(As cited in Crosson-Tower, 2008, p.351). Children in foster care are faced with many adjustments. First they much adjust to the separation, to a different lifestyle, new surroundings, possibly a new school, and the new parent’s own children, neighbors, and friends. Children who are of a different cultural background often lose not only their home but their culture as well. (Crosson-Tower, 2008, p.351) What are the advantages of foster care?
The Developmental Issues on Children in the Foster Care System The foster care system is the system where children go when their parents are unable to take care of them. In the foster care system, children are placed by trained professionals who are licensed adults that provide substitute parental care when the parents are away. Research states that the number of children in the foster care system was 513,000, a decline of about 10% from 2000 (Bigner, 2011). Children that are placed in foster care have suspiciously high rates of physical, developmental, and mental health problems and often have many unmet medical and mental health care needs. A greater number of young children with complicated, serious physical health, mental health, or developmental problems are entering foster care during the early years when brain growth is most active.
Sarah Richards Mr. McKnight English 101 Period 1 10 February 2012 Effects of Foster Care Kids who spend their whole life living in foster homes are put there because their parents won’t sign their right as a parent off. The time that the kid has been taken from his or her parent or guardian should be limited to at least two years. “The child welfare system aims to protect children thought to be abused or neglected by their parents or guardians. Over two million children are investigated for child abuse and neglect every year in the United States alone, and roughly half are found to have been abused (“Breaking”).” Approximately 10 percent of these abused children will be placed in protective custody known as foster care. Foster care is meant to be a temporary arrangement, though children stay in care for an average of two years, and there are currently over five hundred thousand children in care.
Remarriages are 50% more likely to divorce in the first five years compared to first marriages. There are a numbers of factors that contribute to this trend and cause the home to be unstable. The children feel at fault for their parents break-up, the stepchildren are constantly trying to figure out their position in the family structure, some children show hostility towards the stepparent and both stepparents tend to show favoritism towards their own children. Unfortunately, the women and children are the ones that suffer the most economically and academically because according to the AACC, Only Mise 3 half of the divorced men in America pay their full child support responsibility, one- quarter make partial inconsistent payment, and one-quarter pays nothing at all. Also, children of divorced parents drop out of school at twice the rate of children from
Rabineer (2006) explained that as many as half of these children may participate in anti-social behaviour. These behaviours may range from acts such as petty theft, drug abuse and even violent acts of destruction or intentional harm to others. This provides us with yet another example of the challenges ADHD children pose on broader society. Taking into account the afore mentioned challenges ADHD children pose to society, it becomes pertinent to question the impact of their behaviour closer to home, that is, within their own family. Rabiner (1999) quoted the results of a study conducted by Kaplan, Crawford, Fisher and Dewey (1998) which revealed that parents of ADHD children reported feeling considerably dissatisfied with their family life.
For example, 14,000 kids have been positively affected by the Michigan Earned Income tax credit, but because it has been cut by 14%, low-income youth are unable to receive the benefits (kidscount). Youth in families that are receiving unemployment are affected because unemployment was cut from 26 weeks to 20 weeks and cash assistance has become more difficult to receive (kidscount). Poverty affects the youth in many ways, such as their family life and education. Many children are neglected in cases of low-income families. 32,500 children have been neglected in 2010, and in Ingham County 42 percent of children have been abused or neglected (milhs.org).
A 2005 study revealed that of the counted homeless population, there were 98,452 homeless families, making up 41% of the homeless population (Homelessness Counts, 2007). But, that rate keeps increasing each year due to declining wages and changes in welfare programs. Also homeless families are most commonly headed by single mothers in their late 20s with approximately two children (Rog & Buckner, 2007). Homeless families often double up with other families which cause them to be excluded from the federal definition of chronic homelessness. This states that a chronically homeless person is one who is on the streets or in a shelter (The Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, 2007).
Introduction The national expenditure levels in the United States have more than tripled over the last decade (US Census, 2011). Regardless of inconsistencies in national budgets, health care is still in high demand. Unfortunately, nearly half Americans cannot afford health care and are now forced to rely on Medicare and Medicaid. The generation of Baby Boomers, who was once the back bone for American Capitalism, is living with a growing health care crisis. Considering the age of the boomers, health care is essential.
This is how we ended up with more than 408, 425 children in the foster care system as of September 2010 according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. A huge number of parents end up abusing drugs and other things in order to suffice their habits and neglect their children. In the end, the children are
One-third of young US girls, about 820,000, become pregnant before they turn 20 (80% are unmarried) and 4 million American teens contract an STD each year. (Teen Sex- Do Abstinence Only Programs Discourage Teen Sex? Web) With these statistics, it is apparent that teens are not making wise decisions regarding their own health and well-being. Nothing is more serious and personal than your health, and teens don’t seem to be able to grasp the gravity of the situation. Teens are bombarded with sex education, and yet have the highest STD rates in the country.