Potential Hardship that young adult encounter after aging out of foster care - Dissertation Example

? Potential Hardship That Young Adults Encounter after Going Out Of Foster Care Task Foster care describes the care given to minors placed in wards of private homes. The children are usually placed under the care of a person known as a foster parent. The foster parent is the caregiver to the children found in these institutions, and is remunerated by the government for his or her services to the community (Hicks et al, 2003). This type of care is offered on a temporal basis before permanent residences for the children are found. Young adults are entitled to leave foster care in case their biological parents come for them and it is viewed as serving the interests of the child better. (Meltzer, 2003). This paper examines the current debate concerning the hardships that young people encounter after foster care. It also evaluates the need for alternative measures for easing the difficulties that young people face after leaving foster care. Research carried out by Kurman, Freunlich and Maluccio (2009) indicates that since the inception of foster care in the United States, over half a million children have been placed in these homes from the end of the year 2000. The authors continue to state that these numbers have been decreasing in the recent past with 423,773 children being in this care in the year 2009. This represents a 20% drop in their numbers during that decade, and the number of African American children in this care accounts for 40% of the children, whereas Whites account for 20% of children under foster care (Kurman, Freunlich & Maluccio, 2009). The remaining percentage of children in foster care is composed of children from the Hispanic community (Kurman, Freunlich & Maluccio, 2009). Other reports by Krebs and Pitcoff (2006) indicate that most of the children who enter this care do so involuntarily. This occurs when the children encounter neglect from their guardians, and are bound to encounter many physical or psychosomatic problems. However, the placement of children in foster care could also be voluntary, and could occur when their guardians are unable to cater for their needs. A survey carried out in the state of Missouri on 325 children to ascertain the differences that existed after foster care found out that their mental abilities decreased by about 60% after a month of leaving this care (Meltzer, 2003). Many of the persons leaving foster care withdraw from taking medication for their mental problems out of their own consent (Stott, 2007). The mental abilities of the young people leaving the care centers decrease because of various circumstances. These circumstances include the absence of managers for controlling them, the aging out from the pediatric systems and shifts in decision-making as the child matures. Shifts in the care for the young people from foster homes to insurance companies who are responsible for covering the expenses incurred on their care is another cause of reduced mental abilities, and this is because the children are no longer funded (Meltzer, 2003). The problem identified is that most states do not continue offering foster care services for children who have left the foster homes (Stott, 2007). For this reason, governments are urged to continue providing Medicare through the Medicaid scheme, which guarantees medical attention for the vulnerable youth leaving foster care (Ward, Henderson and Pearson, 2003). There are several states in America, which offer the Medicaid option including Missouri, Michigan, Massachusetts, West Virginia and Minnesota among others (Stott, 2007). The inability of various foster care homes to account for many of the children who leave their homes arises from the fact that most are incarcerated, die or join the military and dropout of these systems (Meltzer, 2003). Reports by Ward, Henderson and Pearson (2003) in their book “One Problem among Many: Drug Use among Care Leavers in Transition to Independent Living” indicate that many youths encounter problems in their access and use of medication. There is a decline in the provision of special cerebral and residential treatment along with school based services. Foster care homes service rates decline when rates of the children who were left in them increase. This is facilitated by the lack of accessibility to the medical attention being offered, which is mainly due to their inability to afford it (Meltzer, 2003). The government has been urged to come up with comprehensive medical schemes to ease the problems the young experience. The proponents of this proposal argue that such a move will greatly assist the youths leaving the homes to easily access medication (Harrison-Jackson, 2009). Most of the medical institutions are also reportedly unable to cater for the services of providing outpatient therapies to their patients from foster care. This is facilitated by the fact that the facilities do not frequently monitor the activities of the children after foster care (Scott, 2007). The youths encounter great problems in raising funds for acquiring medication because of the high unemployment and inflation rates affecting their economy. Reports by Harrison-Jackson (2009) indicate that the governments in most countries are being urged to revise their health policies concerning their youth. This move would assist the youth in obtaining medication through morally acceptable means. There are many indications that point towards children outside foster care being more offensive than their counterparts who have not been in the homes. This is because of exposure to risks in the environment outside the care homes. These risks include issues such as discrimination, the social disadvantage of lacking love, and financial difficulties (Scott, 2007). Reports by Priestley, Rabiee and Harris (2003) also indicate that young adults coming from foster homes have more chances of indulging in criminal offenses in addition to having less academic abilities. The governments throughout the entire globe have been urged by various pressure groups to develop schemes that will provide financial assistance for the young adults. These groups claim that the move will greatly assist the children in abstaining from drug and alcohol abuse (Scott, 2007). Young people leaving foster homes usually encounter housing problems. This is because of the high rates being charged for these services. There are high rates of unemployment, which aggravate the problems encountered (Ward, Henderson and Pearson, 2003). The youths encounter many difficulties and problems, which eventually lead them to indulging in criminal acts and drug abuse. There is also a close association between the criminal acts, the cerebral and general well being of the young