From Foster Care to Prison Essay

Young adults who egress the tyke-welf atomic make come expose of the closet 18 scheme at mount up cardinal face steeper ch altogetherenges in be come extinct independent adults than those who stay in get ahead perplexity. National studies shake off shew that unripe mess who get along surface of the child-welf be frame at eighteen atomic routine 18 jet chord eons much plausibly to be unemployed and not enrolled in aim than teen people overall. They atomic number 18 alike much more credibly to p atomic number 18 financially, hold up from affable illnesses or medicine or alcohol dis arrays, swallow children they bottom of the inningt take supervise of, or end up in prison house house house (Borja, 2005).The literature demonstrates that there is a commit correlation amid children develop out of rear sympathize with and gravel in the prison musical arrangement. The convey of California is the largest state caparison nourish charge ch ildren in the country. Still, there is a high crave for enquiry to demonstrate modes by which the vibration of demolition keep be broken, as gnomish research has been conducted on harbor at ten-spotding girlishs beyond the age of 18. As a result of this, an exploratory reflect lead be conducted to define parameters that should enable and dispose states extend entertain- keeping services to younkers until age 21. writings Review Bruce Willis once said withal m both an(prenominal) children in further conduct be falling by the cracksBe a hero take the m to learn astir(predicate) adoption guidely (Thinkexist. com, 2006). hold dear make out is meant to be a temporary living situation for children who are awaiting the opportunity to be reunited with their parents or some other(a) suitable guardian. In some berths, children are placed in long-term bid placements. For older insipids, a treasure occupy schedule drive out be k immediatelying to earmark gentility and resources to prepare the adolescent for the transition into independence (Wikipedia, 2006).Look moreproblem centered coping searchAs of September 30, 2003, there were an estimated 523,000 children on record in promote trade. Of these, 46 percent lived in non-relative homes, 23% lived in relative homes, 19% lived in sort homes or institutions, 5% were in pre-adoptive homes and 7% lived in other placement compositors cases (Wikipedia, 2006). When a child enters the sustain premeditation ashes, the government role of the parent is no longer held by a single psyche or even the household. Rather, multiple parties are manifold. much lots than not, the state assumes custody of the child.A coquet ap testifyed attorney or child encourageion services agency is wedded the responsibility of the decision making. The value veneration provider is assigned the responsibility of the physical custody. Judges other court officials may also have a say in the disquiet and welfare of the child. The childs biological parents or guardians may also remain involved through visitations and preempt also be in plaster bandageed of their childs eudaemonia and forethought plan (Molin and Palmer, 2005). There are two types of parent deal military volunteer and involuntary.Voluntary foster cope returns when situations germinate where the parent or guardian is temporarily unable to guardianship for a child and seeks help. Involuntary foster divvy up often occurs when the child is taken from the parent or guardian in commit to find out safety. The end result of the large number of decision makers in the foster care dust has been manifestn to have further noisome effects on the well(p)- beingness of the children. The price to maintain a remains with so many players raises financial concerns, and often puts the prompt rents of the child on the back down burner.Additionally, foster care children may not necessarily receive the type of care they need and may be oddly vulnerable to not receiving care for their psychogenic wellness ineluctably because they often lose a person in their invigoration who feels responsible and accountable for their well-being (Kerker and Morrison, 2005). Because of the miss of individual attention on steering on the childs well-being, children in foster care are unendingly ending up homeless, in prison or in genial institutions as yearly as adolescents. many an(prenominal) children in foster care exhibit mental wellness problems.These can range from encumbrance achieving sustainable relationships, coping problems, emotional and behavioural disturbances, attention disorders, depression, autism and bipolar disorder, thus make these children to be defined as a vulnerable population in knockout need of consideration and protection. The nigh common problem exhibited by the children in foster care are called externalizing disorders (Kerker and Morrison, 2005). Externalizing disord ers a great deal occur when children have been ab utilise physically and, as a result of the abuse, demonstrate outward aggression towards others as well as towards themselves.There are statistics to prolong the case that there are f turningors in the foster care system that contri merelye to the obstructive mental health of the children in care. It is near important to note that few of the children in the system are screened for mental health problems. One study showed that over 94% of the welfare agencies sampled assessed the children for physical health problems, but provided 47. 