Reviving the System: Addressing the Challenges and Reforming Foster Care

I still remember that spring day. It was sunny outside but not yet summer, warm but still windy. The trees did not have their leaves anymore. I was sitting with my older sister and brother; we were simply hanging out together indoors. Suddenly, we heard three knocks on the door. First, the police knocked and announced their presence. No one did anything; silence enveloped us all. The second knock was more insistent, more of a shout. This brought my biological parents out of their room, but we all just stood there, doing nothing.

The silence loomed over our heads, an uneasy mix of anxiety, sadness, and above all, confusion. I remember the silence that followed the final knock. Then the police broke down the door, rushed in, arrested my biological parents, and took my siblings and me away from them. We were awash with emotions, but there was no one there for us at that moment. I felt alone. I was only six years old when I was thrust into the foster care system.

That morning, we had woken up expecting an ordinary day. However, this narrative highlights the urgent need for reforms in the foster care system. These reforms should address pressing issues such as overworked and underpaid social workers and the lack of resources for children ageing out of the system. The system also needs to confront the concern of children being moved around excessively and the deficiency of homes for the increasing number of foster kids. Addressing these issues will enhance the system in the long run and offer much-needed assistance to children navigating the foster care system.

One of the main issues is that social workers are overworked and underpaid—a problem that affects not just them, but also the children on their caseloads. According to The Current, "The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2008 that social workers receive an annual salary of about $43,120. Their job description includes finding foster homes for children, assisting in adoptions, helping people who have health problems and mental illnesses, and providing talk therapy" (Sterkel). This makes the situation worse because social workers cannot always perform all the tasks their job demands when they are critically needed to address these problems.

The number of children entering the system also poses a problem. As stated by KVC, "On any given day, nearly 428,000 U.S. children are in foster care. They range from infants to 18 years old, and even up to 21 years old in the states that have extended foster care" (KVC). These figures demonstrate the sheer number of foster kids entering the system on any given day. Most people don’t realize the gravity of this issue until a tragic case involving a social worker failing to meet the required monthly visits emerges. Consequently, the system must change and improve to prevent social workers from being overworked and underpaid, and to protect children from harm arising from insufficient social worker visits.

Secondly, children don't have the right resources for aging out of the system. Many people have recognized that entering the system is traumatizing and stressful, but not many have mentioned how hard coming out of the system is, especially with little to no support. Some foster children don't even have parents; they age out and have limited support transitioning into the real world. Consequently, many return to the streets and to poverty.

Supporting our system also involves helping the children that age out of the system with minimal support. According to Mashable, "Foster care has long been criticized for failing to meet the needs of children, from allowing kids to age out of the system without safety nets, to struggling to adequately support youth and families" (Dupere). This problem has gained some attention, but certainly not enough. The purpose of the Foster Care System is to provide a safe, healthy environment for children. Without adequate safety nets for aging out, this objective is undermined.

The Dave Thomas Foundation reports, "Nearly four in ten Americans (39%), approximately 81.5 million adults, have considered adopting at some point in their lives" (Thomas Foundation). However, adoption has not been as widespread as it should be. If many children are aging out of the system, proper safety nets should be implemented for them.

Additionally, children are frequently moved within the foster care system, often without consideration of their best interests. There are not enough homes or foster parents available for all the children in need. The opioid crisis has resulted in more children entering the system. KVC states, "Of the 15 categories states can report for the circumstances associated with a child's removal from home and placement into care, drug abuse by a parent had the largest percentage point increase. Neglect as a circumstance around removal has also been increasing" (KVC).

This is alarming - of all reportable circumstances for a child's removal from home, drug abuse and neglect rank the highest. With the rise of the opioid epidemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of children entering the system. Lachman also discusses this issue, stating, "Child welfare agencies across the country are doing heroic work, but they simply cannot find enough foster families to meet the growing demand" (Lachman). This is a major problem affecting many children in America.

Recognizing these issues is critical to addressing the problems within the Foster Care System. One significant argument against reform is that the police are placing too many children in the system to begin with. Dupere notes, "Aside from a lack of adequate support for children in care, group homes also don't make financial sense. These settings are about seven to 10 times more expensive per child than placement with a family" (Dupere).

She argues that while the Foster Care System is costly, it is not functioning as it should. Another aspect of this issue is articulated thus, "As much as 7% of the prison population in the U.S. has spent time in the foster care system, according to Ron Haskins of Brookings. Furthermore, 15% of inmates in California prisons have spent time in foster care" (Schaefer). Everyone acknowledges that every system has its flaws, but that doesn't warrant leaving these children in homes where they are neglected. Doing so would only exacerbate the problem, as opposed to working towards improving the system.

Increasing the number of foster parents and foster homes can alleviate these issues. Addressing these problems will enhance the overall safety of the system, making it a better place for children to grow and flourish. Despite its current shortcomings, the foster care system has shown signs of improvement, indicating that it can be further enhanced for the benefit of all.

This change can be brought about by tackling problems like overworked and underpaid social workers, lack of resources for foster kids aging out of the system, frequent relocation of children, and insufficient homes for an increasing number of foster kids. To highlight these issues, conversations about the foster care system's deficiencies are crucial. Moreover, individuals can contribute to the solution by raising these concerns to their state legislators.

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