Child Welfare Vs Foster Care

Child welfare was created with the intention of protecting and strengthening families. It began to take root in the 1870s after cases of child abuse such as the case of Mary Ellen triggered the attention of the public by making them realize there were little to no laws in place to protect children from abuse (McGowen). As child welfare developed the Children’s Aid Society was founded in New York by Charles Loring Brace with the intention of getting children off of the street and into homes. The system developed into working with all kinds of children and youth who were in need due to homelessness, delinquency, abuse, neglect, or other familial concerns. Before long the United States Children’s Bureau was established creating support for children …show more content…
When children are within the system for an extended period of time there are opportunities for the children to be adopted. However, for 20,000 foster youth each year, when they are not adopted and they reach their 18th birthday while in a foster care home these youths are no longer under the custody of the state meaning they no longer receive any of the benefits that the state provides foster youth. Often when this occurs the emancipated youth are left to fend for themselves with no financial support, no emotional or social support they previously received from their foster home. When a former foster youth becomes a legal adult they are expected to completely provide for themselves through finding housing, continuing their education, finding employment, and figuring out various independent living skills that they were not previously taught. This harsh reality sets many former foster youth up for …show more content…
One study reports that 20-30% of former foster youth will experience homelessness in the years after foster care (Curry & Abrams, 2014). The challenge of finding affordable housing for an 18 year old without any credit, limited financial resources, or previous experience renting a space is nearly impossible. On top of housing emancipated youth need to find a sustainable income to be able to support themselves, only a small portion, 17% in Minnesota, of working youth who age out of foster care earn a livable wage at age 24 (Radel, 2008). This is often do to the limited work experience or education that former foster youth have, with so many other things to provide for education is typically not a priority. Unlike their average peers former foster youth do not have the financial backing that most young adults receive until finishing post-secondary education. “The average of estimates suggests that approximately half of the youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who have aged out of foster care have high-school diplomas or general educational development (GED) diplomas in comparison to over 70% of non-foster youth” (Unrau, Font, Rawls, 2012). This creates additional barriers to finding a sustainable job with little education to compete with their peers. Without opportunities for employment many resort to criminal means of gaining an income,