Foster Care System Analysis

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.

McGill’s article titled, “Making Health a Priority for Children in Foster Care System,” states that according to the Administration for Children and Families and the United States Department of Health and Human Services there were 415,000 U.S. children in foster care as of September 2014. Furthermore the AAP released a statement declaring that health issues are prevalent and at least one-third of children in foster care have a chronic health issue (McGill, 2016). Deutsch and Fortin present (2015), the nature of various health concerns of children in foster care in, “Physical Health Problems and Barriers to Optimal Health Care among Children in Foster care.” According to Deutsch and Fortin (2015), children in foster care often have a lapse in

Fortunately, more than half of children in the foster care system get reunited with their birth parents or primary caregivers. In addition, more than 2 million children live with grandparents or other relatives because they were not able to return to live with their parents. Approximately half of the children in foster care spend at least 2 years in the system and one in five children remains in the system for 5 years or more. Some children in foster care move between families as many as seven times during their stay.

One of the strongest examples of the perpetuation of urban poverty is depicted in the foster care system. In 2012, it was found that 20 percent of youth who aged out of the foster care system were reportedly homeless at one point in their lives. Nearly 60 percent of these were males had been convicted of a crime. Only about 48 percent were employed. Children who were in the foster care system showed signs of slower social development. About 55 percent of the adolescents in foster care are placed in three or more different homes. This can retard their social development and make it difficult for them to hold down a job. Children in foster care struggle greatly in school because approximately 33 percent of these children changed

According to the 2015 Adoption and foster care Analysis and reporting system (AFCARS), 427,910 children were in the US foster care, making Foster care one of the social issues in the USA. The US Department of Health and Human services (HHS) is working on this social issue for past few years but is still not getting positive results — every year population of Foster care is increasing by 50,000 youths. The statistics about Foster care system is changing every day. Some things that people don’t know about foster care is that they will not only lose their children—they had lost parental rights and had broken the laws, so this can lead to a punishment. There are many laws related to foster care. Once the parents had lost the children, the children

The research topic Foster Care is the topic that has been proclaimed. The research question begins with, “What are some of the challenges facing the placement, and adjustment of Foster Care in the Valley?” This study is important because there are several challenges that are difficult for a Foster child facing being in Foster care. It is important in Social work that the Government with a Social worker must be responsible for taking away the child who is either being physical or sexual abused, neglected, or not being taken care of by their primary caregivers. In this type of situation, the child will be put into Foster care. It is key to understand the big challenges each child entering Foster care might have already experienced in the past

The foster care system is defined as “the raising or supervision of foster children, or orphans or delinquents, in an institution, group home, or private home, usually arranged through a government or social service agency that provide remuneration for expenses” (dictionary.com) The foster system is used when the guardian of the child is not fit to raise the child. Although it is believed that the foster care system is effective, there are many problems with it. When admitted into foster care, it is common to be moved several times. Being forced to move so frequently can lead to fear of being close to someone as well as misbehaving. While the idea of foster care is respectable, when put into action it fails to fulfill the goals and can often

In the year 2014, there was an estimated count of four hundred thousand kids in the foster care system. Many of these kids are more likely still in the foster care facility. These children are constantly bouncing from home to home trying to find a permanent place to call home. All kids just want to be able to have a family, and be able to call something their home. Approximately only forty percent of kids in the foster care

Although a relative may come forward and be approved as an appropriate placement by the social worker, the court, upon consideration of all parties involved, could ultimately decide not to remove the child from a stable nonrelative foster care placement so as not to disrupt the stability of the child. The converse could also happen. A court could remove a child from a stable foster care placement, as permitted under law, place him or her with a relative that could be a less stable placement, but is reflective of the intent of the state's child welfare law that preferential consideration be given to known relatives of the child (Reefe, 2014). On average, each attorney at Children’s Law Center of California represents 300 children, with such

Imagine growing up without a family, moving constantly and never having a permanent home. Envision being taken away from an abusive parent and left to survive in foster care for an undefined period of time. Think about lingering within the system for years and suddenly loosing any kind of aid at the age of eighteen. This is a reality for thousands of children in America’s foster care system. There are kids that are searching for a home and family -- and many of them never get one. These youths are all hoping and wishing for a permanent place to go back to. The number of children aging out of the foster care system annually is a serious problem because many children leave foster care without support and suffer consequences in their adult life that could have been avoided if they had been adopted.

The numbers of children in foster care continue to increase annually with minimal attempts to intercept the causes of the escalation. Children are generally placed into foster care as a result of parental abuse or neglect; however, there are many racial inconsistencies circulating general foster care involvement. In the year of 2014, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System reported a total of 415,129 children in the foster care system. Depending on their situation, children in the system are in need of some sort of home, whether that be temporary or permanent. When experiencing this type of shift in their lives, many children tend to act out. Foster care in the United States is a

According to Reilly (2003), about 20,000 youth exit foster care per year in the United States. A "disturbing picture" emerges when researchers follow the individuals from foster care into their lives as independent adults; as many as 40% remain unemployed, many are homeless, and a great deal have health problems (Reilly, 2003, p. 728). Collins, Spencer & Ward (n.d.) confirm, "studies have found high rates of homelessness and incarceration, poor physical and mental health, limited educational attainment, high unemployment, and high rates of pregnancy and substance abuse," (p. 126).

Child abuse protection laws are enforced in federal, state, and local levels to ensure the physical and emotional wellbeing of children in all of the United States. When a child is harmed or their safety is at risk, social workers take physical custody of the child by placing them in foster care until the family of origin can demonstrate that the safety of the child can be guaranteed; a solution intended to be temporary. With few exceptions to the rule, the family of origin is given the opportunity and the resources to reunify with their children. Nevertheless, family members often fail to obtain essential resources and often face significant barriers towards reunification, which delays permanency for children in foster care.

Children are generally not removed from the home immediately when a report is made to child protective services. Under extreme circumstances, it does happen but in the majority of cases, even after CPS verifies that abuse exist within a family, child protective services attempt to work with the family to get those issues resolved and keep the family intact. When a child is removed from the home, it has to be determined that the child is at-risk and then an order is granted to remove the child for 72-hours so the investigation process can begin. If during the investigation it is determined that the child appears to be in imminent danger of harm, the child can be removed for a longer period of time and temporary, safe arrangements are made. In Washington State when a child is removed from the home and an investigation is started there are a number of people that determine what course of action is taken to either reunite the family or start the process to terminate parental rights. This team usually consists of the child protective services case manager, a child protective services supervisor, the child’s pediatrician, and a representative from a Foster Care Review Board.

All throughout the world, there are children who are being neglected, abused, and uncared for in their household. As human beings, we sometimes do not realize the number of children being taken out of their homes and put into foster care. Why? The problem is that many people do not know what foster care is or have very little knowledge of it. In this speech, you will be given a better understanding of the foster care history, reasons coming into care, types of placement, and aging out.