Florida’s Foster care system has been corrupted for decades because of its mismanagement of cases and the lack of follow through by case workers. It has been reported from the Department of Children and Families that hundreds of kids each year have been moved countless of times from different homes. This does not include therapeutic and the mental health support children go through in that process.
According to Florida’s Foster Care and Adoption Database, “there are about 19,000 children in foster care in Florida. About 600 of children waiting for permanent placement are without identified families.” Case managers often overlook a child’s case when it comes to foster parents and the condition of the homes they are placed in. The most important thing for the youth is that they are placed in permanent homes that are stable. The child should feel connected and safe through adoption or guardianship.
The focus for many of those who work within the foster care system in on the placement of children and not the stability and nurturing the home can provide. In the article “Placement Discontinuity for Older Children” by Kevin R. White, the author explains how there is little to no attention and over sight paid to risk and protective factors for the children who have been placed after legal finalization of the case.
Kevin White attempts to conduct a study that will investigate and provide peer reviewed research literature that will address both the risk and protective factors for older youth. White writes this article to detail his systematic search to find 18 studies that are quantitative and quasi-experimental that can be published in peer-reviewed journals and then they can be implemented in various methods. In addition to child safety, maternity policies, and birth control, Americans have debated other related issues, including how indulgent or severe parents should be with their children. Some emphasize patience and acceptance, while others urge strictness and aggressive measures to push their children to succeed, a style sometimes referred to as extreme parenting. Americans have also debated the implementation of “safe-haven” laws, which allow women with unwanted babies to leave their infants in state care without criminal repercussions. Issues connected to family, pregnancy, and childbirth have long proved controversial, as they have profound moral, social, and economic implications.
The extent of the government’s involvement in these matters—and when it should intervene—continues to spark debate across American society. One way to improve these infidelities is to develop a comprehensive evaluation exam for those who are working in the social services field. Adopt us Kids organization has developed a website where they enlist a program called ‘Minority Professional Leadership Development’, this program helps different agencies and case manager to properly address diverse communities and obstacles of minority groups.
