At first glance, it appears that children in foster care have an abundance of resources and a number of people who are there to make sure that their health care needs are met. Yet, a 1995 Government Accounting Office report found that children in foster care are "sicker than homeless children and children living in the poorest sections of inner cities." Moreover, the health, education and welfare systems, trying to meet the complex needs of children in foster care, are under stress. Children in foster care...

• Have the poorest physical and mental health in the nation.
• May have had an increased exposure to multiple risks, which increase the likelihood of poor outcomes.
• Are over-represented in the mental health system.
• Are twice as likely to drop out of school than children not in foster care.

The Caring Communities for Children in Foster Care is a project directed through the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) of Virginia, funded by the Maternal Child Health Bureau Integrated Services Initiative with the American Academy of Pediatrics.  In collaboration with Fairfax County, VA, Child Welfare Agencies, the Caring Communities project has been developing strategies and identifying "best practices" to increase comprehensive health care services for children in foster care.

Through extensive research, discussions with providers across the country and our collaborative work with foster parents, physicians and social services professionals in our community, a number of barriers have been identified that prevent comprehensive health care for children in foster care. They include:

• Fragmentation and lack of communication amongst they key players,
• Lack of complete medical records,
• Low reimbursement rates for health care, mental and dental health care services,
• Complicated and time-consuming paper work,
• Numerous placement and provider changes,
• Judgments and myths about foster parents, biological parents and children in foster care in general.