Grace McGowan
Economics A2
The foster care system is a temporary arrangement for kids whose parents are unable to care for them. Adults sign up as foster parents to care for these children in the place of their birth parents.
This, I’m sure, most of you probably already knew. What you probably don’t know, however, is that there are over 400,000 kids in the USA’s foster care system every year.
That number has been rising.
In 2017, over 690,000 children were in foster care.
Sadly, a lot of kids don’t even end up getting adopted or returning to their homes. In 2017, more than 17,000 foster kids turned 18 or 21 and aged out of the system. Aging out of the system is when foster kids turn 18 or 21 years old (varies based on state) and are legally considered adults. They are therefore forced to move out of their foster home and start life on their own.
Foster care kids don’t get to choose their own fate. They are born and placed into these ill-fated lives. Just because they are wards of the state, that doesn’t mean they aren’t real people. The problem is not the kids, the problem is society. These are our kids. When we deprive them of a good family, education, and stability, we are setting them up for failure, and it’s damaging our economy and society as a whole.
Everytime a child ages out of the system, we as a society fail them and ourselves. We create more poverty, homelessness, and in some cases crime in our nation.
Furthermore, there was a study done on children’s mental health in foster care; 42% of teenagers ages 15 to 19 had a mental health disorder. These kids have these health problems due to poor foster or group homes with bad foster parents, along with their home trauma they experienced prior. Those with mental illnesses are less likely to be able to hold down a job and they are more likely to end their own lives.
More specifically, out of kids who have aged out of the foster care system, 20% of them “will instantly become homeless” (51). In general, these kids are not only more likely to become homeless than other kids, but they are also more likely to become incarcerated and be unemployed. Even more striking than this, “less than 3% will have earned a college degree [and] 71% of women will be pregnant by 21” (Adoption). Only around half of foster care kids even graduate from high school. Education is not only a national right, but it is “an investment in a nation’s human capital” (Adoption). The more kids are educated, the more successful they will be. They will be more able to make a living for themselves and make their impact on the right side of the economy.
If we don’t make a change now, the number of foster kids will continue increasing, making it harder to find funding in the government for their basic needs.
America overall needs more and better foster and adoptive families. It is the most clear and effective way to make a change and give these children the proper homes that they need. Offering better and more training for these foster families will also make an impact on how the children are raised and treated for. These children need to be treated as real children. Bettering these kids is bettering our whole society.
The foster care system cannot be fixed with one child, with one year, not even with one generation, but it all starts with one person.
Works Cited
“51 Useful Aging Out of Foster Care Statistics: Social Race Media.” National Foster Youth Institute, 26 May 2017, www.nfyi.org/51-useful-aging-out-of-foster-care-statistics-social-race-media/.
“Adoption Advocacy and Awareness.” National Council for Adoption, www.adoptioncouncil.org/.
Doyle, Joseph J, and Anna Aizer. “Economics of Child Protection: Maltreatment, Foster Care, and Intimate Partner Violence.” Annual Review of Economics, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469872/.
“The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Foster Care.” FosterClub, 10 Jan. 2019, www.fosterclub.com/blog/foster-care-news/impact-economic-crisis-foster-care.'
Zill, Nicholas. “Adoption from Foster Care: Aiding Children While Saving Public Money.” Brookings, Brookings, 29 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/research/adoption-from-foster-care-aiding-children-while-saving-public-money/.
