Fixing Foster Care
LISTEN TO "Fixing Foster Care" (30MB MP3) A federal review of Oregon's foster care system was released this week, and it doesn't paint a very pretty picture of how we take care of our neediest kids. According to the report we have a serious shortage of foster care homes, and when kids are placed they are often moved from home to home, preventing them from receiving the stability and security they need to mature into confident adults. A similar study was done in 2001, and we fared a little bit better than today. Why is the situation worsening for kids in foster care here? Is lack of government funding to blame? Are we asking case workers to do more than is reasonable? Or is there just not enough political will to make the system better? Do you have any experience with foster care in Oregon? Is it as bad as this report suggests? If so, what responsibility do Oregonians have to improve it? Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent? What would it take for you to make that profound commitment? Photo credit: B Tal / Flickr / Creative Commons GUESTS:
There is an organization designed to help support foster parents, primarily by providing respite care to foster children so that foster parents can have a day off once in a while. It is a great way to help without the full commitment of becoming a foster parent. The organization is called "Lifted UP". Their web page is: www.liftedup.org. They have training sessions for volunteer workers and link volunteers (generally couples) with individual foster children.
David Knierim
There is a group called CASA. Also there is a group called the citizen review board that assist in reviewing cases. Please participate in that. Also find someone who is a foster parent and ask them what they need. a bunk bed, a night off, a mentor for a child. Please get involved at what ever level you can. Thank you!
j
Please look at the website heartgalleryoregon.org We are a nonprofit that has a travelling gallery of compelling photos of children in foster care that need adoptive homes. We also encourage foster care. The photos are all done by professional photographers.
There are currently two shows in Oregon - one at Cedar Hills Crossing Mall and one at Salem Center Mall. However, all photos are on the web. We would certainly apprciate a donation to help promote ways to take care of Oregon't children. Although not a foster parent, my husband and I recently adopted an 11 year old from the foster care system after 27 years of marriage. Our life has been enriched, as it has for our daughter. Training in Marion County was excellent and prepared us for first time parenting.
Trevor: you could sign up to be a Foster Parent respite provider. You would be trained in a two hour orientation what is required. It requires a backgroud check. You would then be available to "babysit". It would give you hands on experience without the long term committment. The number to call to register or enquire is:971-673-1836. Susan B
The state has a responsibility to protect children at risk. One of the ways that you reduce the need for foster care is adoption. You can't have a conversation about permanency without making adoption a priority. Some of the kids are not going home, ever. As a member of the Citizens Review Board, I get to oversee the work that DHS does to manage these cases. We need alternatives. Here's one:
http://www...dmovie.htm jay r
One thing we all can do is become mentors to kids. There are all kinds of organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters in the area (and the state) that will match you with a kid who need a positive adult in his/her life. Some of these kids are in foster care, some have incarcerated parents, some just need a friend to help them along. It can be very powerful for a child to have that one person who is just there for them (not to mention a great experience for the mentor!). Giving an hour or two a week to play ball, go to OMZI or the Zoo, or work on an art project with a kid can make all the difference in the world to that kid and to all of us as a society! It may sound like using a pebble to fill a crater but if we all stepped up, I think we'd be surprised at how fast we could fill it!
In light of the current epidemic concerning Methamphetamine and other illegal drugs, it seems that there are more children coming into foster care in spite of the desire of the state to reduce the need for foster care. In light of this, what is the state doing to retain current quality foster care providers as well as recruit more providers to provide the care these children need?
I have not had experience with foster care but have read recently about the State of Oregon putting in place new policies to screen for possible child abuse, for example child abuse interviewers at all hospitals. I wonder if it would be better to first improve the child foster system, foster families, and case workers before placing more children in such a troubled system.
I am originally from Seattle and I know that we were experiencing budget cuts in human services in King County but at the same time, our jail system was experiencing an increase in budget. I want to ask, if we do not have the funds that we need for our child welfare programs (in Oregon) and for preventative programs, where is this money going, or at least where do you perceive this money is going?
Good Morning
I have been a Foster Parent. A Teenage boy that decided his Mom & boyfriend was using too much drugs and not taking proper care of him and his sister. The boy ended up at my house after a neighborhood sleepover asking to stay with my family rather than continue the sleep around at any friends house. Oregon Foster Care was very responsive to the situation, identified and confirmed the boy's story, and made the training to become a Foster Parent easy. The boy lived with us for his Senior year, and during that time the boy's mother participated in Oregon's rehabilitation process (meth) and started to clean up. Luckily the boy had very strong desire to help himself, and after graduation has tried Community College, but has settled into full time employment. The only problem I see is that these 18 year old kids don't have a support system to keep them moving forward into futher education. This boy is smart and cares about himself and others. He could have been successful at higher education, if the programs were in place to keep him focused on the"next step" I personally learned a lot from the Foster Program. Thanks, \Ryan
My wife and I have adopted two children out of the Oregon foster care system and are in the process of adopting a third. One thing that we have noticed is that there is very poor communication between the case workers and parents trying to adopt children who are in the system.
