Gerard McCarthy reports on a study that investigated the developmental histories of children who experienced high levels of placement instability in the care system. A social services information system was used to identify a group of children (n = 11) who had experienced over ten placement moves in a three-year period, excluding short-term respite moves. A comparison group of children (n = 10) was also identified who had experienced low levels of placement moves in the care system. The social services and community child health records of the children were assessed using a checklist for a range of problematic behaviours. Results indicated that those who experienced many moves were much more likely to have displayed multiple problem behaviours prior to entering care than children in the comparison group. Whereas the mean number of problem behaviours prior to being placed in care for the control group was approximately one, the mean number for the group who experienced many placement moves was nearly five. The service and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
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