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Fixing Foster Care

AIR DATE: Tuesday, February 5th 2008
POSTED BY: SARAH JANE ROTHENFLUCH
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Photo credit: B Tal / Flickr / Creative Commons

A federal review of Oregon's foster care system was released this week, and it doesn't paint a very pretty picture of how we take care of our neediest kids. According to the report we have a serious shortage of foster care homes, and when kids are placed they are often moved from home to home, preventing them from receiving the stability and security they need to mature into confident adults.

A similar study was done in 2001, and we fared a little bit better than today. Why is the situation worsening for kids in foster care here? Is lack of government funding to blame? Are we asking case workers to do more than is reasonable? Or is there just not enough political will to make the system better?

Do you have any experience with foster care in Oregon? Is it as bad as this report suggests? If so, what responsibility do Oregonians have to improve it? Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent? What would it take for you to make that profound commitment?

GUESTS:

 

 

Tagged as: dhs · foster care · group home

Photo credit: B Tal / Flickr / Creative Commons

As a parent it saddens me greatly to hear about the state of state childcare in Oregon. Without becoming a foster parent is there anything I can do to help? Can I provide a cash donation or perhaps assist with an event of some kind? Thank you.

-Trevor Cable
trevorcable —
There is an organization designed to help support foster parents, primarily by providing respite care to foster children so that foster parents can have a day off once in a while. It is a great way to help without the full commitment of becoming a foster parent. The organization is called "Lifted UP". Their web page is: www.liftedup.org. They have training sessions for volunteer workers and link volunteers (generally couples) with individual foster children.

David Knierim
davekn —
There is a group called CASA. Also there is a group called the citizen review board that assist in reviewing cases. Please participate in that. Also find someone who is a foster parent and ask them what they need. a bunk bed, a night off, a mentor for a child. Please get involved at what ever level you can. Thank you!
j
mageeraej —
Please look at the website heartgalleryoregon.org We are a nonprofit that has a travelling gallery of compelling photos of children in foster care that need adoptive homes. We also encourage foster care. The photos are all done by professional photographers.

There are currently two shows in Oregon - one at Cedar Hills Crossing Mall and one at Salem Center Mall. However, all photos are on the web. We would certainly apprciate a donation to help promote ways to take care of Oregon't children.

Although not a foster parent, my husband and I recently adopted an 11 year old from the foster care system after 27 years of marriage. Our life has been enriched, as it has for our daughter. Training in Marion County was excellent and prepared us for first time parenting.
PamelaAV —
Trevor: you could sign up to be a Foster Parent respite provider. You would be trained in a two hour orientation what is required. It requires a backgroud check. You would then be available to "babysit". It would give you hands on experience without the long term committment. The number to call to register or enquire is:971-673-1836. Susan B
susan b —
The state has a responsibility to protect children at risk. One of the ways that you reduce the need for foster care is adoption. You can't have a conversation about permanency without making adoption a priority. Some of the kids are not going home, ever. As a member of the Citizens Review Board, I get to oversee the work that DHS does to manage these cases. We need alternatives. Here's one:

http://www.portlandhopemeadows.org/hopeflash/hmedmovie.htm

jay r
j1bird —
If for some reason a person is unable to be a foster parent, how can we help as a concerned Oregonian?
m01ollie —
One thing we all can do is become mentors to kids. There are all kinds of organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters in the area (and the state) that will match you with a kid who need a positive adult in his/her life. Some of these kids are in foster care, some have incarcerated parents, some just need a friend to help them along. It can be very powerful for a child to have that one person who is just there for them (not to mention a great experience for the mentor!). Giving an hour or two a week to play ball, go to OMZI or the Zoo, or work on an art project with a kid can make all the difference in the world to that kid and to all of us as a society! It may sound like using a pebble to fill a crater but if we all stepped up, I think we'd be surprised at how fast we could fill it!
kmbrly101 —
In light of the current epidemic concerning Methamphetamine and other illegal drugs, it seems that there are more children coming into foster care in spite of the desire of the state to reduce the need for foster care. In light of this, what is the state doing to retain current quality foster care providers as well as recruit more providers to provide the care these children need?
Krys Springer —
I have not had experience with foster care but have read recently about the State of Oregon putting in place new policies to screen for possible child abuse, for example child abuse interviewers at all hospitals. I wonder if it would be better to first improve the child foster system, foster families, and case workers before placing more children in such a troubled system.
Kim Pinto —
Check out this campaign in Illinois: www.fosterkidsareourkids.org



