Sociology

Foster care is a terminology employed to refer to a system where children who are committed to the care of the state are put under the support of foster parents. It is the state that makes all the decisions concerning the minors (Stein, 2005). The responsibility of the foster is to provide the daily care and is paid by the state. Many children are brought into the foster care system to rescue them from abuse or abandonment. These children are cared for in the foster care systems until they attain the age of the majority. After that they exit the foster care system as it is considered that they are old enough to provide for themselves. Growing old is inevitable. For youths in foster care, this is the hardest thing in their life. This is because when they attain the age of majority, they lose the tender care and support they have been receiving. They quit enjoying the comfortable facilities, financial help and healthcare, and they are left to find for themselves (Francis, 2004). For many of them, leaving the foster care facilities is so stressing because after being cared for so long, they find it difficult to provide for themselves in adulthood. There is a high probability for foster youths to experience poverty and inequality when they are out of the system. The state does not provide adequate preparation to the foster youths before they move out to face the reality. It would be advantageous for them if they were at least prepared for what they are likely to experience in their adult life. Most of the young adults have the alternative of returning to the ever welcoming hands of their parents whenever they experience hardship. The foster youths on the other hand have hope of going back to the foster care once they have exited. All the states have enforced age limits after which the youth are no longer qualified for the services of the state (Scannapieco, Connell-Carrick  Painter, 2007).

The present policy stops all the support and care to the youths immediately they attain the age of majority. At the age of eighteen, the youths are quite young and in most cases they are not prepared for responsibilities. Youths who are raised in ideal families most of the times do not associate with this group. In most cases, for those who are fortunate enough to continue their education, there is no one present to share their success or even encourage them (Scannapieco, Connell-Carrick  Painter, 2007). For them, life is very hard as they continue learning because in the holidays and breaks, they do not have any home to go to. They do not have any person to turn in case of emergencies or financial requirements. These youths struggle to stay alive and fulfill they primary needs with very little or no assistance from the state (Stein, 2005). This paper investigates poverty and inequality of foster youth after they age out of system.

The services of the foster care systems are meant to be short-term. Minors are put there basically as a result of abuse, abandonment, uncontrollable behavior or substance abuse. The main goal of the system is to maintain them there for a short time as they wait to be reunified with their parents. Unfortunately, most of the times, this is not the case. In this case, the children are never returned home because the state realizes that they will be in danger if they are taken back. In most situations, the children are either adopted or reunified with the relatives. Those who cannot live under any of the three conditions remain in the foster care system until they age out (Francis, 2004).

Every passing year, an average of 20,000 youths leaves the foster care system in the US state (Scannapieco, Connell-Carrick  Painter, 2007). Most of the youths face many challenges after they get out of the system. They are faced with homelessness because they do not have a home to go back to, confinement as a result of engaging in criminal activities, poor education performance due to lack of support, joblessness as they do not have adequate education, and poverty. Due to lack of proper education and employment, it is not a surprise that they face deprivation. As they get out of the system, many of them have not received physical or psychological health requirements and have no medical cover. They move out to face life of poverty and deprivation. Investigations on this group have revealed that in less than five years after they leave the care of the state, about 25 percent become homeless, about 42 percent become mothers and fathers, less than 20 percent are able to fend for themselves, and only about 46 percent are able to complete high school (Francis, 2004).

Foster youths who leave the foster care facilities receive very limited financial support as compared to their peers. At that age, most of the youths who come from the ideal families are still staying with their parents. Most of them receive financial aid from their parents even in their twenties state (Scannapieco, Connell-Carrick  Painter, 2007).

As a result of the abuse, physical and psychological torture in the early life, the youths require adequate physical and psychological care while in the foster care system and as they prepare to age out. It has been realized that most of the times this does not happen. In this case, the problems follow them after they leave the foster care system (Pecora, 2000).

As a result of the poverty and deprivation, most of the youths turn to criminal activities leading to incarceration and even death, while other get involved in prostitution leading to early pregnancies and diseases (Vacca, 2008).  Due to deprivation, most of the youths fail to accomplish their career dreams through proper education. It is most common to find homeless youths who are members of criminal gangs in the United States. Most of the gang members are youths who have left the foster care facilities, and are desperate due to poverty. Researches have revealed that the highest percentage of the youths who age out of the system do not become beneficial members of the society. In fact they end up being a burden to the nation (Pecora, 2000).  

Attachment theory is one of the theories that explain poverty in foster youths after they age out of the system. Attachment is an exceptional bond that is established to a particular person, place or situation (Green, 2003). Attachment is a general bond that happens to all people due to the fact that they are social beings. Attachment covers aspects like feelings and behaviors and characteristics which are essential in every relationship to ensure security. Most of the foster children experience failed attachments most of their lives. They are separated from their parents and homes when they are very young. When they are brought to the foster care system, some of them at a very young age establish relationships with their foster parents for security and support. Most of the children who are young are able to establish this kind of relationships. They grow up under the care of the foster parents and develop other attachments with the other children. When they reach the age of eighteen, they are separated again from the foster families that they have lived with for many years (Gauthier, Fortin  Jliu, 2004). These youths are not adequately prepared for independence as they have been provided for in the foster care system. When they are detached from the foster families and homes, they are supposed to face life on their own. This makes life very difficult for them. It is out of these difficulties that the majority find themselves in abject poverty. They are also detached from the financial care that they have received without struggle for most of their life. It is as a result of the end of the attachment that the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides for personal and emotional support to the children as they are prepared to leave the facilities. It is also due to this that there is in place a policy to continue providing for the youths after they age out until they are twenty one. The current policy provides them with adequate education that prepares them for careers as they get out, facing life on their own (Green, 2003).

