Whether foster care benefits children over remaining with the family is understudied. People have strong opinions, but these are often based on anecdote. One recent study shows that foster care does reduce subsequent arrests, by comparing children at the margin of whether they will be placed or remain with the family. The study showed that many foster children were able to return to their families in a year or two, and that in the interim the parents improved and had fewer arrests after a child was placed. This somewhat fit the pattern of our three as far as we know. The first was adopted to Massachusetts, and we don't know what happened after. The second went back to her mother and was occasionally placed after that, but developed a solid relationship with her over the years and they live together up north. The third left to live with a sister and at least finished high school. She sent us a prom picture.
I am going to guess that the mechanism is not only the parents getting a break and smartening up because of the threat of permanent loss of the child, though I will bet those help. More likely, the parents are young, disorganised, and irresponsible and they develop over 1-2 years as would be natural, but with added accountability. I would further like to know if there is data whether the familial support the parents have is part of this. If a little more development and social pressure improves things, then community support might make a difference, especially in marginal cases.
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