Credit hours:
2.00

Course Summary

The removal of children and youth from their caregiver(s) to whom they are attached can have both positive and negative aspects. From a child protection perspective, separation can have benefits, the most obvious being immediate safety. Separating a parent and child can also have profoundly negative effects. Even when it is necessary, research indicates that removing children and youth from their homes interferes with their development. The more traumatic the separation, the more likely there will be significant negative developmental consequences. It is imperative that foster parents and other child welfare stakeholders be informed about how separation and loss impacts the children and youth they care for and how to help minimize the impact.

In this course, you can expect to learn:

  • What separation and loss may look like for a child or youth when losing their caregiver, siblings or other close relatives

  • Challenges children and youth may face when suffering from a traumatic separation, both generally and developmentally

  • How an adult supporter may be able to help a child or youth experiencing separation and loss

  • Strategies and tools available to assist and help children and youth develop coping skills

Step 1

Review the following article,  "Children with Traumatic Separation: Information for Professionals," an issue developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which provides information and guidance to young people who experience traumatic separation from a caregiver, siblings or other close relatives.

Step 2

Review the following article, "Effects of Separation and Loss on Children's Development," by Susan Hois, to gain insight on the psychological impact of losing parents due to divorce, incarceration, death and/or removal to foster care at various stages of development.

Step 3

Review the excerpt "My Stuff" on page 7 of FosterClub's Quick Start Guide, for teens entering foster care. Often, what is unknown is the scariest part of foster care. Providing young people with a method of control helps eliminate unknown factors and make them feel more comfortable in their current situation.

Step 4

Review the information provided in "Keeping Connected to Siblings," excerpted from FosterClub's Quick Start Guide, which outlines important things for a young person to consider when thinking about bio-family connections. Relationships with family can be tough for any teen, but when foster care is involved, things can get even more complicated. Helping a young person understand the details and their rights concerning visits or connections to loved ones may help ease the fear and anxiety that separation often creates. 

Step 5

Review the following worksheet developed by FosterClub to help children gain a better understanding of what separation from their family members looks like and ideas about how to keep in touch with important people, excerpted from FosterClub's Foster Cub Coloring Book. Having a conversation with the younger youth in your care may prove to be a little more complicated than a conversation with a teen.

Step 6

Review the following worksheet, "What will we do on a visit?" An excerpt from FosterClub's Foster Cub Coloring Book. Easing the uncertainty for children in your care when it comes to visits with biological family is important. Beyond initial greetings, family visits can become awkward for the child and visitor alike. Plan ahead with the child about things they can do at their visit, and help pack a bag with items that promote interactivity and connection.

Step 7

Review the worksheet below, "What will my family be doing in foster care?" Often the anxiety that evolves from separation is the lack of knowledge regarding what the rest of the young person's family will be doing in foster care. Help begin a conversation about what family members may be up to during the young person's absence from the home. This could also be used during visitation with family members. Excerpted from FosterClub's Foster Cub Coloring Book.

Step 8

Join the discussion in the comments below to answer the following question:

How can you help minimize the impact of separation on a child or youth in your home when visits and/or communications with their birth family is not an option?

Step 9

Finished the module? If you are logged in as a subscribed user, take the quiz to earn your Continuing Education Credit hours and certificate! 

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Course Discussion

Laberge301's picture
6 years 3 weeks ago

Laberge301 said:

I have a foster child who is 6, I have had him since he was 3 at first he had visits with his bio parents and then visits stopped. during the visits I would take pictures of him with his parents after the visits stopped I had the pictures made and everyother day I give him one picture and we talk about how that visit went, what they did and how he felt at the visit, this has helped him alot with the separation.
Laberge301's picture
6 years 3 weeks ago

Laberge301 said:

I have a foster child who is 6, I have had him since he was 3 at first he had visits with his bio parents and then visits stopped. during the visits I would take pictures of him with his parents after the visits stopped I had the pictures made and everyother day I give him one picture and we talk about how that visit went, what they did and how he felt at the visit, this has helped him alot with the separation.
maryeth76's picture
6 years 1 month ago

maryeth76 said:

My experience has been with infants and toddlers, who did have initial visits, but my thought would be (depending on the situation) to let them video tape some messages so that hopefully that at some point they can be shown to the bio family.
CarolineShafer's picture
6 years 1 month ago

CarolineShafer said:

There are different approaches that a caregiver can use based on the age on the child. However, one way to help encourage a child to keep positive thoughts about biological family is to have them keep some sort of scrape book. This helps them keep a collection of memories, therefore they are able to "keep" their family close even if they do not have any kind of communication anymore.
SGillespie's picture
6 years 1 month ago

SGillespie said:

Talking with children, if willing and if not, doing an activity to help them deal with their feelings.
CarolineShafer's picture
6 years 1 month ago

CarolineShafer said:

It depends on the child's age, however, helping make a child feel welcome in the home as much as possible and they are a member of that household is very important. Also, providing multiple opportunities for play is a way for the child to just be a child without worrying as much about the pain they are feeling from the separation from family.
CarolineShafer's picture
6 years 1 month ago

CarolineShafer said:

It depends on the child's age, however, helping make a child feel welcome in the home as much as possible and they are a member of that household is very important. Also, providing multiple opportunities for play is a way for the child to just be a child without worrying as much about the pain they are feeling from the separation from family.
CarolineShafer's picture
6 years 1 month ago

CarolineShafer said:

It depends on the child's age, however, helping make a child feel welcome in the home as much as possible and they are a member of that household is very important. Also, providing multiple opportunities for play is a way for the child to just be a child without worrying as much about the pain they are feeling from the separation from family.
CarolineShafer's picture
6 years 1 month ago

CarolineShafer said:

It depends on the child's age, however, helping make a child feel welcome in the home as much as possible and they are a member of that household is very important. Also, providing multiple opportunities for play is a way for the child to just be a child without worrying as much about the pain they are feeling from the separation from family.
MMM0582's picture
6 years 2 months ago

MMM0582 said:

I think that a good way to help children who are going through this is simply to see what they might want to do that will help them adjust or feel comfortable in the new environment, don't push them to do anything. If they want to talk or ask questions, do that and see how they are feeling about the situation. Ask them if they'd like to play games or watch TV or play with toys. Do things like color or play board games and just get them used to be new living situation without making it too pressured on them.