Children In Foster Care

Every year, more than 100,000 children in foster care are available for adoption according to Children’s Action Network. Foster care is a temporary living situation for children whose parents are unable, unwilling, or unfit to care for them. Minors whose need for care has come to the attention, are placed with a state certified caregiver which is arranged through the government or a social service agency. The primary goal of foster care is to reunite children with their parents. With the history and known statistics, this many children entering the system every year, finding the right care becomes increasingly difficult. These problems create many effects on the children that can last a lifetime.

Foster care was articulated around the 19th

Children who have been physically abused, sexually abused, neglected or emotionally maltreated are given a family life experience in an agency approved, certified or licensed home for a planned, temporary period of time. According to Children’s action network, the average age of a child in foster care is 9 years old, 52% male and 48% female. Children in foster care can be placed in several different types of foster homes. One type is the typical image of a single foster family of one or more parents who care for foster children in their home. Another type of foster care is the group home, where they accommodate more juveniles and are more structured. The third modern foster home is called Kinship, which refers to the care of children by relatives or close family friends. Kinship is the preferred resource because it maintains the children’s connections with the family. Ultimately, “58% of the children in care, that case plan goal is to reunify them with their biological parents or place them in the care of a relative. But for 26% of cases, parental rights have been terminated for one reason or another and the end goal is for the child to be adopted by a new family” (National Council For

“Of the estimated 200,000 licensed foster homes, between 30–60% of foster parents drop out of foster parenting each year” (National Council For Adoption). Many foster parents choose to open their hearts and home to children to make a difference. Foster care parents are allowed to foster more than one youth in the home and they may come from different families, these parents may also have children of their own. The state pays these parents a fixed pay for the expenses of caring for the foster child however, not enough to make money. The ideal foster parents are motivated by a desire to help children in trouble. Foster care can last anywhere from a couple of days to a of years. In some cases, the foster parents grow attached to the children and adopt them. Foster parents are licensed through the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and must meet the following requirements: Be at least 21-years-old, hold a valid driver’s license, have home and auto insurance coverage, complete a Minnesota home study assessment and pass a state of Minnesota DHS background study. Minnesota requires foster parents to become licensed prior to placing a child in their home. The process takes approximately 2-4 months to complete. During this time, an foster care coordinator will work closely with the parent and guide