Harm of Removal in Child Welfare
“Harm of removal” is a blanket term the encompasses the multiple ways a child may be negatively impacted by being forcibly separated from their family. Removal is extremely disruptive to a child’s neurological and socio-emotional development, and, for most children, it is a completely unexpected experience. In addition to the distress of being separated from family, removal disrupts the child’s connections to other important people, places, and things including other relatives, friends, pets, and possessions. While there are certainly cases where removal is necessary, study after study has demonstrated that children suffer complex and long-lasting harms when they are removed from their parents and placed into foster care. Depending on the particular circumstances of the family, removal and placement into foster care results in far worse life outcomes for children than they would have experienced from the abuse or neglect happening in the home.
The child welfare system has historically underestimated and undervalued the enormous detrimental impacts of removal to children and have largely failed to recognize that even temporary separation can result in irreparable damage. Due to the child welfare system’s long history of erring on the side of removal, taking children from their parents has long-been considered the better and safer course of action. In fact, the bond between children and their parents is extremely important and disrupting it has detrimental, long-term emotional and psychological consequences to children.
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“To pretend that separated children do not grow up with the shrapnel of this traumatic experience embedded in their minds is to disregard everything we know about child development, the brain, and trauma.”
-DIANA SINOPOLI, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY
Research
MIT Studies
Three massive studies conducted by MIT researcher Professor Joseph Doyle examined the life outcomes of children in typical child welfare cases placed into foster care as compared to children experiencing the same sort of alleged abuse or neglect who were left in the home. These studies examined cases with children “on the margin”, which refers to cases where investigators may disagree about the recommendation of removal. Overall results showed better life outcomes for children on the margin of placement when they are able to remain home as opposed to being placed in foster care. Click the buttons on the right o learn more about each MIT study.
Tools & Training
Understanding the Harm of Removal in Child Welfare Training
This training is available as a 60-minute or 90-minute live webinar designed for dependency courts and system partners in Washington State. Contact us to learn more.
Harm of Removal Map
This ever-evolving concept map shows different life domains to consider when assessing the likely harms of removal to a child.
Guidance for Courts: Harms of Removal Across Stages of Child Development
This set of guidance provides an in-depth look into the specific harms of removal that children are likely to experience given their developmental stage
Harm of Removal Workgroup HUB
This cross-system workgroup develops resources and training that supports court communities in assessing and responding to the harm of removal in child dependency cases.
C.A.R.E. Checklist
Created by Dr. Monique Mitchell, the C.A.R.E. Checklist outlines the questions that children ask and want answered when they are removed from their homes and placed into foster care.
Webinar Recording
Watch recording of the 2023 “Child Safety and the Harm of Removal” webinar, co-presented by the Office of Public Defense and Department of Children, Youth & Families.