pdxsean —
I am originally from Seattle and I know that we were experiencing budget cuts in human services in King County but at the same time, our jail system was experiencing an increase in budget. I want to ask, if we do not have the funds that we need for our child welfare programs (in Oregon) and for preventative programs, where is this money going, or at least where do you perceive this money is going?
CasandraMShannon —
We don't protect them when they are young, then we have to pay to incarcerate them later.
mageeraej —
Good Morning
I have been a Foster Parent. A Teenage boy that decided his Mom & boyfriend was using too much drugs and not taking proper care of him and his sister.
The boy ended up at my house after a neighborhood sleepover asking to stay with my family rather than continue the sleep around at any friends house.
Oregon Foster Care was very responsive to the situation, identified and confirmed the boy's story, and made the training to become a Foster Parent easy.
The boy lived with us for his Senior year, and during that time the boy's mother participated in Oregon's rehabilitation process (meth) and started to clean up.
Luckily the boy had very strong desire to help himself, and after graduation has tried Community College, but has settled into full time employment.
The only problem I see is that these 18 year old kids don't have a support system to keep them moving forward into futher education.
This boy is smart and cares about himself and others. He could have been successful at higher education, if the programs were in place to keep him focused on the"next step"
I personally learned a lot from the Foster Program.
Thanks,
\Ryan
RyanLee —
My wife and I have adopted two children out of the Oregon foster care system and are in the process of adopting a third. One thing that we have noticed is that there is very poor communication between the case workers and parents trying to adopt children who are in the system.

We have never been given a complete time line of all the steps that need to happen before placement. We have always been given information only 1 or 2 steps at a time. This has made it really hard for us to want to keep working with DHS.

It seems to me that case workers need to be trained to treat prospective adoptive parents as peers rather then as another client when so many of their clients are part of the problem.

Thanks,

Lon
canal pdx —
My partner and I have thought about becoming foster parents, but worry that we don't have all of the skills necessary to care for a child in the foster care system. What kind of support do foster parents have in learning to care for children who have survived abuse, neglect or other trauma? What support does the state provide to children in regards to financial support, health care (including mental health), and special educational needs? We don't want to be just one more stop in a chaotic ride.
CheekyCharlie —
I am in the process of becoming certified as a foster parent and am hopefully going to have a baby placed with me in the next two weeks. The process, I will admit, has been a little confusing and you will need to be the one pushing to get each step done, but there is support if you advocate for it. You get a very small monthly stipend (amount dependent on how special needs the child is and the age of the child), they also will have Oregon Health Plan for medical, access to mental health care if needed, and other developmental screenings. You also will take a series of classes (8 different 3 hour classes) to help provide the info you need to be a sucessful foster parent. I think there are a lot of resources out there but it will be YOU who has to go out and find them (with direction) and apply for the services. There is an excellent mentoring program available that you can get hooked into that can provide you with a lot of direction and guidance on how to access all the services available.
Kella678 —
For a college assignment last Fall, I worked with a local child abuse resource agency to create an informational pamphlet educating people about child abuse and neglect. Though I have worked through the years in schools and witnessed the effects of abuse in the students, I did not realize the scope of the issue.

As far as the first guest trying to get the word out to Oregon's population about the widespread issue of child abuse and neglect, I would point out the results of children growing up in abusive and neglected situations. They often grow up to abuse their own children, abuse drugs & alcohol, and often end up requiring public assistance as adults-- whether that is in a correctional facility or the need for social services. Neglect and abuse effects everyone but not everyone realizes this. I wish there was a campaign that publicized not only the effects of neglect but what each individual Oregonian could do to to ease this problem. -Amber
Berlinsmith —
I work with youth. I have worked in homes and in youth centers where many foster families send their kids. As someone with a BA in Social Work who really wants to work with youth, I can say that these programs are terribly underfunded and it is really hard to continue the work when many of the jobs are low paying and end with the school year, requiring us to re-apply in the fall and find interim employment. This creates a huge impediment to youth workers making a longer commitment to being in the lives of kids over a long period of time, to build trust, and to provide community support for families. I think the main thing is there is that we are spending so much public money on other things (wars, corporate subsidies, etc.) we are sending a clear message: our kids are not our main priority.

I would definitely become a Foster parent. I am low-income, and I live in shared housing. Am I elligible? I don't intend to get married. Am I considered a viable candidate?
brennaS. —
My husband and I are foster parents and find working with the State very frustrating. I find that there is not enough support for most foster parents. The program we work with is different and there is a lot of support for us and our foster kids. However, when the kids graduate this program, there are few options for permanent foster care and the ones that return home are pretty much on their own. Their parents need support to continue the safety and growth the kids need.
shreen —
After teaching for 35 years and seeing some sad situations and some hopeful situations, I've concluded that our society needs to value children.

Where we as a society put our money speaks loudly to our values.


