Interview with Joseph Goldstein

Abstract

THE REVIEW: How do you respond to the criticism that in practice your theories serve to encourage child care workers to prolong temporary placements so that stronger ties are formed with a foster family whom the worker perceives as "better" than the child's natural family, and that this eventually facilitates a permanent placement with the foster family? PROFESSOR GOLDSTEIN: If this is the effect, it is certainly contrary to everything we propose. First of all, we say that it is an obligation of state agencies to make every possible effort to maintain children in their own family setting. Second, we urge that every effort be made to maintain the continuity of ties with the family from whom the child has been removed. It is—or at least it should be—a function of foster parents to keep alive these ties and bonds because the primary goal of temporary placement is to restore a child as quickly as possible to the family from which she came.