The foster system is in place to aid children whose parents or families cannot take care of them, the system creates a nurturing place for children to grow up in temporary placement until they can be reunified with their families or when a permanent home has been found for them. Many children have entered the foster care system due to caregivers being unfit to care due to addictions, abuse, incarceration or death; at such young ages, children do not understand why they have been taken away from the only family they have ever known. The trauma of adjusting to a new home and family impacts a child’s life creating a possibility of numerous behavior concerns (Cohen, 2010). The long term consequences of a child’s exposure to family trauma experiences can interfere with the development of a secure attachment within the caregiving system (Crook et al., 2017). In a child’s life, their first relationship is with their caregivers; who is commonly their biological family, is the infants first social interaction and introduced them to interpersonal relationships. When the child’s caregiver is the source of the trauma, it disrupts their attachment in relationships- 80% of mistreated children develop insecure attachment patterns (Crook et al., 2017 ). Due to this circumstance, it contributed to foster children being insecure in creating new relationships with their foster families. The placement of children in the foster system negatively impacts multiple sectors in one’s life. Children who experience advertises at such age encounter more disruptive behavioural concerns that can affect a child’s life and be carried into adulthood. The outcomes on foster children affects their self-esteem, social relationships, and overall academic achievements.
In early ages of life, children are constantly absorbing their environment as a result of their brain growth being most active; rather it is a dependable or an unhealthy situation for their well being. The exposure of early adversities in a young child’s life compromises the ability to regulate emotions, behavior and their theory of mind, which can further decline their capacity in academics and in creating relationships with their peers (Lewis-Morrarty et al., 2012). The stressors applied in childhood induces self doubt when children are unsure how to handle hardships, specifically in victims who had experienced prolonged neglect and repeated abuse. With these circumstances, once a child is placed into the foster care system, the care should be made to be a completely positive experience to aid in healing for the child (Miller & et al., 2000). Although in some cases, the foster care system is more damaging to the child development and they anticipate the worst of each placement; becoming a journey of loss and hope. With some foster children having siblings also in the system, many are seperated, although their siblings are the only ones who have been there through the hardships and their sense of hope in their family. Many cases where siblings cannot be allowed to be in contact with their siblings which can further the trauma from separation of the only love they know. Within just 24 months in foster care, the majority of children experience three or more placements (Leather., et al, 2019); placements can be houses with foster parents, group homes or shelters. Numerous movement from placements, schools and towns evokes senses of instability, which is associated with negatively impacting behavioral problems where children became more aggressive, rebellious and introverted (Waid, Kathari, Bank & McBeath,2016). Some foster kids can be welcomed into a home they grow to be fond of but suddenly they are moved within a short period of time where the transitions are most difficult to overcome; therefore creating disruptive behavior to avoid all new communications. Overall the foster case system takes in children who have been through many adversities previously and demand them to constantly trust different environments when all they ever knew is disappointment from the ones who are supposed to nurture and protect.
Foster homes are a type of placement that the foster care system provided t o some children, allowing them to gain opportunities to grow up in healthy family-like environments. In foster homes, foster parents are essential for a secure foundation for the children who have been through many adversities (Schofield & Beek, 2005), to heal their agony and have a positive turnaround in their life. Compared to children who are not in the foster care system, the ones who are have different needs as the right to a more stable and secure placement in order for the children to thrive in all aspects of life (Steenbakker, Van Der Steen & Grietans, 2017). Becoming a foster parent can be a gift from above to a child when the caregiver is devoted and has right intentions, despite the challenges they may face with their foster children, for example. ;all foster children need is someone to be patience with them to allow them in. Some foster parents go into fostering due to the unethical intentions for money; this can result in the traumatic situations that put the child in foster care in the first place to reoccur, including neglect or abuse of any form. Children in the system are already at risk of unhealthy brain function, attaching disorders, deficient social skills and mental health disorders; continuing to mistreat them will further physiological and behavioral issues (Harden, 2004) . Most foster kids are in multiple placements over periods of time which is a difficult challenge in itself to keep opening up to new surroundings over and over again, the fortunate ones who stay in placements for longer time spans tend to advance their grades, social skills and opportunities in life.
To find a permanent home for the children is an ultimate goal of the foster system. Adoption is a desire many children want as every person wants a family who will love them unconditionally, in many foster kids who age out of the system are left caring for themselves.
“Instead of growing in my belly, you have grown in my heart” by an anonymous person. What this quote tells me is even though she might not have the same DNA, be related that she is still a mother that can still have a natural maternal heart for “her child” and that she loves it like it was her own. Children are placed in foster care for all different type of reason, physical abuse, neglect, runaways, etc. They have a different type of cases and experiences for each child. A foster home is a temporary safe place where kids stay until they find a “forever home”. Children placed in foster care can stay in a home for a week up to a year. Most foster families open their home to a foster child for a lovable stable home so they can nurture if they can’t have a natural child of their own. They are about 400 foster care kids in New Orleans on any given day. Forster children can have a difficult time fitting in school socially and academically, “44% of foster children spend all four years in the high school which is less than half” according to the “United Foster Care”.
