Fostering Vs. Foster Adoption

FCS discussed the rules of Sub Ch M which covers Screenings and verifications for foster homes. FM states that she understood all that was required and she did not have any questions at this time.

The only problem, that occurred while on the initial visit to the prospective foster carer, was how long the process takes to become a foster carer. It was explained on the visit, that the next step would be skills to foster course. However, the nearest course was fully booked and so the prospective foster carer would have to wait for the next available course. Overall, the process could take up to 1 year, however the prospective foster carer believed she could foster sooner. This was the only difficulty for the prospective foster carer and the social worker, as they cannot speed up the process even though the foster carer has substantial potential.

In the past few decades there has be an increasing amount of children placed in the foster care system. With the amount of rising teen pregnancies and maternal drug abuse means increasing numbers of infants abandoned at birth. There have been many cases of child abuse or neglect that have been on the rise. State and local agencies are unable to suitably supervise foster homes or arrange adoptions. Statistics show that many children will spend most of their childhood and teenage years in the foster care system, which has shown to leave emotional scars on the child. Today, Child Welfare groups are looking for federal funding and legislation to increase programs and services aimed at keeping families together.

Ronald Kessler, an American journalist, author of the article "Effects of Enhanced Foster Care on the Long-term Physical and Mental Health of Foster Care Alumni" claims, ¨child maltreatment is a significant risk factor for adult mental disorders and physical illnesses¨ (2). Child maltreatment is not only a risk factor for children, but it is also the number one reason children are put into foster care services today. Foster care is when a child is relocated to another home because of a crisis within the biological family. The child or children may be taken out of the adults care for reasons such as abuse, neglect, or abandonment of a child, as well as if the guardian has a personal problem, much like drug addiction. One of the issues grabbing

Two obvious sponsors of AB 12 were its creators, Jim Beall and Karen Bass. Beall’s interests are in helping foster care children, low-income families, and people with disabilities. Bass’ interest in child welfare issues and foster care issues is seen in the legislation that she sponsors; one of her priorities is to improve America’s foster care and adoption system.

A 10 year old girl threatens to kill herself at school. She locks herself into a bathroom stall and wants to kill herself. This girl has lived in more that twenty foster homes and has been admitted into psychiatric hospitals several times for depression. She was physically and sexually abused by her stepfather from the time she was a infant until entering school. Some foster homes were good for her, while others only added to the abuse. Foster homes tried and failed to help this poor little girl because they could not handle her mental and health problems from the abuse. Adoption could have helped in her time of need. Instead of foster homes, she could have been adopted by couples who tried but couldn 't have children of their own; couples who wanted a child when their own parents didn 't want them. Adoption cannot only help the child but also complete the family of a couple who badly ache for a child to call theirs.

One way Maurice William’s faces problems in the foster homes is to have a meeting with every foster parent under their program every three months. In this meeting, all issues are discussed in great length and an appropriate procedure to deal with each specific problem are agreed upon and implemented so that the problems do not come up

Every year in the United States, hundreds of children and adolescents are taken from their parents and primary caregivers and placed in out-of-home care situations due to issues in their homes and family lives which contribute to unsafe living conditions. These children and adolescents often face many health, behavioral, developmental, and psychological issues.

Foster care differs from adoption in several ways. For example, when individuals choose to become foster parents, they are not legally responsible for the child for which they are caring. Instead, that legal responsibility remains on either the local authority or the birthparents. In addition, foster care is temporary, although it can be permanent in some scenarios. In most cases, though, it is only short term. Adoption of course gives legal responsibility to a new family and is designed to be permanent in nature. However, foster care can be just as advantageous for a child as adoption for various reasons.

The foster care system exists in order to enhance the lives of children whose parents were deceased rather than because of abuse today. Our outlook, principles, and ways of being concern for and protecting abused or neglected children and looking after families has shifted greatly throughout history. In this paper I will discuss and inform the readers on the three main components. The first part will discuss the foundation and growth of the foster care system as time pass. Secondly, describe the contemporary state of the system within the United States, including pertinent statistics. Lastly, considering future guidelines intended for the system, including ways in which the system can progress throughout the time.

Donella H. Meadows defines a system as a “set of elements or parts that is coherently organized and interconnected in a pattern or structure that produces a characteristic set of behaviors” (Meadows, 2014, p. 188). The federal definition of foster care is a “24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility” (Johnson, 2004). Therapeutic foster care is a subsystem of the suprasystem which is foster care. The Quality Foster Care Services Act defines therapeutic foster care as foster care which is highly effective in placing children with serious medical, psychological, emotional, and social needs into a home in which foster parents are specially trained to address the needs and challenges of the children (U.S. Senators Baldwin and Portman Lead Effort to Improve Foster Care Services for America’s Most Vulnerable Youth, 2014).

Here in America, there is an ongoing tragedy ceaselessly unfolding right before our eyes. Beyond the calamities of gun violence, the loss of innocent lives through ruthless crimes and deadly motor vehicle accidents, there is a crisis occurring in the very homes of many Americans. There is a proceeding addiction to the pill bottles hidden behind bathroom mirrors, needles poking through the surface of fragile skin to get a “fix”, and prescriptions being written left and right with the intention to help but the potential to kill. Here in America, over 115 people die every single day from overdosing on opioids and this is a reality that has been nothing short of deadly since as early as 1990.

When an adolescent comes into for therapy there is really never an easy task of finding out what is going on. Adolescent that come in who are part of the foster care system will add another degree of challenges. Children and adolescents that are put into the foster care system are not there because they choose to be, they are there due to some event in their life putting them there.

Other kids who are currently in or who have been in foster care. It’s because they need a safer environment. I think social workers need more research before sending the children, teens to the home. Only to make it safer by putting the children or teens closer or further from families depending on situation, and are the children or teens happy? What can the social worker do to help?

Providing a child with an outstanding support system is a vital key in creating an environment in which he or she can learn how to grow as a child, and as a human being. Here at American Airlines we strive to provide children with the absolute highest of quality in foster care. We are pleased to create a proposal that, we believe, will help the Dallas foster care system improve on some of their current issues. The proposal aims to not only construct and provide local events to raise awareness about these issues, but to also host fundraisers geared towards improving the living conditions of foster children. One of these issues is the overcrowding of current foster homes in the Dallas metroplex area.