Daniel Bradshaw

Malorie Day
Raquel Hardman
Kaity Selk

English 1010
Carol Sieverts
April 13, 2016
Something is Going Terribly Wrong
Foster care is a government sponsored child welfare system in which
alternative living situations are provided for children who are living in unsafe
environments. The foster care system is designed to protect a child when they are
not being protected in the familial home. The child is removed from their biological
home and placed in a temporary home, where they are fostered until they turn
eighteen or are able to return to their home. Reunification with the parent is the
ultimate goal of foster care and when this is no longer an option, adoption for the
child becomes the goal.
Unfortunately many times reunification is not attained and the child can remain in
the foster care system without being adopted. When these children turn eighteen
or graduate from high school they age out of the system. Aging out for a child in
the foster care system can happen at any time between the age of 18 and 24
depending on the needs and possible disabilities of the child. These children are
provided with numerous resources and assistance when they age out of the foster
care system. Including tuition reimbursements, scholarships opportunities, and a
support group system. So why does the majority of them end up struggling so
terribly?
The Numbers
As of July 2015 there were 425,129 children in foster care in the United States. Of
those children in foster care there are 107,918 that are waiting to be adopted. The
number of children who aged out of foster care without the benefit of being adopted
is 22,392. That is 22,392 children who turn eighteen and set out into the world
without the love and support of the family unit. Of those 22,392 children who age of
foster care 25% do so without completing high school and only 6% of them will go
on to finish either a two or four year college degree. (Adoptions Council)
Even more frightening is the fact that 40% will report having spent time
homeless, while 33% report not having enough food to eat. Finally, 50% report
having been involved in substance abuse and 60% of these young men will report
being convicted of a crime. 71% of these young women will report having become
pregnant by the age of 21.

Slipping Through the Cracks

These children are struggling and failing to be successful because they lack the
support and connection that comes from having a family. Even though they are
given caseworkers, lawyers, and a support group, this does not equal or
compensate for a family. The majority of the people in their lives who influence
them are paid to be in their lives; when the file is off the desk that paid person is no
longer thinking about that child. Misty Stenslie, Deputy Director of Foster Care
Alumni of America said:

A social worker here, a judge there, hundreds of different people over the years, and
yet somehow even with all those people looking out for me and taking care of me, I
aged out with no family at all. On Tuesday you're a kid and somebody's there to
take care of you, and on Wednesday you're an adult; and nobody's there.

Although it is typical for an eighteen year old to be seeking their independence and
desiring space from their parents and family home, it is not typical for an eighteen
year old to be seeking this independence 100% alone. They still need and can
benefit from the support of a family.
Rita Soronen tells the story of 27 year old Adrian. He was placed into the system at
age 6 from parents who abused drugs and alcohol. When he turned 18, after being
placed in multiple foster care homes he aged out. He put himself through college
with the help of his case worker, and was working nearly 60 hours to pay it off.
On school breaks Adrian's roommate would get to go home to a loving family, he
also had a mother who called to check in on him. Adrian had no one to call at home,
no one to see how he was doing, and nowhere to go during breaks or weekends. He
struggled with depression and eventually got kicked out of school for not having
good enough grades. Adrian said about children in foster care: We are not
equipped to go through this world alone. (Soronen)
An Alternate Family
Because many young adults aging out of the foster care system have no one to go
to and no one to love and support them they look for alternatives to fill the gap.
Although they are young, a child recognizes they are missing a fundamental part of
being human: the family. Subsequently, some of these young adults will turn to