This is something I never really think of effecting the economy, but to know it's this impactful is interesting. If 20% of foster kids who age out will instantly become homeless, is there a way to prevent that? Maybe the government could allot some funding from another sector to building temporary residencies for those who age out to get on their feet. Like a halfway house for those aging out of foster care. In addition, could we work to regulate a GED program or required schooling in foster homes so that those who age out are prepared to find a job and not left to fend for themselves?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that the current foster system ha s a negative economic effect of society because of the education and the amount of kids leaving foster care and becoming homeless. The problem with changing the foster care system is that it costs money which would most likely increase taxes because to give these kids a better chance to succeed in life they will need better facilities better teachers and more supportive people in their lives which will all cost money so the problem isn't easily fixed. Every thing has a cost weather it is time or money, but fixing the foster care system will take a lot of both of these things and if the kids in foster care who feel that they don't always have anything left to live for don't want the help we are using time in money as a cost for a very small benefit.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible! Why do you think that there are more and more foster kids every year? What are their birth parents doing that makes the increasingly unfit to care for their kin? Also, when kids age out of the system, are they given a government pension or a job to get them going? I think that if they are not already given a small means to start them with a place to live, or aren’t already given a )at least minimum wage) job opportunity, then those kids really are destined for failure. A better option, would be for them to have job experience and at least a high school education upon becoming legal age. Without those bare minimums, it makes perfect sense why we are failing them, and even encouraging them to fail themselves. At that point, even if the “adult” had high motivations and aspired for great things, they simply would not be possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article in that people do need to make a change and adopt a child, and I also agree that this will help with homeless rates because in the US there are more and more homeless people every month. Also when they do get out of the foster home they will have little to no education as it is very hard to get into college with the amount of money they have and also the lack of education in some cases. The one thing that is hard to understand about this topic is that not a lot of people are set up to adopt as there families in which the parents are addicts, or the family does not have enough money to provide for the kid which is the reason why it is hard to solve this problem in the US.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very informative blog post and on a very interesting topic. We all know adoption is available to give your kids into a foster care system or if you're wanting to adopt a child.But with there being such a high number of children it's at a high percent those kids won't leave the home till they reach the legal age for an adult. There's people who are willing to adopt but there's more people willing to put their kids up for adoption than to adopt a child. There should be a new effective way to make these children's be able to be put into families or get to feel like their part of a family without going their whole lives just living in a foster home.
ReplyDeleteThe issue with the foster system, in my opinion, of course comes with how these children are treated, but also with the fact that families wishing to adopt are few and far between. Most families have biological children, and it's hard to get children out of the foster care system when most families don't want any more children, or at least see having their own as an easier option. Obviously, adopting a child isn't easy, and the amount of background checks and paperwork necessary is somewhat staggering. I see this as a positive as it ensures only the best parents can adopt, but at the same time it can easily be seen as a fault due to the alarming amount of children in the system. How do you propose we convince more families to adopt without inviting in less credible ones?
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense that a large portion of foster kids ends up unemployed or homeless. When in foster care they are not able to develop many of the skills that we aquire from groing to school. It is also very sad that most of them can’t go to college, even tho there may be some kids who deserve to go. I completely agree that the foster care system must be changed, the number of kids who are put in foster versus the ones that manage to make a living is very low. This is not right, there should be an equal opportunity for them to go to college or get a job, it is not their fault that their families made mistakes in their lives.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was aware of the personal effects foster care can have on individuals, especially those who age out of the system, I never really thought about the economic effects it can have on the broader nation. The reference, "Every time a child ages out of the system, we as a society fail them and ourselves" really hit me as it shows how this is such a larger issue than most people make it out to be. These foster children are in fact born into a life that is many times more difficult than most people's, even simply finding and pursuing an education is extremely difficult for these individuals. Our country strives to create education for everyone, and if we want to achieve this goal we must make changes to the foster care system.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to believe that so many kids are not being treated the same as non-adopted kids, and are not able to fully reach their potential because of one person. This is a strong arguments, and very deep to even think about. Some kids deserve to live a normal life, and the fact that it is affecting our economy/society, is unbelievable. I agree that the foster care system should be changed for the better. The kids deserve better, as they had no choice but to be there because of their families.
ReplyDeleteI never ever would have thought about these foster children in relation to economics. I agree with you wholeheartedly that this issue is absolutely not the children's fault. No one ever chooses to be left behind, so this is completely an institutionalized problem. Our government has failed these children. At face value, it doesn’t seem like a major issue, but after reading that 400k children join this system annually and that 20% of them end up homeless after they hit the legal age makes me thing that our education system has failed us, too. As Americans in the public school system, we are often pressured into being overt nationalists (starting the day with the pledge while looking the 13 stripes in the eye), but the fact that these children are suffering and we never once hear a peep about them (even in social studies classes) is so disheartening. If we talked about the less fortunate as much as we talked about the irrelevant things we do in school, we could all be future leaders in reversing these problems because I feel like our current elected officials are more concerned with other issues.
ReplyDeleteStarting off, the statistic of 20% of the children will instantly become homeless scares me. It feels that every statistic that is listed in this piece involves the foster children being much less ready for the future. Education is very important in everyone's lives, and once they turn 18 and have to live on their own, it's crazy how they would need to earn an education. I feel that the image you have in your piece makes an impact on everyone viewing this. Only 33% of the youth involved in the Colorado foster care programs graduate!? That brings the question in my head of, "Why are more and more parents giving their child to foster care, and less and less people accepting them into their family?" I feel that this piece is really eye opening and brings up many discussions of what needs to be changed with foster care. Great job!