We have never been given a complete time line of all the steps that need to happen before placement. We have always been given information only 1 or 2 steps at a time. This has made it really hard for us to want to keep working with DHS. It seems to me that case workers need to be trained to treat prospective adoptive parents as peers rather then as another client when so many of their clients are part of the problem. Thanks, Lon
My partner and I have thought about becoming foster parents, but worry that we don't have all of the skills necessary to care for a child in the foster care system. What kind of support do foster parents have in learning to care for children who have survived abuse, neglect or other trauma? What support does the state provide to children in regards to financial support, health care (including mental health), and special educational needs? We don't want to be just one more stop in a chaotic ride.
For a college assignment last Fall, I worked with a local child abuse resource agency to create an informational pamphlet educating people about child abuse and neglect. Though I have worked through the years in schools and witnessed the effects of abuse in the students, I did not realize the scope of the issue.
As far as the first guest trying to get the word out to Oregon's population about the widespread issue of child abuse and neglect, I would point out the results of children growing up in abusive and neglected situations. They often grow up to abuse their own children, abuse drugs & alcohol, and often end up requiring public assistance as adults-- whether that is in a correctional facility or the need for social services. Neglect and abuse effects everyone but not everyone realizes this. I wish there was a campaign that publicized not only the effects of neglect but what each individual Oregonian could do to to ease this problem. -Amber
I work with youth. I have worked in homes and in youth centers where many foster families send their kids. As someone with a BA in Social Work who really wants to work with youth, I can say that these programs are terribly underfunded and it is really hard to continue the work when many of the jobs are low paying and end with the school year, requiring us to re-apply in the fall and find interim employment. This creates a huge impediment to youth workers making a longer commitment to being in the lives of kids over a long period of time, to build trust, and to provide community support for families. I think the main thing is there is that we are spending so much public money on other things (wars, corporate subsidies, etc.) we are sending a clear message: our kids are not our main priority.
I would definitely become a Foster parent. I am low-income, and I live in shared housing. Am I elligible? I don't intend to get married. Am I considered a viable candidate?
My husband and I are foster parents and find working with the State very frustrating. I find that there is not enough support for most foster parents. The program we work with is different and there is a lot of support for us and our foster kids. However, when the kids graduate this program, there are few options for permanent foster care and the ones that return home are pretty much on their own. Their parents need support to continue the safety and growth the kids need.
After teaching for 35 years and seeing some sad situations and some hopeful situations, I've concluded that our society needs to value children.
Where we as a society put our money speaks loudly to our values. One child I taught had a questionable foster home and the social worker had little time to do drop-in visits to see what was happening there. She tried. Another child was put in a good foster home and blossomed even though her situation was worse as far as her biological parents were concerned. It tears at your heart to see what some of these children have to deal with on a daily basis. They are ALL great kids, but they need a chance!
I am involved in the life of 3 children in the foster care system. In the last year they have gone home and then come back into foster care with even more issues to conquer. It was one of those cases where there was no legal way to keep the children from returning to their biological mother even though the case workers involved knew that it would result in the children returning to the foster care system again. These children have foster parents who would gladly adopt them so it seems to me that there should be some way of creating legal "loopholes" to get children out of the foster system when there are people involved in their lives who want them.
Maybe we need to step back and look at Foster Care and all Human resources in a broader perspective. It is easy for the media or citizens to blame DHS or to blame the legislature for not protecting our children. But who is really to blame? We all are - when people vote for tax reductions or limits they are voting to decrease services. Polititions especially Republicvans like to tell folks we are over taxed and individuals need to keep more of their own money because they will spend it wisely. I beg to differ. People choose to buy big screen TVs, get their nails done or get spray on tans. We spend thousands each year on things like toys for our pets or plastic surgery yet we complain about the taxes needed to provide care for our vaunerable and innocent children and our elders or disabled citizens. Lets stand up and take responsibility for our children and stop blaming our underfundefd agencies! I work in health care and face the same problems. How can you help people improve their health when they can't afford medicaines or lab tests or even healthy food?
Ruth Dallas RN
I work in the juvenile court as a child's and parent's attorney. The two essential points that have been made that I see manifested every day come down to one reality: you get what you pay for. 1) more resources need to be invested in resources for parents to overcome their deficiencies. 2) more resources are needed to fund more caseworker positions and better training and support for caseworkers. Everyone in the system, judges, attorneys, caseworkers, etc are all overloaded. Oregon, put your money where your mouth is! Care about kids all the time, not just when they are splased across the headlines after dying in substitute care.
Offering biological families more supports in the process of getting their children back like drug treatment, mental health services etc. The other option is working with local agencies to place children in permanent placements with local families in open adoptions where they maintain connections to their biological families and grow up in stable living situations. On a side note all of the moms I have worked with who become involved with DHS were in foster care themselves. Fortunately many have them used the experience to grow and change and have their children returned.
-Laura Pregnancy and Adoption Casemanager
Children gong back to their bio-homes is very difficult. As the one bio-parent spoke judges are not trained in social work. Is it fair to return a child "home" only to see them come back into care? How many kids that are returned home have bonded to their foster family after years in care. How many children are returned home only to go back into the system? please keep asking these questions and keep asking why we believe sports areans are more important than children?
by: vampyrecat  02/05/2008 10:30:54 AM
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[Posted by Sarah Jane Rothenfluch]