adults (Priestley, Rabiee and Harris, 2003). Research by Ward, Henderson and Pearson (2003) indicate that governments have stemmed up their efforts of rehabilitating the youths leaving foster care. This is through the creation of the teams for controlling and monitoring their youth’s offenses. These teams have been charged with the responsibility of providing support to the children experiencing problems. The types of support on offer range from collaborating with professionals in their various problems and having practical assistance to solving their problems. For example, the governments are said to provide legal facilities for the young adults who have court cases by availing them with legal counselors (Priestley, Rabiee and Harris, 2003). Another major difficulty faced by the youth leaving foster care, is the lack of adequate financing to assist them in venturing into economically productive activities (Smith, 2006). The main reason that young adults are given foster care is due to neglect and lack of financial ability from the guardians. This reason, coupled with orphans and young adults without legal guardians, points out the financial inabilities of these youths (Meltzer, 2003). In the foster care homes, the youths are usually provided with all their basic needs. This changes when the children leave the care of their foster parents and are left to fend for themselves. Therefore, it is evident that their financial troubles eventually lead them to drug abuse and criminal activities (Scott, 2007). The resulting financial hardships that the youth face can be directly linked to many instances of drug abuse and eventual mental breakdowns. This happens when the youth get into the vices to escape the realities of life. Lack of financial stability usually leads the youth to engaging in criminal activities to sustain their livelihoods and drug abuse problems with the aim of forgetting their problems (Smith, 2006). In this regard, governments should be encouraged to ease the burdens facing by the young adults leaving foster care by adequately financing them so that they can lead good lives. This is because the resultant negative effects usually affect the whole community along with the youth themselves (Scott, 2007). The negative factors mentioned above make most people in the society view individuals who are from foster care as a negative influence on their society. This means that the young adults leaving foster care are usually discriminated and viewed as criminals or drug abusers. According to the statistics mentioned in the beginning of this paper, pertaining to the racial make-up of most foster care centers, the make-up is also a valuable pointer in this regard. Since most children in foster care are usually of Hispanic or African-American descent, most people regard them as having criminal intents (Kurman, Freunlich & Maluccio, 2009). The other factor that leads to this type of discrimination includes the presence of convicts’ children in foster care. When convicted individuals give birth in prison, their children are usually taken into foster care. Upon the release of the children into society, the society usually receives them with negative perceptions. It is because of the discriminations that most of the young adults face leaving foster care encounter that prevent them from getting gainful employment or educational facilities (Meltzer, 2003). These factors eventually lead them to engaging in criminal activities to sustain their livelihoods. Despite the numerous anti-discrimination laws in place, most individuals are reluctant to hire or train individuals that would not be trusted with finances (Kurman, Freunlich & Maluccio, 2009). The government could help in this regard by sensitizing the society of the plight of the young adults leaving foster care. This would greatly help in augmenting their education and financial stability (Meltzer, 2003). There is a great need for evaluating the different methods being put to use as alternatives in easing the difficulties that young people encounter after leaving foster care. Reports by Scott (2007) in his book “The Well Being and Risk Behaviors of Young Adults from Foster Care”, suggest that many attempts have been created aiming at assisting young adults to attend their difficulties more effectively. Such moves have tremendously helped to reduce the youths’ involvement in crime and their reliance on drugs for support. The movies have also helped in improving the young adults’ health and cerebral well-being resulting in improvements in their general lives. The young adults should be taught the importance of developing resilience and positive self-esteem. This has been identified as aiding the young adults in overcoming problems and surviving difficulties (Meltzer, 2003). The act of encouraging participation of young adults in positive events such as reading and games greatly enables them to have these two qualities (2007). These qualities are perceived as positive and protective for the foster children since it helps them to develop to responsible and accountable citizens. The young adults should be taught skills in various fields that can become beneficial to them in the future. The skills taught should be relevant to the respective fields into which the youth decide to venture. This will enable them to spend their time properly and prevent them from indulging in bad habits such as drug and alcohol abuse (Meltzer, 2003). Counseling and guidance facilities should also be provided to the young adults after foster care. This is because it greatly assists in molding their characters into responsible citizens (Smith, 2006). Reports by Monaghan and Broad (2003) indicate that many young adults do not report their health problems after foster care. (Meltzer, 2003). Reports by Meltzer (2003) also suggest that those suffering from emotional problems have to receive intensive support for them to recover effectively. The government has been urged to come up with follow up procedures to ensure these issues are adequately addressed (Scott, 2007). The staff responsible for assisting the young adults also reportedly suggests that the youths do not have adequate resources to facilitate their activities. The government’s support of their activities will greatly enable them to effectively address the issues affecting the young adults. This support should be in terms of increasing their material and financial resources (Hicks et al, 2003). Follow up on the young people who have left foster care indicates that about 43% of them have had problems with drug abuse (Hicks et al, 2003). The young adults have positively identified their entry into the habits as being facilitated by peer pressure, family influence and experimentation among other issues. The young adults have