Despite the enormous obstacles that the children may face and how it may change them emotionally, physically, mentally or/and etc. Some kids do have hope that they will find they a family that will love them. Foster care team up with local child advocates to thoroughly investigate the damaging system. Foster care has a negative effect on the children and communities. Children in foster care can have attachment ise with negative people in their life because might be all that they know of. Every time a child is removed from a home, they become aced and that may leave them devastated emonally all over again. About 33-66% that a child maybe attached and that can sters Care” . The kids may hey interact with e neglect, and/or s with they h kids mind and ability to be they best them. The outcome of the people that were in the are in foster re and also happen I can see why it would be hard h t part because the change can cause depression and anxiety which all together rigger can cause emotional damage while you are e can very hard, being took from your garden because they wasn’t doing right by you and now they try to get you back but you also have a little rebel by them. When kids going to a new home the new gardening can expect “aggression, withdrawals, regression to younger behavior, confusion on new rules, and inappropriate behavior according to “ How Kids Develope.Com” . Moving to a new home for new Foster kids can be a struggle especially if it’s a repeated event that happen . They have a 60 percent of Foster kids that end up finishing high school but only 20 percent of them are going to college, say “Foster Care resources”. In my opinion, it is hard for Foster kids to be successful because of the trauma that they go Thru and how they are always placed in and out of school.For example, in primary care, a sustaining innovation might be adding new and better equipment to a physician’s office. A disruptive innovation would be starting a telemedicine practice such as Doctor on Demand, which provides consultations via cell phone or iPad.18 A consultation with this practice currently costs $40—comparable to the cost of an office visit. From the patient’s perspective, however, there are substantial savings in terms of nonmonetary costs: travel time, waiting time, child care, missed work, the unpleasantness of getting out of bed while sick. The former innovation improves an existing market. The latter creates a new market.For example, in primary care, a sustaining innovation might be adding new and better equipment to a physician’s office. A disruptive innovation would be starting a telemedicine practice such as Doctor on Demand, which provides consultations via cell phone or iPad.18 A consultation with this practice currently costs $40—comparable to the cost of an office visit. From the patient’s perspective, however, there are substantial savings in terms of nonmonetary costs: travel time, waiting time, child care, missed work, the unpleasantness of getting out of bed while sick. The former innovation improves an existing market. The latter creates a new market, Harvard business professors Joseph Bower and Clayton Christensen call this process “disruptive innovation”—technological change driven by those outside the industry’s mainstream—that replaces complex products with simple ones, yields massive price decreases, and leads to previously unthinkable quality increases (perhaps in ways unimagined by the innovators).15 In The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care, Christensen and his coauthors Jerome Grossman and Jason Hwang argue that health care remained anomalous during this period of rapid innovation.16 To be sure, there were astounding technological developments in health care, but the innovation was, in Christensen’s terms, “sustaining” rather than “disruptive.” Sustaining innovation brings evolutionary change to an existing market. Disruptive innovation brings revolutionary change that creates new markets altogether. Unlike disruptive innovation, sustaining innovation generally arises from established insiders and increases costs. For example, in primary care, a sustaining innovation might be adding new and better equipment to a physician’s office. A disruptive innovation would be starting a telemedicine practice such as Doctor on Demand, which provides consultations via cell phone or iPad.18 A consultation with this practice currently costs $40—comparable to the cost of an office visit. From the patient’s perspective, however, there are substantial savings in terms of nonmonetary costs: travel time, waiting time, child care, missed work, the unpleasantness of getting out of bed while sick. The former innovation improves an existing market. The latter creates a new market. Another example, explored later in depth, is the supply of prosthetic hands and arms. Sustaining innovations are those that improve the quality of professionally made prosthetics. Forster affect many children due the complication that are happening in they like that cause them to get put in the system. The hardship influence them to be depressed and have emotional problems. Due to the neglect many children are place in the foster care “.45 percent in nonrelative foster family homes 32 percent in relative foster family homes 7 percent in institutions 5 percent in group homes 5 percent on trial home visits (situations in which the State retains supervision of a child, the child returns home on a trial basis for an unspecified period of time, and after 6 months the child is considered discharged from foster care) 4 percent in pre adoptive homes 1 percent had run away 1 percent in supervised independent living” states in the 2016 foster care statistics. This show that nearly half of the children are placed in a non relative foster care home. “55 percent had a goal of reunification with parent or principal caretaker. 26 percent had a goal of adoption. 5 percent had not yet had a case plan goal established. 4 percent had a goal of emancipation.4 3 percent had a goal of long-term foster care. 3 percent had a goal of guardianship. 3 percent had a goal of living with other relative”, it also states in 2016 foster care statistics. This show that a little more than half that they reunification with the parents or principal caretakers. Children can also go to care if they are homeless kids in the rage of new born to the age of 12. Not all home offer long term care though, some home can offer emergency short term care for the moment. When you open your home to a kid that is no longer in they care can come with some difficulties because of they problem but will eventually grow as a whole. Talking to the kids and to help them better understand the situation can help them have less stress on them. Trying to understand the struggle and what they go though can also have have a little compassion for then so they can feel like they are not alone. Child traumatic stress occurs when children and adolescent are expose are exposed to event or situation that overwhelm their ability to copy and interfere with daily life and their ability to function and interact with other. This type of trauma can not only affect them mentally emotionally and physically but can also hurt them with the brain,bodies, and their behavior in the ways of thinking. Insecurity of not feeling safe for a child can cause bad habit. The increase of aggression is very common with kids that are abandoned because of the issue and the trust issue they have. The parents can heal the kids alway be patient with them and know that the kids can have personal issue. what this graph show is the changes in the foster care and changes in the congregate care from the year 2004 to 2013 from the percentage. They also have local cases with Foster children in one cases when a foster child in Oklahoma was ask what they want in a family. In a reader eye you can see that the child has been through a lot in his life because it was the most simple stuff he ask for but made a big deal to him. One of the things he ask for was “food and water, don’t want to be hit on, and nice clean clothes.” It can be things we take for granted the these children would have love to have. Being in Foster cares can change the perspective on what and how the child may think and how humble they may be to have half of what we have. This show how Foerster can change the mind of children and make them more humble. In a negative affect it never show them a lovable or even stable home which can have a Horrible toll on them.
Children in foster care are face with all type of doubts and they may mature more faster than other or they because of they experience. Exposing the foster care come with a lot of departments as far as putting kids in home that is unfit for them or can’t find home once you reach a certain age. Once they hit 18,really before the 18 birthday kids will find they self getting kick of of foster care into the streets and they will find themselves being homeless or institutionalize . Foster care have been known to put some children in care that they might know is unfit for them, such ass putting them back in care with they biological family that trying to get them back and may still be on drugs for example. Some Foster care might have been reported but the ones that are supposed to protect them sometimes might don’t even care to take them seriously and still might place them with the fosters people. Now in days they have child advocates that can help them when they turn 18 to ensure that they won’t be on the street.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWtYXLK6w7I A lady by the name of Valorie Frisk is a supporting child advocate because she has been through so much being in foster care when she was a child. She was abused and sexually assaulted in care. She decided that she wanted to be a child advocate and went to the in format the government and prepared a speech to tell legislative branch bout her life story to make sure this would not happen to another’s child. This also help he would be able to go to college because the child advocate senate in Philadelphia made it possible for her to attend. What so great about the child advocate is that they help save life and help the children get on track to they won’t be stuck when or before they turn 18. They also feel like they can trust people that want better for the future. “Turtle Nest Village” is one of the advocates company they have in Palm Beach County Florida that is a nun profitable company. They take kids on they 18 birthday coming out of foster care rent the young adult a apartment and send them a life coach that is a social worker and for 2 year they try to help them get on they feet.
