So often you hear the stories of kids who are bounced from one foster home to another.?

Looney Tunes

There are many reasons why kids are bouced from home to home. Many times the foster parents can not "handle" the child or the child's behaviors. THere is not enough training in the issues that foster kids deal with and the behaviors that might occur. So, they get rid of the kid. Other times, foster parents move. Other times, they decide they just don't like that kid.

Here are some of my personal experiences:
1) Bounced because the family moved to another state
2) Bounced because I stole food and hid it in my room (the foster parents actually had locks on the refrigerator)
3) Bounced because I wet the bed alot (and foster mother would lock me in the bathroom all day)
4) Bounced because the foster father was a bad person
5) Bounced because I was stupid and was having a hard time in school
6) Bounced because ?????

Not sure of all the reasons.

Also, you have to remember, the longer you are in foster care, the greater liklihood that you will be bounced around more.

Do you know everytime a kid is bounced, studies have shown they fall 3-6 months behind in school!

Sophie

The system needs a major overhaul. Children should be able to find permenancy.

Randy B

While, in my area, they try to make placements as permanent as possible, they are required to move children for many different reasons.

One of the biggest problems in my area is a lack of foster homes. Right now, in my city of over 1,000,000 people there are no less then 118 children within the foster care system who must live (supervised) in hotel rooms due to a lack of foster homes. This is never acceptable and when possible children are moved into proper homes but the problem persists.

Also, quite often there are foster parents who, for what ever reason, will only take certain genders or ages of children or children without disabilities. Everyone has their own reasons and limitations as to what they can accommodate so when a situation changes or a higher priority child comes into the system changes can be required.

Sometimes as well the foster parents situation changes. A good friend of mine recently had a heart attack and as a result was no longer able to continue as a foster parent therefore a change in home was required for the child he and his wife had in their home.

In my area they try to keep children in the same school they were in previously so that there is some continuity in their lives. One family I am aware of has a foster child that was required to take an almost 1.5 hour bus ride to school in the morning and again home at night. Eventually, a foster home closer to his school was found and a move had to be taken.

Moving a child, once placed in a foster home, is always the last option (at least in my area) but sometimes it can't be avoided.

Mom to Foster Children

They can be moved for a number of reasons

Foster Parents become ill (seriously) - have a child in my home because of this
Foster Parents must leave the state - have a child in my home because of this
Foster Parents can't handle the children - foster child of family member
Children do inappropriate things to others in the house - foster child of family member
Foster Parents just want to foster and not adopt
H&HS wants to put all foster children in the same home for adoption - had a child in my home whose case worker wanted to do this

Just off the top of my head

I HEART Cornwell

Foster care sux. They don't screen the parents thoroughly or enough.

Amy J

We just had orientation and the licening worker stated you can ask for a child to be removed. I think it's crazy, you are given a history and background of why the child is in foster care and are trained on how to deal with different behaviors before you agree to take that particular child. I think foster parents give up too easy. A coworker had her children removed for an abusive bf living in the house and the 3 girls were placed with an aunt and unlce and they were verbally abused more there than in the mom's house with the abusive bf. They eventually were removed for screaming back at the aunt and calling her a b****. Thankfully they only went to one other home before returning home but could have easily been bounced around if the 2nd placement requested they be removed.

Santa's Lil' Helper

Permanence is needed for more children in the system. When young woman who are irresponsible and financially unable to care for there children they should ALWAYS consider adoption.

The more newborns who are adopted out as soon as possible then the less children there will be entering foster care.

The American taxpayer has carried the burden too long and the children are suffering needlessly. If more children were relinguished at birth this would free up more foster parents and provide bette care and resources for the children stuck in foster care.

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