Children who transition from a residential care system to foster family care are more likely to acquire basic reading skills and experience fewer chronic school absences than those who were not, a large-scale study in the US revealed.
According to the investigation, better academic outcomes are due to these children receiving developmental and preventive care and being supervised by a wider range of professionals.
“The fact that foster families receive professional guidance and financial assistance for treatments and educational expenses allows them to focus on the child's emotional and developmental needs, which are the foundation for later success,” said one of the investigators.
Foster system in Israel
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, more than 946 children have been orphaned, many of the traumatized after witnessing the massacre and experiencing the resulting war that followed.
According to Adi Makel, a social worker, director of the Foster Care Service in Israel, and national supervisor at the Welfare Ministry, "A child needs a family, not an institutional framework. For these children, the foster family is not just an alternative framework; it is a lifeline. It is a family they never had before."
With this in mind, Sunflowers, the only organization in Israel dedicated solely to supporting orphaned children, opened five new trauma recovery centers in Ofakim, Sderot, Ashkelon, Rahat, and Kuseife in July. These centers provide the orphaned children with a structured, therapeutic community with a focus on healing.
“The decision to open these five new centers wasn’t optional: it was a moral imperative,” said Hadar Kess, CEO and founder of Sunflowers. “These are communities that have experienced unbearable personal loss and ongoing instability. The 12-day Israel-Iran war that began on June 12 was especially hard on our children.”
The Israeli approach aligns with the findings of the American study, and organizations like "Shachar" are working to implement it in practice. Zaki Haroub, CEO of the "Shachar" organization, emphasized the importance of optimal matching: "Every day a child feels they belong, are loved and protected within a supportive system – is a life-changing day." Haroub points out that the assessment process for foster families is rigorous, but its purpose is to ensure a correct match between the child's needs and the family's capabilities, to provide them with a secure foundation for the rest of their lives.