Most foster parents understand that medication is not an answer to the foster children's problems or behaviors. The truth is that you cannot begin to address or even have the children start to process their past abuse and neglect until they have some sort of control of their behaviors.

When I started foster care, I was very opposed to giving a child medication to sleep. A one year old baby girl was placed with us that was a drug baby, born addicted. She lived her first year in a crib moving from one hotel to another one without contact or being held. She had major problems and behaviors including not sleeping. She might nap for maybe two hours in a twenty four hour period. She had a behavior and occupational therapist to help deal with her behaviors. I lived like this for about four or five months with lack of sleep and working full time.
Her behavior therapist (she was also psychiatrist) told me one day I was killing myself and that I was not failing her to place her on medication. She explained that this was not fair to this child. That she deserved the right to function as a normal child which included sleeping.

My pediatrician (have gone to her for years) told me she was wondering how long I would make it without using medication. The doctor placed her on it that day, and within a week she was sleeping deeply six or seven hours a night. We were a totally different family.

When foster parents are dealing with a child picking his skin off to the point of bleeding, children attacking others without provocation, trying to pull down closet doors, talking about hurting other or threatening, talking to people that on not real, urinating and defecating everywhere, emotions spiraling out of control, severe depression and these are just some of the ones I have dealt with, there are not a lot of other solutions.

We have to have a way to manage their behaviors hopefully, only until they can address some of their feelings and anger with therapy. This is not something that will happen overnight especially when the children have endured years of abuse.

Medicating foster children is a concern in most states and the long term effects to the children.

Foster care posts:

Medicating Foster Children

Public Concerned With Overall Foster Care System

Therapeutic Foster Children