...The Impact of Foster Care on Child Development Demeka F. Gaddy Liberty University Abstract The foster care system was designed to provide a safe temporary placement for children who can no longer stay in the care of their parents or guardian. The overall goal of foster care is for the children to return home to their caregiver. If the caregiver fails to regain custody the child is placed in other living arrangements, to include foster homes. However there is a controversy over the effectiveness of the foster care system in regards to child development. Foster care has been linked to negative impacts in child development to include; physical and sexual abuse, attachment disorders, and behavioral problems that eventually lead to children being placed in multiple placements and in some cases the juvenile justice system,. Children who are in foster care are a vulnerable group due to the being removed from their home, in some cases abruptly. It has been proven that the longer children living in foster care are subject to negative development more than children who do not live in foster care. Based on these factors the foster care system needs to focus more on the needs of the child so that positive development can occur. Keywords: child welfare, abuse, child development The Negative Impacts of Foster Care on Child Development The foster care system was designed to provide a safety net for children and families and to reunite children with their biological parents if possible...
Words: 3851 - Pages: 16
...Running Head: EXAMINING CHILD ABUSE & FOSTER CARE Examining Different Types of Child Abuse and the Effects of Foster Care Kelsey D. Hill Northeast Alabama Community College Abstract All children have the right to live in an environment free from abuse and neglect. According to Muda & Alwi (2012), “The safety of children is the paramount concern that must guide child protection efforts”. There are four main types of abuse: Physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect. Physical abuse and emotional abuse are similar and different in many ways. Physical abuse can be seen on the outside of a child, while emotional abuse is more of a mental abuse and can harm a child majorly. This paper examines abuse and factors that may help children who are abused. Examining Different Types of Child Abuse and the Effects of Foster Care There are several different types of abuse that undeniably occur in children. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect are the four main forms of abuse. Abuse can physically and mentally abuse a person permanently. A child’s development stage is the most crucial and needs serious attention from parents as well as teachers in order to assure their growth into healthy and mature adults (Noh & Wan, 2012). One of the factors that may hamper a child’s growth is child abuse. It could cause serious emotional effects to a child throughout their lifetime. Although some children would disagree, foster care and human resources could...
Words: 1626 - Pages: 7
...One of the most comprehensive surveys of abuse in foster care was conducted in conjunction with a Baltimore lawsuit. Trudy Festinger, head of the Department of Research at the New York University School of Social Work, determined that over 28 per cent of the children in state care had been abused while in the system. Reviewed cases depicted "a pattern of physical, sexual and emotional abuses" inflicted upon children in the custody of the Baltimore Department. Cases reviewed as the trial progressed revealed children who had suffered continuous sexual and physical abuse or neglect in foster homes known to be inadequate by the Department. Cases included that of sexual abuse of young girls by their foster fathers, and that of a young girl who contracted gonorrhea of the throat as a result of sexual abuse in an unlicenced foster home.[1] In Louisiana, a study conducted in conjunction with a civil suit found that 21 percent of abuse or neglect cases involved foster homes.[2] In another Louisiana case, one in which thousands of pages of evidence were reviewed, and extensive testimony and depositions were taken, it was discovered that hundreds of foster children had been shipped out of the state to Texas. Stephen Berzon of the Children's Defense Fund explained the shocking findings of the court before a Congressional subcommitte, saying: "children were physically abused, handcuffed, beaten, chained, and tied up, kept in cages, and overdrugged with psychotropic medication for institutional...
Words: 4089 - Pages: 17
...Running head: THE FOSTER CARE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis Sharon H. Stoess Grand Canyon University NRS-433V March 27, 2011 The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis “The child welfare and substance abuse systems are integrally linked through the children and families they serve (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). There is a dearth of knowledge, however, on how children who have experienced foster care fare when they are treated for substance abuse issues as adults” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “In addition, the funds available for in-depth, comprehensive research in child welfare are limited” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “Data collected for one purpose can potentially be used to answer other questions” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “Secondary analysis involves the use of data gathered in a previous study to test new hypotheses or address new questions” (Polit & Beck, 2009, p. 295). “The issue, however, is that the original researchers may not have collected all the data needed to answer the current question” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “This article presents an exploratory study using the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS) study set” (Blome...
