The final aim of child welfare service is to provide permanent situation for the children. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 are all legal laws set in place to make sure the states are finding permanent homes for the children. Having a permanent home will give the children the stability that they may not have had before. Providing a safe permanent situation for a child could help ensure his or her later success (Pecora, et al. 8-10). The Child Welfare System has many different type of foster care placements for all children in need. One type of foster care is group homes which have two subsets. One type of group homes have child care workers as the staff or have parent figures in charge of the children with “institutional personnel rotating” in to help. The other type of group homes are group foster homes. Group foster homes have parents staying with a group of children between the ages of eight and twelve (Shireman 267-269) (Crosson-Tower 307). Group home help when an influx of children that need placement. Kin-family care is another type of foster care, when the relatives or other members of the child’s family takes care of them. This type of foster care has been growing because the preservation of family movement, which seeks to keep children with relatives or people that they are familiar with instead of completely removing them from their communities. Formal and informal are two types of kinship care. The kinship care gives the children more stability and makes the situation more normal for the children than the other types of foster care (Shireman 253-259) (Crosson-Tower 307-308). A third type of foster care is eme... ... middle of paper ... ...uccio, Anthony N., Barth, Richard P., and DePanfilis, Diane, with Plotnick, Robert D. ed. The Child Welfare Challenge: Policy, Practice, and Research. 3rd ed. New Jersey: AldineTransaction, 2010. Print. Robst, John, Mary Armstrong, and Norin Dollard. "Comparing Outcomes for Youth Served in Treatment Foster Care and Treatment Group Care." Journal of Child and Family Studies. 20.5 (2011): 696-705. Print. Shireman, Joan. Critical Issues in Child Welfare. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. Print. U.S. Census Bureau. "POP1 Child Population: Number of Children (in Millions) Ages 0–17 in the United States by Age, 1950–2012 and Projected 2013–2050." POP1 Child Population: Number of Children (in Millions) Ages 0–17 in the United States by Age, 1950–2012 and Projected 2013–2050. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014. .
Koh, Eun, et al. "What explains instability in foster care? Comparison of a matched sample of children with stable and unstable placements." Children and Youth Services Review 37 (2014): 36-45. Web. 15 July 2014.
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.
Addressing the needs of children in foster care has been an issue that has tried to be addressed in many ways. In 2001, approximately 300,000 children entered the foster care system, with the average time spent in placement equaling 33 months (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d.). Statistically, the longer a child is in the foster care system, the greater number of placements they will have, and instability increases each year (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d). I recently read a novel by a girl who was placed into the system at age two, and by age 12 she had already experienced 14 different placements (Rhodes-Courter, 2007). Stories such as this one are not uncommon in the foster care system, especially if the child is a member of a sibling group or
In the United States there are approximately 397,000 children in out-of home care, within the last year there was about 640,000 children which spent at least some time in out-of-home care. More than 58,000 children living in foster care have had their biological parental rights permanently terminated (Children’s Rights, 2014). Due to the rising number of children in foster care and the growing concerns of the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was signed into law. On November 19, 1997, President Bill Clinton signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, to improve the safety of children, to promote adoption and other permanent homes for children who need them, and to support families (Child Welfare League of America). The Adoption and Safe Families Act also promotes adoption by offering incentive payments for States. During the FY of 1999-2003 the payment to states which had exceeded the average number of adoptions received $20 million (Child Welfare League of America). The ASFA improved the existing federal child welfare law to require that the child’s health and safety be a “paramount” concern in any efforts made by the state to preserve or reunify the child’s family, and to provide new assurances that children in foster care are safe (Shuman, 2004).
One challenge young adult’s face after aging out of foster care is being provided the health care that they need. According to Paula K Jaudes and the American Academy of Pediatrics, children in foster care suffer from various health issues such as “developmental delays, mental retardation, emotional adjustment problems, chronic medical problems, birth defects, substance abuse, and pregnancy” (1170). It is unknown why children in care are at a higher risk for these problems, but numerous medical professionals believe it is caused by the circumstances that led them being put into foster care, and the experiences they had while in care (Jaudes 1170). Despite being inclined to face more medical problems than teenagers who grew up in nuclear families, there is a lack of support to help take care of these teens. One study conducted by...
Many children across the country are wrongfully removed from their homes everyday by workers with an anti-family mindset, who use removal as a first resort not a last. It is not only detrimental to the child’s well-being, but is also immorally abusive to the child. The goal of the child welfare system is to promte safety, permanency, and wellness among all children.
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or
The combine result of all these barriers resulted in foster youth being an at-risk vulnerable population. A multitude of negative factors contribute to understanding why foster youth underperform when
The topic of child welfare is quite a broad one. There are numerous programs and policies that have been put in place to protect children. One of these policies is that of Adoption. Adoption was put into place to provide alternate care for children who cannot live with their biological families for various reasons. One of the more controversial issues surrounding adoption is that of Transracial adoption. Transracial Adoption is the joining of racially different parents and children (Silverman, 1993).
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.
There are many different career fields you can go into as a social worker: from mental health, drug and alcohol abuse all the way to child welfare. Child welfare is my primary target when I become a social worker. I feel that I will have the biggest impact if I help the kids out that will be creating our future world. If I can help the kids of the next generation then maybe my influence will help more than just those few kids I see every day. Plus ever since I can remember people told me I need to be doing a job that helps children. I want to be able to make a difference in the community, and if I can help the kids, then I know I’ll be helping the community. Being a student at Wilmington College will help me fulfill these values and skills, but the thing that
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
Child welfare and family services: Policies and practices, USA: Parson Education Inc. Garbarino, J. (1992) The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Children and Families in the Social Environment, New York, NY: Walter De Gruyter, Inc. Walls, J. (2005). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary The Glass Castle, New York, NY: SCRIBNER.
Downs, S., Moore, E., McFadden, E., & Costin, L. (2004). Child welfare and family services: Policies and practice. (7th. Ed., pp. 319-363) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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.