What we need to do to change this system is to stop taking kids out of there home that they are getting abuse and put them in other home that they are abused in. All together they need to secure these home for the children they they won’t be mistreated and misplaced. People don’t may take up to months to a year if not longer to get a child back. Parents work so hard to get even remote custody over they child back, because once you make a error with that child and the giver feel like that child safety is in danger they will take that child in and assume custody which is really hard to get back. The parent try everything and anything to get the child back that includes taking parental class having social worker in and out of your home and having monitored busted with your own child. By the time you have completed that process your child would have endured many experiences in and out of care into different homes and abuse if not physically and/or mentally. They have lots of cases where children are being abuse in foster care so you would have thought the system off the foster care would have changed their system. When some people adopt their child they mostly do it for money so kids do loss hope that they will find a home that is devoted to them. They act out thinking that the home they are in is not they home it just a home that they are staying in momentarily. Theses children struggle with trusting people And letting them in they little bubble. Some kids are mistreated in they “Forever Home” that is post to love them and take care of them. The older kids get the less they are going to be adopted or if they are it would most likely be for the money. Children that have grown up in the foster care have grown to be very Resilience against adult or anyone. Foster care can mess with a child head and they mind set that can leave them Distraught and leave them to a destructive path. Becoming a foster parent, you have to be strong minded have stuck routine. Some parent have to have time with the child to get to know him/her and other may just fall madly in love with the child when first meeting them. They also have court date to check on the process on which your are have with the child . You don’t really have a say on what goes on but you have to attend and they will let you know if you are fit and continue to take care of that child and to support that child. It good to have your own support system like friends or family that can help because if your holding more than one foster child it can become challenging and that where people go wrong at and give up on the child. They also have people that would put they outside input on they opinions and this can sometimes change your mind on whether you want to keep a child or not. This whole ride on becoming a foster parent can be very emotional, or can be a roller coaster of ups and downs but I have seen right mentally physically things that going one in your head or that might be happening not just for your but the child also. Some children parents might fight for them in process but you might in try to adopt them as well which can cause more stress on the child because it have to choose between a person that have loved him/her when no one did again they biological parent which can cause a tone on the child leave me mentally or physically harmed. Ultimately everyone just fine everyone just wants what’s best for that kid, what is the best scenario that can’t play out in a long term life for this child. Being adopted, it can be the happiest moment of a child life. It’s life changing o here that you are going to be apart of someone family and not just a “piece of property” for that government to have hold on.
Settling into this new life with a new family can be hard, it’s kinda like starting a new life just with people that love and want you and would not do anything to jeopardize you being taken away from them. Through the process of all of the events that happen to the child the struggles they have and the challenges that they face or have yet to come and face has deeply affect that child. Foster care is not place for a child to grow up because it affect them in many ways. Talking about the corruption of the foster care and exposing its “dark wen” making it seem not all as good as they portray it to be. It can leave a child brainwashed to believe that they are no thing and unwanted because that all they hear. Being abuse to moved from place to place cause mess with a child head and convince them that they are not worth anything. Foster care can affect children negatively are they are doing is ensuring that the children are not on the street and have food to eat. Some places may find a home for them but once they hit the age 8 that is very unlikely of them to find a home. It sad that children are not being taken seriously in this industry and are being taken advantage of for other people needs or money from the government. Raising a child although can be very hard it’s also a big responsibility and come with lots of obstacles. Children come from all different type of home that are abusive and altogether not a good play for kid to be, but foster care take out of that and place just to put then in another. Children that come from broken home and put into care face a lot of trouble in life and the outcome is much different than children that growed up in a stable home. Negatively the care of the children can affect them and leave to do things they would not orgianaly do. As the number in children increase over the year and the care slowly increase if not remain steady these care are becoming full and there not enough of foster parent to help with the living of each child, so that mean the the homes of the care will become in worst condition that they are already in. The government just don’t care enough about the foster care to help with the needs they are in now and the help they acquire.
Foster homes, currently in the state of Alabama, house approximately 6,000 youth (under 21) in the foster care system. Internationally in the US there were over 670,000 in the foster care system. The idea of foster homes in America was birthed from the English Poor Laws. These laws, before Charles Bruce’s influence, made it possible for citizens to take in beggars and displaced youth in exchange for indentured servitude until adulthood. The origins of Elizabethan Poor Laws began “in 1500’s and instructing church parishes voluntary weekly collections to assist the poor.” The parish had been the basic unit of local government since at least the fourteenth century, (https://eh.net/encyclopedia/english-poor-laws/). There was a need to help to displaced children and women, as the number of diseases and crime grew; places like New York City being one of the worst. A 26-year-old missionary and Yale graduate Charles L. Brace organized a system in 1854 called “Placing out” which evolved into the now Children’s Aid.
History
Foster care has been around for many years and has evolved greatly throughout the years. America’s first foster child happened to be Benjamin Eaton in 1636 at the age of seven years old (NFPA). This opened the nation’s eyes on an occurring issue with children. A minister, Charles Loring Brace started the free foster care home movement in 1856. Brace was a minister and directed the New York Children’s Aid Society (NFPA). He also created the placing out system. The placing out system used any passenger train going in any direction that offered reduced fares for children. At stops along the way, farmers and shopkeepers would come to the station, inspect the children and decide if any would be a good match for their families – or businesses. (https://www.tpr.org/2018-07-03/riders-of-the-orphan-train-preserves-the-unforgettable-stories) Inspired by his love for philanthropy, theology and missionary work, the foundation of these organizations were extensions of Charles Brace’s theories that institutional care stunted and destroyed children. He believed the answers to transforming New York’s orphans and street children into self-reliant members of society were gainful work, education, and a wholesome family atmosphere” (https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/brace-charles-loring/)This was going toward the right direction with foster care and providing homes for these children. In the 1900s the first laws to prevent child abuse and neglect was issued. For example, the Social Security Act of 1935 was the first approved grants from the government for child welfare services (Facts on Kids in South Dakota). In this following article it continues to explain various history about foster care in America. In the 1970s CAPTA–Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act became clear as far as what was expected and for investigations involving abuse or neglect. “CAPTA provides federal funding to states in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment activities and also provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations” (Child Welfare). In the 1990s the number of children in foster care increased tremendously. The probable cause of this spike was due to economic slowdown and the crack cocaine epidemic (FKSD). Foster care is its own issue itself due to children being taken out of their homes because of irresponsible parents/guardians. The issues in foster care continue even in this age of time.
Political Aspect
Laws are very essential when it comes to foster parenting and foster care in general. There are laws in place to protect the children going in and out of foster homes. Over the course of years there were many laws put in place involving care for children. One of the first mentioned earlier was the Social Security Act to provide funds to child welfare services. Without these particular laws there wouldn’t be any stability within the foster care system in America. The political climate involving foster care is improving substantially state by state. If all the states were onboard with laws, it would improve the system even better. One gap within that is that not all laws are placed in different states. For example, the Foster Parent Bill of Rights, which is only established in 16 of our 50 states here in the U.S. (NFPA). The Foster Parent Bill of Rights in the state of Tennessee exhibits certain criteria that the foster parents must meet and different disciplinary actions that will happen if abuse or neglect has happened in a foster home (Tennessee Gov.). I feel that is extremely important for the wellbeing of the family and the child placed in the family’s care. There are weaknesses within our system that should be placed everywhere and not just in particular states. That’s where we fail as a country because a child’s wellbeing in a foster home is important and this is something that can avoid any issues in the future if enforced everywhere.
