Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, I have a dream too: a dream of a child welfare system that stands on principles, a dream of a child welfare system that lives up to what it aspires to be — a better parent.
You see, the logic of 10-year-old me was that if they are removing me from the care of my mom, they must be better parents. But man, was I in for a rude awakening! By the end of my first 30 days in care, I was vowing to myself and my peers that when I grew up, I would help other youth like us. Because even as a young girl in the midst of chaos and my own personal trauma, I knew that the experience I was having wasn’t right and should never be normal.
What I innocently thought would be a better parent, a better option, and a better choice positioned me to have some unimaginable odds stacked against me. As I approach the mark of over 10 years since my emancipation from the child welfare system, I’ve been thinking of the dreams of 10-year-old me. I’ve been thinking about how, almost two decades later, there are youth who are experiencing that same rude awakening, just as intimately as I had.
I am all about prevention. I believe in honoring family preservation completely, but I also know there are instances where removal is the only option. I’m speaking on instances where we, the people, are the better or only option. When taxpayers must step in, we, the people, must ensure our kids are provided support to the best of our nation’s ability!
To whomever power is given, an even greater duty entails. For the child welfare system, that power is the ability to step into a family’s life and make whatever decisions it sees fit, which is something I must say we have mastered! But that duty is still up in the air. That duty — or the perception of it, to say the least — sways from state to state, city to city, and, dare I even say, youth to youth.
Well, I have a dream, a dream where America honors its duty of being a better choice when removal is the only option. So what does honoring that duty mean to me? It means providing them with whatever support they need for however long they need it. It means guaranteed resources and seamless collaboration.
I want to take a step back, but this time into the logic of the 17-year-old me.I was a few weeks shy of emancipation and on the search for an apartment for my son and me. I questioned my transitional manager as to why I wasn’t automatically provided a housing subsidy or voucher. She quickly explained it just doesn’t work like that. However, from my perspective, I was a child of the government, a child of the people. So why wasn’t all the services and support of my “parents” automatically provided?
I would have to apply and wait to see if the government, my “parent,” selected me to receive a voucher. I would have to apply to the government, my “parent,” and hope I was approved for food assistance. I would have to apply to the government, my “parent,” to even be considered for medical coverage. I was baffled that a child would even have to ask a “parent” for this type of support. I thought to myself, “How dare you remove me from my parents for you to turn out to be such an even poorer one?”
Think about it for a second: at what age did you stop needing your parents? Eighteen, 21, 23? Well, for most states, that’s the age they cap support services. Based on the laws and policies we created, we, the people, tell former foster youth they are no longer entitled to support from their parents after this designated age.
As my son gets older, I reflect on the fact that I could never ever imagine myself telling him, “You are too old for my assistance.” I could never imagine telling him that at a certain age, he’s on his own and no longer entitled to support from me. So why should we treat former foster youth any differently?
In my dream, the child welfare system would extend its support and care for these young individuals beyond the age of 18 or any arbitrary cutoff point. We would recognize that their journey to stability and success may take longer due to the adversities they have faced. We would understand that the scars left by the system cannot simply be healed by reaching a certain age.
To honor our duty as a better choice, we must ensure that these young adults have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. This means automatic provision of housing subsidies or vouchers to assist them in finding stable accommodation. It means access to food assistance, medical coverage, and other essential services without having to navigate complex application processes.
Moreover, in my dream, seamless collaboration would be the norm. Agencies and organizations involved in the child welfare system would work together cohesively, sharing information, expertise, and resources to create a comprehensive support network for these young individuals. No longer would they have to face fragmented services and bureaucratic obstacles that hinder their progress.
But it doesn’t stop there. In my dream, we would invest in prevention and family preservation as the first line of defense. We would work diligently to provide resources and support to struggling families, addressing the root causes that lead to children being placed in foster care. By doing so, we could minimize the need for removal and reduce the trauma experienced by these young lives.
In order to realize this dream, we must come together as a society. We must demand change from our lawmakers and policymakers, urging them to prioritize the well-being of our most vulnerable youth. We must support organizations that advocate for reform within the child welfare system and amplify the voices of those who have experienced its flaws firsthand.
Ultimately, the dream of a child welfare system that stands on principles and lives up to the ideals of being a better parent is within our reach. It requires a collective commitment to ensuring that no young person is left behind or forgotten once they age out of the system. It demands that we recognize the inherent worth and potential in every individual, regardless of their past.
Let us work together to turn this dream into a reality where all youth who have experienced the child welfare system can grow into resilient and empowered adults. It is time to honor our duty and give them the support and opportunities they deserve.