One child I taught had a questionable foster home and the social worker had little time to do drop-in visits to see what was happening there. She tried.
Another child was put in a good foster home and blossomed even though her situation was worse as far as her biological parents were concerned.

It tears at your heart to see what some of these children have to deal with on a daily basis. They are ALL great kids, but they need a chance!
claire06 —
Wouldn't it be great if fixing the foster care system got the same investment, attention, support as building sporting arenas?

I imagine $200,000,000 would be a good start.
pdxsean —
I am involved in the life of 3 children in the foster care system. In the last year they have gone home and then come back into foster care with even more issues to conquer. It was one of those cases where there was no legal way to keep the children from returning to their biological mother even though the case workers involved knew that it would result in the children returning to the foster care system again. These children have foster parents who would gladly adopt them so it seems to me that there should be some way of creating legal "loopholes" to get children out of the foster system when there are people involved in their lives who want them.
opbname —
I have heard this story over and over and over. Kids returned to chaos.
So sad.
mageeraej —
Maybe we need to step back and look at Foster Care and all Human resources in a broader perspective. It is easy for the media or citizens to blame DHS or to blame the legislature for not protecting our children. But who is really to blame? We all are - when people vote for tax reductions or limits they are voting to decrease services. Polititions especially Republicvans like to tell folks we are over taxed and individuals need to keep more of their own money because they will spend it wisely. I beg to differ. People choose to buy big screen TVs, get their nails done or get spray on tans. We spend thousands each year on things like toys for our pets or plastic surgery yet we complain about the taxes needed to provide care for our vaunerable and innocent children and our elders or disabled citizens. Lets stand up and take responsibility for our children and stop blaming our underfundefd agencies! I work in health care and face the same problems. How can you help people improve their health when they can't afford medicaines or lab tests or even healthy food?

