Foster Care Effects

Like orphanages, foster care services are not perfect. They come with several long-term effects that can be detrimental to the child for the rest of their life. Children often suffer from abandonment issues, and lack the self-confidence and drive to succeed in the outside world. The foster care system, while still caring for children and providing their basic needs works differently than an orphanage. Most children entering into the foster care system do have living relatives, but it has deemed unsafe for the child to remain in the home due to abuse or neglect. Often their families face issues such as illness, alcohol or drug addiction or homelessness (Facts and Statistics 2011). The child will enter foster care in the custody of the Department …show more content…
Foster care children while in school are more likely to be suspended or expelled, and are less likely to participate in extracurricular activities. While a study showed that 70% of the kids in foster care wanted to one day go to college, only 25% received a high school diploma and only six percent went on to actually get their four year degree (Facts and Statistics 2011). Another issue that kids in foster care face is their lack of a support system. The children who age out of foster care are never able to develop a support system which is very beneficial when “discovering” who you are. Because of the lack of support they tend to be homeless, or couch surfing. Around 50% struggle with a substance abuse and 25% become incarcerated. Unemployment for kids who aged out of foster care is at 48%, with around 75% females and 33% males end-up needing to use government benefits (Facts and Statistics 2011). 61% of the girls rescued in the United States from human trafficking, were actually part of the American foster care system (Facts and Statistics, 2011). The long-term emotional trauma of being part of foster care causes long-term emotional disorders in adults, with around 38% reporting ongoing emotional disorders. These statistics listed are overall results, and an experience of a child in foster care is an …show more content…
If a child has sustained substantial emotional trauma the one on one care giver relationship that foster care can provide could help the child overcome the emotional trauma and allow a child to form an attachment, but the uncertainty of moving around from one home to another does not allow for security and can lead to more emotional trauma. While the orphanage can provide more stability and allow for preparation for adoption, rather then being moved from one house to another in order to find the “perfect” family like in foster care. Ultimately both foster care and orphanages are an individualized experience for the child. The emotional development of the child depends on their environment, pre, during and post foster care and their time spent in an