Foster Care System Final Essay Example

their biological parents. Presently, there are more than 500,000 children in foster care within the United States.

The foster care system aims to provide a secure and supportive environment for children who have suffered abuse or neglect. The process of removing these children from their homes and placing them in foster care is challenging and stressful. Despite various reasons for entering foster care, such as abuse, maltreatment, family problems, or other risks, many children blame themselves and feel responsible for being taken away from home. They also experience confusion, anxiety, stress, and loss. Additionally, they may perceive themselves as unwanted and helpless in their new foster care setting. Forming emotional bonds with multiple foster parents can be difficult due to frequent changes in placement that leave them uncertain about the future. For some of these children, having numerous long-term placements in foster care can lead to negative consequences.

Adolescents in foster care face challenges in becoming independent as adults. Consistency, connection, and a sense of belonging are crucial for their development. By creating a secure and nurturing environment, we can enhance children's resilience and adaptability in the short and long term. The main goal of the foster care system is to provide temporary living arrangements for vulnerable children to ensure their safety and well-being. Children stay in foster care until the underlying issues that caused their removal are resolved. These determinations about children's future outcomes are known as "permanency planning."

If a successful resolution is reached, children can be returned home. However, if a solution cannot be found, the court has the authority to terminate parental rights and allow for adoption or provide long-term care with foster parents

or relatives. Luckily, more than half of foster care children are ultimately reunited with their birth parents or primary caregivers. Additionally, there are over 2 million children living with grandparents or other relatives because they are unable to return to their parents' homes. Around half of foster care children spend at least 2 years in the system, while one in five remains for 5 years or longer. Some foster care children go through up to seven moves between families during their time in the system.

The foster care system plays a vital role in providing support for children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. However, an increasing number of children are staying in foster care for longer periods as they wait to reunite with their families or find adoptive homes. Lengthy court proceedings often contribute to delays in finding permanent placements for these children. Furthermore, the level of care and outcomes differ greatly among children depending on their race and ethnicity. It is worth mentioning that the foster care system includes a higher percentage of minority children compared to the general population of the United States.

While the rate of child abuse and neglect remains consistent across all racial/ethnic groups, the population size differs. In mid-19th century New York City, there were around 30,000 homeless or neglected children living in its streets and slums. Charles Loring Brace aimed to change the lives of these children as the founder of The Children's Aid Society.

The concept of placing children from city streets with farm families to provide them a chance to escape a lifetime of suffering was devised. This proposal entailed sending these children via train to reside

and work on farms in the Midwest and West. The initiative, called the Orphan Train Movement, operated from 1853 until the early 1900s. Throughout its duration, it facilitated the transportation of over 120,000 children for new lives. In the early 1990s, Children's Aid introduced Concurrent Planning, an innovative approach to foster care that later became the foundation for the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. This approach brought significant changes to foster care practices. Through Concurrent Planning, Children's Aid collaborates simultaneously with birth parents and foster parents in order to promptly establish permanency for children. The main objective is to safely reunite children with their own families.

Our organization ensures that if it is not possible to reunify children with their birth families, foster families are prepared to adopt them. The Children’s Aid Society reports a 90 percent success rate for our approach, with foster families adopting the children we serve. For the remaining 10 percent, we utilize our Adoption Program to find loving homes. As a non-profit organization focused on child placement and supportive services, CPSS's mission is to provide safe and nurturing families within the child's own community. We achieve this by maintaining connections and minimizing trauma and harm. Our goal is to establish permanency through one placement until it is achieved. Additionally, we connect families to community resources and foster partnerships between agencies, families, child, and foster parents within a year.

Litrownik Alan J. Landsverk John, A). Financial reports/summaries of the operations of Foster Care System “The Federal government provides significant financial incentives to support foster care programs. One particular Federal program that assists states in funding foster care has experienced substantial

growth, increasing from approximately $300 million in 1981 to nearly $2 billion.

In 1991, the population reached 7 billion. In 1993, the General Accounting Office stated that $1.3 billion of Federal dollars were allocated to foster care maintenance and an extra $1.1 billion for foster care related administrative activities (Thoma, 2002). The financial report of the foster care agency shows that the government is the main sponsor for all funds used in maintaining foster care systems. The annual disbursed amount to support the foster care agency has now risen to $30 billion.

The foster care agency receives a distribution of this amount to ensure the smooth running of activities for the foster children (Thoma, 2002). The agency uses over $20.3 billion of federal funding for maintaining foster care services. Administrative activities, like record keeping and procedure inspection, receive a smaller portion of the funds. Additionally, there are budgetary allocations aimed at supporting the welfare of foster children regardless of their health status.