Ruth Dallas RN
ruthdallas —
I work in the juvenile court as a child's and parent's attorney. The two essential points that have been made that I see manifested every day come down to one reality: you get what you pay for. 1) more resources need to be invested in resources for parents to overcome their deficiencies. 2) more resources are needed to fund more caseworker positions and better training and support for caseworkers. Everyone in the system, judges, attorneys, caseworkers, etc are all overloaded. Oregon, put your money where your mouth is! Care about kids all the time, not just when they are splased across the headlines after dying in substitute care.
marybruington —
Offering biological families more supports in the process of getting their children back like drug treatment, mental health services etc. The other option is working with local agencies to place children in permanent placements with local families in open adoptions where they maintain connections to their biological families and grow up in stable living situations. On a side note all of the moms I have worked with who become involved with DHS were in foster care themselves. Fortunately many have them used the experience to grow and change and have their children returned.
-Laura Pregnancy and Adoption Casemanager
battgrl —
Children gong back to their bio-homes is very difficult. As the one bio-parent spoke judges are not trained in social work. Is it fair to return a child "home" only to see them come back into care? How many kids that are returned home have bonded to their foster family after years in care. How many children are returned home only to go back into the system? please keep asking these questions and keep asking why we believe sports areans are more important than children?
mageeraej —
I work with children and parents in California's foster care system. I am a juvenile court attorney down there. One of the best resources I've found for improving the system is an organization founded by and for foster youth. They successfully lobbied the legislature to change the laws governing California's foster care by requiring, among other things: 1. that children remain in the same school they attended prior to removal from the home unless the judge makes a special finding 2. that children have the right to contact with siblings and half siblings 3. that the DHS must document efforts to identify and preserve relationships with people important to the youth. The organization's website is here:
http://www.calyouthconn.org/site/cyc/
vampyrecat —
There is a way to take an active role in improving the life of a foster child, become a CASA Volunteer! Court Appointed Special Adovcates are ordianry men and women from all walks of life, educational levels, and ehtnic backgrounds who volunteer to speak up for the rights of a child who has been abused or neglected and is living in foster care. For Multnomah and Washington Counties, please visit www.casahelpskids.org
bfjames —
I am a former case worker from Oregon, who is currently working in the child welfare system in Washington. The main reason I left Oregon is simply the lack of resources and funding provided to do my job. In Washington, there are tons of services which we only dreamed of having in Oregon. It truly is unfortunate, especially since I feel that the laws and policies in DHS Child Welfare are much more progressive than what I've experienced in Washington. DHS has been ahead of everyone else in engaging families in Family Decision Making meetings, as well as how it views domestic violence as child abuse (Washington does not classify it as abuse). It comes down to funding this agency to do it's job. Oregonians have made their choice to underfund social services in general and they get what they pay for.
caseworker —
I believe the focus of the conversation missed one of the most important points (Admittedly, there are several) and that is the sadness that foster care even exists. The ultimate responsibility for the existence of foster care rests with the entire community not a state agency. Equally sad is the fact that dispite repeated new coverage in both print and electronic media, both have failed to educate the public about how the system actually works, what are the conflicting elements, and why the system fails to achieve its stated purpose. And its not because of the problems of one agency. Responsiblity rests with the legislation which governs and drives the system, funding for the system, the competing interests in the drafting of the legislation and funding, lack of local and larger community responsibility, the judicial system, lack of accountability of parents and extended family members of the children, educational system, etc. Its easy to select any single entity and totally miss the real point much to the continued suffering and destructiveness to our vulnerable children. How sad that we have failed them and continue to fail them. And people wonder why incarceration continues to be a growth industry.
MeanMachine2 —
I have too much experience with foster care in Oregon, and California. I would love to become a foster parent, but due to false allegations and a 'corrupt' system of DHS here, that will probably be impossible. My 4 children are currently in 4 separate locations in foster care because it is in "their best interests" according to DHS here in Klamath Falls, Oregon. (They were removed for alleged neglect and alleged abuse. This was never proven. My children have been abused in state custody. My son, at three, was almost killed by a foster provider. My daughter, now 13, has been in over 11 placements in the past 4 1/2 years. Where is the permanency? She was taken from us most recently because of alleged mental abuse from a haircut, that she started.) I believe it is in DHS's best interests to keep my children separated. (They are state mandated to try to keep children together? Not the case with my children. They refuse to ever put them together again.) Certainly, there is a problem. But, the problem isn't funding in the way of not enough. It is funding in the way of mishandling and misstating purpose of use. They are paid to remove children. There is not enough accountability on the part of DHS when it comes to 'investigations and removals'. I believe we need to have the policies for DHS structured closer to the Constitution of the United States (4th and 14th amendments) and less on political and personal interests of those serving as employees of the agency. There was no investigation before our children were taken. I thought this was a country of innocent until proven guilty. This is certainly not the case when it comes to Child Welfare-DHS. The court cases need to be moved to the criminal courts so that innocent parents who are accused, can be heard properly instead of slandered in the eyes of the public. The juvenile justice system offers no proper justice for families that have had children removed. The courts are too lax in the rules of evidence for anyone to have a proper hearing. I have seen too many properly cared for children removed from their parents, while others needing to be taken are left to fend for themselves. I think that foster care is a good thing when children who actually need it are receiving the services, not children who don't. Definitely, we need to have some serious revisions in the way that things are done. Immunities need to stop for those who take children just because they can and they need to be held accountable. Kidnapping is not legal, but for Child Welfare it is. Too much money is being given for a supposed epidemic of abuse on Oregon's children. The money doesn't go to the foster families, but instead into the pockets of state employees. The epidemic is not abuse of children, but rather an abuse of power by the hands of DHS. Save Oregon's families and change the system. Money does not solve all problems.
shugarsmama —
I just found this website right now and decided to post on here. I have a lot of experience with Oregon's Foster Care System. I was a ward of the court until I aged out in 2001. I know all about the caseworkers, the court hearings, CASA workers and all of that. I was in and out of assorted homes for over 10 years. I'm now 26 and I recently was a Foster Parent for my younger brother. I know it sounds weird. There were eight of us total and my four younger siblings were actually adopted out, I haven't seen them since. My brother that lived with me moved to Idaho and went to Job Corps, my sister lives down the street from me, and my other brother lives in Salem. We were all separated by a system that claims to keep us together. I know nothing about my younger siblings. It's been about nine years since I've seen them. So about fixing foster care. I noticed that the caseworkers, and assorted people who were there to help, always were overwhelmed by the number of clients that they had. I think one of the huge problems was not enough caseworkers and people who wanted to be involved. Some of the foster homes were good, but in the very first home all of us were placed in, my younger brother got a fractured skull from one of the foster parents punching him in the eye. Then, you have the people who become foster parents just to make a quick buck. They don't care about the kids who are there. That is a situation that still is happening now. Most people don't want to take on a responsibility like that. Some of the kids that are placed have behavioral problems, they are prone to getting into fights, have severe trust issues. I know I've been there. I what it feels like to be moved around like nobody wants you. It's a bad feeling. It would be hard for me to be a foster parent, not because of the child's problems, but because of becoming attached to them and later having them moved somewhere else. I have a daughter that's one and a half, and I think it would be hard on her too. She would get used to having another child around, and then not understanding why they had to leave. I'm not saying I would never become a foster parent, but I would think very hard before I chose to do it. These kids don't trust very easily, and they expect you to be able to keep promises you make to them, and it would be hard to do exactly that because the system is so unstable.
OliviasMommy26 —

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