Blog Entry 5: What Does The Research Suggest (The Child)

The majority of my research into the foster children came in the form of statistics about the effects of being a foster child on their future lives, as getting more personal information on what foster families are like day to day would take interviews that have not yet occurred. The statistics on the damage of foster life on children comparative to children who live with their parents is astonishing to say the least. Up to 60% of children in foster care experience some type of developmental delay, including language delays (57%), cognitive problems (33%), gross motor difficulties (31%), and growth problems (10%). Along with this, the often traumatic experiences before entering foster care leads to attachment and interpersonal issues as well as trust issues in many children. This leads to issues in foster families. Emotional detachment and the trust nobody but yourself mentality in children in the foster children leads to high turnover rates in foster families, which in turn cause more lack of trust in the foster children, perpetuating this cycle. These and other issues translate into the school setting, making it one of the hardest places for children. The constant stress of changing families among other things leads to huge issues in the school setting including  "high rates of grade retention; scoring 16 percent to 20 percent lower on standardized tests; and higher absenteeism, tardiness, truancy and dropout rates" when compared to the general population.” in fact,  "foster children are twice as likely as the rest of the population to drop out before graduation, and only 50% graduate by age 18." Part of this is because each time a student moves school, the lose half a year of academic progress, so when a student changes schools five times, they end up far behind their peers. along with issues in the academic setting, foster student often have issues in the social settings, as they feel stigmatized by their peers and find themselves socially isolated. With so many issues in their early life it is no wonder that their issues transfer into adulthood. “A large body of research suggests that children in foster care are among the most at risk for poor life outcomes in American society. Adults who were formerly in foster care are more likely than the general population to be homeless, unprepared for employment and limited to low-skill jobs, and dependent on welfare or Medicaid. They are also more likely to be convicted of crimes and incarcerated, to succumb to drug and alcohol abuse, or to have poor physical or mental health. Women who have been in foster care experience higher rates of early pregnancy and may be more likely to see their own children placed in foster care.” These fact paint a harsh light onto the foster system, but if it is truly the harsh reality is yet to be seen. To create these types of facts, things must be generalized, and because of that this is an incomplete picture. These are the first hard brush strokes of the portrait that is this topic, but to add the color and detail to the painting, to add the good to the bad, the stories of individuals are still required, and I look forward to seeing where they take this.

Lahey, Jessica. "Every Time Foster Kids Move, They Lose Months of Academic Progress." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/every-time-foster-kids-move-they-lose-months-of-academic-progress/284134/#disqus_thread>.

Kools, Susan, and Christine Kennedy. "Medscape Log In." Medscape Log In. Medscape, 2003. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/449673_4>.

"National Association of Social Workers." National Association of Social Workers. NASW, Sept. 2004. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2004/09/perceptions.asp?back=yes>.

Hill, Amelia. "Children at Risk Because of Pressure on Social Workers, Research Finds." The Guardian. The Guardian, 6 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/oct/06/overworked-social-workers-children-risk>.

Lips, Dan. "Foster Care Children Need Better Educational Opportunities." The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 5 June 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2007/06/foster-care-children-need-better-educational-opportunities#_ftn9>.

Admin. "Social Work: Low Pay, High Stress | Social Workers Speak." Social Work: Low Pay, High Stress. Social Workers Speak, 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/cheers-and-jeers/social-work-low-pay-high-stress.html>.

Madrael. "CNN Reports Social Work Is the Most Stressful Overworked and Underpaid Job." The Madrigal Maniac. The Madrigal Maniac, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.madrigalmaniac.com/2009/11/19/cnn-reports-social-work-is-the-most-stressful-overworked-and-underpaid-job/>.

Levenson, Michael. "DCF Workers Deal with ‘shameful’ Office Conditions." BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/31/dcf/vi7CKCiGrlOHQRrAwb0NGJ/story.html#comments>.

