Foster children are sleeping in DSS offices, emergency rooms and even jails amidst a shortage of foster families
Photo Courtesy: Grant Durr (Unsplash.com)
Since the pandemic, the foster care system has taken a big hit. As many foster care homes pulled out of foster programs due to Covid-19, foster children have been forced to sleep in unusual areas such as the offices of DSS agents, hospital beds and even jails.
According to The Imprint, an independent news outlet centered around child welfare including the foster care system, the Carolinas have taken one of the biggest blows between 2021-2022 of licensed and available foster homes.
Between 2021 and 2022, North Carolina saw a decrease of 22.9%, while South Carolina had the biggest decrease of any other state of 61.2%.
The Problem in North Carolina
At the start of the pandemic, North Carolina had 7,185 licensed families within the state. By 2022 the number dropped to 5,436. As of April, there are more than 12,000 children who are currently in the North Carolina's foster care system. Currently, the Children's Home Society of North Carolina receives roughly 300 requests from DSS (Department of Social Services) monthly to help children in need.
Mikaila Reinhardt, who works for The Children's Home Society of North Carolina, spoke to Queen City News stating, "We probably get a minimum of five to 10 referrals a day for children, and sometimes those are sibling groups."
Novant Health confirmed that several children with behavioral needs live out of emergency rooms. Novant Health released this statement concerning the matter: "Pediatric boarding is a multifaceted, nationwide issue stemming from the scarcity of specialized health and social services available to patients with complex behavioral health needs.
Currently, seven such patients are being cared for in our facilities across the greater Charlotte market. We are working in close partnership with each family, the Department of Social Services, and other care providers to develop discharge plans that safely meet the needs of our patients.”
Reinhardt also spoke about the decrease of advocacy and interest. Engagement has decreased from organizations, churches and businesses since the before the pandemic.
"It's hard to get to places to talk about this. It's hard to get into the churches. It's hard to get in front of the community and speak about what's going on because I feel like people don't want to hear it, but it's their reality. And so I think the problem is, is people are not listening," Reinhardt said to Queen City News.
Furthermore, placing children in foster homes has proven to be challenging since the pandemic as well. Child Welfare Division Director, Sheila Donaldson told NC Health News "Every placement is challenging. We have workers making upwards of 60 phone calls trying to find a placement for one kid."
Meanwhile, N.C. House Majority Whip. Jon Hardister is looking to turn the tides with N.C. representative Donny Lambeth to provide more money to the foster care system.
The Problem in South Carolina
DSS of South Carolina is looking for around 2,000 more foster homes to keep up with the growing demand of foster children. Nearly one half of current DSS cases are in need of placement homes.
Currently South Carolina is home to 3,945 foster children. According to SCDSS there are 1,541 children in foster care from infants to age six, 1,066 children from age seven to 12 and 1,388 teenagers from age 13 to 17. Counties such as Greenville, Spartanburg and Richland are among the top three counties in need for foster homes.
In order to combat the lack of foster homes available, SCDSS officially recognizes May as Foster Care Awareness Month.
How to Help
Each year, as many as 20,000 youths age out of the foster system. Only about 4% of these youths attend college. Many end up on the streets and some even jail.
In fact, a recent paper published by EJ Baron and M Gross (Is there a foster care-to-prison pipeline? Evidence from quasi-randomly assigned investigators) estimates the casual effect of foster care placement and adult crime. For example, almost one-fifth of current prisoners have a history being within the foster care system. Also, about 70% of youth who age out of the foster care system are arrested at least once by 26.
To combat this pipeline, KVC Health Systems formulated ways to help a child in the foster care system without being a foster parent.
Mentor a Teen
Provide Respite Care- A program that helps give foster parents a break. You can learn more here.
Assemble Welcome Boxes
Attend or Sponsor an Event for your Local Foster Care Center
Donate Supplies
Raise Funds or Make a Donation
Educate/ Advocate for Centers
And lastly, the most obvious answer is to foster or adopt on your own. In North Carolina, the licensing process can take anywhere between four to six months and 30 hours of training. In South Carolina, it takes around four to five months. Both states require a foster parent to have no past history of abuse or neglect of any kind.
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