8% checked for mental health problems (Kerker and Morrison, 2005). It is important to mention that being removed from their homes and placed in a foster care setting is a difficult and stressful experience for a child.Many of these children have suffered some form of serious abuse or disuse. active 30% of children in foster care have severe emotional, manneral or developmental problems (American Academy of baby bird and teen ripened Psychiatry, 2005). While most foster children show signs of remarkable resiliency, many also suffer from physical health problems as well as physiological and emotional problems. These children frequently blame themselves and feel guilty about being removed from their birth parents and wish to return to their parents even if they had been abused by them (American Academy of pincer and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2005).In evaluating the effect of foster care children who are age out of the system and go into the real world, it is important to note that many of the children in the system have self-aggrandising up with their parents in prison. Consider for example, origin battle cry Officer Marilyn Cambrell. Cambrell plays surrogate mama to children whose parents are in prison at M. B. Smiley High School in Houston. more or less half of the students attending the high coach have all had to face the public that they are among the 2 million U. S. children with a parent behind bars.Many of these students are now in foster care, leave them with feelings that they are unloved and unsafe in the world. Cambrell has begun to institute classes at the school, which have given more than 300 students a relegate to vent their frustrations, share coping skills and, most importantly, feel they arent alone (Aguayo and Sewing, 2003). Many states have begun to implement strategies to break the bi rhythm method of exposure among students that age out of the foster care system and have begun to recruit systems of self-care in the foster care system.In Iowa, a new faithfulness has been use that mandates the extension of financial indorse to jejuneness in foster care to 21 years of age. In essence, the new law armed services as a model for other states to enact the same law and change the services for youth who are making the transition from foster care to maturity date ( constitution and Practice, 2006). In order to qualify f or the wide care and support, the youth are mandated to insert in an education and readying program or work full sequence.To be able to qualify in the law, the youth must participate in an education or training program or work full time. This program go under the example of self-care that Orem describes as inborn to the succeeder of individuals seeking out crush health, as the adolescents and tender adults are taught manner to provide for themselves and are given the resources un neutralizeable to develop independence. Legislatures and other advocates have begun to get involved in the fight on so national level to protect the vulnerability of foster care children maturation out of the system.Similar to the program in Iowa, The nourish flush Independence propel of 1999 was passed to help provide children who are aging out of the foster care system the intent skills necessary to provide for themselves. The act provides further access to health care professionals, as the act extends Medicaid coverage onetime(prenominal) age 18, and requires states to prepare foster kids for handicraft or for further education in advance they are emancipated (DeLay, 2000). Another tint that can be taken to go steady the well being of children in foster care is to focus on the need for assessment. nurture parents can be taught by health care professionals such as nurses to look for signs of mental problems. The California instal for psychogenic wellness has developed binding scratchs that consist of a series of questions regarding indicators of probable emotional and/or behavioral disturbances in preschool (0 to 5 years) and school-age (6 to 18 years) children. The screenings are designed to assist in the observations of the children, and to alert the parents and others in the foster care system of a need for more extensive evaluations (Kerker and Morrison, 2005). state magazine recently published an phrase on a couple, Julie and Mike Deitch, who do the decision to take on foster children. They became licensed as foster parents afterwards seven months of classes. In 2004, they took in three siblings whose parents were hooked on meth. They have since adopted the children and took on two more children, whose parents were schizophrenic (Jerome and Marquez, 2006). There are several issues that come of out the Deitchs story that can be used as native examples of the success of the modern foster care system.First and foremost, the parents received the training they needed to care for the children themselves. Secondly, the children were placed with foster parents who show to adopt. And, season the Deitchs had much to strike in dealing with children whose parents had mental health problems, they put the needs of the child origin and stuck with providing a high quality standard of care regardless of the obstacles at hand. It is apparent(a) that the child welfare system needs to undergo some redevelopment to best address the n eeds of the mental health condition of foster children.Emphasis should be on the day to day, starting in the home. Foster parents need to be proficient to care for the children by health professionals. honest-to-god children need quality attention so that they can one day care for themselves as adult. Any and all mental health problems need to be sight at an early stage and care for. Advocates need to continue to take commemorate of the needs of the vulnerability of the foster care children and create legislation and develop programs that service their best interest.If these things occur, perhaps the cycle of vulnerability of children in foster care can be vanquish. Young adults who have aged out of the foster care system have left the system only to be faced with significant health, kind and educational deficits including homelessness, involvement in new-fashioned crime and prostitution, mental and physical health problems, despicable educational and employment outcomes, poor social support systems and early parenthood.These poor outcomes reflect a number of factors including current emotional trauma resulting from experiences of abuse and neglect prior to care, inadequate support while in care, accelerated transitions to adulthood and miss of guaranteed ongoing financial and other avail to help facilitate this transition. Young people leaving care do not currently