The Foster care system is very important to me. My family has been fostering children for 4 years. Within that time period, I have met many different people, listened to amazing and even heartbreaking stories. A few years ago, we took in a newborn baby named Tommy (fake name). We had Tommy for 2 years while his mom worked really hard to get him back. Foster care is hard when you have had the same child for almost 2 years and only get a few days’ notice before they are taken away and reunified. The system is very unpredictable and you never know what is going to happen. We were scared for Tommy to go back because of the unknown aspect but he deserved to live with his real mom. My family loved Tommy and grew an amazing relationship with him and his biological mom. We are still able to see him and help out with him and his mom. When we tell people that we foster their first reaction is “I could never do that, I would get too attached”. My mom always responds that these kids deserve to feel love and attachment because in many cases they don’t know what it feels like.
The foster care system in the U.S. is corrupt and in many cases not benefiting the children. I have witnessed many cases that are either unfair or simply just not right. After many children age out of foster care, they either end up in prison or homeless. The other day in class, we were talking about the happiest countries and the culture in these countries. Every country that was talked about had a very organized government and cared deeply about people’s mental health. So during that discussion, I was thinking about what the foster care system looks like in these countries. I decided to research the top 3 happiest countries and how they deal with the foster care system and compare it to the U.S. I wanted to learn more about reunification rates, adoption rates, as well as what happens after the child ages out of the system in each country. 
United States:
The U.S. has an estimated 407,000 kids in the system and it is constantly growing. In 2019, it was recorded that about 23,000 kids age out of the system each year. Out of those kids, only about 3% will attend college while 60% will end up in prison. While these numbers were taken in 2020 by The Children Home Society of Minnesota they most likely have grown. Now let these numbers sink in and put yourself into someone else’s shoes. Imagine you were just taken from your family and placed into a brand new home with complete strangers. You are confused, frustrated, and grieving. You are not sure when you will get back home or even if you will go back home. You are 15-17 so you are close to aging out and the fear of ending up homeless, in prison, or dead floats around in your mind. This is the reality for kids our age growing up in foster care. Now I am not saying that this is what all kids in foster care go through but it is a reality for the majority. There are good foster homes and families that make the foster care system a helpful thing. My family has always worked to help a child when they needed it and made sure that while we support the child we support the child’s family as well.
Finland:
Finland has about 18544 children in foster care. Finland’s system is very different from the United States system. Once a child is placed into foster care they are not reunified with their biological family. However many of these children are placed in foster institutions. Most of these institutions are dirty, neglected, and abusive. Since children can not leave these institutions until they age out at 18, the majority struggle with trauma and PTSD once they are adults. This system is not fair to families working hard to get their children back. The United States’ main goal is to reunite children with their biological parents or other family members even if that might not be what is always best for the child. Finland’s system is quite shocking. I am surprised by the lack of organization and simple lack of respect for the children and their families.
Denmark:
Denmark has about 14,000 children living in foster care. This number is significantly lower than in the U.S and Finland. Denmark’s system is similar to Finland’s where there is an equal split between kids living in family foster homes and foster institutions. Denmark also works to place kids with other family members. I found this interesting because it is very similar to the U.S. In the United States system if grandparents or other types of family members were to take in their relative’s child under the state it is called “Kinship Care”. A few years ago we fostered a baby girl named Riley (Fake Name). Riley was unable to go live with her parents and instead was placed with us. After a few weeks of DYFS working hard to find a family for her, they discovered her grandmother. After a long process and a lot of checks, Riley was moved to go live with her grandmother until her parents could get her back. The system with Riley is very similar to the system Denmark has adopted. I like this system more than Finland and I find it is more organized than the U.S. With Denmark’s government and DYFS program they focus on reuniting families while also caring for the children.
Norway:
Norway has about 12,000 kids in foster care. Norway reminds me the most of the United States out of all of the countries I researched. Norway’s system is very inconsistent, similar to the U.S. There were some cases where Norway was too strict and other times where they ignored cases of neglect. Norway does not use the term foster care system of DYFS, they have a Child Welfare Service. This service works to put the child’s health first as well as stable living conditions. However, this service is not working to accomplish its goals. In Norway, there are protesters protesting for a better system in hopes that these cases are not being ignored.
Clearly foster care is not a happy thing however it isn’t always dark and sad. There is usually light at the end of the tunnel with foster care. It is always so rewarding seeing the child you used to foster happy with their biological parents like they deserve to be. My family works hard to help the babies or kids we take in as well as be there for their families. I work with this organization called Foster The Family and have been for a few years now. They work with foster families in our community and children going into care. If a child is going to a new home they will deliver a care package to the child to make them feel special and cared for. Being taken from your home is a scary thing so doing something so small just to make them more comfortable is 100% worth it. If you are interested in helping or learning more about Foster The Family Here is their website.