The allocation for supporting foster children in each state is $3 billion, but the number of homeless children varies between states. It is expected that this amount will increase soon due to the rising cost of caring for foster children. This increase is attributed to the higher expenses associated with raising children in foster homes compared to biological parents (Thoma, 2002).


However, despite its long history, the effectiveness of the foster care system has not been maintained, especially in reducing crimes committed by former foster children who age out of the system. Recent research indicates a greater number of runaway youth from foster homes who later engage in criminal activities to fulfill their needs (Clark Hewitt

B.).

Lee, Barbara, Prange Mark E., and McDonald Beth A. argue that the rise in homeless children who previously lived in foster care can be linked to inadequate family environments and a scarcity of counseling and drug resources available in most foster homes. These factors present difficulties for these children as they endeavor to adjust. Moreover, the foster care system often intersects with the criminal justice system as a means to reduce juvenile delinquency. Inadequate readiness provided to older foster children is the main factor behind such offenses, as they are anticipated to display considerable maturity upon turning 18 years old.

Many homeless youths resort to criminal activities and develop a criminal record due to the lack of necessary services in foster care homes. This leads to a deficiency in important life skills and subsequently results in poor social and citizenship qualities for numerous former residents after leaving foster care. Consequently, there has been an increase in juvenile crimes (Smith, 2011). The combination of the foster care system and the criminal justice system further worsens the situation for individuals who have previously resided in foster homes because of emotional instability caused by frequent changes of home (Dolgoff, R. & Feldstein, D). Nonetheless, this issue has gradually improved as most foster homes are now obligated to maintain stability by avoiding constant shifting of homes or schools.

The foster care agency and the ministry of education have joined forces to enhance the sense of belonging among foster children, consequently decreasing the probability of engaging in harmful behaviors. As a component of this collaboration, the agency provides vocational training and educational programs for older foster children, equipping them for life beyond

foster homes. Moreover, this initiative has positively influenced the criminal justice system by granting rehabilitation and vocational training opportunities to young offenders, leading to a decline in juvenile crimes (Clark Hewitt B., Lee Barbara, Prange Mark E.)

McDonald Beth A). There are various factors that lead to children being placed in foster care. These encompass experiencing physical or sexual abuse, enduring neglect within their home environment, and requiring a secure setting for their overall well-being. Moreover, some children enter foster care due to difficulties faced by their parents in managing their behavior, which can potentially lead to delinquency or concerns about causing harm to others. Neglect from parents or legal guardians as well as the inability to provide care due to substance abuse, incarceration, or mental health issues also contribute towards placing children in foster care.

Children are placed in custodial care while their parents or guardians undergo treatment, counseling, or serve their sentences. In all foster care situations, the child's biological or adoptive parents, as well as other legal guardians, temporarily give up legal custody of the child. With parental consent, a child may be placed in foster care. However, in cases of obvious abuse or neglect, a court has the authority to order a child into foster care without the consent of the parents or guardians. It is important to note that foster care does not always involve care by strangers. If a government agency decides that a child must be taken out of their home, they can be placed with relatives or family friends.

Children can be placed in either a group home or a foster home. In both types of homes, they receive care

and support. In a group home, multiple foster children live together and are taken care of by staff members. Both group homes and certain foster homes provide therapeutic or treatment foster care with a specific structure and focus on treatment. On the other hand, foster homes offer the more well-known option where the child temporarily becomes part of another family, whether it's with other foster children, the family's biological or adoptive children, or alone.

State or county social service agencies and private foundations have the responsibility of overseeing decisions regarding foster care. To become a foster parent, individuals must obtain a license from the agency that has jurisdiction over the specific region's foster care. An inspection is conducted on the foster home to assess its compliance with health and safety standards. In several states, prospective parents are mandated to attend training sessions that tackle ways to handle potential challenges. Once placed in a foster home, the family takes on responsibilities such as providing nourishment and clothing, ensuring school attendance and appointments, and fulfilling other parental or guardian duties.

Foster parents are required to regularly meet with the foster child's therapist and caseworker to support the child's healthy development in a safe and nurturing family environment. Financial assistance is typically given for expenses related to the child's food, clothing, school supplies, and other miscellaneous needs. The specific responsibilities of foster parents towards the child are outlined in a legal agreement. It should be noted that foster parents do not take on legal guardianship of foster children as this remains the responsibility of the state agency.

