In this exercise, I was instructed to carry on a conversation with Dave, who poses as a fictional character that is asking questions about my paper and why it is important. This is supposed to help me answer the questions that people may have after hearing my topic and looking at my research.
Dave: What's the big deal; why should I care?
Me: In today's society, people go about their lives doing what they want and are generally looking out for themselves. A topic like Foster Care shifts their focus from only being concerned about themselves to looking at the need around then and potentially doing something about it. There are children without families who suffer from emotional and physical damage. These children deserve a future just as much as any other kid does. Raising an awareness to their plight can bring attention to the issues within the system and perhaps motivate people to do something about it.
Dave: What kinds of problems are they facing specifically?
Me: As I researched the topic, I found many problems within the system and within the lives of the kids who went through (or are still in) the foster care program. One problem was the splitting up of sibling groups into different foster homes. Kids tend to become hostile and afraid if they are separated from the only thing that they have known for most of their lives. Siblings provide a sense of protection, belonging and comfort to one another. These foster kids are also facing the issue of aging out of the program because once they reach 18 years old and were not placed with a family or didn't stay with a family, they are considered adults and sent out of the agency with a small amount of money from the government and left to fend for themselves. This can lead to the kids joining gangs and getting involved in criminal activity because they find a sense of belonging/family in a gang. Theses are only two of the many problems that the foster care system had right now.
Dave: What kind of solutions are you posing for these issues?
Me: I hoped to come across solutions in my research and sometimes I did find information and sources on certain issues, but I came to my own conclusion after thinking about the problems. As far as keeping siblings together in foster care, I think that it is a matter of telling foster parents that they can either take all of the children in the sibling group or none. (This will depend on the child's preference and what their case worker knows is the best set up for the family) All parents looking to adopt out of foster care already know that there is a potential for them to get more than one child in their home if there are siblings involved, so this transition would hopefully be a smooth one. This type of change could reduce separation anxiety and help kids adapt to their new homes more efficiently. When it comes to aging out, I think that the 18 yearn olds who are aging out of the program should be given assistance to find a job, a suitable living area (shelter, cheap apartment, etc.) and are referred to the proper agencies that are around for kids like them that need financial assistance and spiritual guidance. These kids leave with nothing but about $200 from the government to live off of. If they are provided with a source of income (job), a place to live, access to food (food stamps and local soup kitchens or food pantries) and a church family or local counseling group, they would have a better chance at avoiding crime and gang affiliation because they have what they need and don't need to seek it a group of people that will land them in trouble.
Dave: What's your point?
Me: The foster care system that we use here in the Unites States is helpful in finding homes for children and establishes families and safety for children who are in a threatening situation. We need programs like this in order for society to survive. However, as many organizations that include government and tax dollars, it can be more about the money involved and is a flawed system. My point is that we need o fix the foster care system so that children have a better chance in life regardless of where they came from. By building awareness on this topic, people may try and help fix the issues that we face with the foster care program and hence, better the lives of many needy children.
Rachel I think that your topic on foster care is really interesting I was especially challenged when you talked about how people are going about their own way and looking out for themselves and how sometimes I do that. I really liked how you talked about how their are some problems in the foster care program and how that could be fixed. I really connected on what you said about children being split up from their brothers and sisters I for one could not imagine living without my brothers. I did have one question. You said that if a foster child has siblings then the foster parents should take all of them, but what if that child had lets say five other brothers, would that not take a long time to find foster parents that are willing to take them all. Its just a question I had it may be a dumb question but I just thought I would put that out their.
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely not a dumb question and I ma glad you asked it because I have had similar thoughts myself about the issue. Interestingly enough, two of my siblings that were adopted are biological siblings as well and had about 4 other siblings in their family. Obviously all of these children could not end up in the same home because of the difficulty there would be to find a family that was willing to take in 6 children all at once. However, the agency worked it out that our family got the younger two kids (both infants) and another family took in the older two sister and the baby boy that came after the younger two that are in my family. The older brother had anger problems and was abused as a child so he was put in a separate home from his siblings so that he could experience one-on-one with his adoptive parents and not struggle with acting out violently. There are many exceptions- as you can see- to the idea that I proposed above. I probably should have elaborated on that idea and expressed that there would certainly be exceptions and adjustments that would need to be made according to the particular case. I believe that if at all possible, siblings should get a chance to live together. However, that is clearly not always going to be the case and that is sometimes a good thing because as in our case, it can be for the better. Good question, though and thanks for reading my post!
DeleteRachel, I think Kendrick raises an important feasibility question. How many fewer children might be placed into foster families if whole sibling groups have to be housed together? While I see your point that keeping siblings together will promote emotional stability and health, you have to consider which is more important if forced to choose: actually being placed or staying with siblings.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd encourage you to talk with a practicing social worker about some of the issues you've identified in the foster care system. A professional social worker may have some valuable insight into the problems they experience first-hand as well as existing or potential solutions to these issues.
Thank you for your insight, Professor. I answered Kendrick's question above in my reply to his comment and considering your question is very similar to his, I will refer you to my response to his question if that is alright. I thought about talking to one of my social work professors like you suggested because I agree, it would be a great idea to get their insight especially since they worked in similar situations throughout their careers. I would certainly be interested in their responses to Dave's questions and what kind of systems that they have seen put into use in the social work field that pertain to the problems I will be addressing in my paper. Thank you for asking questions and for the suggestion!
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