“Hope’s Boy”

1. Relatives (grandmother) play a significant role in providing temporary care. Thus, Federal financing should offer support to guardians and allow them to pay their children a visit. When relatives visit children in foster care, the children reduce trauma and develops a sense of belonging. With regard to the question, kinship care could be offered through an informal arrangement. In foster care (MacLaren Hall), Andrew was abused physically and mentally which rooted from isolation, poverty and poor treatment by social welfare agencies. In the MacLaren, Andy faced institutionalized brutality as he lived with dishonest adults (Bridge, 2008).Given the hardships and suffering he met in life, county officials should have offered Andy’s grandmother financial support, phone calls and travel expenses. First, it is important to note that Andy lived in unfriendly condition where he was abused by foster parents for 11 years. Before being taken in foster care, he lived with his grandmother who had financial problems. The grandmother could not be in a position to provide material advantages to Andy while he was in foster care and this stressed her as she was unable to fight for his custody.  At this point, county officers should have offered the grandmother a legal custody. This means that she could have been given opportunity to visit Andrew.  Andy was at a risk of maltreatment since his real parents had divorced and her mother was mentally ill. At this point, his grandmother was the only person who could care for him, but financial problems hindered her.  It was the role of county officials to offer financial support (Bridge, 2008).   In this case, the officers should have strengthened her capacity to look after the boy and this was a way of strengthening foster care and family support. It is important to consider the role of birth parents or family members as the key element in promoting child development and satisfying the child’s wishes.  Other reason as to why the officers should have offered the grandmother phone calls and financial support for travel expense is that the child in foster has the right to meet his or her parents and this minimizes depression and maximizes child development (Krug & Światowa, 2002). In addition, I support the need for financial support since visitation promotes the well-being, strengthens a healthy attachment and prevents the feeling of abandonment. Visitation also strengthens reunification and a child will get a valuable experience. During visitation, birth parents or the grandmother in this case would gain parenting skills from educational programme when the child returns home.

 

2. Bridge was 7 years old when he was taken to foster family. Here, he was under the care of an Estonian woman who showed abusive behaviors to the child.  He faced challenges until he reached 17 years and got the opportunity to meet his real mother (Bridge, 2008).  An important point to note is that the trauma which the foster mother experienced while she was in jail     triggered the abusive behaviors. As a girl child, the foster parent was abused psychologically and emotionally and the harm created low self-esteem, mental problem and vulnerability to antisocial behaviors (Krug & Światowa, 2002).  This woman was a neglectful parent with disrupted social relationship. She could not be in a position to provide social support and quality care since she had not yet recovered from early trauma.  The trauma she experienced contributed to irrational, annoyance and she became less supportive and responsive. In other words, her behaviors are understandable given that she also experienced   abuse and isolation while she was imprisoned.   For example, young children especially girls who are incarcerated experience physical and sexual abuse, emotional harm, and more (Krug & Światowa, 2002).  The maltreatment is understandable as a response to stress. In addition, the foster mother lacks a positive role model as she also experienced abuse when she was young.  Note that the mother   lack unrealistic expectations necessary skills for child development and this is the main contributing factor (Krug & Światowa, 2002).

 

 The only way that the social workers could have done to discover the behaviors of the foster parents is through a psychological valuation. Note that this could have been done before deciding to take the child to her.  In other words, the  social worker could have developed a foster care system where a psychological evaluation is done to foster parents to assess things related with criminal background check, behavior patterns, and feelings more (Krug & Światowa, 2002). A psychological evaluation is done for child protection and the evaluation is helpful as the social worker will know whether the parent will be in a position to meet physical and emotional need.  Evaluation will also assess mental health and in this case, social workers could have done a psychological evaluation to discover the post-traumatic stress disorder (Krug & Światowa, 2002).  Note that exposure to trauma at an early age triggers antisocial behaviors in adulthood. Generally, the foster parent’s behaviors were response to trauma and she presented them through aggression.  Social works could have conducted   a psychological evaluation to discover this behavior.   

 

 Given that the foster parents shown a response to trauma, it would be better to remove Andrew from the foster parent’s care.  It would be better if the child could get care from a foster parent whose life background is evaluated and aligns with the ability to meet physical and emotional need (Krug & Światowa, 2002).  Rather than allowing parents who had experienced trauma in jail to care for children, they should find parents who have the willingness to offer quality care. More important, foster parents should have knowledge and skills on child development. In addition, the child could be taken to parent who has quality training and who has gone through care programs (Krug & Światowa, 2002).

 

3. I agree with Andrew’s statement that parent- child relationship or else the parent love is important in life. Even though foster care provides children with discipline and nurturing to families that face challenges when it comes to parenting, parental love should be considered (Bridge, 2008). Among the infinity number of virtues, I believe that a child needs acceptance, parental caring, compassion and considerations are important in child’s life as they promote joy and sense of belonging. In considering the welfare of the children and morally perceptions, children should enjoy their ‘child right’ and ‘derivative right’ (The Pew Charitable Trust, 2007). The point is that children suffer from depression, mental problems, develop behavioral problems and trauma   while in foster care.  Thus, parental love and affection must be valued for the well-being of the child.  Parental love will prevent mental harm and psychological abuse, and improve the overall well-being. However, the foster care system needs to be reformed in order to promote the well-being of the children. This should be done by establishing visitation plan where a child should meet with parents and siblings (The Pew Charitable Trust, 2007).  In addition, primary relationship should be strengthened through parent-child relationship. There should be family ties and long-term commitment to reduce trauma and create a sense of attachment.  Finally, there should be a subsidized guardianship- there should be a legal responsibility which focus on providing relatives with resources to care for the children. Note that children will be in a safe and stable condition while with relatives. Relative caregivers should be provided with right of care rather than taking the children to foster care (The Pew Charitable Trust, 2007).

Reference

Bridge, A. (2008). Hope's boy. New York: Hyperion.

 

Krug, E. G., & Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia. (2002). World report on violence and health. Geneva:

World Health Organization.

 

The Pew Charitable Trust. (2007). Time For Reform. SUPPORT RELATIVES IN PROVIDING FOSTER CARE

AND PERMANENT FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN.  Retrieved from: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/reports/foster_care_reform/supportingrelativespdf.pdf