The Truth behind the Foster Care System

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As family structure changes children pay the biggest price. They may lose the luxury of a stable home or school to call their own, when parent are no longer in the picture either. This is an issue that is largely ignored by society and most importantly the government. Without the foster system, children would be left abandoned and forgotten by all. The foster system provides thousands of homes for foster children each year, with parents that can give them what they need. But, foster care in America is inadequate for all American foster children and needs to be improved. Improvements are critical in bettering American foster systems, these improvements include, creating programs, finding more stable homes, and starting mentoring programs for all foster children. Many reasons exist as to why the foster system is failing and a major one is the number of children in the program. Although the number of children in the foster care system has decreased about 11% since 2002, “…experts worry that the trend might now go into reverse” (Protecting 47). “In 2008 there were 463,000 children in the foster care system” (47), due to the actions of parents such as abuse, neglect and the use of drugs and/or alcohol can cause a child to be placed in foster care. These actions cause the number of children in the system to increase. In order for this number to decrease dramatically programs must be put in place to help find enough, stable homes for foster children. As a result of the economy, many states have “considered cutting down on child-welfare services, such as benefits for foster parents and the number of social workers they employ” (47). If there is a lack of social workers, it is less likely that a child will be placed in a home quickly. Wi... ... middle of paper ... ... Rosechild, Rene. "Somewhere a Child Is Waiting ... For You." Curve Magazine Apr. 2010: 38. Gale Power Search. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. . Spencer, Renee, Mary Elizabeth Collins, Rolanda Ward, and Svetlana Smashnaya. "Mentoring for Young People Leaving Foster Care: Promise and Potential Pitfalls." 55.3 (2010): 225-34. Print. "Startling Statistics | Angels Foster Family Network." Angels Foster Family Network | When the Bough Breaks, Our Wings Are Their Cradle. San Diego Internet Marketing by Best Rank Inc., 2011. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. . "State of Michigan Selects Unisys to Build New Child Welfare Services System." General OneFile 25 Sept. 2011. Gale Power Source. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. .

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