title: Medical Management and Trauma-Informed Care for Children in Foster Care.
abstract: Children enter foster care with a myriad of exposures and experiences, which can threaten their physical and mental health and development. Expanding evidence and evolving guidelines have helped to shape the care of these children over the past two decades. These guidelines address initial health screening, comprehensive medical evaluations, and follow-up care. Information exchange, attention to exposures, and consideration of how the adversities, which lead to foster placement, can impact health is crucial. These children should be examined with a trauma lens, so that the child, caregiver, and community supports can be assisted to view their physical and behavioral health from the perspective of what we now understand about the impact of toxic stress. Health care providers can impact the health of foster children by screening for the negative health consequences of trauma, advocating for trauma-informed services, and providing trauma-informed anticipatory guidance to foster parents. By taking an organized and comprehensive approach, the health care provider can best attend to the needs of this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Safe Place: Center for Child Protection and Health, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: schillings@email.chop.edu.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Safe Place: Center for Child Protection and Health, Philadelphia, PA; The Children׳s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Forkey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology