Foster Care: The Quality of the State's Parenting in the United States and Abroad

• In Event: The Role of Family in Juvenile Court Processes, Institutional Misconduct, and Aftercare

Abstract

This paper offers a review of the United States foster care system as a parent to abused and neglected children, in terms of trends and outcomes which include involvement in the juvenile justice systems, the criminal justice system and even homelessness. The paper then offers a comparative analysis of alternative systems in countries abroad with practices that the United States should consider adopting. The recommendations include stronger efforts toward family preservation and reunification, increased engagement with kinship and relative families, and meaningful programs for older foster care youth preparing to age out of the system. To move such initiatives, public awareness of the situation is important for practitioners in both child welfare and juvenile justice.

Author

• Sherri Yvonne Simmons-Horton, Prairie View A&M University