At its core, foster care is meant to protect and nurture youth who have been removed from situations in which they didn’t receive the care they needed. But when you really look at all the news reports, stories from youth affected by the system, as well as the statistics, you see that foster care is actually quite a broken system. Although there’s a number of wonderful caregivers, social workers, and other workers (such as advocates and therapists), there are also far too many who cause more damage to these children when they’re under their care. Maltreatment within the foster care system is real and rampant, but it can be battled. Those who are active in the foster care system as well as our local communities can come together to change how these kids are treated.
I was placed in foster care right after turning 12. I was in five foster homes, adopted at 16, and kicked out at 17, resulting in a brief period of homelessness. During my time in foster care, I experienced abuse in all of my placements, the third being the worst. In my third foster home, my foster mom was investigated twice while I lived there, and I got a call when I was 19 regarding another investigation about her. I remember her telling me and my foster sisters, “You think your social workers will believe you? I’ve been a foster parent for over 20 years, and I’m very good friends with the supervisors at DCFS. If you have a problem with me, they’ll just move you somewhere else, and good riddance.”
From being physically abused to sexually harassed and called white trash, there wasn’t a single day in foster care where I felt peace and safety. I don’t know for sure about my third foster mom, but I know all the others are still fostering to this day. They still get paychecks while my foster sisters and I still get nightmares.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “children and youth who experience trauma, including abuse or neglect, are at increased risk for long-term emotional, behavioral and physical health problems, among other challenges.” To relate to this personally, I recently got out of an eight-year domestic violence relationship. When it was ending, I begged him not to leave. Regardless of the incredible abuse I experienced, my fear of abandonment and self-esteem issues — issues directly linked to my time and experiences in foster care — made it so that I didn’t even care if I had to continue to suffer. I was just desperate to hold on to that sliver of security I had finally attained. I also struggle with self-harm behaviors, insomnia, body dysmorphia and food insecurity, among other things. The long-term effects of the abuse I experienced in foster care affect me daily and make it a constant battle to simply exist peacefully.
Statistics and Research
When discussing maltreatment in foster care, it’s important to be properly informed. Statistics clearly show just how prevalent and common maltreatment is within the foster care system. It’s also a great benefit to know the numbers behind specific areas of maltreatment, such as where the maltreatment occurred, how it occurred, and who it was by. This can help you on your own advocacy journey. Below are just some of the statistics and studies done on this topic from nationally reputable sources that are accessible to the public.
- A study found that about one-third of former foster youth in Oregon and Washington reported being abused by a foster parent or another adult in a foster home.
- In a study of investigations of alleged abuse in New Jersey foster homes, researchers found a lack of assurance for the safety of foster youth due to unreasonable professional judgment in abuse cases.
- According to the Arizona Republic, “In surveys going back for decades, from 25 percent to as high as 40 percent of former foster children report having been abused or neglected in care.”
- 20% of reported cases of sexual abuse came from foster parents.
- Psychology Today estimates that up to “28% of children in foster care experience abuse or neglect”
- The Ballard Center for Social Impact states, “in the 2008 New Jersey child maltreatment report, 3.6% of the reported sexual abuse investigated by the state was at the hands of a foster parent.”
With these statistics in mind, people can equip themselves with the knowledge they need to be aware, raise awareness for others, and have the motivation to make a difference. No effort is wasted when it comes to protecting and defending children against abuse.
Spotting Mistreated Youth
Knowing if a child is being mistreated doesn’t rely solely on the child’s ability or willingness to report it. Most of the time, youth will simply act out or withdraw instead of speaking up, usually out of fear or as a trauma response. Even if a person is not deemed a mandated reporter, they should say something if they see something. Always.
There are countless signs that a child may exhibit if they’re being mistreated in their foster home. It’s important to keep in mind that sometimes youth in foster care can exhibit these symptoms as a result of the abuse they experienced before they entered foster care, but this thought is often what causes people to overlook these behaviors instead of trying to figure out the root cause. There’s still a chance it could be happening to them in the present moment by those who are supposed to be protecting them. Each child is very unique in how they express themselves, but generally speaking, here are some things to keep your eyes open for, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Behavioral Changes
- Withdrawal from friends or usual activities
- Aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity
- Changes in academic performance
- Depression, anxiety or unusual fears
- Sudden loss of self-confidence
- Sleep problems and nightmares
- Frequent absences from school
- Rebellious or defiant behavior
- Self-harm or attempts at suicide
Take Action
How a person reacts to and acts upon discovering the abuse of a child in foster care can differ from child to child based on their unique situation. However, there are some basic steps that can be taken to try to help.
● Try Talking to The Child
This can be tricky, as a lot of the times when a young person is being mistreated, they won’t speak up about it for a number of reasons. There is always a chance, though, that if they trust you, they’ll tell you. Just remember to keep it appropriate and to not push them to say anything that they are clearly uncomfortable talking about.
● Document Everything
Whatever is shared with you, what you see, what you hear — document it. Write down specific details such as dates, times, and places of incidents that occurred. Proof is one of the greatest tools in fighting and advocating for a child in foster care.
● Speak to those Involved in the Child’s Case
If you feel that a child is being mistreated, bring it up to those who have a direct way of changing the child’s situation and helping them. This can be their foster parents, social worker, therapist, guardian ad-litem, or even the judge or the child’s attorney. It’s important that if the person who is mistreating the child is one of these workers, you proceed with caution or report them to another worker.
● Make Official Reports
This could look like reporting to a child’s social worker, the child and family center the child is a part of, the child’s school, or even making an official police report depending on the severity of the case.
● Do Not Give Up
Trying to advocate for a child who is being mistreated can be tiring and seem like an endless battle with no positive outcomes in sight. Persistence is key, though. Children get “lost” in the system all the time, being pushed lower and lower in the piles of paperwork and cases. For the most efficient results, though, you must remain persistent and motivated.
When we look at our communities, we are concerned with crime rates, homelessness, substance abuse, and more. But we don’t think too deeply about the fact that a lot of these individuals are usually engaging in these destructive behaviors as an attempt to cope with their trauma, or as a direct consequence of the maltreatment they experienced in their childhoods. If we want to change the reality for the better, we need to start with the kids who need to be protected. Children who are mistreated, more often than not, can become adults who mistreat others. The popular saying “Hurt people hurt people” holds a lot more truth than we realize. We need to nurture and protect these children now so they have the ability to do so for others in the future and for themselves in their adult lives.
