Other researchers have also found that when the foster care placement arrangements were long-term or permanent, the outcomes were not significantly injurious to the children so placed (Barth & Berry, 1987; Smokowski & Wodarski, 1996); nevertheless, a substantial percentage of children who experience foster care placement may already possess significant physical, psychological, and/or emotional injuries. In these cases, such children are much more likely to remain in the foster care system for longer periods of time than their uninjured counterparts and may ultimately be required to be placed in a residential living facility to address their complex needs (Smith & Fong).

A study by Massinga and Pecora (2004) found that in the United States, an increasing number of young people aged 10 years and above reside in and are emancipated from foster care placements each year. According to these authors, "Older children face many of the same challenges as younger...
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