Additional Deputies Assigned to Compton Station Following Murder Wave
Hub City Celebrates 120 Years This Weekend
Gang Members Fire at Deputies With High-powered Assault Rifle
East Gardena Neighborhood Wants Sex Offenders Out
Tarbabe Recycling Club Teams With Heal the Bay for Creek Cleanup
Expo Helps Businesses Go ‘Green,’ Reduce Energy Costs
First United Methodist Church Celebrates 140 Years
Compton Clergy Denounce Slanderous Campaign Tactics
Activists Stage City Hall Protest After Local Landmark Goes Missing
The
Faces of Foster Care: Improving Outcomes for Children of Color
May is National
Foster Care Month
From
staff reports
Child
welfare issues arise in families of every race, ethnicity, culture
and age group. Although research shows that there is no difference
in the incidence of abuse and neglect according to racial group, children
of color comprise 60 percent of America’s 513,000 children in
foster care. And, once in the foster care system, children of color
tend to receive fewer services, stay in care longer and generally have
worse outcomes than white children. This overrepresentation and disparity
in outcomes is called disproportionality.
Disproportionality is an issue of concern for California’s 78,000
children in foster care. African-American children comprise only 7
percent of the state’s general population, but represent 28 percent
of the state’s youth in foster care. In Los Angeles alone, 38
percent of the 24,316 children in foster care are African American.
Take the story of Julia Charles, an alumna of foster care. Charles
is a college student who aspires to help other young people enduring
childhood abuse and neglect by becoming a motivational speaker and
author. While her life is on track right now, she recounts how disproportionality
has affected her life. She entered foster care at an early age and
lived in a succession of foster homes until she reached age 18.
“I recall wondering why nearly all of my foster brothers and
sisters were African American,” says Charles. “After all,
aren’t
we a minority among America’s children? This didn’t make
sense to me, but the numbers support my recollection and reflect the
troubling truth of about the faces of foster care. Too many of them
are black.”
In addition to being overrepresented, African-American children in
foster care often struggle to maintain their cultural identity while
living away from home. This is largely because most jurisdictions are
in urgent need of more foster and adoptive families, mentors and other
caregivers – especially from the black community.
Charles adds, “Whether it is understanding what you like to eat,
or how to wear your hair, it’s the little things that are so
important when you are separated from your family.”
This month, National Foster Care Month, America’s leading child
welfare agencies, advocates, experts and more than 12 million alumni
of foster care – like Charles – help to raise awareness
and increase support for all children and families affected by the
issue throughout the year.
“We believe it’s time to build the awareness and the critical
mass of support and understanding of the issue. That is the first step,” says
Dr. Ralph Bayard, senior director of the Office of Diversity at Casey
Family Programs and a spokesperson for National Foster Care Month. “If
you look at our nation’s largest systems, be it juvenile justice,
healthcare, education, child welfare and others, you will find that
children and families of color are consistently the ones being most
adversely affected. We have to make sure there is equity in these systems
so that every child, regardless of race, has the best opportunity to
achieve a good outcome in life.”
Many people and organizations in the child welfare field are working
to improve the situation, but much more help is needed from the public.
For youth currently in foster care and millions of alumni like Charles,
getting involved is about helping a child reach for his or her dreams
by encouraging his or her gifts. It’s about strengthening a family
that is going through tough times. It’s about connecting a teen
to a caring adult who will always be by his side. It’s about
honoring the compassionate individuals, organizations and communities
who nurture and protect our nation’s most vulnerable children.
National Foster Care Month hopes to inspire as many caring adults as
possible to get involved in the life of a child in need. For the black
community, the call to action is especially important.
For more information about the faces of foster care, planned community
events, and the many ways in which you can make a lasting difference
for America’s children and youth in foster care, visit www.fostercaremonth.org
or call (888) 799-KIDS (5437).
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