The Benefits Of Foster Care

We have all heard the stories on the news, seen them on our televisions, and possibly even known someone who has had to go through the process of Foster care. Sometimes this is a great thing for the child, but sometimes we unfortunately have to hear the tragic stories of children who inevitably fall through the cracks of the system. Sadly, the children who fall through often have the potential to be so much more than what their circumstances allow. The person they would develop into is stifled by where they came from. Foster care was designed to take children from a harmful environment and place them into one that will help them flourish for the time they are placed in a particular home. Foster care is supposed to be a safe haven for the children

Many people that are looking in through a window do not understand this. Sadly, many more just don’t take the time to learn about it. What many do not consider is that the mental health of a child placed in foster care can be considerably altered. If you have ever watched a movie or read a book that portrayed a child in the foster care system you are aware that more often than not they are shown as the unruly, skip class, throw fits, failing school, runaway child. While there are a few truths to these stereotypes, it creates a stigma the child cannot run away from. Once someone finds out they are foster children they are often pegged as the problem child from the get-go. The act of being taken from the family a foster child is used to even though they are being harmed in some shape or fashion, can cause Reactive Attachment Disorder, also known as RAD. But it is totally the opposite. RAD causes the child to become withdrawn, sad, emotionless, and uninterested in human interaction or affection. It can cause severe depression, anxiety, and several other issues for the child

To become a foster parent you have to go through many phases. The first step is to attend an informational meeting about being a foster parent. Before you can apply to be a foster parent you must be at least twenty-one. I believe that this age should be raised. I believe that this is one of the issues with the system is that we are allowing adults who are barely adults to become parents to children that need the utmost help and attention. The Parent/Parents must be able to provide a safe, secure, healthy, and financially stable home, before they are allowed to take in foster children. This is assessed through questionnaires, background checks, and home visits. Appallingly, drug screening is not a part of this process. This is how children get placed in homes where there is substance abuse. It is detrimental to the children when we don’t test for drugs in the home where they are getting placed, seeing as most of them are coming from homes where substance abuse is a problem. Luckily they do screen for sexual and violent convictions, complaints, and arrests. So at least they do what they can to make sure the child will not be further abused in those ways. In addition to the background checks and home visits, Parents looking to foster must complete at least thirty hours of pre-service preparation training and