Foster Care Experiences of Long‐Term Welfare Recipients in California

Among a sample of 3,560 mostly long‐term welfare recipients on cash assistance in California in 1992, approximately 4.2 percent had a child placed in foster care within 5 years. Caucasian caregivers, caregivers who became parents as teenagers, and those with more difficult parenting responsibilities were at increased risk of having a child removed from the home. Although current and long‐term welfare receipt increased the risk of having a child placed in foster care, caregivers who had stable employment were at lesser risk. However, caregivers who worked while on welfare were at greater risk than caregivers who only received welfare benefits.