Foster placements can vary in duration, ranging from a single day to several weeks

or even years. In situations where parents permanently give up their rights or have them taken away by the court, the foster family may choose to adopt the child or the child could be put up for adoption by unfamiliar individuals. Foster parenting serves as an interim stage, providing temporary care while a permanent placement is found for the child. Despite being filled with stress and uncertainty, foster parenting plays a crucial role for many families. In my case, my mother is a single foster parent who currently cares for five children, all but one of whom suffer from mental illnesses.

They attend therapy sessions on a weekly basis and are prescribed medication to manage their behavioral issues. Every week, my mother takes them to these sessions and occasionally she has to be present during them. Additionally, she holds monthly meetings at her house with the case workers responsible for the children. It is her responsibility to keep track of their vaccinations, medical appointments, and dental visits. Out of the five children, four of them are siblings, and my mother chose not to separate them, hence she took all of them in. Three of these children were born with drug dependency as their mother used drugs during pregnancy.

Children between the ages of 3 and 17, both boys and girls, may unfortunately be separated from their siblings. This means that some are never reunited with their parents or have the opportunity to develop relationships with their brothers and sisters. The reasons for this separation may vary, such as being placed in different cities or being adopted by different families due to the choice of the parents or

a court order.

Currently, the mother has about a week left to improve her situation and find suitable housing for herself and her children. If she fails to do so, she will permanently lose her parental rights and the children will be put up for adoption. At present, the mother is only allowed supervised visits with her children. It is hoped that for the well-being of the children's mental and emotional health, these visits will progress to unsupervised overnight stays and weekend visits.

Currently, they have been out of her care for almost two years. The law in my mother's state allows the parent a two-year period to fix their situation and regain custody of their children. At the moment, my mother has not adopted any children. However, she is in the process of adopting the fifth child who is not related to the other children she cares for. Two of her previous children were also going to be adopted, but due to their behavior, they were placed in group home facilities and removed from the adoption list.

Despite the possibility of the children being returned to their mother, it is likely that their mental and emotional well-being will remain permanently affected. My belief is that even the 3 year old will carry memories and experience emotional distress throughout her lifetime. Any child who is separated from their parent(s) will inevitably face emotional and psychological challenges, causing them to become traumatized.

I believe that many children who are placed in the foster care system may need therapy throughout their lives to heal from the emotional wounds they have experienced. Over time, even children in foster care without any

mental illnesses may struggle emotionally, acting out and becoming rebellious and depressed. Although they may be in a loving and caring home, it cannot replace the feeling of being with their birth parents. They long for a connection and genuine parental love. Recently, there has been growing professional and political concern regarding the severity and types of problems faced by young people in the care system, as this group is particularly vulnerable to psychological disturbances.

The risk of psychiatric ill health is higher for the group in our society that can be easily identified as being in the care system. Numerous studies consistently show a high incidence of behavioral problems among them. However, there has been no comprehensive study on the psychiatric disorders of adolescents being looked after by local authorities. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence and types of psychiatric disorder among adolescents in the care system and compare them with a comparison group of adolescents (Mccann Jacinta, B., James Anthony, Dunn Graham). Unfortunately, not all foster homes provide proper care. Some foster parents only foster for financial gain and neglect to properly care for the child(ren). This neglect can result in children being in equally or even worse situations than when they were under their parent(s)' care.

Some children in foster care face mental, physical, and emotional abuse. The money paid to foster parents is intended to cover monthly needs such as food, clothing, and activities for the children. However, some foster kids are fortunate enough to receive more than they require, while others lack even basic necessities. Although my mother does receive monthly checks for the children she looks after, it falls short

of covering the complete expenses for each child.

She has a 17 year old young man who is on the high school foot ball team so paying for his uniform, fees, dances etc. None of this is including food, shelter, utilities, shoes, clothing etc. So, my mother definitely does this because, she has a great heart and she wants to be able to provide as many children as she can with a loving home, a great life and a second chance.

There are news stories across the United States about foster parents locking foster children in cages, starving them, kicking them out on the streets but still collecting the monthly check the state provides. A lot of these situations make the foster care system and case workers look a lot worse than what it really is.

Although not everyone is a suitable foster parent, there are many great parents who provide a secure and loving home, demonstrating the true essence of family. Ultimately, while there are both advantages and disadvantages to the foster care system and its children, every child deserves to be nurtured, loved, and emotionally supported by a trustworthy adult who ensures their safety. Regrettably, not all individuals are suitable for fostering, and unfortunately, some undeserving parents possess licenses to care for children. Nevertheless, numerous children have the privilege of residing in exceptional homes and receiving outstanding care. Overall, the foster care system is invaluable as it assists countless children who have no one else to turn to.