Foster Children Who Turn 18 - Research Paper Example

?Introduction Foster children are those who are being kept in the protective care under a substitute family because of the overall neglect and abuse they may have received from their original family. (Orme & Buehler, 2001). Fostering therefore is also considered as one of the most acceptable and decent ways of turning the lives of the neglected and abused children and can contribute towards making them more constructive and productive citizens. What is also important to understand that it can also be rewarding for the carrers also. The different behavioral, psychological, cultural and social aspects which foster children often adapt from their new family can really provide effective means for the children to understand the life and the society in more mature manner. (Denuwelaere & Bracke, 2007). There can be different reasons as to why the children are being given under the foster care however; physical battering is considered as probably the most critical reason behind this decision. What is however, important to note that the removal from the families can be a painful experience for the children and as they grow and reach to their adolescence years, they may be unable to find a proper fit between their original families and their foster parents? Adjusting their individual personality to such split therefore can create both the psychological as well as the sociological issues. There can be different sociological issues faced by the foster children when they turn 18 including alienation from their original families as children often tend to live on their own and independent of both their original and foster families. Besides, foster children leave their communities, friends, relatives as well as school therefore a strong sense of social exclusion tend to emerge and intensify in foster children. This paper will attempt to discuss two of the important sociological issues faced by the foster children when they turn 18 while further discussing the influence of different political, economic, legal, ethical as well as practical factors. Further, a detailed research proposal will be made outlining the different research questions to be probed through the use of different statistical methods and measurements besides discussing the original value of such research. Sociological issues As of September 2008, there were approximately 463,000 children in US who were put under the foster care.1 Almost 50% of the foster children live in their non-relative foster family homes suggesting that significant portion of foster children live in an environment which is unfamiliar to them. Though most of the children often reunite with their own families however, the case of foster children of higher ages is more peculiar and sensitive in the sense that lack of reunification with their families makes them more vulnerable. There are different sociological issues faced by the foster children when turned to the age of 18. This is typically a period when a foster child actually makes a completely new transition to a more independent life. The existing research on this subject outline different sociological issues faced by the foster children who turn 18 and two of the most important are: Alienation, Social exclusion and Prejudice Since foster children are separated from their original families at the early age therefore they tend to develop the tendencies of adapting the behaviors and values of their foster families. Though, during this process, children usually keep contact with their original families however, the overall influence of their foster families remains significant. Since foster children always remain vulnerable to the psychological problems therefore they tend to engage themselves into the search for formation of their own identity. The issue of alienation particularly arises when children leave their foster families because at that time they have probably left both of their families, their culture and values and as well as the people and friends and others who may have grown up with these children. The issue of alienation is critically important because it tend to create the sense of lack of belongingness. It has been observed that the overall sense of acknowledgment and identity is relatively more critical for them as compared to how they have been brought up and under whose care. It is also important to note that the issue of social exclusion and alienation can also create anxiety in the foster children when they tend to approach their adulthood. As such due to this reason, they may often face problems in terms of coping with the society as a whole under different conditions such as under work environment. (Sinclair, 2005). The issue of social exclusion and alienation are also deeply rooted into the assumption of permanency. Long term fostering which is often considered as equivalent to the adoption is considered as something which can subsidize the sense of social exclusion and alienation because long term fostering can actually help children to adapt completely to the value systems of their new families. Few studies have suggested that due to social exclusion and alienation of foster children when they turn 18, they tend to engage into the criminal activities and it costs the society. Though there are very few studies which have directly measured the cost related to the crime control for the foster children however, some studies do suggest that antisocial behaviors in children can result into significant crime related issues for the society. (Guishard-Pine, McCall, & Hamilton, 2007) It is also important to note that the foster children at the age of 18 also face personal prejudices when they go on to face the society on their own. Though the issues of social exclusion and prejudices may be intertwined with each other however, what is critical to understand that the personal prejudice often result into the discrimination at work and education? Research studies have suggested the link between the deliberate prejudices against the foster children in terms of their education. (MARAZYAN, 2008). It has been reported that the foster children provide lower returns on education as compared to the biological children as foster children may divide their time and care between their biological family and fostering family when they grow and become financially independent. (Gallagher & Gerstel, 2001) Social Cultural factors Probably, one of the most important factors resulting into the creation of social exclusion and alienation for the foster children is the lack of funds. It has been argued that due to lack of political support, fostering has not been given the due attention. Lack of professionalism, resources as well as the planning is considered as some of the factors which are resulting into the creation of strong sense of social exclusion and alienation. Some studies have suggested that due to the lack of the resources, children do not have the choice but to go the few carers thus limiting their choices. (Swartz, 2004). Some research studies also suggested that the foster children, while at the school, also face the kind of discrimination and alienation from their fellow students and teachers. Some studies have clearly established the fact that there are some visible differences between the education of the biological children as well as the foster children. Such differences in the overall attitude and orientation of the foster parents therefore can also result into the strong sense of social exclusion and alienation among the foster children. This is considered as a cultural factor outlining the different attitudes people might have towards their own biological children and the foster children. The