Over 670,000 children are put in the foster system yearly. Five out of eleven children put in foster care are put in a group home. Group Homes house multiple children at once with very little helpers. Like everything on earth, it has pros and cons. There are group homes that take care of sick and disabled children which involve the adults talking to the child and taking them to doctor appointments along with physical therapy. Some of the kids in group homes are too weak to take part in public schools such as cancer and paralysis. These group homes do focus on the children more than the homes that are full of children that did not have a foster home to go to. When there are not enough homes open to foster children they are put in group homes.
One of the biggest misconceptions that we have in our country is that foster care is a great thing; well, it’s not. There are so many flaws in our foster care system to even consider it a good idea. With constant reports of abuse, depression, lack of stability, to even the terrible after effects of the foster care system, like homelessness and incarceration; the foster care system hurts more than it helps. Our foster care system is bad for America, but most of all, our children.
One other problem with foster care is that there are not enough homes available in the system. In America, there are roughly 400,000 kids in foster care, but only 3,000 foster homes (Rath). Thus, foster parents are often overrun by their children. This can also cause psychological problems for the parents, who must deal with dozens of kids—48% of whom have behavioral and emotional disorders (Heiger). As a result, foster parents are prone to accumulate aggression, which is what can lead to the common cases of abuse and
Some of the parents can only handle so many children at a time until they get so over burried they either drop out of the system, or start to send children back to find a different home to stay at. Foster parents are not allowed to get to attached to any one child, for a couple of reasons. One being they might end up adopting the child, or two they start to give more attention to that one child and start to neglect the other children. Some children ended up in foster care because of neglect in the first place and they do not what feeling to
Respite care: This is when children get support whilst living at home with their families. So the child will stay with the foster family or resident...
This paper will contain research done about foster care, including a brief history and progressing along to the system today. This research interested me because it is a professional career option after graduation. I found both positives and negatives about the foster care system that children and foster parents go through on a daily basis. As the paper progresses I will be explaining these positives and negatives in more detail. Throughout the paper I will be referencing different scholarly sources that explain foster care in different ways. Overall, this paper will show different aspects that the general public may never know about foster care.
There is nearly 400,000 children in out-of-home care in the United States right now (Children’s Right). Just about every day children are being shipped in and out of foster homes and group homes. Most people want the best for children in foster care and decide to take care of them until their parents can possibly recover. The foster care system can have both a negative or positive effect on children, foster parents, and biological parents because of the gaps in the system. Foster cannot not be avoided but the some aspects of the foster care system can be avoided if the missing gaps were filled.
Addressing the needs of children in foster care has been an issue that has tried to be addressed in many ways. In 2001, approximately 300,000 children entered the foster care system, with the average time spent in placement equaling 33 months (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d.). Statistically, the longer a child is in the foster care system, the greater number of placements they will have, and instability increases each year (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d). I recently read a novel by a girl who was placed into the system at age two, and by age 12 she had already experienced 14 different placements (Rhodes-Courter, 2007). Stories such as this one are not uncommon in the foster care system, especially if the child is a member of a sibling group or
An individual as a caregiver has more one-on-one time with a child as long as their group of children is small. A child could form a stronger bond with a smaller setting and possibly have less separation anxieties to deal with. Some parents feel the time spent with one person could benefit their child more than being with multiple caretakers. The cost of a caregiver usually is less than the traditional day care centers because there is less overhead, but there are not as many opportunities available to them. If a caregiver becomes ill or needs to take a vacation, it is the parent’s responsibility to have a back up to take care of the child during that time. A child with many health problems would possibly not be exposed to as many germs at an individual’s house because they would not come into contact with as many other children on a daily basis. On the other hand, individuals may be more lenient and allow children that are ill to attend. This could be a problem if the parents do not have family or friends that would or could care for the child during this time. A parent may have to miss work entirely to take care of the child, and with the loss of income could put the whole family at risk. A child may have problems at a babysitter such as discipline, allergies, other children, but unless they mention it to the parents they will not...
In 2002, 51,000 children were adopted through the foster care system. The federal government tracks the number of adoptions from the United States foster care system, and all of its international adoptions. It’s estimated that around 120,000 children are adopted by U.S citizens each year. Half of these children are adopted by individuals not related to t...
In todays’ society many Americans never think about our foster care system. Foster care is when a child is temporarily placed with another family. This child may have been abused, neglected, or may be a child who is dependent and can survive on their own but needs a place to stay. Normally the child parents are sick, alcohol or drug abusers, or may even be homeless themselves. We have forgotten about the thousands of children who are without families and living in foster homes. Many do not even know how foster care came about. A few of the earliest documentation of foster care can be found in the Old Testament. The Christian church put children into homes with widowers and then paid them using collection from the church congregation. The system that the church had in place was actually successful, and was continued to be used until English Poor Law eventually regulated family foster care in the U.S.
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or
The majority of children who would otherwise need foster care are in kinship care, which
They need a place where they can grow and develop physically, mentally, socially and emotionally. According to The National Adoption Center, foster care is “a temporary arrangement in which adults provide for the care of a child or children whose birth parent is unable to care for them.” Children in this system often move from home to home and don 't have a stable, permanent place where they can call home. Many of them don 't get the chance to find a place to call home because they age out of this system and left on their own. The children put in this system are looking for love, safety, stability, happiness and feeling like they
I had applied for a job at Catholic Guardian society; in 2001 I did get the job. It was working with young girls in a group home, place there by the court. A group home is a place that children are sent to, once in foster care. A child can be in a group homes for many reasons; such as running away from home, not going to school and getting being arrested. I work every shift that was allowed, sometime doing doubles. When I started the job, I learn my way around fast. My partner was Michelle S.; she was great she began working there three years before me. Our primary job was to ensure the safety of these girls; their age would range from twelve through twenty-one. Our supervisor was great or so I thought. I soon realized that she was a horrible
According to the International Foster Care Organization “Foster care is a way of providing a family life for children who cannot live with their own parents.”(2004) Foster care is supposed to provide temporary care while parents get help dealing with problems, or to help children or young people through a difficult period in their lives. Children will return home once their parents are able to provide a safe enviorment for them. However if parent are unable to resolve the issues that cause their child in foster care their children may stay in long-term foster care, some may be adopted, and others will move on to live independently. (IFCO, 2004) Foster care has been a problem for many years and although there have been many attempts to improve it; it there still seems to be negatively impacting