Sociology

In United States, it was English Poor Law that led to development and ultimate regulation of family foster care. These laws, in 1562, permitted the poor children to place in indentured service until they came of age. This method was introduced to the United States and was starting of the placement of children into homes. Although, indentured service allowed abuse and mistreatment, it was a step ahead from almshouses where children did not learn a trade and were exposed to dreadful surroundings and wicked adults. In 1636, Benjamin Eaton, at the age of seven, became first foster child (National Foster Parent Association). In the middle of 19th century, approximately 30,000 abandoned or homeless youngsters lived in slums and streets of New York City. Charles Loring Brace, a minister and director of the New York Childrens Aid Society, was concerned and believed that there must be a way to transform these childrens future. Brace thought that by removing young people from city streets and placing them in farm families, they can have an opportunity of escaping a lifetime of misery. Brace planned that these youngsters be sent by train to Midwest and West to live and work on farms. The resulting Orphan Train Movement, which lasted from year 1853 to the early 1900s, moved more than 120,000 children to new lives (The Childrens Aid Society).

The Childrens Aid throughout the history has stayed ahead for foster care improvement and support. The success of Orphan Train Movement and other Childrens Aids programs directed to a group of national child welfare improvements including, adoption, laws of child labor, services of foster care, health care provisions, nutrition, public education, and also vocational training.How foster care beganChildrens Aid, in the beginning of 1900s, lead the way to a Concurrent Planning, which is a foster care method that turned into foundation for the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 that significantly transformed foster care.Childrens Aid Society works at the same time with biological parents and also foster parents to attain permanent placement for children as fast as possible through Concurrent Planning. Their first and main concern is to give back the children securely to their own biological parents. If that is impossible, this plan makes sure that foster parents are ready to adopt those children.

Childrens Aid Society is also leading a national movement in the direction of community related foster care. In community based foster care, children can be inside their communities in foster homes, which help in providing continuity with friends, familiar surroundings, and school, thus reducing the upset. How children get into foster careSome people willingly place their children in foster care. However, most children enter the foster care because somebody makes a report of neglect or abuse to the State Central Register (SCR). Sometimes that person is someone close to the family such as neighbor or friend or a mandatory reporter. Mandatory reporters include dentists, doctors, nurses, counselors, psychologists, social service workers, nurses, teachers, hygienists, childcare workers, police officers and therapists. Once, a family member has been reported for abuse or neglect, Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) caseworker will inspect to see whether the report seems to be proper (Child Welfare Organizing Project, 2007). The ACS worker checks the home of the child to look for any unsafe conditions in the home. During the investigation, the ACS caseworker may question a number of people in the childs life. Those people may include both parents, siblings, and other people living in the same house of the child. The worker may also ask neighbors, teachers, and other people that the family member knows. He may also check the child for any injuries on the body. Caseworkers look for proof that the child is being neglected or abused.  The ACS worker has 60 days time period to make a decision whether the report to the SCR is specified.Emergency removalsChildren can be subjected to emergency removal from home when the ACS worker feels that they are in imminent danger of neglect or abuse. In an emergency removal, the family member is given temporary removal notice of child and a 72-hour child safety conference brochure. In both of these, there will be details such as name, telephone number, address of the ACS caseworker who is working on the particular child removal. After the child has been removed from the home, the ACS case worker leaves a note to the family member regarding the date on which they have to attend the court. If the ACS has decided to remove the child from the home, they first get a court order unless the family member agrees to the removal.

In New York City, most of the time, ACS takes the children away from their schools, homes, hospitals, and other places without giving a court order. If the child has been removed from the home, ACS files a petition in family court immediately and gives the family member petition copy. In petition, the ACS describes the things (allegations) the family member has done that hurt the child and make it unsafe for the child to stay in that home. Foster care agency worker, called case planner, is a person who supervises the foster family in which the child is placed. The case planner develops the permanency plan for the child after removal. This means they work to ensure that the child has a permanent home. If the case planner decides not to return the child to the family member, they work on concurrent planning. The plan is then evaluated by the court. The primary permanency plan for most of the children is reunification with their birth parents. According to federal law, every state should make realistic efforts to offer birth parents with the supports and services they need to get back the custody of their children. However, there are some exceptions to these conditions. States are not necessary to follow reunification under specific conditions. In these situations, alternative permanency choices such as legal guardianship or adoption are the objective for these children. Under present law, if a child is in foster care for 15 months out of the previous 22 months, states are to suggest that rights of the parents be ended and the child is ready for adoption (Bass, Shields,  Behrman, 2004).

Reasons why children are in foster careThere are number of reasons children enter foster care. Some children enter at birth, when it is obvious that a mother cannot take care of her newborn. Other children enter foster care when a social worker, teacher, neighbor, or a police officer reports suspected child abuse to child protection services. Some of these children may have gone through physical or sexual abuse from a loved and trusted adult. More frequently, parents who are in poverty, mental illness, substance addiction sadly abandon their childrens needs (Child Welfare Organizing Project, 2007).Primary reasons why children come into foster care are neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional maltreatment. Neglect Neglect is the withholding of, or failure to offer enough food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, medical care, school attendance, and supervision to a child when the parent is economically able to do so or given financial or other reasonable ways to do so. Neglect also comprises extreme corporal punishment (spanking or hitting), abandonment, and misusing alcohol or drugs to the level that the child is or can be injured.Physical abuse Physical abuse is the non-accidental physical harm of a child caused by a parent or caregiver, varying from superficial bruises and swellings to broken bones, severe internal injuries, burns, or death.

