"Every child belongs in a healthy, loving family. No other environment has proven to be better suited to provide the safety, stability, and care so vital to a child’s well-being.
Across the United States; however, a hidden crisis has been ravaging our communities. Each year, government child protection agencies are alerted to more than 7.7 million[1] children potentially experiencing maltreatment. These reports have resulted in over 328,000 children removed from their homes[2] and placed in the country’s overburdened foster care system, and a disproportionate number of children in foster care are Black. The circumstances contributing to and resulting from the crisis in child welfare and foster care are complex and multifaceted. There are, unfortunately, no easy answers.
A report of child maltreatment is made every 10 seconds.[3]
- Maltreatment and Neglect
- 74% of children receiving child welfare system services have experienced neglect.[4]
- Racial Disparity
- Black children make up 13.9% of the total child population but 22% of all children in foster care. By comparison, White children make up 48% of the child population and only 44%of children in foster care.[5]
- A Lifetime Impact
- Many of our homeless neighbors, those who are incarcerated, and victims rescued from sex trafficking all spent time in foster care.[6]
"We know that severe and persistent stress can overload families. In times of recession or economic turmoil, we see the impact in the rise in toxic stress in families that can lead to abuse or neglect, poorer health, and mental health outcomes. But we also know that reducing the financial burdens on families and adding supports can make a huge difference in a very short amount of time.”
While economic instability contributes to family instability, it often coexists with challenges like substance abuse, mental health struggles, and domestic violence resulting in children suffering physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.[7]
The U.S. government spends over $30 billion on foster care annually[8], yet a growing body of research shows that preventing children from entering the foster care system through community-based children and family support initiatives is more cost effective and produces healthier outcomes.
“Economic and material hardship are among the consistent and significant predictors of child welfare involvement, as the lack of access to basic needs and resources can cause family and caregiver stress and instability. There is ample evidence to support the value of addressing the economic and material hardship faced by most families with child welfare involvement, both as a means of preventing foster care or other out-of-home care and to prevent child abuse and neglect.”
There is general agreement among experts that a multifaceted approach is needed to address and fundamentally change the foster crisis in America.
- Prevention
- We need to invest resources, time, and energy in family preservation to help address instability before it escalates, preventing family breakdown and keeping children in safe and loving families.
- Protection
- We need more foster and adoptive families, with the support and resources needed to provide safe, informed, loving care for children who have experienced extreme neglect and abuse; children who need immediate protection.
In the midst of this complex crisis, CarePortal’s role is to help mobilize action neighbor-to-neighbor; to connect vulnerable children and families with caring neighbors in their own community. For both prevention and protection, the ultimate goal is for children and families to build a meaningful connection that can lead to on-going supportive relationships."