Improving Foster Care

Sierra Griffith

English 12
Whedon 5
15 March 2016

Improving Foster Care

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Foster care is defined as a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward,
group home, or private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a foster parent.
(Wikipedia) Child abuse, neglect, and mistreatment is a growing problem in America
today. According to Promises 2 Kids, thirty percent of abused and neglected children will
later go on to abuse their own children, continuing the cycle of abuse.(Foster Care
Facts) People who understand foster care and it's growing problems long for the day
when foster care is pure. The song You'll be in My Heart by Phil Collins presents a
dream foster care home. It represents it from the quotation, Why can't they understand
the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different, but
deep inside us... we're not that different at all highlighting the true feelings of a hurt
foster child, to I will protect you from all around you, I will be here don't you cry talking
about the dream relationship between the foster parent and child. There is going to be
hurt child no matter what, it all just depends on how the foster family atmosphere turns
out, especially the parental relationship with the child. Every ten seconds a child abuse
report is placed. (Foster Care Facts) If the math is done, according to that statistic,
every year there are 3,155,695 calls made. The reality of that statistic is heartbreaking.
The foster families are not the only ones who have an affect on how the childs situation
turns out, the agencies also have a huge impact on the whole process. The end result
of foster care for children removed from abusive homes can benefit from a process that
provides displaced children and their parents with initial support.
Child abuse is not just an act that began one year when the economy was bad, or a
year that contained a civil war. It dates back to the beginning of mankind, and no one
knows the first time it happened because so many cases of child abuse and neglect are

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kept quiet. An anonymous image posted in 2014 really gives a picture of how a child
can be trapped.(view image 1) It has no author or description except for the verse
Romans 12:21, which states, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good. The painting shows a visual representation of a child stuck in a bad home. It
contains a little girl with a mans dirty hands covering her mouth and tears down her
marred face, leaving her unable to speak up for herself. A poem by Maurice Ravel on
foster children moving from place to place says, Yet with their losses etched upon their
face, pain for which no penance can atone. How can they move and move from place to
place, surrendering the love they must embrace?(Ravel) This is symbolic of many hurt
children stuck in homes with abuse who are trapped, unable to cry out for help. The
reality of the anonymous painting presents the historical problem. Of course, there has
been punishment throughout the years to fathers and mothers who have abused their
children, but there hasn't always been child displacement into different homes. In 1562,
the first child abuse laws were put into place. Some would say that child care laws are
the most commonly broken laws in America today, because it is so easy to get away
with. Benjamin Eaton was the first foster child in 1636 (NFPA), and from then on the
foster care system began to grow. In 1853, Charles Loring Brace began the free foster
home movement (NFPA). He longed for a free system. Up until now, foster care
agencies have been doing a better job of placing the children according to their needs,
it's just such a growing problem that it cannot always be accurate. Today, foster homes
are fuller than they have ever been. According to AFCARS in 2014, 264,746 children
entered care that year, which translates to a child entering care every two minutes in the
United States. 415,129 children were in foster care on September 30th, 2014, a 4%

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increase from 2012. (AFCARS) More and more kids are being taken out of their homes
today, and it makes people wonder what we can even do to prevent such high quantities
of children.
The problem, as proven above, is rapid and growing. But what really matters in
today's society is where the problem stems and what affect people who are helping
have. The problem initially stems from the original family, whether it be the deranged
mother, father, sibling, family member or tag along boyfriends or girlfriends that show up
in these commonly broken homes. According to Tricia B. Goodly, prevention of child
being taken from their homes has been proven effective, even though foster care and
adoption agencies have traditionally been funded at higher rates.(Hasenecz) We need
families who want and love their children, that is what is missing from these abusive
homes. According to Greenblatt, after a child is placed into a foster home, preservation
and reunification with the original family should not be pursued at all costs, they should
only be acceptable when a child's safety and well-being are ensured.(Hasenecz) The
childs home life is where the problem stems, therefore that is where we should focus
the awareness to stop it.
Another problem is how the foster care agency case workers, school counselors, and
especially foster families chose to conduct themselves with an abused foster child.The
reality of it all is that every little thing can affect the child, if you know it or not. We must
pay attention to how we train and supervise the workforce, says Spigner. A good
portion on the front line across the country doesnt have professional training. We ask
them to make tough decisions. We ask them to go into circumstances where they cant
predict whats going to happen.(Hasenecz) It is completely necessary that we have