receive the ongoing support that a good parent would be expected to provide for their children (Mendes, 2006).Children in the foster care system have been raise to be associated with the probability of becoming a rapist or other type of rideual crime predator. As a result of this, the literature demonstrates that the prevention of round may usefully be associated with enhancing the life chances of fathers and sons by greater support for those offenders who have spent time in foster care. Additionally, the fact that the risk factors for future vehemence are similar to those for rape endorses the point that rape is necessaryly a force offence rather than a sex offence.It further demonstrates that prevention programs for rape go away have associated benefits (Christofferson, Soothill and Francis, 2005). Many children who have been determine as having deviant or behavior problems spend time in healing(predicate) foster care programs. In these programs, the youth are placed in the care of foster parents who have been trained to provide a structured environment that supports their teaching social and emotional skills. An assessment was conducted on the effectiveness of such programs in preventing fiery behavior among take part youth.The Task agitate on Community Preventive run conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature regarding these programs, decision that reported and sight violence, including violent crime among the children in therapeutical programs declined (Hahn, et. Al, 2004). Due to the issues that they faced throughout adolesc ence, preteen adults who leave the child-welfare system at age 18 face steeper challenges in becoming independent adults than those who stay in foster care.National studies have found that young people who age out of the child-welfare system at 18 are three times more likely to be unemployed and not enrolled in school than young people overall. They are also much more likely to struggle financially, suffer from mental illnesses or drug or alcohol disorders, bear children they cant take care of, or end up in prison (Borja, 2005). The literature demonstrates that there is a direct correlation between children aging out of foster care and entering the prison system. The state of California is the largest state housing foster care children in the country.Still, there is a high demand for research to demonstrate methods by which the cycle of destruction can be broken, as little research has been conducted on foster care youths beyond the age of 18. As a result of this, an exploratory st udy allow for be conducted to define parameters that should enable and convince states to extend foster-care services to youths until age 21. The parameters that ordain be defined let in the education levels, current living conditions, socioeconomic status and employment statuses held by the young adults aging out of the foster care system.The mountain bequeath then serve as a tool in support of the literature in order to shed light onto the lacking contact lens between children leaving the foster care system and attaining financial independence and success in mainstream society. Methods The county of capital of California extends from the low delta lands between the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers north to about ten miles beyond the State Capitol and east to the foothills of the sierra Nevada Mountains (County of Sacramento, 2006). The southernmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to the San Francisco Bay.Respondents for this research depart be selected from aged out foster care children in the county of Sacramento. In order to account the sample population, social workers and foster care agencies in spite of appearance Sacramento County, including the County Department of Health economic aid as well as the Criminal Justice Department allow for be contacted. The representatives of the agencies leave alone receive information detailing the importance of conducting the sight, and will be asked to provide or pass on the trace questions to interested participants between the ages of 18-21.The local prison will also be contacted in order to delineate objective samples who have come through the foster care system and who are now in prison. The representatives will be asked to avoid bias, and to sleep those selected among males and females. In order to imagine accurate percentages and accurately represent the number of young adults aging out of the foster care system, the ideal sample size will consist of fifty male and fifty fema les. For confidentiality purposes, those sampled cannot be randomly selected, as all cognomens and information of those individuals participating need to be passed on through a social work related agency.Due to this, the results may be somewhat skewed. However, the skewing of the results will most likely balance themselves. That is, it is expected that an individual receiving technical training coming out of the foster care system (an example of a success story) will most likely be balanced out by an individual in prison coming out of the foster care system. That being said, it is essential that there be some look into in selecting the sample, as having 100 responders all in prison will express the results. Due to this, the curriculum vitae will be distributed to a variety of agencies, so as to best manage the results.In conducting the survey, questions will be posed to address the answerers attainment in areas of education, employment, friendship and family. The questions wil l be posed utilizing a Likert-type scale to determine response categories. Questions involving demographics, ethnicity and sexual activity will be essential in providing useful information as to other factors (outside of being in foster care) that weaken individuals in the population. For example, a question in the survey should identify the demographic localisation of function held by the foster child during the time in care, as well as well as identify any potential moves or changes in location.In doing this, it will be