Social Trends Influence
In some areas of the country foster care is a rising problem and continues to rise for multiple reasons. Drugs and alcohol will always be a factor when talking about foster care and why some children are in the system. With some states slowly legalizing drugs such as marijuana can cause an impact on foster care because of impaired judgment. If a child is constantly around someone who is using marijuana can be the cause of neglect that is happening within the home. As social worker in the Code of Ethics people have the “right” to do whatever they want in their home but when a child is involved it becomes an issue. Another trend is social media, it is not a bad social trend because it gives them the right to express themselves somewhere. Although it can become dangerous if children/teenagers are not supposed to have contact with their biological parents or guardians some find social media sites an opportunity to be in contact. In some states there are certain requirements that need to be met before posting images of foster children on social media sites and before the child themselves make an account. For example, in Oregon one the requirements is “before posting pictures contact your case worker or certifier for this approval. This will ensure posting pictures of foster children in your home poses no potential safety risks related to the child or to you. In some cases, the child’s family cannot know where the child is placed” (Oregon Government). Confidentiality is important when it comes to social media because some children/teenagers were taken out of a harmful situation and need to be kept safe in an environment where danger cannot find them. With social media sites and technology booming it may be hard to get control over these things, especially if everyone around them have a social media site or cell phone. It can impact children and families in a positive or negative depending how it is handled. There are resources to help gain knowledge on certain sites and to give advice on how to handle it with a child in foster care.
Social Justice
The gaps in the foster care systems are important because it’s involving multiple parties. It is the children who get the effects of aging out, poor foster parenting, abuse, and other gaps within the foster care system. It is the foster parents that potentially want to adopt that get the effects of biological parents purposely coming in and out their child’s life because they do not want anyone else to adopt their child. It is the biological parents who are working to get their children back and they find out that their children were being abused in the foster care system. A place where the children are supposed to be safe and well taken care of during the process. It is the social workers who get the effects of watching and taking care of all parties, telling them why or why not something cannot happen because it isn’t provided in their state or area. The reason why the gaps in foster care, all gaps in foster care matter is because it is not only affecting one person, but it is affecting everyone involved. In the NASW Code of Ethics 6.01 Social Welfare explains that social workers should promote general welfare of society, from local to global levels, and the development of people, their communities, and their environments. Social workers advocate for their clients no matter what the situation may be and if there are certain gaps within foster care then that should be brought to attention for the client’s wellbeing. Not all states have the same training or requirements when it comes to being a foster parent. Certain criteria must be met but different states have their own. Social workers have a commitment to the clients and to promote the wellbeing of the clients even if that mean advocating for a change in the foster care system to fill some if not all the gaps.
What is Offered?
As a country we have many different sources regarding foster care and foster parenting. There are multiple laws put in place for protection of children and their wellbeing. There are different organizations offering help for biological parents, foster children, and foster parents to advocate for them. In Tennessee specifically there are foster parent colleges to provide the proper training to become a foster parent to protect the wellbeing of the child. In our country, I believe there should be more support and training for foster parents regarding how to handle certain situations. There is always room for improvement within our system. Children in foster care remain in the system for an average of 2 years according the Children’s Rights Organization. I feel that as a country there should be more effort to get children out the system faster and lower the amount of times they are in and out of homes in order to see the statistics to lower. All the services that are offered nation-wide are there for a reason but to make the services more beneficial there needs to be an effort from everyone; from the government to regular U.S citizens.
Ways to Improve
It does not matter what is going on in our country there is always room for improvement, especially in the foster care system. For example, the fact that only 16 states have the Foster Parent Bill of Rights is a problem. That is a gap in our system because that Bill of Rights can be beneficial and helpful in the long run. There can be an improvement on the training for caseworkers, so they know what is best for the child’s safety. There needs to be more advocacy for all parties associated with the foster care system. One organization focusing on the needs of multiple parties is the Children’s Right organization. Their mission statement explains it all, which includes: “We are a national advocacy group working to reform failing child welfare systems on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of abused and neglected children who depend on them for protection and care” (Children’s Rights). In order to build a sufficient foster care system, all parties need to be taken care of for the sake of the children. The children are being put under a magnifying glass, but people are looking at the other surrounding factors that can be prevented. There are circumstances where children will need to be put in the system but if the system would tighten policies, training, and management everywhere instead of certain locations it would be a more enough system.
As structure changes in the family, children have to pay the price of it. Children in the home may lose the comfort of a balanced household, or even a school to call theirs when the parents decide they are no longer in the picture. This is an issue that is not looked at often, and ignored quite a bit from society and the government. Without a foster care system, children would be left with nothing, not even hope that a family would adopt them or the possibility to be reunited with their family of origin. These children would be abandoned and forgotten by most. In the foster care system, children tend to stay in the system for almost three year before they are reunited with their families or adopted (ABC, 2006). However, the foster care system in America is lacking for all American foster children. Changes must be made now before problems continue in the foster care system. Improvements are crucial in bettering foster care systems, improvements such as strengthening the family of origin, and how to properly screen foster parents.
One of the most important ways in fixing the foster care system is to first strengthen the family of origin. A good start would begin with better funding. According to Sarah B. Greenblatt “The way that the federal government has funded services has made it more possible for states to get funding for placement services than for family-strengthening services” (Hasenecz, 2009). If we really want to help, we need to develop and assist families who want their children back. Some parents give their children up for adoption because they cannot provide enough food, a home and education. Other reasons that children have to be given up for adoption are not always an option for parents. The parents may have been deemed ‘unfit’ to take care of their child by the court due to decisions the parents made while the child was under their supervision. Sarah B. Greenblatt also states that “the
As structure changes in the family, children have to pay the price of it. Children in the home may lose the comfort of a balanced household, or even a school to call theirs when the parents decide they are no longer in the picture. This is an issue that is not looked at often, and ignored quite a bit from society and the government. Without a foster care system, children would be left with nothing, not even hope that a family would adopt them or the possibility to be reunited with their family of origin. These children would be abandoned and forgotten by most. In the foster care system, children tend to stay in the system for almost three year before they are reunited with their families or adopted (ABC, 2006). However, the foster care system in America is lacking for all American foster children. Changes must be made now before problems continue in the foster care system. Improvements are crucial in bettering foster care systems, improvements such as strengthening the family of origin, and how to properly screen foster parents.
One of the most important ways in fixing the foster care system is to first strengthen the family of origin. A good start would begin with better funding. According to Sarah B. Greenblatt “The way that the federal government has funded services has made it more possible for states to get funding for placement services than for family-strengthening services” (Hasenecz, 2009). If we really want to help, we need to develop and assist families who want their children back. Some parents give their children up for adoption because they cannot provide enough food, a home and education. Other reasons that children have to be given up for adoption are not always an option for parents. The parents may have been deemed ‘unfit’ to take care of their child by the court due to decisions the parents made while the child was under their supervision. Sarah B. Greenblatt also states that “the law requires that every reasonable effort be made to preserve and strengthen a family while solving family problems that put a child at risk” (Hasenecz, 2009). Any social worker in a foster care system who discusses family preservation and reunification has to stress that reuniting a child to an abusive family situation is never, and will never be an option. States are beginning to work with families including family engagement, connecting families to evidence-based services, frequent visits with their child and parent education (Child, 2016). Placing foster children back into their family of origin can help to ease the trauma of removal, including having a sense of belonging, the opportunity to recognize their family heritage, and most importantly having that feeling of being a family again.
