Opinion: Two California foster care bills miss the mark
This spring, the California Legislature is considering two foster care reform measures. While they are well-intentioned, one of these bills would have limited benefits while the other could be highly detrimental. Neither bill addresses the core issue with foster care, which is that we have too much of it.
But while foster care is necessary, it too often can be evil. Good foster parents, now known as “resource families,” are hard to find. Some look at monthly foster care payments, meager as they are, as a source of income, skimping on clothes and toys for the kids in their care. Other resource parents, who are also caring for their own children, treat foster kids like second class citizens in their homes, piling additional trauma on kids who have already been failed by their parents.
While these professionals and volunteers have the best of intentions, they often complicate foster children’s lives, requiring them to answer repetitive questions about their status and their preferences. This is especially stressful for foster children when they come into conflictThese conflicts can often result in “placement changes,” as children are shuffled from one resource family to another with or without their siblings.
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