Foster care overhaul may strain rural areas - Entrepreneur Generations

A new federal law that overhauls the nation's foster care system tightens rules on group foster home placement, but group homes protest that there aren't enough foster parents to care for all the children in need. Need for foster care has increased in the past decade, especially in rural areas, because of the opioid epidemic.

The Family First Prevention Services Act was tucked into an omnibus spending bill signed in February 2018; when it goes into effect in October, the federal government won't pay for a child to stay in a group home for more than two weeks, with a few exceptions for children with special needs, Teresa Wiltz reports for Stateline.

"The law had overwhelming support from nearly every state and the U.S. Congress. Many child welfare experts say that group homes, even the homiest among them, are far from an ideal place for a child to grow up. Research shows that foster kids in group homes face worse outcomes, from lower educational attainment to increased rates of homelessness and criminal justice involvement," Wiltz reports.

Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina, which operates dozens of group homes in the state, kept the law from passing for years. by convincing Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to block the bill in 2016. The organization's leaders protest that there aren't enough foster homes to care for all the children in need, and said the two-week time limit is too short--it can take two weeks for a child to have their first family court appearance after being removed from their parents, Wiltz reports.

Karen McLeod, the director of Benchmarks, an alliance of statewide child welfare agencies, said group homes in North Carolina aren't against the law because they're trying to profit from foster children. Group homes in the state, most of which are run by religious organizations, don't break even and fundraise to make up for the shortfall, Wiltz reports.

Group homes are particularly suited to housing sibling groups and teens, both of which often have a harder time being adopted. Some teens choose to stay in the group home because they want stability. The typical stay is six to nine months, Wiltz reports.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/30uxjia Foster care overhaul may strain rural areas - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet