Introduction: Children should never be abused, mistreated, or abandoned. As young children, their parental figures are the people they rely on most. Children must be raised in loving and safe environments that provide for their basic needs and foster their growth into successful adults. Child development severs as family ties are weakened by child maltreatment (Coley, 2016). In the US alone, about 600,000 children are abused each year (Children’s Bureau, 2022). To remedy this, the U.S. created the Child Welfare program in 1912 to provide needed services to help children find safety and stability. Today, Child Welfare services safeguard over 7 million children (Children’s Bureau, 2022). Child Protective Services (CPS), a service under Child …show more content…
Thus, it is fundamental that CPO receives proper funding and support to rehaul its system to protect the lives of all innocent children in need. Argument (Pro increasing funds for Foster Care): Child Protective Services investigate claims and evaluate whether a child is safe in their living situation. CPS ensures and maintains a healthy living environment for children. Children in life-threatening situations and environments are removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Foster homes are temporary living situations that provide shelter and food for children until they get adopted, grow out of the system, or return to their families. Foster homes act as a shield for children until they find more permanent solutions. Despite this, the Foster Care system is flawed. According to a study done by Barbara J. Burns PHD, “Nearly half (47.9%) of the youths aged 2 to 14 years (N = 3,803) with completed child welfare investigations had clinically significant emotional or behavioral problems,” (Burns, 2004). Many children in the foster care system are being linked to substance abuse and the juvenile justice …show more content…
Children should not be taken out of their homes unless they are abandoned or an incident occurs that makes it dangerous for a child to live with their parents. Often poverty is mistaken for maltreatment (Font, 2020). Child protective services punish impoverished parents. The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) is an evidence-based service that aims to prevent foster care by using federal funding to prevent the placing of children in foster care, providing families with needed necessities and services to better their situation (Font, 2020). Family Preservation Services (FPS) is an early intervention service that aims to prevent child maltreatment. These in-home services keep families together, providing resources that range from substance abuse treatments to financial aid. San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center showcased the story of a family that sought help from preservation services. After the father's arrest for abusing their daughter, the family sought the assistance of Family Preservation. The father’s arrest caused a massive loss in the family’s income. Trauma tore apart their family, leaving the mother to raise three kids, unaware of how to keep
...t with a child in the foster care system. This paper gave me the opportunity to learn the positives and the negatives as well as more details about the little parts of the foster care system that I didn’t know existed. Even though my focus is to help the child and think about their best interest, this paper showed me that the parents, both biological and foster, are another important factor that helps the children. It made me realize that I will need to meet the parents and work with them to make a plan that fits their life. I will need to figure out what issues they feel are important to fix and how to get to those solutions. Foster care is a complex system that will challenge me daily if I enter the into this specific field but even if I work with children in a different environment I need to be aware that children come from all different types of backgrounds.
Since the case of Mary Ellen Wilson in 1874, child abuse has seen it’s share of light in published news. It is disheartening to read countless stories of future generations being harmed to the extent of psychological damage or even death. Child abuse as a whole has been addressed multiple times in various news blogs, however, nothing has been done to work towards abolishing it at a larger level. The future of America is in jeopardy based on the level of abuse that children endure. Childhelp states that approximately 5 children die every day at the hands of child abuse. America struggles to find equality, and by bystanding the stripping of its youth, continual prolonging is inevitable. Raising this nation’s children in means of nurturing and care is the first step to uplifting America as a whole. In 2012 alone, 1593 of America’s children died at the hands of child abuse, 70.3% of which were younger than the age of three (Safe Horizon). In order to prevent further child abuse, the American government should address stricter child protection laws, psychological stability, and an increase the recognition of those that have released their stories.
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.
The controversial issue of whether or not Child Protective Services are doing their jobs properly, has grabbed nationwide attention. Child Protective Services is the name of a government agency in many states of the United States whose mission is to respond to reports of child abuse and neglect. Some of these cases may include physical abuse, sexual abuse, and mental abuse (Wikipedia). The child welfare system is corrupted. The parents and guardians who are accused of abuse are automatically labeled as guilty and will have to prove their innocence; instead of being innocent until proven guilty.
Chronic abuse and neglect is a huge part of the foster care system. According to the Children's Rights website, “Nearly 700,000 abused and neglected children will spend time in foster care in the United States this year.” Many children find themselves being looked after by a social worker, and eventually into the arms of a new family. The authors of Foster Care Placement, Poor Parenting, and Negative Outcomes Among Homeless Young Adults state that “More than half a million American youth currently [are] in foster homes due to child abuse and neglect,” (Tyler, Kimberly A., and Lisa A. Melander). This is a very terrifying statistic. It’s hard to think that there are that many children in foster care, let alone that over half a million are in the system because of child abuse and neglect. Some have even dealt with abuse before, during, and after foster care (787). This leads me to my first point; if foster care is so great, why are children still having to deal with abuse once they’ve been placed in foster care? Why are children like Krystal Scurry being raped and killed by those who are supposed to be offering better living conditions (Ambrose, Jeanne). Why are little children like Joshua Lindsey being beaten to death by their foster parents (1)? Who is re...
