Information and Feelings about Foster Care?

Question

Hello. I am an upocoming writer (hopefully) and I got this great story line in my head. It is about a foster child. I have never been in the foster care system, so I know very little about the system itself. In order to make the story more believeable and reliable, I decided to do some reasearch on the system and find out more about it. If you have been in the foster care I would love to hear your feelings about the system and your experience (whether you felt comfortable, where did the children who didn't have a home go, etc) . I would also love to hear any stories from foster parents and how living with a foster child changed your life and how the child acting when first in the home. If anyone can also describe the living arrangements, schooling, etc. of foster child, please tell me. I want to learn more about the foster care system and I thought it would be best to ask people who have experienced it. Thank your for your help and I hope I am not being to personal.

Answer 1

I once knew a neighbor who let her adopted (I know you said foster) son of only about maybe seven years old, walk way too far to go to school, all by himself.  Of course she had to work and left home before him I think, but I couldn't believe he had to walk what seemed a good mile to get to school.  I know this may have sounded corny, but it made me think that she didn't really love this child to choose such a setup.

Answer 2

Well...Good question...I was a foster parent and had 4 boys at one point... The oldest being 17 and the youngest 12 (myself 20 at the time) this was a definately different experience... I had the troubled children. The 12 year old was very very mean and called us names and yelled at us..He was later removed from our home for beating up my ex step father. The two 16 year olds were not too bad... Schooling was horrible (grades and performance) but the first 16 year old was in the system because he was truant in school and got to return to his mom only a year after I had him.. He was VERY quiet and kept to himself. The second 16 year old was the brother of the 17 year old... We got him and knew what we were in for...( had the 17 yr old for a while) His grades were bad and behavior not better... Both of them were put into the system because of neglect (ie...No clean house--Even dead animals in the home--) The grades after a little work improved and are now all A's and B's and the older brother has since moved out and enrolled in college with a full time job. These children often push the limits because they think they can have it better else where... Things that happen are like setting the school on fire or calling the cops because you " beat them" just to get put else where but when they learn that that means intake they want to stay.... Eough rambling... I now am not an active foster parent. I still have the 16 year old of all the boys... He is now my legal child no longer in the foster care system. I still struggle with him a little but as long as we keep him on his meds he is a very good child and respects us much. As far as the system.. They are very supportive. The case worker will take them to all their appointments and they even provide a free bus pass to the older children, so honestly if you want the truth the problem is that so many people consider foster care another paycheck (I got a $1000 per child a month plus clothing allowance) It can be seen as this because all you do is make sure they come home alive and have a bed to sleep in..... I dont see it that way but some do!!! I dont know if I can provide anymore info its getting late and I need to go to sleep... If you have any questions you can feel free to email me... Sorry so long...lol...you asked a good one!!!!

Answer 3

I was fostered a while back with my younger brothers and sisters. i was fostered on my own, as there was eight of us, i missed them loads. My mom had alcohol problems, and being the oldest i was having to stay home from school to mind the four youngest. It was great because i got to go to school again, knowing the kids were okay, but i missed them because i was like their poppa.

My friend Ebby is a sad story though, she was fostered because her poppa was abusing her, and she had stopped talking. when she was fostered she was diagnosed with leukemia, a form of cancer, and was very sick, but she started talking again and got better for a while and was really happy, but eventually she died from it.

Everyone has different feelings from it, but i think mainly its a good experience rather than bad, because there is always a reason why the kids being fostered.

It's nice as well as sad =]

Good luck :)

Answer 4

Foster care system varies from one country to another. I personally do not have any experience, but I have a friend who works with social service and helps pair (that's the word I could think of) one foster family to a child and a friend who foster 2 children. Before any foster family is approved or given a child, an intensive background check is done to ensure that they are capable to handling kids who may have issues (whether emotional or physical). What she usuals does is do a background check on the family or couple - in terms of how do they relate in the community or if they have any record of child abuse or any report of violence. A series of interviews are done as well.

I think that the hardest part about fostering children is growing attached to the kids and yet there is no assurance that the kids will stay with you until they grow up as adults. Unlike adoption, foster kids can be pulled out from the home with the social services discretion, family's or at the child's request (most specially if there issues raised by some kids or the family - whether they be true accusations or false). There are also concerns that fostering children lacks the stability it creates in helping the child develop excellent character and strength to face the world as adults - simply because they can be pulled out of the family at anytime.

I know my answer is not that intensive but I hope it helps.

Answer 5

Most foster parents are pure EVIL!!! My daughter has been in foster care for almost 3 years. She has been abused, neglected and brain washed. Granted, there are good ones out there, somewhere, just not here in Kentucky. She has also been bounced in and out of homes and is on home #4 right now. She's a great kid but they keep moving her from house to house. yet, she was removed from me for unstable home environment and unproven abuse and neglect charges. Foster care needs to be reformed as does the entire child services system.