THE CRISIS

foster child

The sad truth is that for some children, who are placed into the fostering system, it is not a temporary home, and the system is severely broken.


Kids being fostered have so many needs that are necessary but, are not in the scope of traditional programs or those programs simply don't have the budget to support the needs.


The Varner Foundation takes referral from its "trusted partner" organizations to help stand in the gap so...


  • Great foster parents can keep fostering
  • Kinship caregivers can keep their families together
  • And older foster youth can move towards self-sufficiency


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KINSHIP CARE

A term used for the raising of children by grandparents, other extended family and adults with whom they have a close family like relationship because biological parents are unable to do so for whatever reason.  Legal custody of a child may not be involved, and the child may be related by blood, marriage or adoption.

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FOSTER CARE

A child without parental support and protection placed with a person or family to be cared for, usually by local welfare services or by the court order.  The foster parent(s) do not have custody, nor is there an adoption, but they are expected to treat the foster child as they would their own in regards to food, housing, clothing, and education.

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AGING OUT

Emancipating from foster care occurs when a foster child turns 18 years old (or 21 in some states) without the support of a permanent family. Aging out of foster care often means experiencing unemployment, living below the poverty line, being incarcerated, failing to graduate from high school, and experiencing homelessness.

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Facts from the Foundation

  1. A child enters foster care every 2 minutes.
  2. Ohio is one of the top 5 states with the most kids and youth in foster care.
  3. Just over 50% of foster children graduate from high school solely due to being in foster care.
  4. In comparison to veterans, foster kids are twice s likely to suffer from PTSD.
  5. Right now, 2 out of every 1000 kids in the USA will enter into foster care this year alone.
  6. Only 1 in 5 kids are at grade level in either reading, math, or even both.
  7. Nationwide, there are 437,000 children in foster care, 2.4 million in official kinship care, and another 2.5 million kids in unofficial kinship care. That adds up to 5,137,000 children that cannot live at home anymore - because home isn't safe.
  8. In Ohio, there are 16,000 kids in foster care, 124,000 in official kinship care, and 320,000 (estimated) in unofficial kinship care, adding up to 460,000 children in Ohio alone facing displacement.
  9. One third of all foster children have a disability.
  10. One out of every five 18-year-olds will be homeless upon leaving foster care.
  11. Foster kids are seven times more likely to have depression and five times more likely to have anxiety than non-foster kids.
  12. Foster children are at a significantly higher risk of suicide than their peers due to loss, isolation, lack of support and trauma.
  13. Nearly half of foster parents quit their first year of fostering due to lack of critical support.


Sources:

"The Foster care System. A Broken system needing change" - Isabella Dakis, The Medium

"We Have to Stop Losing Half of Foster Parents in the First Year" - Irene Clements, The Impact Youth & Family News

"May is National Foster Care Month" - The Annie E. Casey Foundation