Adoption Vs Foster Care

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.

According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the main goal of foster care is to one day return the children to their families. To this end, they are assigned a caseworker who is responsible for working with the foster family, the child, and their biological family or caregiver, providing them resources and ultimately facilitating the child returning home. (Department of Health and Human Services)

Foster care is defined as the system in which a child under 18 years old is placed in a group home, institution, or private home through a governmental or social service agency. Foster care in the United States began in 1853 (NFPA). Charles Loring Brace began the system as a way for homeless immigrant children living on the streets of New York City to have a home (NFPA). Eventually in the early 1900’s more formal inspections and placements were made and it soon became similar to what it is today (NFPA).

Many people across the country may not be familiar with what foster care actually is. Foster care is a full- time substitute care of children outside their own home by people other than their biological or adoptive parents (“Foster” par. 1). These parents may have their children taken away from them for many different reasons. There are also

Foster care is when a child is cared for by someone outside of their family and they usually live in the carer's home fulltime, however the time they stay for varies depending on the Childs needs. Foster care can be both short term and long term. Short is when social services try to return the child home, this only happens if they believe things at home have changed. Long term is when a child stays with the carer until they either leave care or they are adopted.

The life for a child in foster care is much different than any other child’s. While growing up children look up to their father or mother. They aspire to be like them and follow in their footsteps. For the children placed in foster care all they see is that their parents could not take care of them. They will not have the memoires of growing up with their family, but instead memories of the different homes they have been transferred too. Foster parents love and care for all of the children that come into their homes, but it’s hard for the children to accept someone who moves in and out of their lives.

As of 2016 there were nearly a half million children in the foster care system, with roughly 25,000 “aging-out” each year (Ahmann, 2017). Most adolescents “age out” of the system with no one to mentor or serve as a caring parent figure. Foster youth are in dire need of long-term adult role models to guide them to achieve success. According to Ahmann, 50% of foster youth left “the system” without a high-school degree, as well as with having higher rates of PTSD, and depression (p. 43). Ahmann presented that research has proven teenagers, in general, that have quality relationships from adults able to provide support, do better than those that do not. If research has shown efficacy in supportive adult figures in a teen’s life then one can conclude that foster youth would also benefit. Foster children are at a disadvantage a soon as they enter “the system” so giving them resources proven positive is vital to their future success.

Nationwide, nearly 397,122 children live in foster care. In California, which has the largest foster care population than any other state, the number of foster youth has tripled in the last 20 years (Source: AFCARS Report 2013) due to certain circumstance such as; physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or caretaker inability. Welfare workers turn over at continuing high rates, and many are underpaid, poorly trained, overworked and demoralized. Foster Care system welfare lacks providing services to prepare older youths in foster care in independent living are lacking. Many youths that exited the system discuss their experience such as, being let down, lack of role models, poor training programs, and lack of basic living skills. Foster

“In the U.S. today, approximately 400,000 children and youth are in foster care at any given time and each year about 20,000 of these students emancipate (i.e., age out) of foster care” (“Students in Foster Care”). There are many children in this world who are separated from their parents. Placed somewhere by the government. They are being placed somewhere not familiar to them or somewhere far from where they lived before. Many people are not aware that foster children need help in their education and one of the reasons would be that they do not even know or are not aware of what defines a foster child. Therefore, what is a foster child? Well, this definition describes it accurately, “... Webster 's II New Riverside Dictionary defines

Children in foster care are more likely to have mental, physical, and developmental problems, but are also less likely to receive the health care they need for those problems (Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption and Dependent

There are many different situations that play out in the foster care system. (What is foster

Two obvious sponsors of AB 12 were its creators, Jim Beall and Karen Bass. Beall’s interests are in helping foster care children, low-income families, and people with disabilities. Bass’ interest in child welfare issues and foster care issues is seen in the legislation that she sponsors; one of her priorities is to improve America’s foster care and adoption system.

Foster Care isn’t as bad as people make it sound. It is not true that the foster families are there for the money or do not treat the children right. Most foster families are financially sound and foster because of their love for children. Yes there are foster homes that are not the greatest, but there are many homes that want to help the child to succeed. The do this by providing respect to a child that has not seen much previously, feed them when many of the children have been hungry, provide medical care where the children may not have had regular medical care, and provide a safe place to sleep when they may previously have not had that safe place. The Foster Care Program is a positive alternative for many children. The Foster Care System provides a stable backbone to support the child, it helps them to

FCS arrived to the home to see the outside of the home to be well kept and grass appeared to be freshly mowed. FCS entered to the home to see FPs sitting in the living room enjoying a bit of quiet time. FP's were welcoming and offered FCS a seat. FCS introduced herself to FD as this was the first time that they had met. FCS discussed Sub chapter N of minimum standards and explained that if they had any question about what it was that FCS does to feel free to ask. FPs both had several questions about foster such as the difference between fostering and foster to adopt. FCS explained that we have several home that are strictly fostering home and they do not wish to adopt if the opportunity has comes that the child is adoptable. FCS then

Foster care is a temporary agreement in which an adult provides care for a child that cannot be taken care of by their birth parents. Foster care is usually arranged through the court or a social service agency. The intention for a child in foster care is normally reunification with their birth parents unless adoption is in the child’s best interest. The difference between foster care and adoption is that foster care is temporary while adoption is permanent. There are many other things that are different between foster care and adoption for example, parental rights. While a child is in foster care the child’s birth parents have parental rights over the child and with adoption their new parents have parental rights. In that case foster parents