Words: 3779 - Pages: 16
...A child is placed in foster care when their home is no longer a safe place for them to stay. A court will grant the state temporary ownership of the child, thus allowing the state to enroll the child into the foster care system. The effects of foster care on mental health have been a topic of increasing concern in recent years. Research supports that children in foster care are at a higher risk of experiencing mental health issues due to certain factors that they are exposed to. The goal of foster care is to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment, though the type of placement of a child and how many times they have been moved greatly affects the chances of poor mental health. Studies found that a higher number of placements...
Words: 773 - Pages: 4
...Child Welfare Heidi Newman Argosy University Abstract I am doing research on child welfare, I am going to talk about how many children are maltreatment, neglect, how many children entering foster care, exiting foster care, the age of children that are in foster care, and how many children live with their grandparents. I am going to show a graph with data from 2002-2012 in New York State and compare it national statistics, about child welfare. I am also going to write up a report about talking about my data and graph. [pic] |Victims of maltreatment in 2012 in New York |compare to national statistics | |Number |68,375 |national |670,340 | | | | | |statistic | | | | |New York 2002 |15,432 |national |299,132 | | | | | |statistics | | | | |New York 2002 |17,970 |national ...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...down or tragedy occurs and leaves a child without parents then the Government has an obligation to protect this valuable natural resource. This report will attempt to explore “state care” in a few countries across the globe. “State care” for all intents and purposes will be defined in relation to the child who has been removed from the care of their biological parent(s) and includes institutions in France and foster care in Japan and the U.S. In order to illuminate my concerns it is necessary to first look at some evidence of the outcomes and well-being of children who grew up in “state care” exclusively. Foster care is intended to be a safe and temporary placement for children removed from their homes. Yet there is ample proof that once a child enters into the foster care system their quality of life is almost always compromised. Worldwide caring for abused and neglected children varies greatly. France historically uses institutions to care for their removed children. The prevalence of children placed into state care are removed from one parent families. It was the feeling that institutions were more convenient for the health and safety of the children especially those under three years of age. Another reason was to comfort the parent to foster a feeling that reunification was still possible. Over time the institutions in France reduced their size and increased staff to help facilitate the much needed attachment between care taker and child. Attachment is the need to establish...
Words: 1596 - Pages: 7
...true, yet and still child abuse occurs throughout the society. Have you ever seen a child that looked like they just wanted to cry out for help in whatever way they felt comfortable? Child abuse occur in all families, regardless of the race, religion, or community. Abused and neglected children are more likely to experience depression, post traumatic stress disorders, and are more likely to engage in criminal activity than children who were not mistreated. Therefore to help maltreated children cope with their emotions we should nurture the and place them into foster care even if its temporary. Likewise, maltreated children...
Words: 1378 - Pages: 6
...As of 2014, more than 650,000 children were involved in foster care. More than half of these children were non-white (Foster Care - Children's Rights). The numbers continue to rise as years go by and we are seeing these children become products of their environment. Once they age out of foster care nearly a quarter are homeless, sixty percent of males have been convicted of a crime, and more than two-thirds of women have a child (Fessler). With all of these children under the care of the states, these children will soon age out and become members of our society. With almost forty-seven percent of former foster children being unemployed (CR Staff) they are contributing nothing to society, thus making this a huge societal problem. So, what happens...
