Foster care is the temporary placement of a child into a new home because of concerns for their safety. In this system, a minor becomes a ward and is placed in an institution, a group home (typically including six or more foster children), or a private home with a certified caregiver known as a “foster parent.” Caregivers are compensated for child-related expenses. The placement of the child is normally arranged by the government or a social service agency.

A child enters foster care when the state determines there are concerns for the child’s safety because of abandonment, abuse and/or neglect (neglect is the reason in 70% of cases). Contrary to popular belief, children in foster care are rarely delinquents and in virtually every case the child is removed from their original home through no fault of their own. In rare instances, children are placed in foster care following the deaths of their legal guardians when there is no extended family to care for them.

The average foster child is seven years old at entry and nine years old at exit, contrary to the common perception that foster children are very young.

Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs) are periodic reviews of state child welfare systems. The Children’s Bureau, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, conducts these reviews to ensure federal regulations are being met, assist states in enhancing their ability to help children and assess the relationships in foster homes between kids and families. The review process is considered insufficiently stringent by some children’s rights advocates.

As children get older, their prospects of finding a permanent home grow slimmer. Approximately 26,000 “age out” of the system every year when they turn 18 (or 21 in some states) despite lacking the skills and support they need to survive on their own. Children who age out of foster care (“transition age youth” or TAY) face enormous challenges. Consider that within four years of aging out, 60% of girls are pregnant, 51% of foster youth are unemployed, 40% are on public assistance, 25% become homeless, and 20% will be incarcerated. A mere 4% go on to earn a four- year college degree versus 36% of the general population.

Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs) are periodic reviews of state child welfare systems. The Children’s Bureau, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, conducts these reviews to ensure federal regulations are being met, assist states in enhancing their ability to help children and assess the relationships in foster homes between kids and families. The review process is considered insufficiently stringent by some children’s rights advocates. 

The ultimate goal of foster care is usually reunification with the birth family, but may be changed to adoption if viewed as in the child’s best interest. When a child is removed from their home, many states require that known relatives are notified and given an opportunity to take in the child.

On a given day there are approximately 437,000 children in foster care in the U.S.

In 2015, primarily because of the demographics of poverty and its impact on abuse and neglect, more than half of the children who entered foster care were people of color. Approximately 60% of children in foster care were placed in care because of parental neglect. Generational repetition of abuse and neglect varies between 30% and 70% of perpetrators, depending on the category. Fewer than 3% of foster youth earn a college degree, though programs like First Star achieve a 91% conversion to college with foster youth in its 12 university-based Academies.

In state-administered systems, the state provides all foster care services to the children directly; in county- administered systems, the state remains responsible for the safety and well-being of the children and the counties provide the services. Further adding to the system’s complexity, some state- and county-administered programs often contract with private agencies for the delivery of foster care services. Foster home licensing requirements are usually overseen by each state’s Department of Child Protective Services or Human Services. Each state’s services are monitored by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Suffice to say, the quality of foster care administration and oversight ranges widely from state to state.

The foster parent licensing process is similar to the adoption licensing process. It mandates preparatory classes as well as an application for vetting. The application varies by state/county but generally requires a minimum age, a minimum income, a criminal record check to insure no prior record of child abuse, a reference from a doctor to ensure the household is disease free and references from employers/friends to verify temperament.

More expansive child welfare programs and social services would be very beneficial in keeping children who don’t belong in foster care out of the system. The need for better processes, more resources, and more services for families under stress is paramount.

Foster care began in the mid-19th century through the efforts of Charles Loring Brace, who took some 30,000 neglected children off of the streets of New York City and placed them with families across the country. This became the foundation for the Children’s Aid Society and ultimately the modern foster care system. In the early 1900s, the government began state inspections of foster homes and social agencies began to pay and supervise foster parents. Historically, the placement of kids in foster care has been managed by some combination of public and private resources. Over the past few decades, the privatization of foster care and more specifically for-profit foster care has been a growing trend.

The average stay in foster care is two years; however, 6% of kids in foster care have been there for five or more years. In 2015, more than 60,000 children whose parents’ parental rights had been legally terminated were waiting for adoption.

There are 2,200 separate foster care jurisdictions in the U.S. Title IV-E of the Social Security Act is an important funding stream for foster care costs. It provides for federal reimbursement for a portion of the maintenance and administrative costs of foster care for children who meet specified federal eligibility requirements. Though all states must comply with federal foster care regulations to earn federal Title IV-E and other funding, each state decides how services are provided to children in foster care. Not only does each state have its own system for providing foster care services, but these systems often vary within the state.

Children are greatly affected by separation from their family and this often manifests itself in their behavior. Abuse and neglect can affect brain development, which often prevents them from having healthy attachments to adults. Foster children all too often suffer from developmental delays, low academic performance, poor hygiene, low self-esteem and depression – and can lack the general preparedness and confidence necessary to navigate the real-world post- adolescence. Further illustrating these challenges, 25% of aged-out foster children suffer the direct effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome and 20% will become instantly homeless upon aging out.

Having a foster care child does not provide parents with true additional income as is often believed. States provide foster parents with a monthly amount of money for each foster child within the home. This foster care subsidy is intended to cover the foster child’s needs although parents often claim it isn’t sufficient. A foster parent cannot list this subsidy money as income on a loan application.

The motion picture Foster Boy, released in 2020, and presented by Shaquille O’Neal, focuses on four aspects of the lives of Foster Children: abuses in the for-profit foster care industry, right to counsel, the nature of PTSD and the presence of both good and bad foster placements. The screenplay was written by Chicago children’s lawyer Jay Paul Deratany, and is based on truth, on his own experiences. Foster Boy stars Matthew Modine, Shane Paul McGhie, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Amy Brenneman. It is directed by Youssef Delara and was produced by Deratany, Peter Samuelson, Andrew Sugerman and Anne-Marie Mackay. www.fosterboy.com