I have a friend who is living with a foster family. Are they going to be okay?
In Canada, between 4% and 7% of children will live in a foster
home at some point in their childhood.
And our research shows their healthcare experiences look very different from other
children.
What we haven't had until now is national data that helps us understand
whether children in foster homes are experiencing gaps or inequities in
healthcare, and whether care systems may be falling short.
We followed more than 30,000 children living in foster homes across
Canada and compared their hospitalizations with children who had never
been in a foster home.
We looked at three key things: how often children needed to visit
the hospital, what ages were most affected, and the most common
reasons for hospital admissions.
Children with foster home experience were hospitalized about twice as often as
children without, and several clear patterns stood out.
Mental and behavioral health conditions were the leading reason for
hospitalization. Hospitalization rates increased sharply
during adolescence and early adulthood.
And mental and reproductive health were the most common reasons for youth
in foster homes to visit the hospital, and these healthcare needs are not
evenly distributed. A relatively small group of children
with a history of foster care accounted for nearly half of all
hospitalizations within the foster care population we studied.
This tells us that while many children may never need hospital care,
those who do often have complex, ongoing healthcare needs
that lead to repeated visits.
The data also reveals a major inequity.
Indigenous children, who represent about 6% of Canada's child
population,
made up almost half of all children living in foster homes,
putting them at a disproportionately higher risk.
Repeated hospitalizations are often a sign that care isn't reaching children
early enough or in a coordinated way.
When early supports are missing, health needs can escalate, especially
during adolescence, leading to more frequent and more serious hospital
care.
This is where wraparound care becomes essential, making sure medical care,
mental health support, and social services work together.
This includes hospitals providing trauma-informed inpatient care,
ensuring strong follow-up after a visit, and connecting children to
ongoing community-based and culturally safe supports,
so care continues beyond the hospital.
Research like this helps identify where systems can intervene
earlier, supporting children during critical stages of development
so they can live their healthiest life.