ended up encountering numerous problems in their housing, careers and health (Meltzer, 2003). The governments are thereby advised to come up with comprehensive schemes that will facilitate better time management techniques among the youth (Scott, 2007). There is an association between the offenses committed by the youth and their failures in achieving their objectives in life. This is seen as bringing a lot of depression and stress to the victims (Meltzer, 2003). The following up of the young adults’ behavior and activities after foster care, greatly enhances their chances of indulging in responsible behavior. Professional support should be provided to these people to stop them from indulging in bad behavior. The help provided could range from specific to more general assistance depending on the type of problems being encountered (Smith, 2006). According to research by Priestley, Rabiee and Harris (2003), the development of better hobbies and follow up on implementation greatly assist them to avoid indulging in crime. The youth could end up indulging in more creative and productive activities that in turn enable their growth and development as members of the larger community. Certain measures should be developed by authorities to ensure that the young adults’ well being, mental health, housing and work help in improving their characters and behaviors. In assessing the young adults’ mental state, officials in charge should use questionnaires to determine their general health (Hicks et al, 2003). These questionnaires should be developed and designed to display any stresses that may be encountered. This will greatly help in detecting signs of anxiety or stress in an individual and could be vital in deterring people from indulging in bad behaviors, which result in bigger problems (Smith, 2006). Using these questionnaires, the respondents who score high results will be depicted as suffering from ailments related to stress or anxiety problems and appropriate measure will be taken to stabilize them. The use of a Cantrill ladder reportedly helps in evaluating an adult's well being and usually involves an adult gauging his achievements using a scale (Meltzer, 2003). These measures will greatly assist a young adult in determining whether he is on the right track since he or she left foster care. The measures also help the young adults in evaluating their self-performances in the attainment of their career objectives. The placement of their results higher up on the ladder will indicate their performances as good whereas their placement at the bottom indicates that the things are bad for them. The results help to adjust the youth appropriately (Meltzer, 2003). Protection of the quality of housing that young adults leaving foster care go to live in assists them in abstaining from bad habits, such as crime and drug abuse. This is because the young adults tend to feel socially accepted in their economic systems and not socially isolated from the rest of the community (Priestley, Rabiee and Harris, 2003). It is a requirement for the officials in charge, that under the protection laws, it will be ensured that a maximum number of young adults has access to good accommodation, educational activities, training and professions providing social facilities. This will ensure that the young people feel socially accepted and enable them to actively participate in developing their nation (Scott, 2007). The need for increasing penalties for parents who are caught neglecting their children has also been emphasized in several reports. Majority of the American children who enter foster care do so due to the neglect encountered in parental homes (Monaghan and Broad, 2003). Therefore, in order to reduce such cases, the governments have been pushed by several organizations into coming up with more stringent measures for countering the vice. These include harsh fines and penalties for the guardians, which range from cash bills to imprisonment terms (Scott, 2007). Previous research indicates that the protection of the youth after foster care does not venture into the alternative skills that are vital for young people to be equipped with. The researchers emphasize the need to follow up on the young adults after foster care. However, the projects do not focus on the need for adequately equipping them with skills, which will be beneficial to them in the end (Meltzer, 2003). Another factor that previous research seems to miss out is the sensitization of the society on the social and emotional needs of the young adults leaving foster care. As already mentioned in this paper, the discrimination that these youth face in the society is enough to drive them into criminal activities and drug abuse. Therefore, this research will focus on these gaps in the ways of improving the community’s attitude towards the individual youths leaving foster care. This research will also focus more on the various types of skills that the young adults should be equipped with along with the determination of their long-term effects. My research intends to fill the gap between previously done research by working closely with children in foster care to ascertain their needs, attitudes and behaviors. Finally, it will aim at improving them, hence, creating responsible and accountable citizens in the future. References Harrison, M. (2009). A Multi-State Evaluation of the Factors Predicting Educational Achievement. Arizona: Barnes and Noble. Hicks, l., Gibbs, I., Byford, S., & Weatherly, H. (2003). Leadership and Resources in Children’s Homes. Report for the Department of Health. York: University of York. Krebs, B., & Pitcoff, P. (2006). Beyond The Foster Care System, the Future for Teens. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. Kurman, B., Freunlich, M., & Maluccio, A. N. (2009). Achieving Permanence for Older Children and Youth in Foster Care, New York: Columbia University Press. Meltzer, H. (2003). The Mental Health of Young People Looked After By Local Authorities In England. London: Oxford University Press. Monaghan, M. & Broad, B. (2003). Talking Sense: Views about Health and Well-Being from Young People Facing Social Exclusion. London: The Children Society. Priestley, M., Rabiee, P., & Harris, J. (2003). Young Disabled People and the ‘New Arrangements’ For Leaving Care in England and Wales. London: Children and Youth Services Review. Smith, W. (2006). Youth Leaving Foster Care: A Developmental, Relationship-Based Approach to Practice, London: Oxford University Press. Stott, C. (2007). The Well Being and Risk Behaviors of Young Adults from Foster Care. Arizona: Barnes and Noble. Ward, J., Henderson, Z., & Pearson, G. (2003). One Problem among Many: Drug Use among Care Leavers in Transition to Independent Living. London: Oxford University Press. Read More