A Conversation About Care

We Are Failing Our Children
The U.S. Foster Care System - Devastating Statistics, Possible Solutions 

I spent a long time researching the U.S. foster care system for my latest novel, UNTETHERED. Some of the stories are hopeful, but a glance at the numbers shows that something is terribly wrong with the system. Children who spend time in foster care have a steep uphill battle compared to their peers in almost every area of life: education, employment, mental health, addiction, and homelessness.

To get a feel for just how dire the outcome is for former foster youth, and some ideas about how we might fix the system, I talked to Shenandoah (“Shen”) Chefalo, author of GARBAGE BAG SUITCASE, A MEMOIR.

Julie: Shen, in your memoir, you present some sobering statistics about the outcomes for foster youth. Could you share some of those?

Shen: In the United States, there are close to 500,000 children in foster care every year. For youth “aging out” of the system, we know that:

• Roughly only 58% graduate high school by age 19 (compared to 87% of their peers)

• 71% of the young women are pregnant by 21

• By age 24, less than 50% are employed

• Less than 3% attend college and of those, less than 1% earn a degree.

We also know that approximately one third of all foster children will eventually end up homeless.

If that’s not scary enough, we also know that of all people currently incarcerated in the United States, between 70-80% have been in foster care.

Julie: If you were in charge of the foster care system, what changes would you make, and why?

Shen: I would make a few changes:

• Focus on healing trauma. Untreated trauma is the reason we aren’t making progress with foster youth.

• Offer more alternatives. For decades, we have been relying on a system with few options: reunification with the birth family or placement with a foster family or residential treatment program. I think we could offer more choices. For example, boarding schools that combine education with therapy could offer an alternative to some foster youth. Examples are the Hershey School in Pennsylvania (www.mhskids.org) and the Crossnore School in North Carolina (www.crossnoreschool.org). I think I would have done better in a system where I was able to address my therapeutic needs while focusing on making my future better.

• Foster/mentor the entire family, to help the adults become better parents. In many cases, this would be preferable to simply removing children from homes.

• Do a better job of matching children to foster families. There is a whole Internet-based industry based on matching people for dates, but for children who are in need, we simply are looking for beds, and not taking the rest of their needs into account.

Julie: In your book, you quote Colleen C. Barrett, who said, "When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." Leaving aside the architect’s solution of overhauling the entire system, what small, bricklayer-level changes do you think we could make that would improve the prognosis of foster youth?

Shen: I think that everybody has the power to make a difference. Some people have more time than others, but there is something for everyone in our communities to take action on. Whether you decide to foster/adopt a youth, serve as a mentor, become involved in advocacy work through Court Appointed Special Advocates (“CASA”) or write a letter to your congressman seeking changes, you can make a difference.

I also challenge those who might be reading this to take it a bit further. Smile at a child. Give encouragement to someone who seems a bit down. You never know how much your simple gesture or kind word can help. I had a teacher who looked me square in the eyes and told me I was special. I am confident he said that to lots of students, but I had never heard those words before, and it sent my life into a new trajectory. It really can be that small.

Julie: Shen, you are an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for sharing your story with us in your memoir, and thank you for sharing your ideas with us here.

Shen: Julie, thank you for taking the time to learn about the foster care system, and for bringing to light another important issue, “rehoming” in the adoption world. As people learn more, they become better advocates for their communities, and for those whose voices have been silenced.

Want to Help? To volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, contact National CASA (www.casaforchildren.org). To help former foster youth succeed in college, contact Foster Care to Success (www.fc2success.org). To help foster children of all ages (including becoming a foster parent), contact your state or county Department of Health & Human Services.