Experience of Staying in a Foster Care - Assignment Example

Annotation #5 Week 5 s In my life, there was one defining moment that influenced my life in a significant way. In one, incidence, in my life, had a chance to visit one of the foster cares in the country. In the foster care environment, there were elderly most of which were veterans of the Vietnamese war. I had a chance of interacting with one of the elders and he narrated to me of the situations in the war. He described the horrible state of the war and nerve-wrecking situation that he had gone through. These effects had led to depressive situation in the elder and hence his long stays in the foster care. After this period, I developed a passion for taking care, not just for the elderly but also all people. This motivated me to join a class that will teach me the concepts of taking care of people. This also motivated me to develop a passion for furthering my studies in the field of sociology, and I know I will be able to achieve my dreams. The other significant thing that has shaped my life is the class of my family. I come from a middle class family. My parents had a chance of going to reputable schools and got well paying jobs n the country. As a result, their well-being in the society has influenced my life in a significant way. I have managed to go to the good schools in the state. In the schools, I met also other children from the middle class families that have had the same opportunities as mine. In the school, there has been an emphasis on sports and creativity such as drama. Most of the students participate in these activities and teacher keeps on telling us that sports is beneficial for our overall wellbeing. On the other hand, my parents have been insisting on learning how to manage our finances early. My parents call for accountability on how I use the little money they give me. As a result, I have learnt ways to manage money well while still in college and the way from my parents. On the other hand, I have managed to develop friendship within my social class. We also go out with my friends on the same social class. In fact, my girlfriend is from my parents friends that live in the same neighborhood. My parent’s friends are also middle class and enjoy seeing us together. My social class has affected me in a significant big. First, I dream of making it big in the society. I have also developed more friend and girlfriend within my social class. However, being an Asian I have witnessed several form of stereotype. One of the significant has been teasing due to my accent in class. As a result, I opt being quite in class that than responding to teacher question as some of my fellow students laugh at me. Moreover, being a male in my race makes me not be able to access some of the rights accessed by my female counterparts. Parent, Marc. “Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk.” New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1998. Print In the foreword section, the author describes of the situation he faced from reporting some of the incidences faced by people in New York. The author notes of challenges of ensuring people understand the problems faced by such people. The author also notes of remorse after leaving such scenes without doing anything to stop some of the challenges. The author also notes the challenges faced by children in the New York City’s child welfare system. The system is noted as not suitable for upbringing children as most are likely to end up engaging in social disorder. There is also a focus on challenges faced by children such as beating, and rape. This is shown to be done by close family members. The city welfare system is also shown to conceal a number of malpractices done on those supposed to be taken care of. Children in the system are depicted as being brutalized to a level of dieing. Foster parent has also been accused of sexual abuse. The information is said to come from individuals and groups fighting for reforms in the care system. In this section, I have realized that the foster care may not provide all what is required for a kid saved from challenges in their homes and neighborhoods. I have also noted that such care needs some regulation for the well-being of those in the facilities. In the prologue section, the author begins by describing his town in Wisconsin. He notes that rarely people left their place in the region, as there was plenty for everyone. However, the author was forced to relocate to New York City where he worked as a care provider. He describes his work AT Emergency Children’s Services an affiliate of the city’s Child Protective Services. He was twenty-three years old then. He was responsible for ensuring that children were safe. He describes how they visited homes to observe on the situation of children and it involved taking away those abused from their parents. He notes that the parents of abused children had no concern for their children being taken away. He notes that children are mutilated and sometimes killed in the city. The author also notes that there was some success in transforming the children for a better future. The narrator also notes of failure that makes him regrets up to now. In this section, I have realized that foster care can play a significant role in safeguarding child well being. In addition, I have been fascinated by the lack of parental love to their children as narrated in the book. This is because children are taken away to foster care without parent resisting the action and no emotional attachment. In chapter one, it begins by description of the challenges faced by workers in the foster care. Marc notes that they are just seventeen handling over three million people. The other significant thin in this section is the description of challenges