The second most important way to fix the foster care system is to properly screen foster parents. Currently, too many adoptive and foster homes fail, causing children to be placed back into foster care. This is a cycle that, “once started, can stretch to six, eight, ten, or even twenty placements, each taking a ruinous emotional toll on the child” (NASW, 2015). A reason why children are going in and out of homes is because of ill-prepared screeners. According to Hasenecz, very few screeners in the foster care system have taken college-level courses on the subject, or have had adequate in-service training by experts in the field. This should not come as a surprise to most since there are only a handful of social work based schools in the United States that offer courses on adoptive and foster parent screening (NASW, 2015). Besides schooling, screeners are also failing to approach foster or adoptive applicants as a “mystery to be solved” (NASW, 2015). As a screener, the first goal is to evaluate the potential applicant’s possibility for abuse towards a child. You then want evaluate the applicant’s emotional stability, “the applicant’s relationship with his or her spouse and family members, and the applicant’s relationship with society as a whole” (NASW, 2015). Preforming these tests require a lot of thought. However, from time to time, issues arise that cause this work to become more difficult. “Because there is no regulation of foster or adoption homes at the national level, there are no uniform statures for home studies and the requirements vary widely from agency to agency, even within the same state” (NASW, 2015). This means that screeners who do studies for agencies that allow the applicant to look at their study have to second-guess themselves because of the information that was provided on the study that could get them sued. If a screener is second-guessing themselves, they need to talk to peers from their agency. This could potentially save them from being sued, and can cause an overall improvement in the screening process of foster parents.
So many factors that need fixing have a lasting impact on a child in foster care, but the two most important factors to fix are strengthening the family of origin, and how to properly screen foster parents. Just by giving children the chance to reunite with their family of origin has so many good benefits on the child, and well as the parents. Also, the more skilled the screeners are in the screening process, the fewer failures such as multiple placements in the adoptive and foster homes that children have to face.
Foster care is a critical system that provides temporary care and support for children who are unable to live with their biological families. While the primary goal of foster care is to ensure the well-being of these children, it is essential to examine and challenge the gender roles and stereotypes that may impact their experiences. In this critical essay, we will explore the influence of gender roles in foster care, the potential challenges they present, and the importance of promoting gender equity within the system.
Gender bias in placement decisions
Gender bias can significantly influence the placement decisions made within the foster care system. Historically, gender roles have dictated that girls are more suited for nurturing and domestic tasks, while boys are expected to exhibit strength and independence. These stereotypes can unconsciously affect the decisions made by foster care professionals, leading to differential placements based on gender rather than the individual needs and best interests of the child.
The impact on children’s development
Enforcing traditional gender roles in foster care can have detrimental effects on the development of children. For instance, assigning girls to caregivers who prioritize traditional female roles might limit their exposure to a broader range of opportunities and career aspirations. Similarly, boys placed in households that reinforce stereotypical male behavior may miss out on opportunities to develop emotional intelligence and empathy. By perpetuating these gender norms, foster care inadvertently restricts children’s potential and reinforces harmful stereotypes.
Challenges faced by LGBTQ+ youth
Gender roles in foster care can be particularly challenging for LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+ children may experience discrimination and stigma both within the foster care system and in wider society. Traditional gender roles can further exacerbate their struggles, as they may face pressure to conform to heteronormative expectations. This can lead to feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and a lack of acceptance. It is crucial for foster care agencies to create a safe and inclusive environment that supports and affirms the identities of LGBTQ+ youth.
Breaking down gender stereotypes
To address the impact of gender roles in foster care, it is essential to challenge and break down these stereotypes. Foster care agencies should prioritize placing children based on their individual needs, interests, and talents, rather than conforming to societal gender expectations. This requires fostering an environment that encourages open-mindedness, flexibility, and a celebration of diversity.
Promoting gender equity in foster care
Promoting gender equity in foster care involves providing equal opportunities and support for all children, regardless of their gender. This can be achieved through comprehensive training programs for foster care professionals that address biases, dismantle stereotypes, and promote inclusive practices. It is also crucial to provide access to resources and activities that break traditional gender molds, such as encouraging girls to explore STEM fields and supporting boys in developing their emotional intelligence.
Supporting caregivers
Caregivers play a vital role in shaping the experiences of children in foster care. Providing them with training and resources that challenge traditional gender roles is essential. By equipping caregivers with the tools to promote gender equity, they can help foster an environment where children can explore their interests and identities freely, without the constraints of societal expectations.
Conclusion
Gender roles in foster care have a significant impact on the experiences and development of children. Challenging traditional gender stereotypes and promoting gender equity is crucial for ensuring that all children in foster care have equal opportunities and support. By addressing biases, fostering inclusivity, and providing appropriate training and resources, we can create a foster care system that celebrates diversity, empowers children to explore their full potential, and breaks down the barriers imposed by gender roles.
Foster care is a process where foster parents adopt and bear all the child’s expenses temporarily and look after them in their tough times. However, they belong to a low-class family or an orphan child. Usually, low-class parents can’t afford daily living expenses. Low-class families do not always fit with their daily needs. They can’t afford daily hunger. Their children hardly eat daily basis food. They can’t study. They can’t go to school. Many other daily miscellaneous expenditures are impossible to bear for low-class families. To meet their daily needs they force their kids to beg for money in public, sell toys, and candies, and earn money to fulfill their daily needs and hunger. In these circumstances fostering caring is a virtuousness step. Foster carer training Casino is a legal process based on paperwork, and written documentation, to adopt a child.
Foster parents fulfill all the needs of a child, They supply clothes and food, and they give real meaning to life. They bear the school’s financial expenditures. Foster parents provide all the facilities to a child. They support or provide for the needs of the child. Foster caring can cause positive and strong bonding between the foster parents and the child. One of the biggest advantages and benefits of foster care. Everyone will appreciate this kind of step. They will support you strongly. If someone wants to help families in need and hard times, adopt a foster child. If u want to share their problems must take kind steps for them. Foster carer training Casino is necessary for adopting a child which will be proven one of the greatest steps in his or her life, this greatest step can change his or her entire life, and they will have a great future, it can also be the most rewarding act. To adopt a child, there’s a legal process through paperwork and documentation. The foster parents can make a detailed conversation with their biological parents and can take serious steps after discussing with them. This kindness act will be the most rewarding step for a child. This kind of act can change both child’s and parent’s lives. By taking this step you can bring real happiness in their lives as a Foster Carer Ballina. There are many shelters for foster care where kids play, study, and eat food properly. Shelters provide all the necessary facilities. They look after them, celebrate their birthdays, enjoy with them, most kind acts done over there. These kids are the future and assets of the country so counseling is very important for such kids to make them strong, and brave and build their confidence.
