What is Foster Care?
Sometimes children need to live with people who are not their parents or immediate family. Agencies like Wesley Family Services identify and train loving, responsible adults who can care for the children temporarily until they can be either reunited with their families or adopted into a permanent home.
What kinds of children enter foster care?
The children that enter into foster and kinship care come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and family situations. There is no “cookie cutter” reason why children are in foster care. Sometimes, parents pass away and there is no one in the child’s family that is capable of caring for them. Other times, parents may be navigating a substance abuse disorder or mental health issue that prevents them from caring for their children in a healthy environment. Children in foster care range in age from infants to 21 years old.
What all children in foster and kinship care have in common is the loss and trauma experienced by being removed from their parents’ care. Some may need more understanding and attention due to being medically fragile or having developmental delays. Others may exhibit behaviors as a means of coping with abuse or neglect. Some may have mental health diagnoses. Some may not appear to have any behavioral issues at all. What is important to remember is children who end up in foster care are there through no fault of their own.
Facts About Foster Care:
Children in Care
- Most of the children in foster care are between five and 14 years of age, and around 40% of foster children identify as black or African American.
- 52% of kids are currently male, and 48% are female.
Permanency
- 82% of the children discharged from WFS foster care are discharged to their birth family or other permanent family resources, created through adoption, kinship, or custody arrangements.
- 17% of the children discharged from WFS foster care achieved permanent families through WFS.
- In 2016, five children were adopted and two found permanency with a WFS family through permanent legal custody agreements.
Academics
- Children ages five and under that were assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire either maintained or improved their academic or developmental skills while in the program.
- Of the school-aged kids, 46% were performing below grade level when entering the program.
- 84% of kids in school while in care improved their performance skills to grade level, or above grade level expectations.
Community
- Kids who have involvement in their communities are happier, healthier children.
- Of the kids who entered care with no prior community involvement, WFS arranged for 80% to have some form of community activity during their stay.
- Of those, 88% of those children continued to be involved with that community support post-discharge.
Timeline
- Reunification with family members occurs, on average, after 8 months in foster care.
- When reunification cannot be achieved, a finalized adoption can be achieved, on average, after 21 months.
Results
- Wesley Family Service’s foster program currently serves nearly 100 children and teens who are placed with over 60 certified resource families.
- Eleven children placed within Allegheny County were eligible for aftercare and Wesley Family Services was the identified provider for eight of these families.