Words: 1327 - Pages: 6
...Behavioral Issues in Foster Care Most people do not realize foster care originated in England in 1562. By law children from poor families could be placed with wealthy families as indentured servants. Prior to this law children were placed in almshouses, otherwise known as poor houses, which later became the foundation for orphanages. In the almshouses children were subjected to horrible conditions. Many were abused both physically and sexually or were severely neglected. Conditions started to change in 1853 when New York minister Charles Loring Brace started the Free Foster Home Movement which helped make the changes for the beginning of the modern foster system as we know it (A Brief History of the United States Foster Care System). Foster care has been used for centuries, and in the last century and a half the government stepped in and developed the Dept. of Health and Human Services. The Dept. of Health and Human Services began the foster care system in order to take care of children who have been taken from their homes because of neglect or abuse. Foster care came about because the old orphanage system was not working. There was almost as much abuse and neglect in an orphanage as the homes the children were being pulled from. The government had to come up with a better system for the children pulled from their homes. The government came up with the foster care system. The way that the foster care system works is families volunteer to provide a more stable environment...
Words: 1672 - Pages: 7
...worthless because we feel that no one wants us.” When people think of foster care we think of a safe place for a child to live in temporarily, but we often don't realize what is happening in a foster care system. This quote comes from a foster care child who talks about the fears of never having parents or ever being accepted because they are in foster care. Foster care systems have face many difficulties, and increasing amount of children, and the problems that the children face in and out of foster care. In our world today the economy is so badly corrupted that permanency for a foster...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver which is called a foster parent. More than 463,000 children are in the foster care system. The living arrangements for foster care children are exceptional. The placement of the child is always arranged through the government or a social-service agency. Children had been physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, or their caretaker isn’t stable enough to take care of the child which result in the Child Protective Services removes the child from the home. Once this goes into effect the child is place into three possible temporally living arrangements which are foster home, group home, and kinship home....
Words: 592 - Pages: 3
...you've been placed into a new home with a new family. Your last family was unfit to take care of you, but now you're in better hands. Or so it seems. Six months later you're tired, beaten down, and slowly giving up on life. Your foster parents weren't as nurturing and loving as they seemed; although, the social worker who placed you in their care didn't know that, mainly because she didn't properly screen them before sending you into the home of strangers. Foster care reform is a drastically overlooked topic in America, which is becoming worse by the second. Although hundreds of thousands of children enter into the foster care system each year, foster care reform is a subject which is constantly...
Words: 1610 - Pages: 7
...Department of Human Services serves El Paso County with adoption, child and adult protective services, substance abuse, and mental health services through referrals within community resources. Resources that are more accessible and available in the community deal with child welfare issues such as abuse and neglect. Child Protective Services goes through a process after an individual reports any abuse or neglect. Child Protective Services can get referrals from doctors, hospitals, police, and schools in regards to abuse and neglect which then the intake unit at the department checks into each report. The adoption unit strives in helping children without a home find permanent placing within a foster family. The unit also works closely with foster care agencies in the community to match and place children in the right adoptive family and provide resources for foster families as they transition with these children. A Kidz Hope Homes assists children from birth until the age of 21 years’ old towards stability and family support when they don’t have any. Bethany Christian Services...
Words: 652 - Pages: 3
...Child Development Article Critique Name Date Course Instructor University Child Development Article Critique In the field of child development there exist extensively well researched ideas and understanding of the intricacies of children’s behaviors, social understanding, and perception of the world and the events that they face in their daily lives. The research and depth of understanding of these ideas allows the scholar and the care provider to develop a system of acceptable and appropriate measures to ensure the ongoing well being of a child and bring about positive growth through adolescence into adulthood. Many children found under the watchful eye of foster care systems are of particular interest to study as they require directed attention and a focused approach to bring about positive reflection of care and education. This is often due to circumstances and factors well beyond the fault of the child but which may tend to cause certain behaviors and ideas worthy of consideration of behavioral and child development researchers. In researching such instances it is vital that researchers consider all avenues by which pertinent information may be obtained. The foster care provider offers a wealth of insight into the child’s behavior and attitude and may serve as an excellent resource for study. It was with this idea that Nikki Luke and Robin Banerjee set out to collect qualitative data regarding the social understanding and empathy of maltreated children residing...
Words: 1299 - Pages: 6