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competent workers with these children. If mistakes are made, lifelong and life changing
problems for the child can be surfaced. Foster children should be treated the same as
normal children in the school system. A dream though that is, that is not how it really is.
So many foster children have low confidence and do not believe in themselves at all
because they believe that their dreams and goals will have a zero percent success rate.
The school counselors are the ones who actually know of all of the individual foster
children in a school, and it should be their utmost duty to reach out to them since other
students may not have a clue. Many counselors do not have much optimism regarding
the foster children in the school. According to Jerome Kagen, this pattern leads to these
children's realization that the caseworkers and counselors do not really care about them
and do not have faith in their ability to do better. Worker are so fixed on being right, and
saying the correct things that they forget the only part of the counseling that matters,
which is listening and showing true love and care.(Goldberg) Believe it or not, the foster
child has more than likely been through more than the counselor has in his or her life,
and they can tell when they are being genuine, or fake. Ultimately, the parent in which
the child is placed with has the greatest effect. Yet, the agencies need to be making
sure that the parents and schools are well prepared for a child.
An interview with an experienced, wonderful foster care mother, Sue Griffith, gave
some insight to the foster care system and hearts of the parents today. I asked her a
number of questions and she gave adequate answers. I started out by asking her why
she began foster care and she said I chose to be a foster parent because I believe God
has a special place in his heart for children in need. I believed that God could use our
family to love children in a difficult family situation where their parents for whatever

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reason were unable to take care of them. I continued to ask her if she agreed with the
foster agency laws, and her response was, Overall, yes. Some of their rules are a bit
tedious regarding paperwork and I would discipline my own children differently, but I
understand the reasons they have the rules in place that they do. She continued to tell
me that she chose the agency based on other foster parents recommendations and that
it is generally a sturdy one. When asking her if she ever regretted doing foster care and
if there's anything shed change she said, I dont regret foster care and I cant think of
anything Id change. The love that this mother has in her heart is an example for all and
it is the dream that we have for foster families in general.
We need a solution for these families, which entails support that needs to be given.
We need to first educate the public and raise awareness. We need to inform schools of
the situation and give them lessons on how to respond to it, especially teachers and
counselors. Most do not have the slightest understanding of foster care children, and
what they have been through. Teachers need to know what is okay to discuss with them
present, and what steps over the line. Every little thing can affect the child. For children
living in foster care, even the best counseling can never fill the critical void left by their
lack of opportunities to pursue and develop their interests. And given that most foster
children do not find school to be a positive experience, out of school opportunities
become even more crucial. (Goldberg) We need to invest in these children, and that is
up to the foster family. Their licensing process should be thorough on the ways they can
help the child. We need to stick around long enough to help them. The biggest thing
people can do is raise awareness. A Clip Art picture with no none artist really highlights
a broken home, and how many are out there.(see image 2) This image is symbolic of a

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broken foster home. It shows how a family that was once together with a mother, father
and children can be shattered. It all has to do with the relationship between not only the
parents, but the parents to the children. There is a small break between each of the
hands, showing that they are no longer together as a family. This is a very sad visual
and is so real in today's society. People need to know about child abuse so it can be
spoken up about and so that many can come out of their traps.
The dream of a solid foster care home is abundant. We need to raise awareness,
educate the public and systems, and ensure a better living environment for the children.
Sure, much stems from the original home, but if we cannot prevent that we must do
what we can. The end result of foster care for children removed from abusive homes
has the potential to either prepare the child for a better life or do just the opposite. All
the children and those families need is support. Speak up. End the problems.

Works Cited
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System.(AFCARS) Statistics on
Foster Care. FosterClub. 08

Mar, 2016.

Collins, Phil. Youll Be in my Heart. 08 Mar 2016

"Foster Care Facts." Promises2Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Goldberg, Sidney. "Improving Foster Care to Provide the Opportunities
All Children Deserve." The Huffington Post.
n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Hasenecz, Nadine M. Fixing Foster Care - Five Strategies for Change. Social Work
Today. 08 Mar. 2016.

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Image 1 "QuotesGram (quotesgram)." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Image 2 QuotesGram (quotesgram)." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
National Foster Parent Association(NFPA). History of Foster Care in the U.S.
08 Mar, 2016
Ravel, Maurice. Foster Children Moving From Place to Place. Poems for Free.
08 Mar. 2016
Shostakovich, Dimitri. "For All That You Have Given Me." For All That You Have Given
Me. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Griffith, Sue. Personal Interview. 03 Mar, 2016
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016

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