Foster care: Difference between revisions

{{anchor|State abuses in the United States}}From 1993 through 2002 there were 107 recorded deaths{{clarify|date=April 2016}}{{who|date=April 2016}}; there are approximately 400,000 children in out-of-home care, in the United States. Almost 10% of children in foster care have stayed in foster care for five or more years. Nearly half of all children in foster care have chronic medical problems. 8% of all children in foster care have serious emotional problems, 11% of children exiting foster care aged out of the system, in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Foster Care Foacts and Statistics|url=http://www.fostercarealumni.org/resources/foster_care_facts_and_statistics.htm.|publisher=FCAA|access-date=March 31, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113063447/http://www.fostercarealumni.org/resources/foster_care_facts_and_statistics.htm.|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2013}} Children in foster care experience higher rates of [[child abuse]], emotional deprivation, and physical [[neglect]]. In one study in the United Kingdom "foster children were 7–8 times, and children in residential care 6 times more likely to be assessed by a pediatrician for [[abuse]] than a child in the general population".<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hobbs | first1 = GF | last2 = Hobbs | first2 = CJ | last3 = Wynne | first3 = JM | title = Abuse of children in foster and resident ial care | journal = Child Abuse & Neglect | volume = 23 | issue = 12 | pages = 1239–52 | year = 1999 | pmid = 10626608 | doi = 10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00096-4 }}</ref> A study of foster children in Oregon and Washington State found that nearly one third reported being abused by a foster parent or another adult in a foster home.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pecora |first=Peter J. |url=http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/ImprovingFamilyFosterCare.htm |title=Improving Family Foster Care &#124; Casey Family Programs |publisher=Casey.org |date= 2005-04-06|access-date=2011-11-01}}</ref> The "Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire" states that parental overprotection can be just as harmful psychologically as neglect.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1478583 | doi=10.1080/20008198.2018.1478583 | title=The Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ): Development and preliminary validation | year=2018 | last1=Williamson | first1=Victoria | last2=Hiller | first2=Rachel M. | last3=Meiser-Stedman | first3=Richard | last4=Creswell | first4=Cathy | last5=Dalgleish | first5=Tim | last6=Fearon | first6=Pasco | last7=Goodall | first7=Ben | last8=McKinnon | first8=Anna | last9=Smith | first9=Patrick | last10=Wright | first10=Isobel | last11=Halligan | first11=Sarah L. | journal=European Journal of Psychotraumatology | volume=9 | issue=1 | pmid=29938010 | pmc=6008584 }}</ref>

Approximately 10% of foster youth make it to college and of those 10%, only about 3% actually graduate and obtain a 4-year degree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfyi.org/issues/education/|title=National Foster Youth Institute {{!}} Education|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-13}}</ref> Although the number of foster youth who are starting at a 4-year university after high school has increased over the years, the number of youth who graduate from college continues to remain stable. A study of 712 youth in California, the results revealed that foster care youth are 5fives times less likely to attend college than youth who do not go through foster care.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|doi=10.1086/694897|title = Who Goes to College? Social Capital and Other Predictors of College Enrollment for Foster-Care Youth|journal = Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research|volume = 8|issue = 4|pages = 563–593|year = 2017|last1 = Okpych|first1 = Nathanael J.|last2 = Courtney|first2 = Mark E.|s2cid = 148590912}}</ref> There are different resources that offer both financial and emotional support for foster youth to continue their education. Simultaneously, there are also many barriers that make getting to a college or university difficult.

Borton describes some of the barriers youth face in her article, ''Barriers to Post-Secondary Enrollment for Former Foster Youth''. A few of those barriers include financial hurdles, navigating through the application process with little to no support, and a lack of housing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morton |first=Brenda |title=Barriers to Post-Secondary Enrollment for Former Foster Youth |url=https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1024&context=soe_faculty |access-date=15 September 2023 |website=Digital Commons @ George Fox University}}</ref>

Many studies have shown that there are a few factors that have seemingly played a role in the success of foster youth making it to and graduating from a college or university. While having financial resources for foster youth is a huge help, there are other components to look at. Beginning with having support for these youth at the high school level. ForIn order for foster youth to obtain a college degree, they must enroll at a university first.

At colleges across the nation, somethere are programs that are specifically put in place to help youth who have aged out of the foster care system and continued into higher education. These programs often help youth financially by giving them supplemental funds and providing support through peer mentor programs or academic counseling services. While funding is an important key in helping get through college, it has not been found as the only crucial component in aiding a youth's success.