Segment: Those in the foster care system
Interviews:
Anon 1: This person talked about how they were taken away by child services and its impact on them. They caused a lot of trouble and when they were a kid they thought it was normal to go from family to family, but as he grew up he realized it was simply a disservice that these people were doing to him, as if they were shopping for children. This person was unable to focus in school because of the foster care system.
Anon 2: This person found a good family through the foster care system but admits that they were 1 in a million.
Anon 3: This person also never really found a family they could call their own. They don't keep in contact with their foster family now. This person is someone who was homeless for approximately 4 years and now lives in lower income housing.
What I learned:
I only knew two people who were in the foster care system so I had to search for the third one. But the people who had to go through the system admitted that they system is screwed and could use some funding especially the local branch.
Now I know about a small segment of those affected. I will do more research to learn more about different groups affected because there are a lot of people impacted by this specific problem.
Hey Patrick! Solving opportunities within in the foster care system is seriously so important so I am glad you have identified this as one of your focus segments! Would you say from your interviews that you think the system needs more funding or just a restructuring of the way they run the program...or perhaps it needs both? I wonder what makes the system in Gainesville so awful. Hopefully you can get to the root of some of these issues.
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick,
ReplyDeleteThis cause is very close to my heart. I know a lot of people that have gone through the foster care programs. I was affiliated with Children’s Home Society when I lived in Gainesville, and the focus of this non-profit is to help kids find foster care parents in hopes of them returning back to their families or help with adoption. Funding is so much needed and would help them have a better childhood and better prepare them for the future.