foster Care!!?

Question

hi
what is the negative aspects of foster care?

thanx
sophie

Answer 1

From a child's point of view: separation of family even if family has problems, some foster homes not good, adjustment to new people/rules/school.
From a foster parent's point of view: lousy pay for 24/7 child care, dealing with some difficult behaviours, emotions when children leave, dealing with not always co-operative social workers/bio parents.
From bio-parents: feeling of resentment that your child is being cared for by someone else, anger at system, having to meet requirements to regain children,.

Answer 2

As a former foster child, i found the inconsistency, constant moving and never truly feeling at home to be the worst. I firmly beleive that had I been allowed to remain with family members rather than placed into the child welfare system, My life would be on a much different path than it has been. Through foster care I was forced to leave the jr. high I attended an was never placed into another school. I was introduced to drugs smoking and sex by other foster kids i resided with, and it resulted in me feeling rather horrible about myself. Today my life is on track, but it has changed because I made the choice to have better, and not because of anything fostercare ever did.

Answer 3

US Foster Care is at best a work in progress, many neglectfull & abustaive foster parents as well as many problem children although the children is to be expected as they have been shuffled around

Answer 4

It's a change. At first, children will resent the change, even coming from the most unstable of environments. But kids do adjust easily.

Sometimes foster homes can be overcrowded too, not giving enough one on one attention to children who really need it.

Answer 5

Well to be honest its different for everyone. Some kids are in care for small reasons so everythins laid back and your okay. Others are in for stupid reasons, access are to long away, social workers lie, dont give you what you need or want and make your life hell. As I say its different for everyone.

Answer 6

also as a former foster care child,foster care has its ups and downs. I was given up by my mom when i was 11 and i left when i turned 18, because i wanted a relationship with my mom! foster care gives the children who have no where to go and have no family, something to live for. now by all means if the child has family, he or she should be placed with them! Foster care can really do some damage to a child, especially if they are old enough to know their family or know why they are there and that they have a family. I went through 2 foster homes and 1 group home during the time i was placed in the system. At my first foster home I was depressed. I was barely 11 and i was scared to death. I already had low self esteem but that wasn't the start of my journey. The foster mom was old and her daughter took care of us most of the time. Her kids made fun of us because we had no family and that we were given up, etc. they were brats!! I remember kids coming in there and leaving the next day. I used to hate getting close to any of the other kids, cause as soon as we got used to each other and became friends, they were gone. I tried killing myself a few times, because i felt like i had nothing to live for. My mom didn't love me, my fafmily all turned their backs on me, etc. that is how i felt. i always asked what the point of my life was? why was i alive? i hated life. I was forced to have counseling. Now i know that it helped me, but back then i hate dit, it hurt to open up to anyone! i just wanted to be left alone. to die to live...just alone.i felt like noone understood and i was so scared. finally one day i got sick of the kids making fun of me and i snapped! I was placed with my second foster home. it was better cause it was me, at 12 and a little 5 year old girl. I was forced to go to church. Back then i gave up on god. I was in so much pain and i didn't see how "god" could allow this. so i quit believing in him. I felt like if there was a god he would stop the pain, but since i still hurt, he didn't exsist. I was diagnosed with 2 eating disorders and then i was tiold i had to move from my home town in Dalton, Ga to atlanta GA. that is a long way from home! The group home was all black girls! i was the only white girl on a campus of 50 other girls! I got made fun of constantly and then a few months later there was finally another white girl. I spent 6 years there. I didn't like it but i had to deal with it. I had to work the system to get myself out of there. I ran away a few times, i tried killing myself, everything! I wanted to escape from the life i was given. Why me? a question i asked constantly.

To look back on things now, i made some dumb decisions and all, but it has made me who i am know. i don't think that i would be the same person if i hadn't had such a bad childhood.

no, group homes and foster homes do not provide the child with the proper attention they deserve due to the number of kids in each home. but then that goes back to the lack of homes. Not enough people are out there to help kids in need like that. they don't understand it. Every child should be taken care of.
They do offer therapy, but is that alone enough? how is a child supposed to learn to grow up and have a balanced life, when everyone that comes in their life, is taken away from them? how are they supposed to have friends.

It is a proven fact that most of the kids who are in foster care willnot graduate, or become succesful. They are constantly put down and most of them already have self esteem issues.most suffer from mental/emotional issues due to their past experiences. Most become depressed and try to commit suicide.
Yes, there are ways to prevent all of this, but how when noone has time to give them attention? even if they do find someone to relate to...how long will that person be there for them, a day...a week...a month? tht is no relationship. it only causes the child to feel worse and make the think worse of themselves.

Not everything is bad about the system though. i am thankful for the homes i was in and for what i was given.