Advantages And Disadvantages Of Foster Care

Black garbage bags, cop cars, social workers who house kids in jail cells overnight. These are pictures that many have of foster care. A broken system that forces innocent children out of their home and into the “arms” of a faceless, governmental process that never actually cares for the child. However, the foster care system was created to help children who had nothing else. There are many benefits to the foster care system, but there are also many drawbacks of foster care. To become a foster parent there are many standards one must reach and rules one must follow to maintain that license. Foster care is an established government agency, that started long ago, within the United States for the purpose of maintaining and protecting children

The drawbacks should be recognized just like the benefits. A foster child enters a home they have never seen before. A foster child lives with a family whom they have no idea of their characteristics, their goals, their achievements. A foster child goes through many difficult changes in their life. Like any other household one does not know what goes on behind closed doors. Though there are benefits to foster care, the drawbacks are noticeable. One who has power and influences over another's life can use the power to harm rather than support and nurture (Exploitation, 2016). Using one's power can turn into something much worse than hurting someone's feelings. As a foster parent who has never had a child of their own, one may not understand the needs of a child. Signs of neglect in one’s home may be, poor hygiene, weight loss, poor skin conditions, or a smell of urine or feces on a person (Exploitation, 2016). One may lose self control and become a violent caregiver. One may notice a child is being abused because he/she refuses to follow directions, displaying a controlling attitude, using threats, burns, cuts, broken bones, and imprint injuries (Exploitation, 2016, para. 2). Remember not all foster homes are only out there for the