The Low Service Utilization Groups

The number of children in the foster care system continues to increase. While the foster care system is essential in helping abused, abandoned, and neglected children, many children remain in foster care for long periods of time when family reunification or adoption is planned. Court delays can often extend the time between when children enter the foster care system and when they are placed into permanent homes. Significant differences exist in the quality of care and outcomes for children depending on their race and ethnicity. The percentage of children of color in the foster care system is larger than the percentage of children of color among the general U.S. population. However, the occurrence of child abuse and neglect is at about the same rate in all racial/ethnic groups.

The purpose of this source is to show how in California they have received costs to allow people up to the age of twenty-one to stay in the foster care system. Extending the age to twenty-one can be in any state, but they are not required to do so. The researchers got thoughts from others presented in three different groups: “(1)transition-age youth, (2) child welfare workers, and (3) government program data.” (Napolitano et al., 2015) From all these groups they have come to the conclusion that caseworkers almost half of the time do not have the same children for over one year. Thirty percent of children have been on a caseworkers case for over two years. This wide range is due to the age of the children. The younger children were then asked a question about staying in the system. Two-thirds of the children showed they wanted to stay in the foster care system after they reached the age of eighteen. This information is presented that foster care at times does not develop PTSD. Foster care is a place that allows children to be safe and the children have very good attitudes toward staying. Caseworkers then spoke and said the reason some children may want to stay in the care is because of the housing situation. Though the caseworker's main goal is to make sure the

The foster care system in Texas is broken and policies like SB-4 and HB-3859 continue to fracture the system even more. The high volume of children entering into the system and the substantial number of caseloads for social workers are exacerbated by the current policies. It is our job as policymakers and policy analysts to address this issue so that ALL the children of the Lone Star state have a better future. Throughout this memo, I will highlight the current condition of the foster care

In America it is stated that 1 in every 84 children live in foster care circumstances via "Statistics on Foster Care". There is a numerous amount of contrasting children from various backgrounds and ages living within these special housing homes, and many are repeatedly in and out from unstable circumstances. As children grow and mature into the new faces of the world, they face many obstacles and tribulations that will alter their lives. Living in fostering homes is a substantial example and the effects of living in these institutions can truly be great.

By providing a secure and stable home for teens , it teaches them responsibility and further equips them with stability in overall life decreasing homelessness rates. Extending foster care services supplies former foster children with stable homes if they are in need. According to Foster Focus Magazine, “65% of youth leaving foster care need immediate housing upon discharge”() Housing after foster care is an immediate issue that comes with aging out. Over 50% of desperate former foster youth are searching for a home to begin their life independently. Statistics show that, “many foster youth are placed in homes with complete strangers that sometimes are just as dysfunctional, if not more, than the homes they were removed from.”() Unfortunately there are children in foster care that often get bounced from home to home never really knowing when they are safely sheltered. Some children find it better to live on the menacing streets of state's, where they are homeless, than to be in a home

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.

As of September, 2011 in the United States over 400,540 children were in the foster care system. The Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2011) defines foster care as, ?A 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility.? Of the 400,540 children in foster care nationwide, 195,400 were Floridians. With the fifty social service programs nationwide, Florida is one of a very few states in the nation with statewide privatization of social services, for this study, with an emphasis on privatization of foster care. In the present paper, the privatization of foster care plays a significant role in the care and placement of Florida?s abused, neglected, and abandoned children. The major thrust of privatization of foster care was implemented under the administration of Governor Jeb Bush, a staunch political conservative. The purpose of privatization was to provide better foster care services to stake-holders, primarily to find permanent homes for foster children. The Bush administration was always trying to adhere to the conservative mantra of fiscal reduction as it pertained to social services

In the John Burton Policy Brief on AB 12 the realities of education for foster youth are highlighted, “The rate at which foster youth complete high school (50 percent) is significantly lower than the rate at which their peers complete high school (70 percent),” (2011, p. 2). This affects chances for higher education including college degrees. This has a significant impact on the community as “aged-out” youth without services have more chance of risk for: homelessness, poverty, unemployment, going to jail, prostitution, substance abuse, early parenthood and untreated health conditions. Samuels and Pryce state that foster care has not always been a positive, developmentally appropriate experience. Youth who are

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.

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

Figure 1 shows foster home capacity needs by county: red meaning an under supply of foster homes, and blue meaning an oversupply of foster homes. From figure 1, we can see that Dallas County is facing a deficit (undersupplied) of foster homes available to foster children. We can also see from Figure 1 that the surrounding areas of Dallas, such as: Denton county, Collin county, Kaufman county, and Rockwall county all have an oversupply of foster homes. This means that children from Dallas county have no other choice but to move to foster homes outside of Dallas county. This results in moving away from friends and family, which can be traumatizing to a child. We feel that this is one of the primary problems we aim to fix in the Dallas foster care system. Early childhood

the foster care system through their many programs. Thanks to the most recent revision to the

“Number in foster care on September 30, 2015, of the Fy was...427,910” (“The AFCARS report”). The federal government spends $4.4 billion each year on the Foster care system for all youths so, as the youth's population in foster care is increasing. It is affecting the budget of a federal government so, that's why foster care became the social issue. The children in foster care were about equally split between Male (52%) and Female (48%). Most of the foster children that were in care September 2015 lived with nonrelative foster families (45%), followed by relative foster home (30%). The remaining children were placed in an institution (8%), a group home (6%), or a pre-adoptive home (4%). Some were on a trial home visit with their parents (5%). One percent were the runaway, and 1% were in supervised independent living. “Time in care (Months)...1-5 months...22%...95,999” (“The AFCARS report”). The more long children live in foster care, and the more federal government has to spend on foster care so — this can cause money to go over the budget of HHS and affect US economy. If parents or anyone else didn’t stop abusing the children, the day will come when all parents are in jail, and all children are in foster

Georgia experienced 17,148 children in the foster care system during the year of 2015 (Adopt US Kids , 2016). Children engaged in the foster care system are far more susceptible to a disruption in their biopsychosocial development. One of the leading indicators for older age youth successfully transitioning out of foster care is graduating high school. Foster youth success in school can be impacted by their foster care placement. This paper will explore the intended impact and actual impact of the qualifications for becoming a foster parent. Also, it is my intent to discuss how the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act of 2011 can enhance the foster care service delivery model. Identifying the gaps in foster care licensing policy is a preventative step in reducing youth risk factors for education neglect resulting in high school dropout. Research has shown that youth in the foster care system at an alarming rate are transferring from foster care to the penal system. It is my intention to advocate for safe foster care placements that supports the education needs of the youth.

Approximately 26,000 youth age-out of foster care at 18 each year. They lack a parental safety net and face significant challenges in meeting their needs for health care, education, housing, employment and emotional support. One attempt to mitigate their challenges focuses on raising the end age of foster care and continuing to provide support services. Even most any young adults rely on some parental assistance until 26, the U.S. average age of sustainable independence.