Argumentative Essay On Foster Home

Words: 1171
Pages: 5

Where do children go when their homes become dangerous? In the United States, the foster care system is often the answer to this question. There are many reasons why the state might determine a child’s own home is no longer a safe place. A parent’s use of illegal drugs often sets the stage for`children being neglected or abused. Mental illness can also be a factor in a parent being unable to safely take care of their child. Whatever the reason, when a minor child is removed from the birth home, this child is mandated a ward of the state and placed in a group-home or with a state certified caregiver. Many people believe that all kids removed from their families should be placed in a foster home with other families. These families are reimbursed for the expenses of an added child to their home. In Iowa, as of 2016, the average amount a foster parent is paid per child is $585 a month (Peeple). This amount of money causes some to take children in for the wrong reasons. Because of this and other issues, the current foster system is not working.
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Each year thousands of children are placed in foster homes that are later determined to be abusive emotionally and sometimes physically. The quality of screening potential foster parents and training these people varies from state to state. When taken from one abusive situation and put into another, children often feel like they cannot tell anyone what is happening. Once again, a child has been betrayed and they believe there is no one they trust to listen to them. In some instances, caseworkers will know the foster homes are abusive but still send the children to those homes. They most often do this because of pressure to get children placed, and there are few homes available. These pieces of a broken foster care system continue to cause damage to children who are often irrepairably