Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Appiah-Kubi, Jamal

Abstract

One of the tasks of the public child welfare system (PCWS) is to remove children from their home when abuse or neglect has occurred at a level that warrants removal. The PCWS places these children in licensed foster homes under the assumption that they will be safe and nurtured under the care of licensed foster caregivers. However, previous research have consistently shown that children experience ongoing maltreatment while in out-of-home care. This negligence is especially alarming when considering the United States’ rates of children in the foster care system. Despite the prevalence of this issue, little qualitative studies have been conducted focusing on the experiences of those who faced this maltreatment. Guided by the ecological systems and family adjustment and response theories, this research study will provide insight into this phenomenon by interviewing former foster youth who experienced maltreatment during their time in care. This qualitative study will utilize a semi-structured interview guide to conduct in-depth interviews with 25 participants who will be purposively sampled. Audio recordings will be taken with the permission of the participant which will be transcribed into a Word document by the researcher. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the demographic variables. A thematic analysis of the data collected will be completed by hand and will identify the major themes of the data. The results from this study will be used to inform policy and educate stakeholders in the PCWS about the risk factors of maltreatment in out-of-home care and proposed improvements for practice.

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