The Foster Care System

.
             Social Justice Issue: The Foster Care System.
             Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state certified caregiver known as a "foster parent." A simpler definition for foster care is "a generic term for children living in out-of home care" (Curtis and Kendall 1997). Foster care can be referred to as a out-boarding, implying that foster parents are almost always nonrelatives of the children. The foster parent is reimbursed expenses for caring for foster children residing in their home. The foster parent almost always assumes the placement of a foster child is a temporary one and is usually arranged by a social worker. The four basic types of foster care in the United Stated are: family (non relative) foster care, kinship (relative) care, therapeutic foster care, and residential group care (Lindsey, 1994). Consider the number of foster care children in America that are placed into the system. According to Child Welfare League of America, (2006), there are roughly 500,000 children living in foster care. African American children make up two-thirds of the foster care population and stay in foster care longer than the average child. When it comes to finding stable homes for a foster child it can be a difficult task for the children, foster families, and the social worker. According to David Rubin, (2016), children are transitioned within the foster care system on an average of fifteen times. "Children in foster care experience placement instability unrelated to their baseline problems, and this instability has a significant impact on their behavioral well-being" (Rubin, 2016). Like two sides of a coin, there are two sides to the case in placement in foster care. As difficult as it may be to find a perfect match, it does happen. According to Brea Perry, (2006), finding a home can result in achieving in school, social relationships, and learning to cope with positive change, behavior issues can decrease, and become successful in living a normal childhood.