Systematic literature review of foster and adoptive caregiver factors for increasing placement stability and permanency

Placement stability and permanency are key goals for children in foster and adoptive care. This study is a systematic review of the scholarly literature to better understand caregiver-related factors (e.g., characteristics, proficiencies) that contribute to permanency and placement stability, in order to provide a stronger foundation for developing and improving caregiver recruitment and training procedures. Our review of 29 qualifying scholarly articles revealed 16 caregiver-related factors associated with permanency and/or placement stability. This knowledge can assist in selecting resource families and guiding training development to increase caregiver proficiency in caring for foster and adoptive children.