gangs to fill that gap. This offers them a sense of belonging, support, protection,
food, shelter and money. All these things are important necessities that everyone
needs and expects from a family.
Unfortunately this Family opens them up to a life of crime, drugs and violence.
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, suggests even having a close and caring
relationship with at least one adult is an important protective factor, from entering a
life that can lead to addiction, jail time and even death. This could be a previous
foster parent or even a social worker who continues to offer support and guidance.
Whoever it is, the young adults leaving the foster care system need to know that
they are cared about and loved by someone, so they do not go looking for that love
and care in the wrong places.
Some Might Want to Disagree
We are strongly suggesting these young adults who have aged out of foster care are
struggling because they do not have the support and connection that comes with
being part of a family. However, not everyone would agree with us. Through
research we have discovered there are multiple theories about why the statistics
are so low and the short and long term outcomes are so poor for foster children.
Most people do not clearly see the differences between foster care children and non
foster care children. They assume these children just do not know how to make
good decisions and choices. They believe the foster care system is providing them
with adequate preparation and resources and it is not the foster care system that is
failing the child but the child himself. Referring to the child as the problem and not
the system. When a young woman aged out of foster care is 600% more likely to
become pregnant by the age of 21 than a young woman never having been in foster
care, the child being the problem is simply not true.
Some would also like to believe that a child would join a gang despite whether they
are in or had been in foster care or not. Because both foster care children and nonfoster care children have been known to join gangs. The simple fact is, children join
gangs to gain a sense of belonging, or to have someone they perceive as having
their back. This is a reflection of a childs home life, whether in foster care or not.
They are looking and desiring a family connection.
Another theory is because they were taken from their biological homes there must
be something biologically wrong with them. Many foster children were removed
from their homes because their parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol or they
were abused or neglected. These children are not defective, their parents are. The
stigmatizing of the child must cease. This stigmatism follows the child throughout
their life and many children believe they are following in their parents footsteps and
consequently become addicts as well.
With facts like 60% will be homeless, go to jail or die within a year of leaving foster
care it is a wonder anyone would even consider that enough is being done for these
children. (Nunn)
Finding a Solution

America is oblivious to that fact that there are thousands of children in the system
who are entering their adult life unprepared. We are failing to secure them homes,
provide educational support, and most important; provide them life skills. (Soronen)
The systems are there but they do not have the love and support of a family to
guide them through the process. This is why more emphasis needs to be placed on
finding a permanent home for the child early on in the process through adoption.
A few obstacles stand in the way of a child finding a forever family. First, simply
put; This prevents possible parents from following through on an adoption because
the foster funding will terminate when the child legally becomes part of the family
through adoption. It is essential to leave this funding intact and stop punishing the
child for being adopted.
Another obstacle foster children face is by the time the child reaches their
teenage years they begin to have a say in determining what will happen to them.
They begin to take part in the choices that are being made on their behalf. Often
these children want to be free from authority and all the people deciding what
should be done for them. Turning eighteen and becoming legal becomes much
more appealing to them then finding a family. All the while statistics prove that
being in a family is what is best for the human spirit. Not understanding this, the
child decides to remain alone. Adoption for the child, as quickly as possible, is a
major part of the solution.
Having a family can make or break a person. Children aging out of foster
care are given many resources to get on their feet, but as stated before, the
percentages of these young adults that are homeless, involved in crime and drugs
are still way too high. Though some would argue that enough is being done, the
facts given prove that regardless of age, everyone needs the love, continuing
support and encouragement a family provides.
It is important for everyone to know about the potential dangers these
children will face, if not given the support we all need to be healthy and live a
successful and happy life. With the focus on creating permanent homes and
relationships for foster children, more will be accomplished in the goal of providing
them with a brighter future.
Young people in foster care are more than statistics. Like all children, they have
hopes, dreams, talents and abilities. They have the potential to become the leaders
and artists and builders and teachers of the next generation. It's up to all of us to
ensure that they have that chance.(FosterClub)

Works Cited
Badeau, Chelsea. "No Kid Should Age Out of Foster Care Alone in America.
FosterClub. N.p., 28 May 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

Cusick, Gretchen. Crime during the transition to adulthood: How Youth Fare as they
leave Out-of-home Care. Chapin Hall, University of Chicago, 2011. Web. 4
April
2016.

Nunn, Brittany. Statistics suggest bleak futures for children who grow up in foster
care.
Amarillo Globe News. Amarillo.com 24 June 2016. Web. 8 April 2016.

Soronen, Rita. We Are Abandoning Children in Foster Care. CNN. Cable News
Network, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

What are the Facts. National Council for Adoption. Adoption through Foster Care.
N.d.
Web. 7 Mar. 2016.