When children are unable to live with their biological parents, alternative care options such as orphanages and foster care provide support and stability. While both serve the purpose of providing a safe environment for children in need, there are distinct differences between orphanages and foster care. This essay aims to compare and contrast these two care systems, focusing on their structure, parental involvement, and long-term effects on children.
Body:
Structure:
Orphanages, also known as residential institutions or children’s homes, are centralized facilities where multiple children live together under the supervision of caregivers and staff. They often have a structured routine, shared living spaces, and institutionalized care. Orphanages aim to provide basic necessities, education, and healthcare to children who have no parents or whose parents are unable to care for them.
Foster care, on the other hand, involves placing children in the homes of certified foster parents or families. It provides a more family-like setting, with individualized care and attention. Foster families undergo a screening process and receive training to ensure the well-being and safety of the children placed in their care. Foster care allows children to experience a more personalized and nurturing environment.
Parental Involvement:
In an orphanage, the primary responsibility for the children’s well-being rests with the institution and its staff. Although caregivers provide essential care, they may not be able to offer the same level of emotional attachment and individualized attention as a permanent family setting. Children in orphanages may have limited opportunities for consistent, one-on-one relationships with caregivers due to the high number of children and staff turnover.
In foster care, foster parents play a crucial role as substitute caregivers. They provide a nurturing and stable home environment, offering emotional support, guidance, and a sense of belonging. Foster parents often develop close relationships with the children they care for, and their involvement extends beyond basic needs to include emotional and psychological support.
Long-Term Effects:
Research suggests that children who grow up in orphanages may face unique challenges. The lack of individualized attention and consistent caregiving can impact their emotional and cognitive development. Children in orphanages may experience attachment difficulties, lower self-esteem, and delayed social and emotional skills. Transitioning out of an orphanage setting can also present challenges as they navigate independent living.
In contrast, foster care has been found to provide better outcomes for children. The stability and support offered by foster families promote healthy development and attachment. Foster care can offer a more secure and nurturing environment, leading to improved emotional well-being, educational attainment, and social integration. Foster care aims to provide temporary or permanent family-based care, with the goal of reuniting children with their biological families or finding them permanent adoptive families.
Conclusion:
While both orphanages and foster care provide care and support for children in need, their structures and approaches differ significantly. Orphanages offer institutionalized care and cater to multiple children, while foster care emphasizes individualized attention within a family-based setting. Foster care has shown to have more positive long-term effects on children’s development, providing stability, support, and the opportunity for attachment and permanency. Understanding the differences between these two care systems is crucial in making informed decisions to ensure the well-being and future success of children in need.
The problem of cultural diversity and norms is one that a social worker often faces during their practice. There were several prominent issues related to cultural norms and behaviors during my work in foster care. An issue I would like to discuss concerns foster care of children with a non-American and non-European background, who often display behaviors profoundly different from those we expect to see in American children. As Reamer (2006) correctly points out in his review of ethical standards for social workers, cultural awareness is fundamental if one aims to remain competitive in service delivery and understand social diversity. In this case, the difference between cultural norms resulted in a misunderstanding that could later result in indirect damage to the child.
One of the foster care workers was actively communicating with a child temporarily placed under foster care due to her biological mother’s inability to care for the child (severe illness). The social worker emphasized the child’s shyness and modesty, as well as little involvement in conversations and active communication both with foster parents and other children. The social worker’s assumed that the child needed to visit a psychologist due to potential social anxiety. Although the psychologist’s tests indicated no presence of social anxiety, the social worker continued to use strategies targeting social anxiety in children, thus significantly changing their previous approach to the child.
The ethical dilemma here was detected later when the social worker was able to contact the child’s mother, who insisted that such behavior was not a sign of anxiety but rather of respect and proper upbringing. Reserved and quiet children were not perceived negatively in her culture due to different religious and societal values that formed the way of upbringing in the mother’s native country. Thus, the social worker’s approach toward the child’s behavior was based on the American perception of “acceptable” behavior that includes assertiveness and openness in communication.
To deal with such problems, not only cultural awareness is necessary but also a specific ethical framework. The utilitarian principle could be used as it emphasizes that the action is considered ethical when it provides maximum utility for every person it can affect. In this case, the utility was happiness and satisfaction, and the social worker’s duty was to ensure that their actions towards the child maximized this utility.
However, their judgment of the child’s behavior without the attention to cultural values undermined the utility of their efforts and resulted in a misunderstanding and nearly a conflict between the two. Jaramillo, Rendón, Muñoz, Weis, and Trommsdorff (2017) also emphasize the importance of self-regulation in children with different cultural backgrounds, pointing out that “in Asian cultures, the regulation of behavior, emotions, and cognition is generally subordinated to the preservation of social harmony” (p. 3).
The social worker’s approach based on cultural values of the society they live in resulted in a less effective provision of services, thus raising the question of whether the mere concept of “social norms” should be reconsidered not only in foster care but social work in general. The utilitarian principle suggested here addresses the dilemma by being focused on providing utility (= happiness, satisfaction) to both parts of the issue (the child and the worker).
The worker, however, assumed that their interventions could not provide utility but were necessary for the context of the American perception of upbringing (i.e., the worker assumed that “changing” the child’s behavior is beneficial without asking themselves why it should be). The recommended solution is thus to develop cultural awareness among social workers and emphasize the importance of ethical reflection and critical approach toward the concept of “a norm.”
References
Jaramillo, J. M., Rendón, M. I., Muñoz, L., Weis, M., & Trommsdorff, G. (2017). Children’s self-regulation in cultural contexts: The role of parental socialization theories, goals, and practices. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(923), 1-9.
Reamer, F. G. (2006). Ethical standards in social work: A review of the NASW code of ethics (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers.
Foster care entails rescuing children from reckless parents and guardians and placing them under the care of the specialized organizations that would link them to individuals who might be in need of children in their lives. This implies that children in foster care organizations come from families with several social problems that are sometimes unbearable for young persons under the age of eighteen.
Some of the factors that might lead the state agencies in charge of overseeing the welfare of children to initiate foster care include abandonment and sexual, emotional, or physical mistreatment (Crow, 2013). Children are placed under foster care services until they attain the age of eighteen when they have the capacity to make major decisions affecting their lives, as well as providing for themselves the basic needs.
Additionally, some children might be in need of specialized supervisions owing to their delinquent behavior while some might be struggling with issues related to domestic violence, drug abuse, and mental problems. All these would call for specialized care implying that children would be in need of counseling services to enable them cope with the challenges in society.
Once a child is put under the foster care program, he or she would be expected to attend school and be involved in any activity that befits any child in the community. Issues of child labor and mistreatment are greatly reduced and the child would definitely grow up to be a responsible citizen. Studies show that a child who went through any form of abuse would most likely be a delinquent and might end up being a criminal in society.
