Throughout America there are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care. These children in foster care have disproportionately high rates of physical, developmental, and mental health problems (Issues). Most of these troubles are caused by the lack of attachment to the foster parents. With the shortage of time at a new house, these children do not bond with the foster parents. Some foster parents are willing to keep the children as long as necessary, but others are selfish and are in the program just for the money. This here is an example of why many children’s health is often neglected while in foster care (Issues). Children who enter foster care due to child abuse and neglect are entering an environment that is not the right type of support. According to the Department of Family and Protective Services: “When children have to be placed outside their homes, and there is not an appropriate non-custodial parent or relative willing and able to care for them and there are not any close family friends that the court can give temporary legal possession, the court will ask Child Protective Services (CPS) to place the child in a temporary foster care setting.” In order to become a foster parent you must: be trained and verified by the CPS, you must receive a license from the Residential Child-Care Licensing (RCCL), and you must be verified by the RCCL. Most children in foster care have never had the nurturing stable environment, without this a child’s brain does not have the sensibility to participate in society (Issues). If one child does not know how to participate in society and grows up in an unstable household, then they have a very slim chance of being able to support them. Instead they will guide themselves down the p... ... middle of paper ... ...y Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Early Childhood, 2000. 15 May 2011. Web. DFPS. “DFPS-Foster Care.” DFPS- Texas Department of family and Protective Services. 2011. 20 May 2011. Web. Guillaro, Lori. “Child Abuse Facts and Statistics.” Cardinal McCloskey Services. McCloskey, 2011. 7 May 2011. Web. Kamentez, Kevin. “Facts about Child Abuse.” Baltimore, MD. Kevin Kamentez, 19 Jan. 2011. 6 May 2011. Web. Magnuson, Ed. “Child Abuse: The Ultimate Betrayal.” TIME for Kids. 05 Sep. 1983:7. 6 May 2011. Web. Saison, Joanna. “Child Abuse and Neglect.” Help Guide of Child Abuse. Robert Segal 12 Nov. 2011. 6 May 2011. Web.’ Sgroi, Suzanne. Sexual Abuse Intervention. New York, NY: Free, 1982. Print. Weidner, Steve. “Making Children a Priority.” Child Abuse. Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, 2010. 6 May 2011. Web.
“About two-thirds of children admitted to public care have experienced abuse and neglect, and many have potentially been exposed to domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse” (Dregan and Gulliford). These children are being placed into foster care so that they can get away from home abuse, not so they can move closer towards it. The foster children’s varied outcomes of what their adult lives are is because of the different experiences they grew up with in their foster homes. The one-third of those other foster children usually has a better outcome in adult life than the other two-thirds, which is a big problem considering the high percentage of children being abused in their foster homes. Although, the foster care system has most definitely allowed children to experience the positive home atmosphere that they need there is still an existed kind of abusive system in the foster care program that is unofficial but seems to be very popular. Foster care focuses on helping children in need of a temporary stable environment; however, foster care can have negative impacts to the children and the people around them concerning the foster child going through the transition, the parents of the foster child, a new sibling relationship, and problems that arrive later influencing the foster child long-term.
Sadler, B. The societal consequences of child abuse. In Grapes, B. J. (2001) Contemporary Issues Companion: Child Abuse. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Hurley, Jennifer (1999). Child Abuse Opposing Views . San Diego : Greenhaven Press, Inc. print.
There is nearly 400,000 children in out-of-home care in the United States right now (Children’s Right). Just about every day children are being shipped in and out of foster homes and group homes. Most people want the best for children in foster care and decide to take care of them until their parents can possibly recover. The foster care system can have both a negative or positive effect on children, foster parents, and biological parents because of the gaps in the system. Foster cannot not be avoided but the some aspects of the foster care system can be avoided if the missing gaps were filled.
In the observation there were 14 other foster parents in attendance, 10 foster parents were non-kinship and 4 were kinship foster parents including myself. In observing we discussed the transition of children coming into foster care for the first time vs. long term instability of placement. A lot of the children are confused they are unaware of the wrong their parents have done to be removed. They become scared or fearful because the home they are placed in can be a stranger. Not all children go to kinship homes. Some children come into foster care with insecure detachment or the inability to eat, sleep or be normal functioning children. In learning that bonding and attachment of a mother/ caregiver and child during the first five years of the child’s life is important. That a child who is abused or neglected by parent or caregiver will form Insecure disorganized disoriented which is confusion about approaching or avoiding mother/caregiver, upon reunion acts confused and dazed (Site This). The foster parents in the training did not say much but when spoken about daily stressor of a child towards acceptance we had the same idea of trying to make the foster home as comfortable as possible. That is when we all was inform no matter how welcoming the home is or the pleasant smile at the door a child will still need time to adjust to the situation he/she is placed in.
