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Foster Care System - The foster care system is where children who have…
Foster Care System - The foster care system is where children who have been abandoned, neglected, abused, or orphaned end up. While the system's purpose is to provide these children with a safe, loving home, many of these children are moved around like objects and face terrible conditions in the homes.
Root Causes
Ignorance: The voices of the foster children are often disregarded and their needs are not put as a priority (Dupere). Source
Lack of Training: There is often a lack of training and resources available to foster parents making it harder on both the parents and foster children (CHAMPS). Source
Financing: The current funding system for foster care cannot sufficiently fund good conditions for the children in the system (Broman). Source
Privatization - Many private foster care companies make a significant amount of profit for every child they place; this leads them to care less about the child and more about the money (Fellmeth and Santana). Source
Example: The stories of certain foster teens who have been placed in private homes are shared, and we hear about the abuse and violence they faced in these homes (Fellmeth and Santana). Story
Effects
The lack of funding leads to many of the children not having access to the proper resources they need to be successful. It also leads to foster children being abused in foster homes since the supplemental checks cannot provide enough for the foster parents (Broman). Source
Ignorance leads to many foster children leaving their foster homes and acting out as a form of rebellion. Many foster children are separated from their siblings and when their request to get reunited is denied/neglected they turn to violence (Dupere). Source
Privatization has led to many children being placed in violent and unfit homes due to the lack of proper background checks and lack of transparency from the companies (Fellmeth and Santana). Source
Lack of training leads to frustration on both sides (the parents and foster child). Since many of these children have faced traumatic experiences in their lives, it is vital that foster parents are trained properly to deal with the child's PTSD or other effects of trauma (CHAMPS). Source
Example: The story of a foster home charged with murder and sexual assault due to the terrible conditions they put the foster children through (McMillan). Story
Solutions
Prioritizing children over money: Prioritizing children over money includes performing proper, in-depth background checks, checking up on children after they are placed in a home and listening to their voices. If all social workers and foster care companies make this a priority, the number of foster children abused will go down significantly as this will make sure that the children are the priority (DeGarmo). Source
Spreading Awareness: The foster care system looks perfect on paper but is severely broken in reality. Not many people are aware of the issues within the system which causes to the lack of attention and change. If we all spread awareness through social media, protests, and more we can inspire a change in the community (DeGarmo). Source
Example: The story of how a protest to spread awareness of the foster care system in order to help bring change to the community (Delp). Story
CST Connections
Effect: There is a lack of rights and responsibility because as human beings we have the right to a decent life and the responsibility to make sure no one's basic human rights are being infringed upon; however, in the foster care system many of the foster children's rights are taken away and many of us do not uphold our responsibility of helping them
Solution: The presence of Call to Family, Community, and Participation will allow us to truly fix the foster care system. If we all come together as a community and advocate we can make a significant change. We have to look out for those in our community and participate when we need to.
Cause: There is a lack of Preferential Option for the poor and vulnerable - instead of helping the foster children by providing them with resources and safe homes, many companies put their own greed above the well-being of the marginalized group (foster children)