Foster Care
Foster care services is temporary placement for children who otherwise cannot remain safely in their homes. When children enter foster care they are placed in custody of the state through order of the court (Foster Care Services, 2016). The overall goal of foster care is to establish a permanent plan for the child. Federal laws have established that kinship care/relative placement, with a relative who has a long-term and secure commitment with the child and guardianship/custody with a relative or non-relative are two of the permanent plans that are explored if reunification is not able to be achieved (Foster Care Services, 2016).
Theoretical Basis at a Glance
Empowerment of families and caseworkers is important as there has to be
…show more content…
A possible cause of this may be due to lacks of caseworker competency in family engagement. Successful empowerment of both families and children relates to better outcomes.
Ecological Systems Theory
The Ecological Systems Theory as related to foster care and kinship placement provides a grounded basis for understanding the relationship between the child and their environment. Use of the theory provides important information that serves as the basis for interventions that are needed to address the complex issues of foster care and placement (Algoog, Chiu, Hong, & Lee, 2011). Kinship care/relative placement is not a new placement option to prevent foster care however, there is a greater push for this type of placement as evidence proves these placements are more beneficial for children. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 has created a push in monitoring for improvement in permanency plans for children and as a result there has been a growth in kinship care (Downes, et al., 2008). It is documented that children and relative caregivers both are mutually benefitted from this
…show more content…
Children removed from their natural home environment already experience a number of seen and unforeseen losses. Studies report that residing with a relative made living easier for children as the relatives are able to provide a sense of connectedness to the children while increasing the likelihood that they will remain in their own community, this overall results in positive outcomes (Algoog, Chiu, Hong, & Lee, 2011). When children are removed from their home they often experience emotional trauma and have increased chances of attachment disruptions in which the relative placement can help to deal with the trauma suffered and increase stability for the child (Algoog, Chiu, Hong, & Lee, 2011). If kinship care/relative placement is rewarding to all, there should be more attention paid to case practice that is supportive of this placement. However, due to wide array of child welfare case practice issues caseworker competency is not always achieved through the standardized child protective services basic training curriculums. It has been established that kinship care/relative placement is the preferred placement type for children versus foster
One of the biggest misconceptions that we have in our country is that foster care is a great thing; well, it’s not. There are so many flaws in our foster care system to even consider it a good idea. With constant reports of abuse, depression, lack of stability, to even the terrible after effects of the foster care system, like homelessness and incarceration; the foster care system hurts more than it helps. Our foster care system is bad for America, but most of all, our children.
Kinship care appears to be a more viable option for parents seeking to regain connections with their children once removed by state agencies. Kinship care supports the family unit and keeps children with familiar family members that lessen the trauma involved with separation from parents. The idea that children in kinship care tend to experience decreased future contact with state child welfare agencies enhances this option in that it minimizes repeat
This paper will contain research done about foster care, including a brief history and progressing along to the system today. This research interested me because it is a professional career option after graduation. I found both positives and negatives about the foster care system that children and foster parents go through on a daily basis. As the paper progresses I will be explaining these positives and negatives in more detail. Throughout the paper I will be referencing different scholarly sources that explain foster care in different ways. Overall, this paper will show different aspects that the general public may never know about foster care.
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.
Despite attempts in the foster care system agencies under the guidelines of the “Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997” (ASFA) to locate suitable homes and families for foster children, many remain in foster care. “Too often, Child Welfare policy and the agencies responsible for it – offices that respond to child abuse and neglect, oversee foster care placements, and seek to reunite children with their parents to find adoptive families- are out of sight and out of mind except for fleeting moments of tragedy, such as a child’s death”.
Before people decide if they want to adopt, they can become a foster parent. When children are not able to safely live with their biological family, Child Protective Services may become involved and place the child in foster care. Foster care is only a temporary living arrangement for the child, while the children's parents work to remedy the unsafe situation (Security,2014). When it is possible that a child may not be able to return home his/her situation turns into a case plan; which then the child is able to be adopted by another person.
Equally, there has been many studies suggesting parent participation through family engagement as the most effective means to achieving permanency (Boldis, & Tomlinson, 2014; Crampton, Usher, Wildfire, Webster, & Cuccaro-Alamin, 2011; Dolan, & Grotevant, 2014; Léveillé, & Chamberland, 2010). In other words, reunification is more likely to be achieved when the biological families are active members of the child welfare team (Boldis, & Tomlinson, 2014). Studies suggest when service providers include families as members of the child welfare team they are more likely to meet their children’s needs, which increase the chances of reunification (Epstein, 1995; Boldis, & Tomlinson, 2014). For some, it is still a new concept of biological family members being an active member of the child welfare team; this mindset can reduce the likelihood of reunification Boldis, & Tomlinson, 2014). Studies suggest positive family engagement between the foster family and biological families increase the chances of reunification being achieved Boldis, & Tomlinson,
The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) was as a response to growing concerns about “foster care drift”; that is, children experiencing multiple, unstable foster care placements over extended periods, children virtually lost within the child welfare system (Rockhill, 2007). The ASFA has become a very important and much needed policy that helped with placement and safet...
As of 2014, there were over 415,000 children in the foster care system. Foster care is the raising and supervision of children in a private home, group home, or institution, by individuals engaged and paid by a social service agency (Legal Dictionary, 2016). Care givers can be of kin relationship to the child, or may not know the child at all. Group homes are run by a social worker and can house multiple children at a time. These homes are usually regulated by the state and/or government. Children of all ages go through many emotions when their lives revolve in foster care. This paper will discuss the emotions children deal with regarding separation from birth family, the effects of abuse, and the possibility of having to transition out of
How do they differ from group homes? Foster homes are a type of non-secure confinement that may or may not be associated with an offense. If a court finds that a youth's parent or guardian is unfit, that youth may be placed into a temporary household. Not all youths placed in foster care are criminals, some are orphaned or in need of supervision. Foster homes do prove useful in helping children who have mental, developmental, and emotional disabilities.
“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.
Pabustan-Claar, J. (2007). Achieving permanence in foster care for young children: a comparison of kinship and non-kinship placements. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 16, 61-94.
Social agency and the court authorizing the placement, and caregivers are responsible for the continuing monitoring to ensure that the child in placement receives adequate care and supervision (Downs, Moore and McFadden, 2009, p.275). Services for children in foster care are a teamwork effort of the different parties involved (Downs, Moore and McFadden, 2009). Unfortunately in Antowne’s situation the agency and the court system failed him because although he was removed from his mother, the abuse and neglect continued. The systems involved did not provide the safety net Antwone needed.
Barth, R., Crea, T., John, K., Thoburn, J. & Quinton, D. (2005). Beyond attachment theory and therapy: Towards sensitive and evidence-based interventions with foster and adoptive families in distress. Child and Family Social Work, 10, 257-268.
Though foster care was originally established to help children who were orphaned, abandoned, neglected or abused, it has also caused problems for children. Agencies often have difficulty providing adequate, accessible, and appropriate services for the families in their care. (Chipungu and Goodley, pp. 76, 2004) This paper will examine the negative impact of foster care on children as a social problem and how it is viewed and understood. Also this paper would point out the key figures and groups that are affected by problem. This paper would analyze past attempts to better the foster care system and current policies that exist to face this problem. Throughout this paper the goals and objectives of the current polices would be addressed.