ReplyDeleteIt is truly unfortunate to hear that so many young individuals in the U.S. are unable to find families that are willing and able to take care of them. I am in agreement with your argument; I think it is vital that we find ways to help foster kids, so that everyone has an equal opportunity for things, like a home, a family, and a proper education--all the things that are essentially basic necessities for a child's upbringing. What you did was open people's minds to a topic that most of us don't think about everyday, which is definitely a step in the right direction. In order to keep moving forward and making progress with our foster care system, how do you think we as a society should raise more awareness? What should we be doing to aid those who need it? In addition, do you think there should be more government intervention in the foster care system to ensure that these kids are receiving all the same kinds of opportunities?
ReplyDeleteThese statistics really shed light on how serious this problem is. 20% of children will instantly become homeless, that is not acceptable because for many of these children, it wasn't their choice. Unfortunately family issues is not something the government is good at handling. What do you think a better alternative e would be?
ReplyDeleteFoster care, never really became a concern to me until reading this, I didn’t think that it had such a big impact on the future of their lives and the future of our economy. The statistics are heartbreaking to read because many people out in this world, including myself don’t know how bad this is getting. I agree with you that there needs to be change in the world. This isn’t some small problem people can blow off because the effects of foster care on the people, create their actions that harm the economy. Bringing up crime rates and homlessness rates, isn’t good for the economy or the well being of these kids who didn’t choose to be born that way and treated they way they were. I like how different this blog post is from others, and how this real life issue is very important and not many people see that.
ReplyDeleteThinking about such a topic is heartbreaking. Many of these kids are our age and not getting what they deserve. I think when kids age out of the foster care system, we should instantly put them in some sort of shelter for the time being so they can find a job and eventually live on their own. I also agree with what you said at the end, it all starts with one person. One person can make a difference, but more than one person can make a huge impact on our society today. With more than just one person helping out these kids, each and every one of those kids can live the life they always dreamed of, with a family. How do you think people could help out these kids? What do you think we should do when kids age out of the foster care system?
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to hear that the number of children in foster care is increasing because of the fact that it is talked about so little in the media. Although after reading this, it makes you wonder why it doesn’t get more attention as it seems to impact society so much. Are there programs for children at all when they age out of the system, and if not, why? It seems like if this is only hurting the economy, the government would want to initiate a plan to get these citizens going in the right direction as to not leave them homeless and suicidal. These kids deserve equal opportunity and it’s unfortunate that many of them end up with nothing as a result of the lack of adoptions and quality education. We shouldn’t let them fall behind because of their parents.
ReplyDeleteThis is a serious problem, but a serious problem needs a serious solution. "Find funding in the government" isn't a consistent solution. If we give money to these system or these people then it will be cut from somewhere else creating an even bigger problem than before, possibly ending up as a negative for the homeless/ foster kids. The government has to make a decision on this "Opportunity Cost" which as of right now, they don't see it as that big of a problem because there isn't much action towards helping.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting stance on foster children. I’ve never considered the economic benefits of educating foster children and supporting them after they become adults to deter them from crime (or prevent them from becoming homeless). The statistic that 71% of women that age out of the foster care system are pregnant by 21 surprised me. I wonder if this contributes to the rising number of foster kids. If these women give up their own children to the foster care system, the cycle repeats itself. I think encouraging people to adopt could help this issue. However, for some reason, many feel as though they need to have biological children. This may prevent them from adopting a child. The best thing we can do right now is to support foster children’s mental health and physical well-being. If they have their basic needs met, they can focus on education and advancing in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of your statements, our society needs more safety nets. These kids are being abandonded and we need to give them support. There is a program called the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program that will help foster kids transition to adulthood. This program was created in 1999 but it has obviously not helped enough. We must either improve this program or add others in order to solve the foster care problem.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting concept that I never thought about before. It’s very sad to know that these kids have no say in what their future will look like. The graduation statistic was shocking to me because the vast majority of foster students don’t graduate. Education is one of the most important things in a society because it helps us advance. Places where education is not as abundant are generally places where there’s lots of poverty and a high crime rate. By not helping these kids along through life and making sure they are properly educated, we are doing harm to our own society.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this statement because foster kids do need better homes and to be raised correctly. They should be treated with care and live in a home that the foster family will treat them no different from their own children. Foster kids should be properly educated because once they turn 18 or 21 (depending on the state) they should at least try to apply for college and start a future. With no education, foster kids will end up homeless and on top of that if they aren’t being taught skills for the real world. Then life is going to end up being pretty tough for them. By the mental illness percentage of children: it is somewhat above average. Which then can affect how they perceive life and affect them in the long run. When foster children don’t ever return home or get adopted, that really affects them mentally as well. I bet it would be hard to live in a foster home and knowing you aren’t going back to your real family. I think that the government should regulate foster homes so the ones that aren’t up to a good state, should be shaped up into something better.