“About two-thirds of children admitted to public care have experienced abuse and neglect, and many have potentially been exposed to domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse” (Dregan and Gulliford). These children are being placed into foster care so that they can get away from home abuse, not so they can move closer towards it. The foster children’s varied outcomes of what their adult lives are is because of the different experiences they grew up with in their foster homes. The one-third of those other foster children usually has a better outcome in adult life than the other two-thirds, which is a big problem considering the high percentage of children being abused in their foster homes. Although, the foster care system has most definitely allowed children to experience the positive home atmosphere that they need there is still an existed kind of abusive system in the foster care program that is unofficial but seems to be very popular. Foster care focuses on helping children in need of a temporary stable environment; however, foster care can have negative impacts to the children and the people around them concerning the foster child going through the transition, the parents of the foster child, a new sibling relationship, and problems that arrive later influencing the foster child long-term.
A Child Protective Service worker is a career that can be mentally and physically exhausting with emotional upheaval and wonderfully rewarding all at the same time. This paper discusses several “best practices’, their descriptions, and how they are put in use to assist the children who need help and the parents who unwillingly become a part of the Child Welfare system; even though they count on the system to help them better themselves and the lives of their children. Child Protective Service workers require extensive training, vast knowledge, multiple values, and strong ethics to effectively assist this
“I believe the best service to the child is the service closest to the child, and children who are victims of neglect, abuse, or abandonment must not also be victims of bureaucracy. They deserve our devoted attention, not our divided attention.” these are the words of the 27th governor of nevada (Kenny Guin). The world we now resign in is the outcome of the decisions man has made. A system in which were made to help those in need is now the obstacle preventing their success. In the article “American foster care system needs work” the authors state “On any given day, there are nearly 397,000 American children in foster care, according to a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That's enough to fill Tiger Stadium
Many reasons exist as to why the foster system is failing and a major one is the number of children in the program. Although the number of children in the foster care system has decreased about 11% since 2002, “…experts worry that the trend might now go into reverse” (Protecting 47). “In 2008 there were 463,000 children in the foster care system” (47), due to the actions of parents such as abuse, neglect and the use of drugs and/or alcohol can cause a child to be placed in foster care. These actions cause the number of children in the system to increase. In order for this number to decrease dramatically programs must be put in place to help find enough, stable homes for foster children. As a result of the economy, many states have “considered cutting down on child-welfare services, such as benefits for foster parents and the number of social workers they employ” (47). If there is a lack of social workers, it is less likely that a child will be placed in a home quickly. Wi...
There is a high percentage of foster care youth that have been in contact with the law after they turned 18. A study shows that “one-third of the former foster care children who were tracked in three Midwest states suffered a “high level” of involvement with the criminal justice system” (What Percentage). California carried out a state survey with the help of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Senate Office of Research (SOR); they surveyed 2,564 inmates. Fourteen percent of the inmates said that they have been in foster care at some point in their life. There are many options for foster children to live; they can live with a relative, family friend, foster family, or in a group home. From the inmates surveyed, fifty-one percent of them lived in a group home and two percent lives with his/her family friend. Forty percent of them were in foster care for one to five years while twenty-five percent of the surveyed inmates were in foster care less than a year. When the prisoners left foster care most left when they were prreteens or teenagers. Fifty percent were between the age of thirteen and seventeen years old while eight percent was released when they were under the age of six. But there are many reasons why they left foster care. Some reasons why they leave is because they go live with family friends, they are adopted, reunified with family, sent to a
To many outsiders, the foster care system may appear to be a safe haven for those children that are abused or abandoned by their birth family. This is correct, but the system with which it is based, has many flaws. A background check is mandatory for all foster parents, but a test to see if a child 's temperament matches that caregiver 's parenting style, is not. Now, this is seen as a minor issue, but there is not enough evidence to support this. Plus, there are many other, much worse reasons, why the system is not perfect. Altogether, the foster care system and a multitude of its rules are flawed and may actually be negatively affecting foster children.
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
Child abuse in general is quite complex and at the same time one of the most challenging social issue facing people all around the USA. Child abuse cases have been recorded in all the states of the USA. The cases occur in all areas be it cities, small towns, suburbs, and even in rural areas. The vice also happens in all types of families regardless of the ethnic origin of the family or the even family income (UNICEF, 2015). It is thus important that effort is put into reducing cases of child abuse.
Child maltreatment is a widespread issue that affects thousands of children every year. There are four common types of child maltreatment; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. All of these types of abuse are very serious and can have many consequences for the children and families. The most common consequence of severe child maltreatment is the removal of that child from their home (Benbenishty, Segev, Surkis, and Elias, 2002). Most social workers trying to determine the likelihood of removal evaluate the type and severity of abuse, as well as the child’s relationship with their parents (Benbenishty et al., 2002). When children are removed from their homes there are many options of alternative housing. The places they are allowed to live are a relative’s home, foster home, or a group home. In a study of children removed from their homes, 68% went to a foster home rather than a relative or another form of alternative housing (Faller, 1991). Reunification with a parent is the most common goal that is set forth by Child Protective Services even though recurrent abuse is likely to happen based upon the prior type of abuse and the age of the child (Connell et al., 2009). Child maltreatment is becoming a prevalent problem that has numerous consequences for both the child and family.
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