placement and foster care caseloads and how foster care affects children. We close by discussing how a sociological perspective and methodological orientation - ranging from ethnographic observation to longitudinal mixed methods research, demographic methods, and experimental studies - can foster new knowledge around the foster care system and the families it affects.

Suggested Citation

Wildeman, Christopher and Waldfogel, Jane, Somebody's Children or Nobody's Children? How the Sociological Perspective Could Enliven Research on Foster Care (July 2014). Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 40, pp. 599-618, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2475579 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071913-043358

Christopher Wildeman (Contact Author)

Duke University - Department of Sociology ( email )

Rockwool Foundation Research Unit

Sejroegade 11
DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark

Jane Waldfogel

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

Columbia University - School of Social Work ( email )

622 W. 113th Street
New York, NY 10025
United States

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
436
PlumX Metrics