The Impact of the Foster Care System

Foster care is a complicated process that leaves a lasting impact on the youth involved, as well as the parents that care for them. A majority of the population does not know the struggle that this entails for all of those involved. Emancipated foster youth are more likely to face even more struggles once they age out of foster care. This can range from addiction, incarceration, and/or poverty. Luckily, there have been more programs created to prevent this. This research will focus on two main programs, Wendy's Wonderful Kids, and Bridges. Advocating for these programs and the impact they can have will give foster youth the resources and tools for a successful future. Interviews have been completed in order to gain more information on these programs and the opportunities they hold. This information can become a lifeline for those in need, and can change the world of foster care and those involved for good.

How does a foster family home environment have an impact on a foster child's psychological and behavioral problems? Children who are placed in foster care have behavioral and psychological issues. This could be due to the traumatic events that occurred before their placement in foster care. Foster children are traumatized both inside and outside of the system, and whether the child improves while in care is determined by the child's home situation. There may also be a distinction between children placed in kinship and non-kinship families. Behavioral issues may lessen depending on the family situation. The goal of this study is to learn how a foster family home environment affects a child's behavior, the challenges of being in care, and the children's behavioral and psychological problems.

437,283 American children were removed from their parents last year. (FPF, 2023). 84% of all child removals are not related to any physical harm to the child whatsoever (FPF, 2023). With children being removed from the care of their biological parents, we wonder if their behaviors mirror those of their biological parents. The purpose of my project is to determine if and how children's behaviors are affected, positively or negatively, once they are removed from the care of their biological parents. I will be conducting in-depth interviews with 2-3 children who qualify. The qualifications I am looking for are that the child has been under the care of a guardian other than a biological parent for at least three years, is aged 12 or younger, attends a school of the ones that BBBS serves. In person interviews will be conducted for the benefit of face to face contact, being able to see the reactions in the children’s faces and to hear the tones in their voices gives me more of an idea of how they are really feeling. The outcome of my work will demonstrate the significance of the presence of biological parents in a child’s life. The knowledge gained through this study can be used to inform and improve the practice of social workers working with children.

Involvement in the foster care system impacts the educational achievements of students. The purpose of this study is to determine if involvement in the foster care system causes difficulty in the ability to reach credit requirements for graduation.  Data was collected on the youth in foster care in Hamilton County to discover if foster care placement history is having an impact on the ability of youth to complete their graduation requirements. The number of placements, school performance, and amount of time involved in the system were analyzed to find trends. The outcome of this research will shine a light on the difficulty of getting an education when there is no stability at home.