Guidebook Introduction

This Guidebook was created to examine the importance of placement stability for children in foster care. It was written in 2023, when the Irish Foster Care System was faced with an unprecedented placement crisis. The authors worked with many children that experienced placement breakdowns and were faced with residential care, or multiple moves, due to a lack of foster care placements. The guidebook was created to encourage and support all stakeholders involved with children in care to hang in there and to explore all interventions before moving children from foster homes unnecessarily. The effects of disrupted attachments and placement disruptions are discussed.