Comments on: Foster Children Losing Time, Their Childhood and a Chance http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh Provides information on foster care including adult, respite, and kinship along with resources, struggles that foster parents will face. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:39:00 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: John http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh/comment-page-1#comment-223 John Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:01:33 +0000 http://foster-care.www.adoptionblogs.com/2007/11/26/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh#comment-223 Kansa Girl, six years? There is no way that foster care is the same as an adoptive home or the original home. The child knows it is about temporary. The bad guys are the judges and agencies that let your son be stuck in foster care for six years,and the birth parents that wouldn't get their act together. That was terrible for the child. There is no way the child should have his childhood truncated for two or three years for mom or dad to get their act together, certainly not six years. John Kansa Girl, six years? There is no way that foster care is the same as an adoptive home or the original home. The child knows it is about temporary. The bad guys are the judges and agencies that let your son be stuck in foster care for six years,and the birth parents that wouldn’t get their act together. That was terrible for the child. There is no way the child should have his childhood truncated for two or three years for mom or dad to get their act together, certainly not six years. John

]]> By: Chromesthesia http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh/comment-page-1#comment-222 Chromesthesia Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:33:49 +0000 http://foster-care.www.adoptionblogs.com/2007/11/26/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh#comment-222 The system needs to be reformed. That's all there is to it. It needs to be reformed right now.<br /> I want to push for that to be done, and the prison system and the education system because they relate.<br /> Not that every child in foster care becomes a criminal, but there's so many that end up in the prison system and that's not the way it should be done.<br /> This has to start now.... The system needs to be reformed. That’s all there is to it. It needs to be reformed right now.
I want to push for that to be done, and the prison system and the education system because they relate.
Not that every child in foster care becomes a criminal, but there’s so many that end up in the prison system and that’s not the way it should be done.
This has to start now….

]]> By: Kansas Girl http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh/comment-page-1#comment-221 Kansas Girl Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:14:50 +0000 http://foster-care.www.adoptionblogs.com/2007/11/26/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh#comment-221 What really needs to change right now is that along with the birth parents' plans to improve their lives, plans to address the child's developmental and emotional issues should be drafted as soon as the children enter foster care - foster parents should be required to follow this plan so that none of the child's precious time in terms of development (especially with the brain) is lost. The child’s time in foster care needs to be productive time, so if parents who are working their reunification plan need more time, the child hasn’t lost anything in the process. Too many times the child is just "parked" in foster care “waiting” for reunification or TPR, plus they’re expected to function as a normal kid - not enough foster parents are willing to do what it takes to make sure the children in their care are given every opportunity to flourish.<br /> <br /> Our son spent six years in foster care – these six years were far more damaging to him than the three years he was in his birth home. Had his issues (emotional and sensory) been addressed when he entered care and had he not been abused in foster care, he wouldn’t be facing the huge emotional issues (RAD) he faces now at age 15 (almost 16). He's a very bright kid with a great personality - it's a tragedy to see him handicapped by emotional issues created by the system. <br /> What really needs to change right now is that along with the birth parents’ plans to improve their lives, plans to address the child’s developmental and emotional issues should be drafted as soon as the children enter foster care – foster parents should be required to follow this plan so that none of the child’s precious time in terms of development (especially with the brain) is lost. The child’s time in foster care needs to be productive time, so if parents who are working their reunification plan need more time, the child hasn’t lost anything in the process. Too many times the child is just “parked” in foster care “waiting” for reunification or TPR, plus they’re expected to function as a normal kid – not enough foster parents are willing to do what it takes to make sure the children in their care are given every opportunity to flourish.

Our son spent six years in foster care – these six years were far more damaging to him than the three years he was in his birth home. Had his issues (emotional and sensory) been addressed when he entered care and had he not been abused in foster care, he wouldn’t be facing the huge emotional issues (RAD) he faces now at age 15 (almost 16). He’s a very bright kid with a great personality – it’s a tragedy to see him handicapped by emotional issues created by the system.

]]> By: MamaS http://foster-care.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh/comment-page-1#comment-220 MamaS Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:39:44 +0000 http://foster-care.www.adoptionblogs.com/2007/11/26/foster-children-losing-time-their-childh#comment-220 My a-son's parents were given 6 months, then 12 months, then another 12 months. They were told to do 5 things: Get jobs, Open a bank account, get driver's licenses back, attend parenting classes and attend AA or NA meetings. At the end of this time, neither one of them had completed even one of these five requirements. (They had been jailed several times for possession of drugs and driving without a license during this time period.) They were TPR'd and he was adopted at age 4.<br /> One year AFTER TPR, his mother has a driving license and his father has a job and attends AA regularly. The parents are no longer together.<br /> Should the court have left him in foster care? At this rate in three years or so his father may have completed the plan. Should he have from 18 months until 8 years of his son's life to "get it together"? My a-son’s parents were given 6 months, then 12 months, then another 12 months. They were told to do 5 things: Get jobs, Open a bank account, get driver’s licenses back, attend parenting classes and attend AA or NA meetings. At the end of this time, neither one of them had completed even one of these five requirements. (They had been jailed several times for possession of drugs and driving without a license during this time period.) They were TPR’d and he was adopted at age 4.
One year AFTER TPR, his mother has a driving license and his father has a job and attends AA regularly. The parents are no longer together.
Should the court have left him in foster care? At this rate in three years or so his father may have completed the plan. Should he have from 18 months until 8 years of his son’s life to “get it together”?

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