Children in Foster Care Essay

Statement: Upon ageing out of the foster care system, foster kids end up either dead, homeless or incarcerated due to lack of independent living skills and lack of knowledge about programs in their communities! Due to many children being so displaced and neglected, it is hard to provide for children because foster homes are overcrowded. Due to lack of financial stability roughly 20,000- 100,00 children in the United States are discharged to live on their own while approximately 1,100 young adults are discharged and left to fend for themselves throughout the country.† Having reached the age, they are presumed to be productive, self reliant and fully self sufficient† (Retrieved January 2, 2013, from www.childrenaidsociety.org). Unfortunately, these young adolescents are looked at as a failure before even given a chance in society due to not growing up under the best circumstances. Already troubled by their childhood experiences of neglect, abandonment and abuse, the vast majority of young people leave the system without knowledge, skills, experience, habits and relationships that can engage them in connective and productive programs within their communities. With this in mind, it also stops them from being connected members of society. According to statistics â€Å"foster children that age out of the system are far more likely to encounter poverty, homelessness, compromised health, unemployment and incarceration† (Retrieved December 29, 2012, from www.angelsfoster.org). Having access to both resources and programs during and aftercare can help alleviate alot of tension that children in the system encounter when trying to maintain and survive on their own. If the United States government help foster care agencies foster more programs and provide adequate funding in the right areas, then foster children would have more knowledge and skills when it comes down to independency. Without any friends, social workers, or dependent foster parents to turn to for help or assistance, these young people are pre dominantly at greater risk of becoming homeless, jobless, incarcerated or dead. According to statistics, young people discharged to themselves in different states have high numbers of poor preparation and independent living skills. â€Å"12-30 percent struggled with homelessness, 40-63 percent did not complete high school, 25-55 percent were unemployed and those employed had earnings far below the poverty line. 31-41 percent were arrested, 18-26 percent were incarcerated 12-18 months after leaving the system† ( Retrieved January 2, 2013 from www.whitehousetaskforceondisadvantagedyouth).