Why Children Enter the Foster Care System?

Right now, nearly 400,000 kids are in foster care across the United States. Children of every age, race, and gender find themselves in our child welfare system. The average age among children in foster care is just 8 years old.

Their futures remain uncertain. Some will reunite with their birth families, while others will find loving adoptive homes. Sadly, some teenagers age out of the system without a permanent family to guide them. These young adults will face further hardship without a family or access to child welfare system support services.

Many people wonder why youth in foster care land there in the first place. The truth is, no child enters the system by choice. They come from difficult circumstances and family life crises. Many kids have faced trauma before they entered care or when separated from their biological family and home.

If you have thought about being a foster parent or adopting a child from care, understanding the needs of kids in the foster system can help you understand your important role. You can change a child's life by providing the safety, stability, sense of belonging, and love they deserve.

Reasons Children Enter Foster Care

Some kids in foster care are victims of child abuse or neglect. A growing number have parents who are unable to care for them due to addiction or substance abuse. Children also enter the foster system when caretakers or birth parents die, go to prison, or simply abandon them.

Abuse

When their home environment is no longer safe, authorities move children to safe home care through the foster system. Abusive behaviors can take many forms, including:

• Physical abuse – This includes direct harm, such as hitting, or extreme situations like locking a child in a closet. Each state has laws defining what constitutes physical abuse.
• Emotional abuse – Also known as psychological abuse, this is the most common form of child maltreatment. It includes rejection, bullying, verbal abuse, or constant criticism. It also includes exposure to domestic violence, any of which may leave children feeling worthless, frightened, or alone.
• Sexual abuse – This involves engaging in sexual acts or contact, or exposing kids to harmful sexual behavior or materials.

Children who have experienced some type of abuse often enter foster care with emotional wounds. With the right care, patience, and support, they can begin to heal and thrive.

Neglect

Neglect occurs when caregivers do not meet a child's basic needs: food, clothing, hygiene, education, and medical care. The majority of children in foster care have experienced some form of neglect. It can include:

• Lack of supervision – Leaving children alone for extended periods or in dangerous situations.
• Medical neglect – Failing to seek medical care for serious health conditions or injuries.
• Unsafe living conditions – Living in unsanitary homes, lack of running water or electricity, or other hazardous conditions.

When neglect is severe or ongoing, child welfare agencies may remove a child to protect their well-being. Foster families play a vital role in providing children with the care, stability, and consistency they need to thrive.

Parental Death

In cases where a child loses their parent or guardian, family members often step in to care for them or provide kinship care. But when no suitable relatives or close family friends can take on that responsibility, children enter foster care.

This can be a heartbreaking transition. Foster families offer children who've suffered loss the softest possible space to grieve and heal. They seek to provide love, guidance, and support groups when needed, as kids adjust to life without their biological parents.

Abandonment

Sometimes, parents abandon their children due to financial struggles, emotional distress, or inability to care. In extreme cases, parents leave infants or children at hospitals or with social services and never reclaim them.

When someone abandons a child, social workers work tirelessly to find the child a safe and loving foster home. Some foster parents and foster agencies specialize in caring for children with medical conditions or special needs. We provide additional training for parents who can care for medically fragile or terminally ill children. These exceptional parents and partners play a vital role in ensuring children receive the love and care they deserve.

Parental Addiction

Substance abuse is a major factor in children entering foster care. When a parent struggles with drug or alcohol addiction, it can impair their ability to provide a stable home. Children in these situations often experience neglect, malnutrition, and unsafe living conditions.

Research shows that drug use by parents has led to more children entering foster care in recent years. The fastest-growing age group is children under five. Whenever possible, kids are "placed" in foster home care. If enough foster families aren't available, kids in care may have to live in group homes.

Many parents work hard to overcome addiction and reunite with their children. In some cases, children may come in and out of care, causing ongoing disruptions and instability. For this and other reasons, at times adoption becomes the best path forward for a child’s long-term stability.

Incarceration of a Parent 

When a parent goes to jail or prison, their children may enter foster care. This happens if there are no suitable caregivers available. The latest Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report shows that 6% of kids are in care due to a parent's incarceration.

Children in this situation face unique challenges, including uncertainty about their future and separation anxiety. Foster families provide them with love and support during this difficult transition.

Juvenile Offenses or Truancy

In some cases, the court system determines that a child’s home environment contributes to delinquent behavior. Truancy (repeated school absences) or involvement in juvenile offenses may lead to intervention by child welfare agencies. If parents cannot or won't provide proper supervision, authorities may determine foster care is best for their kids.

Voluntary Placement

Some parents voluntarily place their children in foster care when they feel they can no longer provide for them. This may happen because of financial hardship, homelessness, addiction, or mental health struggles.

Unlike court-ordered removals, parents initiate voluntary placements, hoping to regain custody when their situation stabilizes. These parents often work closely with social services to reunite with their children.

What Do Children in Foster Care Need?

Regardless of how they enter foster care, every child needs a safe, stable, and nurturing home. Kids of every age need caregivers who can provide structure, guidance, and emotional support. The foster care system recognizes families in crisis and works to help parents and kids get their lives back on a positive track.

Myths and misconceptions about children in foster care mislead many potential foster or adoptive parents. Foster parents can truly change a child's life direction as they heal from past trauma and build bright futures. It means the world to a child or teenager who gets to stay with their siblings, stay in school, and trust in adult caregivers.

A supportive home environment helps children develop confidence, resilience, and the ability to believe in people again. While some children will reunite with their birth families, others may find forever families through adoption.

If you’re considering fostering or adoption, you will become the most important adult to your child. You can provide a child with the stability and love they may never have known before. You can nurture a child in your family to grow and pay it forward in their own successful adult life.

Be the Difference for Kids in Care

The reasons children enter foster care are heartbreaking, but as a foster or adoptive parent, you have the power to change a kid's life. Foster parents, and foster-to-adopt families, offer children a second chance at stability, safety, and love.

When you become a foster parent, you provide a child with a home and a family they can count on. What a gift for a child to have a parent through foster care of adoption who believes in them! Coming from unsafe or unstable homes in crisis, this may be new to your kid in the foster system. The foster parenting journey isn’t always easy, but there are few more rewarding roles in life.

If you’re interested in learning more about fostering or adoption, we're here to help. Contact our parent and child advocates. They can answer your questions and help you find ways to make a lasting impact in a child’s life.