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The effects of foster care
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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. A foster parent, as defined by the Health reference series second edition, is an individual who is licensed to provide a home for an orphaned, abused, neglected, delinquent or disabled child (Matthews, 2004). A permanent placement is one that is intended, but not guaranteed, to last forever (Barth & Berry 1988). Foster care is not for delinquents but somewhere for children go when their parents can no longer care for them. A form of foster care has always been around in early Christian churches where “worthy widows” would board children in need and were paid by church collections. Foster care started in 1562 during the time of the English poor laws, which stated the poor children were allowed to be placed in legal services until they reached of aged (nfpaonline.org). In the 1970’s, foster care increased in popularity but foster parents were seen as unfit to adopt children permanently (Barth and Berry, 1988). In 1980 the Adoption Assistance of Child Welfare Act (public law 96-272) made it clear that the most desirable permanent placement for children is with their own family. The law... ... middle of paper ... ...t with a child in the foster care system. This paper gave me the opportunity to learn the positives and the negatives as well as more details about the little parts of the foster care system that I didn’t know existed. Even though my focus is to help the child and think about their best interest, this paper showed me that the parents, both biological and foster, are another important factor that helps the children. It made me realize that I will need to meet the parents and work with them to make a plan that fits their life. I will need to figure out what issues they feel are important to fix and how to get to those solutions. Foster care is a complex system that will challenge me daily if I enter the into this specific field but even if I work with children in a different environment I need to be aware that children come from all different types of backgrounds.
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”.
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...
In todays’ society many Americans never think about our foster care system. Foster care is when a child is temporarily placed with another family. This child may have been abused, neglected, or may be a child who is dependent and can survive on their own but needs a place to stay. Normally the child parents are sick, alcohol or drug abusers, or may even be homeless themselves. We have forgotten about the thousands of children who are without families and living in foster homes. Many do not even know how foster care came about. A few of the earliest documentation of foster care can be found in the Old Testament. The Christian church put children into homes with widowers and then paid them using collection from the church congregation. The system that the church had in place was actually successful, and was continued to be used until English Poor Law eventually regulated family foster care in the U.S.
In order for a possible successful future to take place, an appropriate selection of the caregiver must take place (Blythe et. al 88). Whenever an inappropriate foster parent is given responsibility over a child, all sorts of issues for the parent and child are created that could have been easily avoided. Foster care agencies must select foster parents that are completely capable to care for the health and safety of their new kids (Blythe et. al 88). This means that the foster parents must be able to supply all of the child’s essential needs so that they may be a valuable citizen in society one day. Research has discovered that foster parents will experience more anxiety and stress when compared to adults in their surrounding communities (Blythe et al. 88). This is directly because the foster parent was incapable of being a sufficient parent for the foster child. Since every child is special and unique in their own way it makes sense that the foster p...
This paper will explore the behavior issues and emotional issues associated with children in foster care and the foster care system, as well as touching base on the mental health problems these children can possibly deal with. This paper will explain the different issues kids deal with, explaining how being in the foster care system affects the kids and their behavior. The examples used in this paper will be based off research, as well as a true life story, written by Ashley Rhodes-Courter, who was in the foster care system. There will also be examples based off of experience interning in the foster care system.
Child welfare services should create a better environment in foster care homes. Children face mental and physical trauma every day in foster care homes like emotional distress, unstable mental health and surroundings, developmental delays etc. High trauma rates in children who currently reside in foster care or did, amounting to “one-half to two-thirds,” raises everyday (Dorsey, Burns, Southerland, Cox, Wagner, and Farmer 871). A nationwide social services policy on how to become a foster care parent or child should focus on the mental, emotional and physical state of the individual to decrease foster care abuse.
To many outsiders, the foster care system may appear to be a safe haven for those children that are abused or abandoned by their birth family. This is correct, but the system with which it is based, has many flaws. A background check is mandatory for all foster parents, but a test to see if a child 's temperament matches that caregiver 's parenting style, is not. Now, this is seen as a minor issue, but there is not enough evidence to support this. Plus, there are many other, much worse reasons, why the system is not perfect. Altogether, the foster care system and a multitude of its rules are flawed and may actually be negatively affecting foster children.
Now there is no sugar coating in this research paper so some examples of crimes committed in the foster care system have been a 12 year old girl who was sexually abused by her foster father and this occurred in 2004 and all together the foster parent had 85 counts of sexual abuse based off his abuse with another child that was being fostered as well. Sadly by the time it was 2005 all of his counts were dismissed because they said the victim was “mentally unstable.” Another case was based off a woman who was the foster mother of two children and adopted one of them but what the endured is unimaginable and pure evil. The children were abused for a course of about 20 years and they suffered from starvation and having no food caused an upset stomach
There is extensive recognition that for many children outside of parental care, family supported care provides a better option to residential care. Though, in different countries of the world, foster care, an important system for giving this family-supported care, keeps under-resourced and hardly used (Murray, Tarren‐Sweeney, & France, 2011). This research observes this clear contradiction. It is essential not to observe foster care as the single solution for children in need of optional care. Decisions regarding whether to place children in foster care should be established on a case-by-case basis, thinking the best intentions of the child, and the evidence on the importance of supporting children to keep in their extended families. Foster
Children are placed in foster care when child services and the courts rule that a child’s current living situation is inappropriate and not safe for the child to remain in those conditions. Having to grow up in the foster care system can be difficult moving to new foster parents, houses, schools and constantly meeting new people. It can tear a child’s self-esteem a part, cause one to act out, develop a mental disorder or decided to get emancipated as soon as possible. Finally being able to get out of foster care may seem like a ultimate solution, however, transitioning out of foster care into adulthood can be just as challenging if not more. By not being equipped before getting released with acquired job training, further education counseling, housing, continuing medical coverage and financial budgeting the risk of being homelessness, unemployed and doing crime is higher than those in the general population who did not grow up in foster care environments.
The foster-care system is for children who were a part of an unfit or unable family. The first step is the child gets moved into a temporary home with a foster parent. Next, they either move back to the biological family or get adopted by a permanent family. Sometimes a bond gets created with a foster family, and they adopt the child. In some situations, a child does not find a permanent home, and then the child is forced to move through foster homes until aging out. This system got created to get children out of bad home situations. The system has a whole is a good thing, but there are many problems throughout the system. There are numerous problems for the kids aging out of foster care, problems with the foster parents themselves, and problems
The number of children who enter foster care is rapidly growing; however, there are not enough foster parents for these children. Children are placed into foster care because of neglect, abuse and many other reasons. Foster parents are single individuals or married couples who become licensed to serve as caretakers for foster children. Foster parents are very important because they help the child grow and by providing love and affection, and even stability while they are away from birth parents. The purpose of this review is to increase the awareness about foster parenting and finding ways to recruit parents to create successful foster placements.
Over 670,000 children in America, as of 2015, have spent time in foster care due to child abuse and neglect (Children’s Bureau). The foster system has been a way for children to supposedly seek shelter in a time of need but instead has caused pain and trouble among the youth. The problems of the foster system must be fixed. Without the youth, there would be no society. The disorganization of the foster system has negatively affected lives of children and must be solved by making people more aware of how it works.
Foster care is a reality for many children. At any point in time there is approximately 400,540 children in foster care with about 34% of these children spending and average stay of one to eleven months at a time with a foster family(Harden,2015). The need for foster care is crucial to help children and their families. The role of both a foster family and social worker aides the effectiveness of the care provided, it has many advantages and is also accompanied by disadvantages and issues that prevent foster care from being efficient.