The Overwhelmed Child Welfare System

As an advocate for children and child welfare services, Cliff Davis is concerned about the overwhelmed state of the foster care system. The children pay a hefty price for the shortcomings of the foster care program. There are a number of reasons for the current problems faced by child welfare departments. Here, we will examine some of the primary issues and seek to understand how we might begin to correct them.

Sadly, some children placed in foster care live in unsafe foster homes where they experience further abuse. Often, children bounce from home to home, with little stability. The long-term impact can be devastating for these kids. Why does this occur?

It is generally not a matter of uncaring child welfare workers. In fact, most people working in this field have a genuine desire to help kids. The problem is an issue of caseload. Child welfare workers are given an extraordinary number of cases to handle. It is not humanly possible for them to give each case the necessary time and attention. In addition, there is a lack of training and education for child welfare workers. Without suitable training, they simply are not capable of performing the job correctly.

There is an enormous turnover rate for child welfare workers. It is as high as 70% yearly in some states. This creates more instability and uncertainty in the lives of children. Information is not easily exchanged between former employees and new employees. Children are consistently dealing with strangers, rather than a stable advocate working for their best interest.

What are the solutions? An obvious answer is to increase funding for the child welfare system, providing an adequate number of workers and giving them correct training. Lowering their caseload and increasing their income would decrease turnover rates tremendously. Simply put, we need more child welfare workers with higher-quality training. The best way to accomplish this is by appropriately funding the foster care system.

If you are interested in helping, please contact your local child welfare office and remember to support politicians who will fight for children’s services and implement programs you believe in.

Foster Care - Keeping Kids Off the Streets

One of the primary risks for homeless children is child sexual exploitation. Unfortunately, it is common for kids to get caught up in this industry when they are living on the streets. Foster care is a solid solution to this problem, but many children fall through the cracks. Here, we will examine the problem, causes, and possible solutions to the issue of child sexual exploitation.

How does this even happen? There are four main systemic causes of child sexual exploitation.

• Poverty - Generational poverty and homelessness clearly put youth at risk. Transient, homeless children are prime targets for this illegal industry.
• Family - Dysfunctional family life can create immense trauma for children. This may include mental, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Children often intentionally leave home to escape the dangerous environment. Alcohol and drug abuse are common in these circumstances.
• Media - The media has an impact on young people. They often glorify sex, drugs, and violence.
• Demand - Sadly, there is a demand for child sex exploitation.

What are the solutions?

• Communication - There is a serious lack of information sharing between organizations. Social workers, educators, physicians, juvenile justice workers, and child advocacy groups need better communication.
• Funding - There is a lack of financial support for programs to help these kids. We need more trained professionals.
• Education - The school systems often do not recognize problems and have no comprehensive method for helping the children. Furthermore, we need to educate the public about the problem.
• Decrease demand - Tougher laws to punish adults involved in the child exploitation industry would be helpful in reducing the demand.

The foster-care program is an important piece of this puzzle. Keeping kids off the street is the first defense against child sexual exploitation. Creating a tighter net, to avoid children slipping through, would help them remain safe. This is a systemic societal problem that needs to be approached from various angles. If you are interested in helping, contact your local child welfare office.