On the other hand, adoption is a lifelong commitment that an individual makes to a child (Gibson, 2009). Consequently, an adopting family is usually given a legal permission to offer critical services to the child, such as care, protection, security, and comfort.
Adoption is viewed as the only way of offering a child the maximum level of permanency since foster care services are often temporary and are viewed as a short-term solution to the problems that abused children go through (Twohey, 2013). Once a child is taken to a foster care institution and adoption takes place successfully, pre and post adoption services are critical for the new family.
Services, such as joining support groups, information sharing, referral programs, training, and home studies are very important, as it would give the new family members a chance to know each other well.
The role of the human services professional is to understand the behavior and the expectations of each party in the adoption agreement and offer appropriate information to avoid misunderstanding in the future( Lawrence, Carlson, & Egeland, 2006).. For instance, the adopting family will want to know the real parents of the child, the siblings, relatives, and any health complication.
One of the most important post adoption programs is mentoring programs, which are provided by several state and federal organizations across the country. Under the program, the human services worker aspires to introduce the adopting family to other existing families living under the adoption arrangements.
This helps in building confidence, as both the child and his or her new family come to the realization that adoption is possible. Research shows that adopting families are often in doubt whether the arrangement works (Suppes, & Wells, 2012). Linking one family with an adopted child to the other has a potential of creating a lasting relationship.
If a child adopted has any form of physical challenge, the family will be introduced to a state or federal program that offers specialized services to the physically challenged individuals. As noted earlier, referral services are needed whereby a human services worker with critical knowledge on adoption is requested to monitor the situation until the family gels.
If additional counseling services are needed, the social worker would advice accordingly. Human services workers have sufficient knowledge to offer to parents after adoption. For instance, the expert is to offer short-term case management and advocacy where the parents will be shown how to deal with issues without necessarily destabilizing the child.
Peaceful problem solving techniques are difficult to master and parents have to be taken through a training process to ensure that they offer appropriate guidance to children. Finally, parents must understand the education opportunities available to them just after adopting the child.
State and federal institutions offer courses on adoption, but the social worker would select the most appropriate and encourage the parents to pursue them.
Foster care and adoption are closely related, but they are very different concepts whose major aim is to save children from injustices and abuse. Foster care rescues children from the hands of oppressive parents or guardians implying that it offers short-term solution to the problem whereas adoption provides a lasting solution whereby a child is linked to parents who would in turn guide him or her in life.
Just after rescuing the child, the human services worker has to design programs that would help the child cope with the new environment. Before adoption, counseling is necessary to iron out some of the unclear issues while post adoption programs encourage harmonious co-existence.
There are many children and adolescents who live in foster care. This essay deals with the problems of the children who are in non relative care. It also deals with the factors that lead children to non relative care, the way the study is conducted, the data used in study, subjects of study, the method of analysis etc.
Problem or objective statement
There are lot of children and adolescents who live in foster care. There are many reasons for one to be admitted in a foster care. Here, the main issues to be addressed are the problems of children who are placed in foster care, the social impact of foster care centers, whether these centers are run as they are supposed, the effect of non relative care on children etc. Children in foster care are brought up without getting the love and care of real parents. So, their mindset will be different from children who are brought up by real parents. As there are many people who come out of foster care to face the challenges of life, it is very important to study the problems they face in society. There has been a considerable increase in adoption in recent years. So, we also have to discuss about social issues that lead a child to foster care. The other studies related with the same topic reveal some interesting results. The change in attitude of people towards human relationship is the main reason for increase in adoption. So, study of this topic would not just be a study of foster centre. We could also evaluate the depth of human relations through this.
“Over the past 50 years, adoption has changed more than it did over the thousands of years between the first recorded accounts of adoptions in ancient times and the mid-20th century. These changes have followed societal trends and reflect the greater openness in our discussions about personal matters and our deeper understanding of human strengths and weaknesses that have occurred in almost every segment of our lives.” (Adoption Information para 2).
Literature review
One can be admitted into foster care centre related to many reasons. The main reason is economic.
“Foster care is care provided for children whose families are temporarily unable to care for them. The local government determines the process of arranging foster care. Foster care is surprisingly common in the United States—about 750,000 children are in the foster care system each year.” (Foster care para 1).
Parents who cannot bring up their children normally give them to foster care centers. But, the financial problem alone may not be the main issue. Personal and social reasons can also lead parents to take decision to place their children to these centers. In case the parents are not alive child can be admitted to foster care centers.
If the parents are not alive there are not many choices other than sending the child to foster care center. Some people get voluntarily ready to take responsibilities of the child. But it happens only in rare cases. So the studies related to foster care will be mainly related with foster care centers.
There has been lot of other studies related to the same topic. People send their children to foster care mainly because of family reasons. If the family is in trouble, the parents will not be able to give their children good education and food. That is the main reason which leads them to take such a decision. So, foster care centers are supposed to care children as if they are at home. US have made a study on this issue. It deals with whether the foster care centers treat children as if at their home or not. Children face many difficulties in foster care centers. They claim that 15,000 children from 1990 to 2002 have been observed. They also say that this is the largest study about the topic.
“It confirms what experience and observation tell us: Kids who can remain in their homes do better than in foster care,” says Stangler. He says “some kids, for their own safety, need to be removed from their families, but in marginal cases of abuse, more should be done to keep them together.” (Koch para 12). This study reaches in the conclusion that it is better for the children to be in family even if it is troubled. But this is not suitable for extremely abused families.
There have been some other studies that are related with the reunion of the children with their relatives. Most studies reveal that children face lots of difficulties when they live with their biological relative after a long life in foster care. Children who lived in foster care need some special care for health and mind. If the family fails to give such a care to those children it will lead to some serious problems. They also need to get a special education to lead a normal life. Otherwise, they also may have to face the problems like unemployment.
The study conducted by the’ Pediatrics’, the official journal of American Academy of Pediatrics reveals much important information related to the problems of children in foster care. “In one California study, children in foster care comprised <4% of Medi-Cal-eligible children, but accounted for 41% of all children who used Medi-Cal mental health services. The limited long-term research on children in foster care suggests that they are at risk for continued difficulties, including not finishing high school, incarceration, and chronic problems with employment and housing.“ (Taussig, Clyman and Landsverk para 8).
Many other studies based on the interviews conducted with young people who lived in foster care centers result in mixed conclusions. Some say that they felt well when they were in foster care centers. They think that their life would have gone worse if they had lived with their family. Some others say about the emotional problems they had when they get separated from their biological family. They also suggested the steps to improve the facilities of foster care centers.
“On the adaptive behavior scale, the mean scores for children in foster care were more than one standard deviation below the norm. Our findings suggest that the most important mental health screening issue with children in foster care is to identify what specific mental health problems need to be addressed so that the most effective treatment services can be provided.” (Clausen et al. para 1).
Subjects for study
To conduct a study about the foster care, we need to go to different corners of life. The people who have experienced life in foster care are the main focus. But, they alone cannot be the source of information. In order to study about the reasons that led them to foster care, we need to collect information from lot of other sources.
