In efforts to examine difficulties
of children in out of home placement, I have chosen family constellations as a
challenge for my course project in Walden University's Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early
Childhood doctoral course. I have decided upon foster families, as
children in foster care reside with foster families experience many
changes that affect their well-being. KidsHealth (2015) asserts, "Foster
parents take kids into their homes, and take care of them for as long as kids
need" (para. 3). Because I have seen children in foster care and worked
with them in the past, I am curious to find out how different is home structure
versus being with birth parents. I believe children and families in this family
constellation face several challenges that often make it difficult to keep
consistency. According to Dozier, Zeneah, and Bernard (2013), "In 2011,
more than 650,000 children were identified as victims of child abuse and
neglect, almost half (47%) of them age 5 or younger" (p. 166). I want
to know, what is the hardest challenge for foster parents when working with
children in foster care? Also, what determines the longevity of the child's
placement?
References
Dozier, M.,
Zeneah, C. H., & Bernard, K. (2013). Infants and toddlers in foster care. Child Development Perspective, 7(3),
166-171. doi: 10.1111/cdep.12033
http://www.kidshealth.org
Regenia,
ReplyDeleteThis is a good topic and challenge. In classrooms across the nation there are children in foster care, sometimes teachers are unaware of the emotions, stress, and dynamics of the child in foster care. They may not be aware that a child is in a foster care situation. Side note, I like your profile statement.
Carlotta,
DeleteYou are exactly right. In my previous courses, I encountered a colleague that mentioned teachers are sometimes not aware of children in foster care. I feel the only way a teacher will know is if the foster parent exposes such information. Thus, a child that was formerly in my classroom was in foster care. I found out when I initially met the foster parent. The foster parent wanted to know about the child's behavior, and I told her everything she already knew. The foster parent revealed several factors that led to her letting the child and her sibling go. When the child left, I was sad due to the fact that I only knew her briefly. The foster parent had given the children several chances. However, the racial remarks made towards her and her family helped in her decision of letting her go. Also, thanks for the profile comment. (-:
I have rarely heard good stories about foster care so I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences with this topic. We have been having serious issues in my state with the foster care system. I am curious to know where it is working well.
ReplyDelete