faced by one family. It is a family of three two boys (Sean and Ben) and their mother Duma. The two boys are shown being neglected by their mother who is a drug addict. Sean is eight years old while Ben is two years old. The challenges in this home have led to Sean developing a mental condition. The mother fails to follow the psychiatrist instruction on managing Sean condition, and this leads to aggravation of the situation. Through a conversation with Marc, Sean is shown wanting to kill his brother as he cries. He deems the noise as likely to lead to attack from strangers. Marc manages the situation and police rescue the two brothers. Sean is taken to hospital while Ben is taken to an emergency foster care. Marc also describes being dismissed after requesting for improvement of conditions in foster care environment. He also notes of interaction with individuals he is responsible to take care of. In this section, I have come to learn how child neglect affects the child mental being and how it influence action and beliefs. Moreover, I have realized challenges that some of the children go through in the state of New York. In chapter two, the author begins by describing the situation of the workers in the emergency care facilities. The workers are shown to be fully occupied with activities all time. This is due to increased incidences of child mistreatment and lack of guardianship. Moreover, Marc describes the challenges faced by fellow workers in the filed as they try to address the problems in the society. Some of the challenges involve risking their lives as well as facing violent perpetrators of serious crimes in the society. In this chapter, a situation is described of beating of children in a family. The family stays in the East Tremont in the Bronx region. The case begins by describing how young Raphael was engulfed with fear in their room. In the same room, His younger cousin Tony is described lying in the room with blood oozing in some of the body openings. The children mothers and children are taken to the Bronx detective station for questioning on the circumstances that led to beating. On the other hand, Marc and Jerry are assigned this case to address the issues of children. The situation gets complicated as tony dies in hospital. In the end, it is clear somebody close to the family was responsible for the abuse. In this chapter, I have come to realize how abuse of children is rampant in the region especially from close family members. I have also realized that being a caseworker requires some form of dedication and passion in your work. Children’s Bureau. “Child Welfare Outcomes Report Data.” Acf.hhs.gov. Web. 02 May 2014. http://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/data/tables/demo_stats?years[]=2011&years[]=2012&viz=table&states[]=33&state=33®ion=>. Demographics: Child Welfare Summary New York: 2011, 2012 2011 2012 Total Children Under 18 Years 4,294,690 4,263,154 Child Maltreatment Victims 72,625 68,375 Foster Care Entry Rate per 1,000 2.4 2.4 Children in Foster Care on 9/30 25,044 24,625 Children Adopted 2,214 2,112 The number of children in the welfare in the state of New York under 18 years equals to 4,263,154. This is a significant number although it represents a decline in comparison to the previous year. The decline as compared to the previous years appears to be over 20, 000 of the population. This portrays a significant change and demonstrates fruits of various initiatives carried by the state. The other significant thing on the table is on foster care. The foster care for year 2o12 is at the rate of 2.4. This appears unchanged as compared to the previous year. There were 24,625 children in the foster care as on date 9/30. This also presents a decline as compared to the previous year. A decline is of about four hundred of children. The number of children adopted in the state equals to 2,112. This is also a decline as compared to the previous year in the same state. The decline of the number of children in the foster care may be attributed to the states policies that enhance more on adoption of children. There has also increased flexibility in some of the policies controlling the adoption of children. This may have significantly contributed to the decline in the number and rates of children in the state foster care systems. This is evident as one compares the situation with the previous year. The other main section on the table is on child maltreatment. The number of children involved in the investigation is 4,263,154. The number of children that became victims of maltreatment is 68,375. The whites appear as the highest victims of maltreatment followed by the Hispanics and Blacks. The percentage of whites is 32.6 while the blacks and Hispanics (of any race) are 28.7 and 25.1 respectively. The victimization appears lowest in the Native Hawaiian, Asian, and American Indian. Both neglect and physical abuse registers as the most common type of maltreatment in child victims. The other section in the table is on the foster care information. The number of children in the foster care equals 24,530 and their median length of stay in months is 22.6. The number of those that existed care is low as compared to the number of those that enters foster care. However, in comparison with 2011, the exit and entry to the care facilities have been on the decline. The number of children waiting to be adopted equals 6,258 and those freed for adoption equals 3,119. The percentage of children waiting to be adopted is highest in year three and lowest at below one year of age. The number of children adopted equals 2,112. There is a surprise as adoption appears high at a younger age and low as ones gets older. The composite nature appears unchanging in the process of reunification. Read More