A theory that contradicts this is that these children have never experienced attachment in their lives. As seen from the beginning of the paper, the children are brought in from their families due to abuse and neglect. This is a clear indication that these children have been detached from social relationships from very early in their lives (Green, 2003).  Due to the psychological torture that they undergo early in their lives, they develop a tendency of keeping to themselves and failure to trust in anybody.

Researches have also revealed that life in the foster care system is not the best. The services and care they receive in the system is not the kind of care that children of their age are entitled to. The facilities in the foster care system are not adequate and they do not receive the psychological support they need to put their past behind and become attached to their present circumstances. It is like they live in poverty their entire life. In the foster care facility, they receive health care but this is not the kind of health care that is available for their age mates who live with their middle-class families (Francis, 2004). The services they receive are not the kind that is available to their peers in ideal families. There is just a little change when they live the foster care system in terms of service provision. Due to failure of the system to rehabilitate them, their lives are not different regardless of the environment. The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 was established to address these issues differently. The Foster Care Independence Act was passed as a response to the many problems that were suffered by the youths leaving the foster care facilities. This act was meant as a pillar for the foster youths who lived in deprivation (Green, 2003).

The state has realized that the children have been deprived even when in the foster care system. This is why the law sought to provide financial assistance to children in the foster care system until the age of eighteen. The systems were initially established with the aim of keeping children temporarily as they wait being reunited with their families or adoption. The policy came up at the realization that most of the children would stay there up to the age of eighteen (Scannapieco, Connell-Carrick  Painter, 2007).  

The Foster Care Independence Act provides for some care from the state to the youths who leave the foster care system. Nevertheless, this is very little and cannot care for all their financial requirements. Before the passage of the Foster Care Independence Act in 1999, there was another policy that was in operation (Vacca, 2008). This was the Independent Living Program. Under this program, there was provision of care to the children up to the age of eighteen. During this time, there was no special financial support to the youths as they left the foster care system. After the Chaffee Act was passed, the states were supposed to provide special funds to the youths after they left the system. Under the Foster Care Independence Act, the states are supposed to offer financial support to youths up to the age of 21 (Pecora, 2000). The aim of the financial support is to provide them with the means to acquire education and job placement. The advantage of the financial support is that it helps them get a roof over their heads, tertiary education, and healthcare cover state (Scannapieco, Connell-Carrick  Painter, 2007).

The policy necessitates that the state carry out evaluations, performance administration, provide technical support, and information gathering on issues concerning these youths. Due to the fact that these actions began after the passing of the act, there is inadequate data on what ensued to foster youths before the new policy was enacted. The issues concerning the youths are currently being actively monitored and there is a possibility that their lives will be a bit better. Their economic status and related matters are covered under the law and in the coming years, the states are expected to have adequate data on how the youths fair in the job market (Gauthier, Fortin  Jliu, 2004).

The two theories are contradictory, but it is a fact that their roots are common. They all emanate from the fact that the children are deprived socially and also emotionally. Attachment takes place due to the need for support and protection. This mostly happens to the children who are still young at the time they are separated from their families and end up getting love and care in the foster care system. They gain attachment to their foster parents and peers (Vacca, 2008). On the other hand, although detachment also comes up as a result of social deprivation, the circumstances surrounding this theory are completely different from attachment. Detachment occurs mostly to the children who are much older and understands what is happening around them. Their situation is made worse where there is no adequate care and attention in the foster care facility. There are others who are so hurt by their life situations such that they do not have space to accommodate love and care. Most of children in this category end up escaping from the system (Green, 2003).

Theoretically speaking, the youths might go through unsound employments in their early efforts to link with the job market, but that these models would alter as they come to their mid-twenties. However, if the patterns do not alter, tackling their preparedness and education requirements near the beginning of their transition would work out well in shaping their future. This means that if the youths are prepared well, their future trajectories can be shaped (Gauthier, Fortin  Jliu, 2004).

Conclusion
While the problems of the youths aging out of the foster care facilities have been rampant, there have been inadequate researches concerning the matter. It is evident that a lot needs to be done to get rid of this problem that impacts negatively on the economic situation of the United States. The economic situation of the country cannot develop evenly with such a problem being experienced. A lot needs to be done, not only by the government, but also by the citizens of the United States. It is an undeniable fact that it would cost the country far much less to rehabilitate and care for these youths until they are financially stable, than financing for the consequences of leaving them on the streets without adequate support.  It should be understood that this problem is not entirely the governments issue. There is need for adequate research, in order to find out exactly what the country is up against.