17 days ago

How The State of the Foster Care System Shows Us the State of Our Culture

Introduction:

Stats from gitnux.com show that:
Highlights: Foster Care Abuse Statistics
Children in foster care are four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than their peers not in foster care.
Approximately one-third of children placed in foster care in the United States are abused.
In 2019, over 672,000 children spent time in U.S. foster care.
In 2017, 2% of all confirmed child maltreatment cases occurred in foster homes.
In New York State alone, 10% of children in foster care are victims of abuse or neglect.
On average, a child spends two years in the foster system and will move seven times, disrupting bonds and educational progress, increasing his/her vulnerability to abuse.
Over 50% of young people in foster care have experienced two or more types of violence or trauma in their life span.
In 2015, more than 20,000 young people aged-out of foster care without permanent families.
A third of foster children with a history of maltreatment are arrested, on average, five years after leaving care.
25% of children in foster care will be involved in the justice system within two years of leaving the system.
35% of young males aging out of foster care will have been incarcerated.
Teen girls in foster care are more than 2 times more likely to become pregnant by age 19 compared to those not in foster care.
Children in foster care are more likely to suffer from PTSD than war veterans, with 25% of children in foster care meeting the criteria.
30-50% of foster care children perform below grade level in school.
Over 25% of former foster children had no health insurance at the age of 21.
Only 30% of foster children who graduate from high school attend college.

So why not adopt? From stelizabethfoundation.org:

“There are many factors to consider when researching adoption vs. foster care. One of the biggest differences between adoption and foster care is the duration of the child’s stay. Adoption is a permanent decision. Depending on the openness of the adoption, the birth parents may or may not remain in contact with the child and their adoptive family. The goal of foster care, on the other hand, is to give a child a safe and loving home until they can be reunited with their birth parents. In this environment, the family acts less as parents to the child and more as caretakers during their time together.”
https://stelizabethfoundation.org/adoption-vs-foster-care-which-is-right/

Theology: What does the Bible say about the Widow and Orphan? What does it say about Criminal Punishment?

Philosophy: If we as Christians are to impact the world, what better way than to be there in the hardships of another person. If not foster, or adoption, hospitality and other options are afforded the Christian. Have you considered those?

Culture: Kristi Noem recently got herself out of politics when she outed herself in her own book for putting down a dog that was killing livestock. The internet went wild, almost unanimously across the aisle, everyone turned on the Governor of South Dakota. But it’s interesting that such protests were levied against a farm owner for putting down a dog who had killed livestock, when they can’t be bother or even rather cheer at the death of a baby in utero.

9:59-: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTlFVvIfnfU

Politics: So what has changed in the laws around foste rcare?
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/04/29/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-rule-strengthen-protections-youth-child-welfare-system.html

https://nypost.com/2023/01/20/couple-pimped-their-adopted-sons-out-to-pedophile-ring-report/amp/

Economics: So what is the solution? We as a church, need to take a part in the lives of those around us. This does not mean each of us needs to be a foster family. We can contribute in other ways. Consider this group here:

0:00-2:51 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q
ZXFA8QMrcw
Final Thoughts

What is your favorite childhood memory?

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