discrimination in the allocation of household resources and financing of the further college and university studies of the foster and biological children therefore is also considered as a serious economic issue to be dealt with. Studies have also suggested that the issue of social exclusion is relatively higher in black children suggesting the overall attitude of the society towards the black children. The specific incidences of the social exclusion for the black children therefore subtly indicate towards the underlying racial differences in the overall response of the society as a whole to the needs of the foster children. This also involves some ethical considerations as the society as a whole may be considered as inefficient to provide the minimum level of protection to the children. It is important to understand that the legal issues such as the rights of each family on the children and the individual personality of the foster child also plays a critical role in deciding the legal rights of the family over the decision making process for the child. Significant challenges One of the significant challenges to overcome the above issues is how the government can actually respond to such situations. Since the overall population of the foster children or their families is relatively smaller therefore they could not probably formulate the significant pressure or lobbying group which can convince the government to take significant political and legal steps to increase the social inclusion of the foster children who step into the society on their own when they turn 18. Another important issue in overcoming the challenge is to achieve the overall acceptability from the different sections of the society. Various studies have suggested that the foster children face significant abuse not only from their own original families but by through their foster families and carers also. Such attitudes therefore ultimately transform into the psychology of the foster children when they turn 18. Thus the overall decision making process of the child welfare establishments therefore should not be based upon the personal prejudice towards the foster children and their families. Statistical Research In order to further study the sociological issues faced by the foster children who turn 18, a comprehensive statistical approach shall be based upon a quantitative as well as qualitative research. In order to conduct this research, researcher propose to consider three foster homes offering fostering services and select an overall sample of 20 foster children who turn 18 and also left the homes to live independent lives on their own. A sample size of 20 would be considered as sufficient given the traditional and inherent limitations of this study i.e. lack of time and resources. In order to conclude the whole research, it is estimated that an overall time period of approximately 3 months would be sufficient. This will include interviewing the selected subjects as well as completing the paperwork and other formalities for the research. The overall aim of this research study will be to measure following different variables: 1. Whether foster children who turn 18 are employed? 2. The number of friends and peers outside their immediate circle of family and relatives? 3. The support of original and foster families. 4. How government helped them to adjust better in society 5. The role of counseling and other methods to help to reduce the extent of social exclusion and alienation. The above variables are considered as essential in terms of understanding and exploring the overall extent of the social problems and how foster children actually face it. Statistical Measurements In order to assess the impact of the above variables on the social exclusion and alienation of the foster children, researcher aims to perform regression and correlation analysis. Regression analysis will be used in order to understand and explore the possibility of finding the relationship between above variables and the problems outlined above. Further, correlation will also be performed in order to understand the overall strength and direction of the relationship of the above variables with the dependent variables. Value of the research Social exclusion, alienation and personal prejudices are two of the important sociological issues faced by the foster children when they turn 18. These two issues become more significant when children attempt to live their own independent lives. The potential disadvantage or rather the inherent bias and prejudice towards such children make them more vulnerable to become inclined towards criminal activities and other antisocial behaviors. The data and subsequent analysis performed in this research study can be used by different organizations as well as agencies. Though the researcher is not expecting that any particular organization or agency will be more benefited from this research however, it is anticipated that those organizations and agencies which are involved in the rehabilitation and social inclusion of neglected children in our society may find this research as a more meaningful tool in order to understand different factors responsible for the creation of social exclusion and alienation among the foster children with age 18 and above. In order to minimize the incidences of such behaviors, it is expected that this research study will provide critical insight and information for the regulatory and other government authorities to increase their reach and penetration and develop relevant programs to help foster children to better accommodate themselves into the society. It is therefore anticipated that this research can add value to the overall policy making process and will provide the relevant information in order to better understand some of the political, legal as well as ethical issues which may need to be addressed. Conclusion Social exclusion, alienation and personal prejudices are some of the sociological issues faced by the foster children when turn 18. Usually at the age of 18, like many children, foster children also attempt to develop their own independent life however, in doing so; they tend to face the resistance from the different segments of the society. The immediate social and cultural factors contributing towards these issues involve the lack of ownership and resources as well as the personal biases especially towards black children. Bibliography 1. Denuwelaere, M., & Bracke, P. (2007). Support and Conflict in the Foster Family and Children's Well-Being: A Comparison between Foster and Birth Children. Family Relations , 56 (1), 67-79. 2. Gallagher, S. K., & Gerstel, N. (2001). Connections and Constraints: The Effects of Children on Caregiving. Journal of Marriage and Family , 63 (1), 265-275. 3. Guishard-Pine, J., McCall, S., & Hamilton, L. (2007). Understanding looked after children: an introduction to psychology for foster care. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 4. MARAZYAN, K. (2008, November 14). Explaining Differences in Education between foster-children and biological children : A sibling rivalry approach. Some evidence from Indonesia. Retrieved Feb 13, 2011, from University of Paris: http://www.csae.ox.ac.uk/conferences/2009-EDiA/papers/028-Marazyan.pdf 5. Orme, J. G., & Buehler, C. (2001). Foster Family Characteristics and Behavioral and Emotional Problems of Foster Children: A Narrative Review. Family Relations , 50 (1), 3-15. 6. Sinclair, I. (2005). Foster children: where they go and how they get on. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 7. Swartz, T. T. (2004). Mothering for the State: Foster Parenting and the Challenges of Government-Contracted Carework. Gender and Society , 18 (5), 567-587. Read More