ReplyDeleteI always knew foster care wasn’t a good system, but after reading your post i’m shocked with how much I really didn’t know and how it’s even hurting our economy. I totally 100% agree with your post, especially since the US is always talking about how good their unemployment rate is. The unemployment rate could actually be better if they were to take better care of the foster care kids and actually support them instead of just kicking them out. The only hard thing is finding the money in the government to do this. The US should be providing these kids with the education, shelter, food, and security the rest of us have. I agree that we have to make a change now, and that we can get the money to actually provide for the kids in foster care.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is crazy to think that 690,000 children end up in foster care in 2017, and the numbers keep increasing. I don’t understand why people think they would be so unfit to have and keep their own child, I couldn’t imagine giving up my own kid! I think that it is even crazier to think that the only way for most children to get out of foster care isn’t until they become 18-21. I think that it’s terrible to hear about children being put into foster care and then not receiving a foster parent. I also feel very bad for the children because it makes sense why they aren’t receiving any education degree or being employed, because they have been in foster care their whole life.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that there were so many kids aged out of the system. It does make sense that they would become homeless due to lack of funds and work experience from being in a foster home. I can really see how this could be damaging to our economy. But do you have any ideas on how we should handle this? I mean should there be a program? Whatever the answer, it's better than what is happening now.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the fact that you touched on such a sensitive topic that not many people are educated about. I think if you also touched a little bit more about how we could treat the issue then that would be a little more impactful to the readers that don't know as much about the foster system.
ReplyDeleteI would have never thought about the foster care system regarding the economy. The kids growing up in and out of the foster care system are important to society and will help shape the nation in America in the future. It's understandable how 42% of kids 15-19 have mental disorders. They grow in environments that are unfitting. And because of that, it affects the way they grow. It makes a lot of sense that most foster care kids grow homeless or unemployed. This is a negative thing and I believe change should happen within this topic.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough your family may not always be your favorite people, it's important to remind yourself how fortunate you are to have people in your life that genuinely care about your well-being. The current Foster system not only drains money from the government that they could put towards other aspects of the economy,like education, but lacks in the creation of a foundation that kids in foster care can build their life from. They are given the bare minimum, setting them up for the life without the basic skills or knowledge to survive, nonetheless to thrive. They have little to no support, financially or emotionally. It is important to spread awareness of this growing epidemic and educate families that are willing to become foster parents, or even adopt.
ReplyDeleteThis was absolutely shocking to read. I knew how important the foster care system was to most but I didn't know how much it related with the economic side of things. Not enough people adopt in this generation but I think it should be a more well thought out process and our government should do something to change the way the foster care system works.
ReplyDeleteI knew that the foster system had problems but, after reading your article I discovered that it is much worse than I thought and actually affects or economy. How are kids that aged out of the foster system supposed to build a lives for themselves out of nothing after they were raised in negative environments. Aged foster kids are pushed into the real world expected to have a job when they had no support or experiences that would help them thrive in the work world. I agree that in order for unemployment rates to drop the foster systems need to improve so if it does get to the point where a foster kid reaches 18-21 they at least have some background and have a better chance of getting a job. I believe that the government needs to watch foster homes more closely to make sure that kids in the system are being treated right and not being neglected by the foster families. It is very important that this starts to change now so more people can have an opportunity for better lives.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting blog post to read as I didnt really ever realize that the foster system effected the economy. Now discovering that this is a reoccuring issue, I totally agree that that we need to change how the foster care system works and shed some light on this issue. Its very shocking to read that 20% of them will instantly become homeless. And that the kids that are not homeless are more likey to become incarcerated and umemployed. I feel like the goverment needs to invest in more funds to prevent this happening to the youth after they age out of the foster care system, like a halfway house. Foster care children arnt provided with the basics of life and how to survive after growing out of the foster care system and this needs to change.
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