CHALLENGES OF FOSTER CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Children come into public care with a variety of previous life experiences, various histories of their biological families (background),reasons for separation and etc., which make them vulnerable to mental health issues. Identifying the emotional problems and behavioraldisorders of children and young people who are in public care are increasingly engaging the interest of scientifi c and professionalpublic, and therefore intensify their efforts to fi nd better methods of responding to the needs of children at risk. Research shows thatfoster care for most children deprived of parental care is the best form of care and that in most cases can provide children experienceof a stable family life, life in the community and strengthen their social competence. The main goal of this paper is therefore to identifysome of the emotional and behavioral problems of children who are in foster care, and to provide a theoretical basis for improvingfoster care practice in the Republic of Croatia, with special emphasis on specialized/treatment/therapeutic foster care for childrenwith behavioral disorders or emotional, psychological and physical diffi culties.