Discussion Questions:
- Why is it important to recognize mistakes within a system?
- How can we as a community work to fix the problems children in foster care are facing?
Works Cited:
Cain, Emily. “Info graphic: Aging Out of Foster Care.” CHLSS, © 2022 Children’s
Home Society and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. All Rights
Reserved., 27 May 2020, chlss.org/blog/
aging-out-of-foster-care-infographic/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
“National Data Shows Number of Children in Foster Care Decreases for the Third
Consecutive Year.” Administration for Children and Families, U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services, 19 Nov. 2021, www.acf.hhs.gov/media/
press/2021/
national-data-shows-number-children-foster-care-decreases-third-consecutive-year#
:~:text=The%20newly%20released%20data%20indicates,Fiscal%20Year%20(FY)%202020.
Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
“Norwegian Children Welfare Services.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Norwegian_Child_Welfare_Services. Accessed 26 Oct. 2022.
“Placing Children in Foster Care Billion Euro Business.” Sound of Silence,
kadotetutlapset.fi/index.php/2019/11/26/
sound-of-silence-placing-children-in-foster-care-billion-euro-business-in-finland
/
#:~:text=Finland%20does%20not%20know%20the,for%20taking%20children%20into%20custo
- Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
Thelocal.DK. May 2019, www.thelocal.dk/20190520/
danish-social-democrats-want-more-vulnerable-children-to-be-placed-in-foster-home
s/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2022.
Image Addresses:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oslc.org%2Fprojects%2Fkeep%2F&psig=AOvVaw0XAeWTHoNTuBc6UJZTKIZN&ust=1666920056668000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAkQjRxqFwoTCJimgfeg__oCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buckner.org%2Ffostercareadoptionneeds%2F&psig=AOvVaw093OD80avBdS9wN6IVkrkg&ust=1666920143926000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAkQjRxqFwoTCPCrk7Gg__oCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAN
https://co4kids.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_photo/public/Foster%20Care%20Rules.jpg?itok=jRB-gpJU
3 Comments
RJ · November 3, 2022 at 10:51 pm
Grace, I enjoyed reading your post. I recently watched a documentary on international adoptions of children with Down Syndrome and their institutionalization prior to being adopted. I knew very little about the US foster care system. I often heard “the system is broken” but never really understood what that meant. Your post helped me start to understand.
It is important to recognize mistakes in a system because recognizing the mistakes helps to not repeat them. It also helps to hold people accountable. As humans, we are imperfect creatures. In Bulgaria, there is a flawed perception of a child with Down Syndrome to be a disgrace. Any system that involves humans will have mistakes. It seems like the foster care system may be an extreme example of “humans make mistakes.” Unfortunately, these mistakes harm the most vulnerable people in our society.
As a community, the way we can start to help fix the problems in the foster care system is through education. People need to be aware that these problems exist. I think foster care is something that should be taught in school starting at a very young age. Teaching about foster care and having more people think about it and care about it is a first step in solving these big problems. Chances are we know, have known, or will know someone who has been affected by foster care and knowing about foster care, both good and bad, will help us be more compassionate and helpful members of our community.
Maia · November 4, 2022 at 5:54 pm
I think that as a community, we can start by recognizing and educating ourselves on the issues within the foster care system to help improve it. From what I know, the foster care system is not widely recognized on a day-to-day basis. This is an issue because, as mentioned in this article, there are several issues within this system that need to be addressed. I think that educating oneself is the first and easiest step we can take to help make a change. We can also get more involved in the system by supporting families or organizations that foster children, educating others about these issues, and encouraging people to step up and help work on these issues too. Although these actions might seem small, if people as a community begin to take action, these will end up significantly improving the issues that the chilren in foster care have been facing.
Rebecca W. · December 8, 2022 at 2:19 am
I found this post very interesting. Growing up I had a close friend who fostered children. Being young, I thought the process was simple and fun. I begged my parents to foster kids for months. As I got older, I finally understood the challenges that came with fostering kids.
It’s important to recognize mistakes within a system because then the mistakes can be fixed and not repeated. If the mistakes aren’t recognized then the problem will continue to grow and worsen. These mistakes can end up harming others or destroying things.
We can fix the problems that children in foster care face as a community by coming together to create a safer environment for these foster kids to grow up in. We have to come together as a country to realize that the system is messed up and change it. I think many people fail to realize that these children are in foster care during their most critical years of development and the stuff they experience while in foster care can greatly affect the rest of their life. For example 60% of children who come out of foster care end up in prison in the United States. This happens because of the lack of love and nurture the children receive.
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