Every effort should be made to help the child develop a relationship with at least one other person who really cares about the child, can affirm the child's worth, and can be a good listener for the child's concerns and conflicts. This person might be yourself, a relative, foster parent, counselor, or teacher aide. Many foster children have good interpersonal skills and are eager for approval and affection. Interventions that capitalize on such characteristics, like cooperative learning and positive reinforcement, should be sought. Interventions helpful for abused children include behavior management, self-management, and natural consequences.
Neglected children are quite emotionally needy.
They benefit from a structured, predictable environment coupled with much individual attention. For both groups of children the environment needs to have clear limits and consequences that are consistently enforced. Ignoring inappropriate behavior should be avoided because these children often increase the behavior being ignored to dangerous levels. However, punishment of any type, particularly corporal punishment, should not be used with foster children. A consideration needs to be made as to whether the child should receive counseling at school.