Sexual abuse Sexual abuse is the sexual misuse of a child by a parent, caregiver, relative, or other person, which may vary from non-touching crimes, such as exhibitionism, to fondling, sexual intercourse, or using child in the pornographic material production. Emotional maltreatment Emotional maltreatment is the continuous use of orally abuse language to severely disapprove of and put down a child. It also involves emotional neglect, the withholding of emotional and physical contact in a manner that injures the childs usual emotional and physical development.Statistics and trends in foster care and adoptionChildren in foster care on the last day of the federal fiscal year (September 30) Between FY 2004 and FY 2005, the expected number of children in foster care on the fiscal years last day rose from 508,000 in 2004 to 511,000 in 2005, but then decreased to 505,000 in 2006. For the first time since Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) data have been stated, the expected number of children in foster care on September 30, 2007, decreased below 500,000 to 491,000. In fiscal year 2008, it decreased even lesser to 463,000 (Administration for Children  Families, 2009). The same pattern is seen in the total expected number of children served all through these years. After decreasing since fiscal year 2002, the expected number of children served raised from 787,000 to 797,000 in fiscal year 2005, and 798,000 in fiscal year 2006. In 2007, the number of children served decreased to 784,000, and in 2008, it even decreased to 748,000, which is the lowest since AFCARS data have been stated.Entries to foster care during federal fiscal year After remaining below 300,000 until fiscal year 2005, the expected number of children entries into foster care raised from 298,000 in 2004 to 307,000 in 2005. Since 2005, number of entries into foster care has been decreasing down to 303,000 in 2006 to 293,000 in 2007. The expected number of entries decreased even further to 273,000 in 2008, which is the lowest number since AFCARS data have been stated. The expected number of exits from foster care increased between 2002 and 2007 from 278,000 to 293,000 and then decreased to 285,000 in 2008.Children waiting for adoption In 2008, the number of children waiting for adoption decreased below 130,000 to 123,000 for the first time. The expected number of children waiting for adoption whose parental rights had been ended as of the last day of the fiscal year constantly increased from 74,000 in 2004 to 81,000 in 2007. The number decreased to 75,000 in 2008. Children waiting for adoption, whose parental rights had been ended comprised 61 percent in both 2007 and 2008, signifying a small raise over the 59 percent in 2006.Children adopted The number of adoptions stayed relatively flat between 2002 and 2007, ranging between 50,000 and 52,000. For the first time since data of AFCARS have been reported, the number of child adoptions raised to 55,000 in 2008.

Developmental issues for young children in foster careMany children with complicated, severe mental health, physical health, or developmental difficulties are entering the foster care during the early period when brain development is most active. Every attempt must be made to make foster care a helpful experience and a curing process for the child. All people in the child welfare system should understand the threats from abuse and neglect to a childs development. Pediatricians have a vital role in evaluating the needs of children. The developmental concerns significant for children in foster care are implications and outcomes of neglect, abuse, and placement in foster care on early development of brain the significance and challenges of creating a childs attachment to caregivers the significance of considering a changing sense of time of a child in all facets of the foster care experience and the response of the child to stress.In United States, more than 500,000 children are in foster care. Majority of the children have been the sufferers of repetitive abuse and prolonged neglect and have not experienced a fostering, steady environment during the early stages of life.

Such types of experiences are vital in short-term and long-term development of a childs brain and the capability to later take part completely in society. Foster care children have unreasonably high rates of mental, physical, and developmental health problems and frequently have many mental and medical care needs that are unmet. Pediatricians have a significant responsibility in helping to develop a precise, complete child profile. Pediatrician should be provided complete health and developmental histories at the time of evaluation for creating a useful assessment. Pediatricians and other expert professionals in child development must be practical advisors to the workers and judges of child protection concerning the needs and best interests of child, especially regarding placement issues, permanency planning, and mental, medical, and developmental health problems. Pediatricians should encourage caregivers to give plenty of love and attention to the child be constant with love, discipline, and stimulation motivate the child through disclosure to developmentally suitable conversation, holding, music, toys, and reading expose the child to chances to enhance language by means of direct voice and face-to-face contact and make the environment suitable to childs nature (Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption and Dependent Care, 2000).

Conclusion A child who has experienced neglect or abuse has a heightened necessity for permanency, safety, and emotional steadiness and are, therefore, at more risk because of the discrepancies in their lives and the foster care. Every attempt must be made to quickly set up a permanent residency for the child. For childs healthy development, stability in relationships with family and friends is vital. Several moves while in foster care can be harmful to the mental development, brain growth, and psychological adjustment of the child. Apart from the type of placement, all children should get personal attention from their caregivers.