Correspondence between language performance of children in formal alternative care and the placement environment: preliminary data from a systematic review

An estimated 2.7 million children live in formal alternative care (FAC). FAC varies in living conditions and care provided. However, research has shown that living in FAC adversely afects child development. This should be cautiously interpreted as studies reporting these efects have mainly been conducted in the northern hemisphere, in psychosocially deprived settings. Conversely, due to socio-economic factors, FAC compares favorably to domestic care in low-income countries. Here, we sought to understand the correspondence between children’s language performance in FAC and the placement setting (residential, foster, and kinship care), a query subset from a more extensive main study aiming to investigate children’s language development in formal alternative care. Materials and methods We systematically searched APA PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, Embase, ERIC, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases between October and November 2021. The search was not circumscribed to a period. Only primary English reports published in peerreviewed journals investigating the language performance of children up to age 18 in FAC were included. Results We identifed ten reports that matched these criteria. Eight reports (80%) described changes in the setting in FAC leading to variations in children’s linguistic performance. We found that children who transition from low-quality settings (i.e., settings in which some aspect of care is substantially lower than suggested by best practice) to higherquality environments show a "catch-up efect" in their linguistic performance. When this change happens early, children in FAC have equivalent language performances to the comparison groups (children living with their biological parents). Conversely, children who stay with their families in situations of abuse or exposure to war show lower linguistic performance scores than children in FAC. Conclusions Thus, not all settings, even if family-based, can be linguistically enriching; there needs to be reciprocity in interactions between carers and children to promote this development. Training and support for carers in all care settings are essential to ensure responsiveness and developmentally appropriate environments for children in FAC.