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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.
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