Improving the Lives of Children in Foster Care: The Impact of Supervised Visitation*

• Author: Lenore M. McWey,Ann K. Mullis
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.0005.x
• Published date: 01 April 2004
• Date: 01 April 2004

Improving the Lives of Children in Foster Care:

The Impact of Supervised Visitation*

Lenore M. McWey** and Ann K. Mullis

Our purpose was to test a model explaining the quality of attachment of 123 children in foster care receiving supervised

visitation with their biological parents. The results indicated that for families in which reunification is a goal, children who have

more consistent and frequent contact with their biological parents have stronger attachments than children who have less

contact. In addition, relationships between attachment and indicators of adjustment were examined. Children with higher levels

of attachment had fewer behavioral problems, were less likely to take psychiatric medication, and were less likely to be termed

‘‘developmentally delayed’’ than were children with negative levels of attachment. Implications of these findings for case

workers and other family service providers are discussed.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

(2002)reported that there were 3 million referrals to

Child Protective Services agencies for an estimated 5

million children in 2000. Also in 2000, approximately 879,000

children were the victims of abuse or neglect in the United

States. Almost two-thirds of child victims suffered neglect,

19% were physically abused, 10% were sexually abused, and

8% were psychologically maltreated (National Clearinghouse on

Child Abuse and Neglect Information, 2001). Because of mal-

treatment and abandonment, at the end of 1999, there were

568,000 children in foster care (National Clearinghouse on

Child Abuse and Neglect Information), and infants and children

younger than 6 comprised the largest age group of children in

foster care.

In an effort to improve the instability faced by children in

the foster care system, the Adoption and Safe Families Act

(PL 105–89)of 1997 was passed. The act requires a reduction

in a child’s length of stay in state custody. Parents have 1 year to

regain custody of their children unless extenuating circumstances

are present, such as state agencies failing to provide reunification

services for the family, or if termination of parental rights may

not be in the best interests of the child. The act also mandates

that concurrent planning be established earlier and that per-

manency hearings for the children occur at 12 months instead

of 18 months. Under this new legislation, decisions about a

child’s well-being are to be made swiftly so permanency may

be established for the child sooner.

When reunification of children in foster care and their

biological parents is a goal, case plans may require that the

parent maintain consistent visitation with his or her child. Visit-

ation typically occurs at the offices of case workers or at foster

families’ homes (Davis, Lansverk, Newton, & Ganger, 1996).

Neither of these visitation settings is ideal. Having a parent visit

at a case worker’s office may exacerbate tension and stress felt

by the family, whereas visiting at foster families’ homes may

cause tension between foster parents and biological parents and

intensify feelings of anxiety over allegiances for the children.

Supervised Family Visitation Centers (FVC)provide an alter-

native setting where children can visit with their parents in a safe

environment and where objective observers can monitor visits.

FVC supervisors often are trained observers who can serve as a

rich source of information about parent-child interaction in times

when permanency decisions are required more rapidly.

The relationship between children in foster care and their

biological parents might have a direct impact on the current

well-being of children in care. Using social attachment theory

to understand indicators of a child’s adjustment might provide

insight into the foster care experience and might be a means of

developing effective services and interventions aimed at

assisting children and families. We conducted a study to test a

model rooted in attachment theory to explain the quality of

attachment of children in foster care with their biological

parents, and indicators of adjustment were examined.

The Impact of Visitation

Although there are cases in which parental visitation might

be injurious to the child, visitation is a common requirement in

case plans of parents seeking to regain custody of their children.

Many scholars have indicated that a child’s contact with his or

her biological parents while in foster care is beneficial for the

continued physical and emotional growth of the child (e.g.,

Ainsworth, 1989; Hess, 1982), better overall adjustment of the

child (Colon, 1978; Hess, 1988), the child’s emotional well-

being (Hess, 1988; Oyserman & Benbenishty, 1992), and length

of time in foster care (Grigsby, 1994; Oyserman & Benbenishty).

Additionally, for families in which reunification is a goal,

continuing the parent-child attachment through visitation might

lead to a sense of security for the child while in foster care and

also might strengthen the child’s bonds to foster parents or other

care takers (Hess, 1988; Littner, 1975). Claims (Littner)are that

if children do not have an opportunity to visit with their families,

the child could form an exaggerated view of the parent, which in

turn might affect the child’s self-esteem. Littner asserted, ‘‘For

better or worse, they are his roots to the past, his support and

foundation. When he is separated from them, he feels that he has

lost a part of himself’’ (p. 177). Roberts (2002)suggested that

severing ties between children in foster care and their biological

parents does not erase their emotional connection and, in fact,

could causethe children to feel as if they are betrayingtheir parents.

*This project was funded by the American Association of University Women

Educational Foundation American Fellowship. Support for this project was also received

from the College of Human Sciences at Florida State University. The authors would like to

thank Tammy Henderson for her insightful comments and acknowledge Mary Hicks, Coco

Readdick, Wayne Hill, Albert Oosterhof, and the staff at the Family Visitation Center for

their contributions to this endeavor. The authors also would like to extend appreciation to the

reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

**Address correspondenceto Dr. Lenore McWey, Virginia Tech, Marriageand Family

TherapyProgram, 840 University CityBlvd. Suite 1, Blacksburg, VA 24060(lmcwey@vt.edu).

Key Words: attachment theory,child adjustment,Family,foster care,reunifica tion,

visitation.

(Family Relations, 2004, 53, 293–300)

2004, Vol. 53, No. 3 293