ArticleJCPP advances2026
Interventions for pre-school children in foster care: A systematic review of the foster carer and system level outcomes from randomised controlled trials.
Article in JCPP advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Children in foster care are at increased risk of experiencing cognitive, emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is a window of opportunity for early intervention associated with developmental sensitivity in the early years. Foster carers and the systems supporting them play a central role in intervention and support for the young person. This systematic review explores the effectiveness of interventions for pre-school children in foster care, in improving carer sensitivity, stress and placement stability. Methods: Embase, Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Cochrane Library were search systematically for relevant articles, including randomised controlled trials (RCTs) available by 20th January 2025. Search screening, data extraction and quality appraisal were all completed by two independent researchers and reviewed collaboratively. The quality of included articles was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB2) tool and GRADE assessment procedure. Narrative synthesis with meta-analysis for some outcomes was conducted. Results: Sixteen articles, corresponding to 12 RCTs, met inclusion criteria. The quality of data according to GRADE assessment was low for all three outcome types, and RoB high for several included articles. The articles reviewed seven different intervention types. There was evidence that interventions were effective in improving caregiver sensitivity, with the strongest evidence supporting attachment and biobehavioural catch-up and parent child interaction therapy. There was also limited evidence that interventions may improve placements stability. Overall, there was no evidence that interventions reduce caregiver stress. Conclusions: This review demonstrates the effectiveness of interventions in improving caregiver and system level outcomes-both likely to be important mediators for change in the child. Further high-quality research is needed to identify which interventions are most effective and in what context, with improved consistency in definition and measurement of outcomes.
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Registered trials
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