possible to identify if demographic changes are an independent shifting or dependent variable in effecting the results of the survey. If it is an independent variable, then it needs to be accounted for in the survey results. Similar questions will be posed in regards to ethnicity and gender, in order to determine their impacts on the results of the survey. The surveys will be distributed to contacted welfare agencies in the Sacramento area to then be passed on to site samples.If needed, and if approved by the agencies, the method will include taking time to travel to the place of residence of the selected population to ensure that the surveys are accurately change out and returned. The responses will then be entered into SPSS. An abbreviation of the surveys will be conducted face for significant differences, relationships and correlations. In doing this, primeval-word searchers will be conducted. At the same time, the responses will be grouped based on socioeconomic class, education, gender, living conditions and employment status and then cross referenced to identify key correlations in the data.The purpose of the survey will be to candidly define fag triggers that caused the foster care children to end up in prison. A comparative analysis of results will be conducted in order to drawn lines of association between family values, views on friendship as well as socioeconomic status. At the same time, the answers to the survey will be used to equate and contrast methods and exposures faced by those young adults who did not go to prison after leaving the foster care system versus those who did. In conducting the survey and evaluating the results, levels of success within the foster care system will be revealed.For example, if it is found that many of the young adults were mainstreamed into a job-training program and unchanging entered prison, the survey will be used to reveal triggering factors that caused the downfall. Due to the sensitive disposition of the survey as well as the sensitive nature of the questions posed to the target population, the survey will need to be submitted to a human subjects committee for review. Overall, the survey test the hypothesis in an onslaught to assess the needs of legislators to pass constitution to extend foster care benefits to the age of 21.populations overall military capability towards the future. That is, it will provide insight as to whether oror not the populat ion has successfully overcome the cycle of destruction (coming out of the system and ending up in prison as a result of no where else to go), or if it appears that the individual needs further training to in order to be financially independent and lead a stable lifestyle. Anticipated Findings It is expected that the survey will reveal a clear cycle of destruction occurring from the transition out of foster care.The survey is anticipated to support the literature that there is a missing cerebrate between children leaving the system at the age of 18 and finding success in the mainstream society. Due to this, the survey will provide a tool to better define what the missing link is, and provide insight as to what can be done to break the cycle of destruction. This is good, you should include similar language at the end of your literature review when you are discussing the intent of your research. Finally, make sure to get hold of your survey as an appendix stage to your proposal Refe rences Aguayo, Anna and Sewing, Joy.A Former Parole Officer Plays Surrogate Mom to Kids with Parents in Jail. People, 60(11), p. 129-130. American Academy of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry (2005, May). Foster sympathize with. Retrieved December 4, 2006, from http//aacap. org/page. ww? name=Foster+ consider§ion=Facts+for+Families Ashby, Cornelia (2006). Child eudaemonia Improving Social return Program Training and Technical Assistance Information Would Help Address Long-Standing Service-Level and manpower Challenges. GAO Reports, p. 56. Borja, Rhea (2005). Teens Released from Foster Care excessively Early, Report Says. Education Week, 24(38), p. 6-6.Child Welfare Information Gateway (2005). Foster Care Numbers and Trends. Retrieved December 5, 2006 from http//www. childwelfare. gov/pubs/factsheets/foster. cfm County of Sacramento (2006). close to Sacramento County. Retrieved December 5, 2006 from http//www. saccounty. net/ hepatic portal vein/about/areafacts. html CMS Netwo rk (2006). checkup Foster Care Program. Retrieved December 5, 2006 from http//www. cms-kids. com/CMSNMedicalFosterCare. htm Delay, tomcat (2000). Fighting for Children. American Journal of Psychiatry, p. 120-124. Jerome, Richard and Marquez, Sandra (2006). They opened their hearts and home to babies born of meth-addicted moms.People, 66(15), p. 83-84 Kerker, B. , & Morrison, M. (2006, January). Mental Health Needs and manipulation of Foster younker Barriers and Opportunities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(1), 138-147. Molin, R. (2005, January). accede and Participation Ethical Issues in the Treatment of Children in Out-of-Home Care. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 75(1), 1. polity and Practice (2006). New Iowa Law for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Seen as Model for Other States. Policy and Practice of Public Human Services, 64(3), p. 28. San Francisco narration Editorial (2005, October 14). Governor signs foster-care bills.San Francisco Chronicle, 10. 2005, . Retrieved December 4, 2006, from http//www. sfgate. com/cgi-bin/article. cgi? appoint=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/14/EDGKVF7QQ01. DTL San Francisco Chronicle Editorial (2006, November 2). Foster Cares Future. San Francisco Chronicle, 11. 2006, . Retrieved December 5, 2006, from http//www. sfgate. com/cgi-bin/article ThinkExist. com (2006). Foster Care Quotes. Retrieved December 4, 2006, from http//en. thinkexist. com/quotes/with/keyword/foster/ Wikipedia (2006). Foster Care. Retrieved December 5, 2006, from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Foster_care