Adoption Of Single Parent Households

Society understands our current system is awful, but no one is protesting for a reform, or they’re aren’t trying hard enough. Child safety is the number one objective of the system, but it’s not working like it should. “In 2015, over 670,000 children spent time in U.S. foster care” (Foster Care). Of those 670,000 cases, more than half could be eliminated with a reform in the system. The focus should be on keeping families together, rather than taking them apart.

The Foster Care System with the kids who are in it is a massive social issue that America is facing today. There are more than 640,000 foster children in the United States every year. There are 23,000 foster children living in group homes at one time. There are 32,000 who live in institutions, and twenty-seven states do not meet federal abuse and neglect standards. (Attention) Personally, I am a foster sister, because my family currently fosters. Therefore, we see the issues and needs of fostering, daily. (Rapport and Credibility) This speech will discuss the importance of the nature of foster care, the catastrophic problems of foster care, and the proposed solution for the foster care system in America. (Preview)

Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, & McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing.

In the past few decades there has be an increasing amount of children placed in the foster care system. With the amount of rising teen pregnancies and maternal drug abuse means increasing numbers of infants abandoned at birth. There have been many cases of child abuse or neglect that have been on the rise. State and local agencies are unable to suitably supervise foster homes or arrange adoptions. Statistics show that many children will spend most of their childhood and teenage years in the foster care system, which has shown to leave emotional scars on the child. Today, Child Welfare groups are looking for federal funding and legislation to increase programs and services aimed at keeping families together.

The foster care system exists in order to enhance the lives of children whose parents were deceased rather than because of abuse today. Our outlook, principles, and ways of being concern for and protecting abused or neglected children and looking after families has shifted greatly throughout history. In this paper I will discuss and inform the readers on the three main components. The first part will discuss the foundation and growth of the foster care system as time pass. Secondly, describe the contemporary state of the system within the United States, including pertinent statistics. Lastly, considering future guidelines intended for the system, including ways in which the system can progress throughout the time.

In the United States 21% of all children are living below the federal poverty line. 2.9 million cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every year in the United States. 428,000 children are in the foster care system, and 107,918 foster children are waiting to be adopted. The foster care system is temporary out of home care for neglected, abused and impoverish children under 18. While the foster care system has all positive ideas, they fall short in providing certain needs for these children. Kids not only in America but all over the world that are living in poverty, are abused, neglected, and have an unstable home life. Nobody wants to live a life like that, especially not a child. They don’t know how to support themselves on their own, they need a family and a guardian that will take care of them, support, and love them.

For many years, foster care has been a difficult subject throughout our society. When the idea of foster care comes to mind, many immediately think of screaming children, distressed parenting and uphill battles. Before foster care existed in the United States, orphaned children were sent to orphanages. While these institutions were often the best option available to children with nowhere else to go, they often lacked the necessary staff, structure and resources to adequately care for all of the children in need. As a result, some orphanages were overcrowded, and children lived in poor conditions. Some children even died due to the lack of sufficient care (Adoptions, 2017). In order to give children better living situations, the United

Over 600,000 children in the United States are in the foster care system. Reasons include, abuse, neglect and abandonment. These children lack nurturing environments and stable homes. Children within the foster care system have more mental, physical and developmental problems. It is imperative to understand the challenges children entering the foster care system are exposed to. The system works best when children are provided nurturing, and short-term care until they can be placed back home safely or a permanent adoptive family. For many children, however, the stay is longer, with 30% remaining in temporary care for over two years. Staying in the system is detrimental to the child’s well-being. The foster care system is an unsuccessful intervention for children that cultivates development, health and mental issues.

Foster care has been a forgotten, ignored topic, but it is the reality for tons of children across the world. This fact brings up the question, should every human be allowed to have children? On one hand, some argue that it is a human’s right and instinct to have children. On the contrary, others argue that many people are incapable, too uninformed, and unstable to raise children, but it certainly doesn’t stop them from having them. This way of living is the primary source of why more and more children are ending up in foster care, which fits this statistic that, “There are more than 400,000 children in foster care today, up from 270,000 in the early 1980s” (Jost 1). All these children are all coming from the same common factor, “child

Maximizing the accessibility of foster care sectors would allow for substantial attention to more foster care children, leading to better mental health in an average foster care child. Furthermore, local institutions could be allowed more flexibility in terms of federal funding usage, which could result in a more centralized focus on providing the best outcomes for children involved in foster care. Changes in current policies, such as the aforementioned ASFA, would additionally aid in lessening the unclarity in cases and allow for a greater focus on the well-being of children. Removing children from unfit environments must be done at a faster rate and within maximum reasoning. Children are the future, and we need to attempt to help the future be the best it can

Imagine being a child removed from your home in the middle of the night. Waken out of your sleep handed to someone you do not know and being taken to place where all the people around you are strangers. The removal process can be painful, mentally, physically and emotionally to children. The number of losses experienced by a child when they are removed from their home can be countless. Although, there are more White children in the foster care than any other race, research suggests African America children remain in foster care placements for a longer period of time and the chances of reunification with their family is greatly diminished (Knott and Giwa, 2012). The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report notes

Between the years 2010 to 2014 there has been a 400,000 children who are currently living or lived in foster care In the United States. In 2014, which was the highest among the years, saw about 415,129 total children in foster care system. About 36 percent, of that population is from the ages of 12 to 20 years old (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, 2015; Ruggiero, 2015). While children between the ages of less than 1 year to 11 years is a large percentage, there is still a significant population of children that need foster homes. In 2014, foster homes with non-relative placement, over 46 percent of the children in foster care, and kinship/relative placement, with 29 percent, was most common placement settings in United

Adoption in America been ruled by a stigma. For much too long, those who could not have children, unwed mothers, and the children born out of wedlock have been shamed and humiliated. I believe it is time for these supposedly disgraceful ideas to go by the wayside, and we begin hold onto the idea that all families are beautiful things, no matter how they are composed or how they came about. There is no shame in being an infertile couple, an unwed mother, or a child with unwed parents.

One would assume that private agencies would not make the potential parents wait longer than nine months for a child to be placed in their arms, the same way that birth parents only have to wait nine months for their child. The truth is most families end up waiting years to adopt. If parents are working with ethical agencies there should not have to wait any longer than a year to adopt, with a shorter wait for mixed-race infants (Byette). The problem is that potential parents, as well as the general public are lead to believe that there is a shortage of babies available for adoption (Byette). According to Samantha Smith, private agencies play into this perception, and charge “fees” to potential parents, guaranteeing they will be able to adopt in a certain amount of time, in her case six to nine months was the guarantee (Smith Interview). With so many private agencies handling open adoptions were the birth mother chooses the potential parents of her child, single-parent adopters, and those in same sex relationships or marriages, tend to have to wait even longer. Birth mothers may feel like a single parent is not adequate enough to raise their child, or they may have morality issues with homosexuality. (Breneiser, Cave, Whatley). In addition,

Single parent should be able to adopt because some people have no desire to get married but they still want to be a parent . Some people feel as if they are not married they should not be able to conceive a baby so adoption is another way . More reasons why single parents should be able to adopt because they may have gotten a divorce and don't ever think they will get married again . some more valid reason as to why they should be able to adopt is because some children may find it easier to relate to one parent better because of the negative influences they experienced. There are many different pros and cons.