KIDS FALLING THRU THE CRACKS: THE FOSTER CARE NIGHTMARE
There are more than half a million children and youth in the U.S. foster care system today. Studies reveal that children are 11 times more likely to be abused in state care than they are in their own homes, and 7 times more likely to die as a result of abuse in the foster care system. Ciara Jobes is one of those cases. Last year, she was found dead in the home of her foster mother; she was emaciated and had been badly beaten. This child — and many more — have fallen through the cracks, and cases like this seem to be popping up on a daily basis. Today, we discuss Shared Family Care, a new program that puts a different spin on foster care. Shared Family Care offers an alternative to traditional foster care and gives troubled parents a second chance: foster care for them and their children. Shared Family Care puts them in the home of a “mentor” family, who teach the basics of parenting, meal planning, budgeting, and finding work. First, we meet Gwen and Delaina; Delaina lives in Gwen’s home as a part of the Shared Family Care program, and Gwen is her mentor. Delaina is a mother of 8, and when her last child was born high on drugs and the state took her daughter away, Delaina knew she needed to change her life. She knew she couldn’t do it alone, so while in drug treatment she learned about Shared Family Care, and she shares her story of triumph in the studio. Then, Anna says she is proof that Shared Family Care can work. Anna is now a graduate of the program, and says it is responsible for turning her life around. Next we meet Iva and Daniel, family members of Ciara Jobes. Iva and Daniel say they are angry; with themselves, with the foster mother, social services, and Ciara’s school, and they talk about the young girl in the studio. Then, Tashima Dukes’ story begins at the age of 9, when she was taken from her mother and placed into the foster care system. By the time she was 18 years old, she had been in 13 foster homes. Now 24, Tashima, author of Truth Be Told…A Foster Child’s Recollection, was able to overcome her tragic upbringing, but says that if a program like Shared Family Care existed when her mom needed it most, she may not have been shuttled through 13 different foster homes. Finally, we meet John Reid, the Chief Operating Officer of Families First, Inc., which operates the Shared Family Care program in California. Sadly, this program only exists in three states, and is the first to go when budget cuts are made. John shares more about the program and reveals how people can get involved and push for Shared Family Care in their area.