Children in foster care are removed from their families due to an abusive or neglectful situation. This can include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, or neglect” (Being a Foster Parent). Many children may have behavioral and other types of problems that a foster parent should make sure they are equipt for. Foster parents must be good at talking and communicating with children in order to make them feel safe and wanted in their new and temporary home. They must be prepared to deal with how the child acts and what they say. Not only do they have to support them emotionally but they also must be able to support them financially. Even though almost all of the expenses that go along with fostering are usually reimbursable it still could be difficult for some to come up with the medical, dental, and therapy expenses off hand (Being a Foster Parent). Becoming a foster parent is a long difficult road but in doing so it could really help out a child in
Imagine waking up everyday in a home where there is nobody you can call mom or dad. Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent". The placement of the child is usually arranged through the government or a social-service agency. The institution, group home or foster parent is compensated for expenses. The state will inform through the family court and child protection agency stand in loco parentis to the minor, making all legal decisions while the foster parent is responsible for the day-to-day care of the minor throughout the time the child is in the system.
(Chipungu & Goodley, 2004) Chipungu and Goodley also stated that these issues shown by children in foster care come from their experiences prior to being placed in foster care, as well as from their actual foster care experience. Children are forced to deal with the separation from their parents and siblings, and must now adjust to a new life. In a 3 month time period of being in the foster care system, children have been shown to have symptoms of depression, aggression and withdrawal, as well as sleeping problems, and failure to thrive. (Chipungu & Goodley, 2004) Due to children’s experiences prior to entering the foster care system, many of them have development issues, including mental development. According to Bass, Shields, and Behrman “children in foster care have more physical and mental health problems than children growing up in other settings.” (2004) Dubois-Comtois et al. stated that the number of foster care placements, as well as the type of placement, a child has had also contributed to the child’s behavior and emotional problems.
51% of the birth parents do gain their children back, and 5% allow home visit (@Fosterclub, 4). Once the child enters foster care the birth parent still has a chance to watch them grow and improve. Some foster parents will keep in contact with the birth parents. “When there is direct contact between the foster parent and birth parents; the foster parents can serve as mentors for the birth parents” (Resource, 2). They can be models of effective parenting. Foster parents can provide learning opportunities for the birth parent to practice parenting skills. When the birth parents see their child in foster care; the birth parents notice the how the child is improving. When the birth parents see improvement of their child, they began to realize they need to better themselves. The birth parents tend to improve themselves to provide for the child and give them what they need. While it is up to the biological family, parents can choose to stay in touch with their child’s foster family by asking them to babysit or remain a resource in terms of the child’s education, training, or therapy (Brozak, 3). Once the birth parent improves the environment to the child they usually gain custody back. From the foster parents keeping in touch with the birth parents; the birth parents will tend to use the foster parent as a source when they need help. By foster care it has brought
According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, “Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for all children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility.” Though this definition excludes children in privately funded foster care arrangements, placement in a facility not governed by a state agency is often sought for children. Placement with either a state agency or a privately funded program can either be short-term lasting several months, or extend for a period of years as in long-term placement. The duration of time spent in the foster care system is dependent upon the existing home environment and the ability of the caregivers in the home to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the child. An evaluation of both the present and pre-existing home environment is crucial in making the decision of whether to remove the child from foster care and reunite them with their parental custodians or to continue placement in the foster care system.
For years there have been an excessive number of children in and out of the foster system. Quite a few children have succeeded; however, other children have not. A few children have looked to drugs, alcohol and violence to cope with what they have gone through and/or what they are currently going through. A number of those children ended up in a juvenile detention center or prison for breaking the law. Foster parents are desperately needed to help these children succeed in life and make it through this terrible time.
Foster care is an agency that takes in more than 250,000 children EVERY year. With this many children entering the system every year; the amount of problems on finding the right caregiver for the child increases tremendously. When these problems are created there are many effects that can happen to the child that can last short-term and unfortunately long-term. Fortunately, there are multiple solutions for these problems that everyone can do so that everyone's position is improved. Foster care agencies can create negative situations due to the selection of the caregiver and the plethora, deluge, profusion, surplus, vast, prodigious, immense of problems that are created; however, there are several pathways that either party can take to improve the unpleasant situation and its effects.
Placement in the foster care system has a wide range of effects on children of all ages, however what those effects are or how those effects specifically come about are often researched. Harden (2004) conducted a study, which focused on the importance of safety and stability to child development, reviewed the research on the risks associated with maltreatment and the foster care system, and discussed factors in family and child welfare systems that influence foster children’s development. Retrospective research examining secondary data and previous studies were used to conclude that developmentally sensitive child welfare policies and practices designed to promote the well being of the whole child are needed to facilitate the healthy development
Healthy living conditions are provided for them such as food, a form of financial stability in order to obtain what they need such as clothing. Some youth may have the support of a family member when they exit the foster care system however those who don’t have the financial and emotional support can face challenging times when they begin to live on their own. Youth in foster homes are provided a place to live however at time it may not be stable because they may be assigned to a different foster parents depending on their situation. Having to experience moving around may cause depressing and giving youth a challenging time developing as adults and gaining the experience they need to be completely
O'Meara, Sara, and Yvonne Fedderson. "What Is Child Abuse." Childhelp. Childhelp, 1959. Web. 12 Sept. 2017. .