The Whole View, Episode 456: Foster Care and Mental Health Awareness
Welcome back to episode 456! (0:28)

It's foster care awareness month, and this topic is something very important to Stacy.

She hopes that in talking about foster care, she can dispel some of the system's myths and miseducation. And let listeners know how they might be able to get involved even without becoming an official foster parent.

Here's a list of some famous people who were once in foster care:

Eddie Murphy

Colin Kaepernick

Steve Jobs

John Lennon

Marilyn Monroe

James Dean

Willie Nelson

Ice T

Louis Armstrong

Cher

Alonzo Mourning


Source: Famous Foster Children Who Have Been Through Foster Care | EHSD

Stacy wants listeners to understand that neither foster nor biological parents with children in foster care don't need to be demonized or stereotyped negatively.

The goal of foster care is always reunification first, meaning the idea of having the child return to their biological family.

Stacy adds that this doesn't always mean parent, but sometimes caregiver or guardian. Sometimes this is by the parent's choice for what is better for the child.

 

Types of Foster Families
There are many different types of foster families. (5:15)

Many children go through the state directly. Stacy had a friend who just adopted her foster daughter this way.

Others go through agencies that provide administrative and emotional support to foster families. States have many different foster care laws, so agencies will look a little different depending on where you're located. 

There is also Therapeutic Foster Care through an agency. This is what Stacy and her family do. 

They are uniquely approved to foster and adopt children and teenagers who are working to overcome trauma, abuse, or struggle with emotional, behavioral, and/or medical challenges.

It involves extensive training to be licensed (not just as foster parents but also as a therapeutic foster resource family) and receives comprehensive, ongoing support. 

As a foster parent, you undergo investigation from extensive background checks to validating your financial independence. There is an extensive interview process families go through that involves friends and neighbors as well. And it's much more difficult than it's portrayed in movies to just "get foster kids for the money."

The Goal of Reunification in Foster Care
The length of time kids spend in foster care varies, but the goal is no longer than 18 months, and there are always "goals" written by the state that both sides need to abide by. 

In Stacy's experience, the state goes above and beyond to reunify the kids with their families. This includes support services to the biological parents. 

Fostering to adopt really varies from state to state. Where Stacy lives, it's only possible to be approved for both through an agency.

Stacy and her family aren't wholly looking to adopt at this time. However, they wanted that flexibility if it makes sense for kiddo to stay, which is why they chose an agency that did both.

The kiddo currently staying with Stacy is estimated to be with them for about a year. This is to allow proper time to evaluate the child's situation and ensure that they receive the held and care they need.

 

Need for Foster Care
The more kids in the system, the longer the process is. Stacy mentions that in her state, the need for foster care is at an all-time high. (16:01)

An estimated 437,283 children were in foster care on September 30, 2018. For perspective, that's one chilling entering care every 2 minutes.

On September 30, 2018, nearly one-third of these children (32%) were in relative homes, and nearly half (46%) were in non-relative foster family homes.

Over half (56%) had a case goal of reunification with their parents or primary caretakers.

About half (49%) of the children who left foster care in 2018 were discharged to be reunited with their parents or primary caretakers, and close to half (43%) who left foster care