People who have established foster care centers are another major source for getting required data. Child Welfare Information Gateway gives some important information about adoption.
“Public agencies place foster children for adoption. Private agencies sometimes contract with the public child welfare agency to place foster children; they also may place U.S. infants or children from other countries. In some States, facilitators (attorneys, physicians, or other intermediaries) may coordinate adoptions without an agency’s involvement.” (Adoption: Overview para 4).
The professionals who work for foster care centers are another focus for this subject. They are familiar with the problems of children in their foster care centers. The people who have adopted children could explain the mental relationship with their adopted children. Some people could love their adopted children extremely when they were small kids. Many of them couldn’t continue it when they grew up. When children come to know the fact that they are not with their biological parents, different kinds of thoughts can disturb them. Then the adoptive parents should learn how to overcome this problem.
Different personal opinion also contributes well when researches are made on this topic. These people include those who witnessed adoption and adoptive families, who were familiar with children who are in foster care etc.
Measurements
The measurements in the study are demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, maltreatment history and mentoring. Demographic characteristics are measurements to identify race, ethnicity and gender of the children. Here, the first two demographic characteristics will be asked by the interviewer and gender will be assessed by the interviewer by himself. It should evaluate the living situation of the children in the foster care. Children live usually with relatives, such as parents who adopted them, their own parents or their relatives. The living situation can be categorized into five such as –
“(1) living with relatives (adoptive and biological parents and extended relatives); (2) living in family foster care; (3) living in congregate care (operationalized as residential treatment program, group home, shelter, detention facility, or inpatient psychiatric unit); (4) living in semi independent situations (Job Corps dorms) or in supervised or unsupervised apartments; and (5) living on one’s own.” (Munson and McMillen para 16).
In this study, the psychiatric history should be evaluated using the criteria of DSM IV of diagnostic interview schedule. Here the major psychiatric symptoms are assessed such as PTSD, ADHD, depressive disorder, oppositional disorder, conduct disorder and mania. The physical abuse or trauma experiences also should be evaluated in the children who are in foster care. There are “six dependant variables for multivariate analyses on the basis of their prevalence and importance: lifetime inpatient psychiatric service use, lifetime outpatient mental health service use (outpatient therapy, day treatment, and mental health care provided by a primary care physician), lifetime residential mental health service use (group home or residential treatment), current outpatient mental health service use, current residential mental health service use, and current psychotropic medication use.” (McMillen et al. para 12).
Mentoring also should be evaluated in the study and there are five aspects of mentoring which are to be considered. They are “(1) presence of a non-kin natural mentor; (2) pathway to meeting this mentor; (3) duration of the relationship; (4) frequency of contact; and (5) relationship quality.” (Munson and McMillen para 13). The access of a non relative mentor in foster care is the first dimension of mentoring. How the children can meet the mentor and what is the procedure to meet him is the second dimension of the assessment of mentoring. The duration of the relationship between the mentor and the children who are in the foster care also should be evaluated. The frequency of the meeting determines the wellness of the foster care. The last dimension which is to be evaluated in the foster care is the quality of the relationship between the mentor and children. Sometimes, the children will be frightened by appearance of the mentor. The children will not be free to deal and speak with the mentor. If there is a smooth relation with the mentor, the children will be happy.
Taking the maltreatment history of the children is necessary to study the non relative foster care among children. The children might have the experience of physical abuse and neglect. There are questionnaires like CTQ (Child Trauma Questionnaire) to assess the trauma experience. The questionnaire has four columns, namely ‘never true, true, often true and very often true’.
Data collection methods
In order to collect the data to know about the cause and effect on non relative care placements for children in foster care, it is better to conduct personal interview because it is the best method for collecting the data. There are many reasons for a placement of a child in foster care. When the personal interview is conducted among the members of the foster, one can know more about their personal details. Personally interview is performed in three ways – face to face meeting, through phone and through online. In the personal interview through face to face meeting, the interviewer will directly meet the person to be interviewed. And the interviewer will ask the prepared questions and it is the finest method to get reliable and accurate data. Through face to face meeting, both get the chance to express their opinion and idea and get the chance for final clarification after collecting data. Interview through phone is conducted when the person to be interviewed is free. It is very fast. Before conducting the interview fix the time with the individual so that the interviewer can interact more time. Interview through online is the latest method and this method is widely used as it is very simple and needs only less cost compared to other methods.
“Internet survey easy is and numerous. The internet survey allows for customization across a broad spectrum. Databases can be automatically converted digitally, avoiding time consuming reentry.” (Spiker para 9). When following this method, in some cases the chance to get reliable and accurate data is less.
Data Analysis methods
Different types of analysis have been made in order to find out cause and effect on non relative care placements for children in foster care. Analytic techniques used here are arrays used for displaying data, for tabulating the occurrence of events. These are used for recording the details got from the analysis. “Large differences between relative and non-relative placements in relation to parent-child contact have been reported by Le Prohn (1994), who compared the role perceptions of relative and non-relative foster carers.” (Barber and Delfabbro 25).
The analysis process includes combination of different process. The different processes include combination of description and explanation of practices that are followed currently. To make the analysis enormous, each of the evidence has been examined properly.
The first step of data analysis includes developing and describing important themes that have been collected by traveling across states. That is, raw data has been collected. Second step is to analyze the themes properly which is to understand about different policies and practices.
Budget for conducting survey
Money that should be spent for traveling is the main expense that surveyor should meet. Money for internet access is another main expense. They also have to spend money for the human power required for collecting the data.
Time schedule for survey
The time schedule varies. It depends upon the person whom we meet.
Conclusion
Lack of relative care is one of the main problems that most of the children face. It is a social issue that deserves lots of studies. The studies should include different kinds of analyses of human relationship, the relation of economy with the issue etc.
Barber, James G. and Delfabbro, Paul Howard. Children in Foster Care. Routledge, 2004. Print.
Clausen, June M., et al. “Mental Health Problems of Children in Foster Care.” Journal of Child and Family Studies 7. 3 (1998): 283-296. Springer Link. Web.
Foster care. Merck: Select an Online Manual. 2009. Web.
Koch, Wendy. Study: Troubled Homes Better Than Foster Care. USA Today. 2007. Web.
McMillen, J. Curtis, et al. “Use of Mental Health Service among Older Youths in Foster Case: Dependent Variables.” Psychiatr Serv 55 (2004): 811-817. Psychiatric Services. Web.
Spiker, Sarah. Pros and Cons of Survey Methods: Internet Survey As A Global Survey Mechanism. Suite101.com: The Genuine Article, Literally. 2009. Web.
Taussig, Heather N., Clyman, Robert B. and Landsverk, John. “Children Who Return Home From Foster Care: A 6-Year Prospective Study of Behavioral Health Outcomes in Adolescence.” Pediatrics 108. 1 (2001): e10. Pediatrics. Web.