Blog Entry 5: What Does The Research Suggest ( The Social Worker)

Oh where to begin? Perhaps I start big with the DCF and work inward. The DCF is sadly plagued with issues. Suffolk university did a study on DCF conditions and took the raw statements of workers, and the results were...terrifying. In some cases, the offices are not suitable for living in let alone dealing with small children and high stress situations in. One worker at the offices in Leominster Mass stated  “cockroaches scurried across the same floor that babies crawl on during supervised visits with their parents. The office walls are “punched through, and the social workers sit in closets, the worker wrote. “Shameful.” With the DCF lawyers being given 100 cases instead of the recommended 60 and social workers being saddled with 5 more cases than even legally allowed, there are bound to be significant issues. The Office of the Child Advocate, an organisation that oversees the DCF polled social workers and this is what they found: Workers were suffering from “PTSD for fear that something could happen on their caseloads” and “ More than two-thirds of social workers said their job had caused them emotional or mental instability – and of those, 45% had taken time off work as a result.” According to the polls moral was dropping yearly, and management was not trusted. With issues like this, how could the social workers do their best? answer, they couldn't. There are so many studies I could site, so many facts to say, so many issues that left me in shock that I don't know where to turn. With studies about social worker say that “85% said public criticism of their job had stopped potential new recruits entering the profession, 95% admitted that the increased pressure meant children's health and safety was at risk because social workers were having to make key decisions based on insufficient information, and 70% of those questioned admitted having been unable to protect a child because of the constraints of their job, I simply have to stop and reevaluate life.” Raw facts are all well and good, but they are nothing without the words of the individual person. They cover a breadth of information, but an individual's testimonial provides the depth and personal connection that makes something like this worthwhile. While I could not actually interview any social worker, I have the next best thing. I discovered that if I find an article on this subject and scroll to the bottom, social workers are commenting and having entire conversations at the in the comments section. There seems to be a consensus that there are deep seeded issues in the system, in the words of one person “I’ve worked in many settings in my career and virtually without fail, administrators are out of touch or simply not qualified to supervise/manage social workers. I have a great deal of difficulty with the fact that some high school graduates have higher incomes, better benefits, less stress on the job (eg. no threats; bodily injury), have no CEU/licensure/malpractice insurance expenses. I have friends and acquaintances who are changing career directions and leaving the field altogether. As a famous man once said, “Houston, we have a problem.” In the words of another social worker “ I see a lot of stressed out/ burned out social workers, and if anyone says otherwise then they are kidding themselves. When I see these social workers, I pray that isn’t the future I’m headed for.” Things like this give validity to the facts, and in reality it is the words of a real person that will stick with you for years to come because they carry an emotion that one cannot forget. I could go on for days on this topic and someday I will, but for now I must move on and talk about some of the effects on the children themselves.

Lahey, Jessica. "Every Time Foster Kids Move, They Lose Months of Academic Progress." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/every-time-foster-kids-move-they-lose-months-of-academic-progress/284134/#disqus_thread>.

Kools, Susan, and Christine Kennedy. "Medscape Log In." Medscape Log In. Medscape, 2003. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/449673_4>.

"National Association of Social Workers." National Association of Social Workers. NASW, Sept. 2004. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2004/09/perceptions.asp?back=yes>.

Hill, Amelia. "Children at Risk Because of Pressure on Social Workers, Research Finds." The Guardian. The Guardian, 6 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/oct/06/overworked-social-workers-children-risk>.

Lips, Dan. "Foster Care Children Need Better Educational Opportunities." The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 5 June 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2007/06/foster-care-children-need-better-educational-opportunities#_ftn9>.

Admin. "Social Work: Low Pay, High Stress | Social Workers Speak." Social Work: Low Pay, High Stress. Social Workers Speak, 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/cheers-and-jeers/social-work-low-pay-high-stress.html>.

Madrael. "CNN Reports Social Work Is the Most Stressful Overworked and Underpaid Job." The Madrigal Maniac. The Madrigal Maniac, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.madrigalmaniac.com/2009/11/19/cnn-reports-social-work-is-the-most-stressful-overworked-and-underpaid-job/>.

Levenson, Michael. "DCF Workers Deal with ‘shameful’ Office Conditions." BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/31/dcf/vi7CKCiGrlOHQRrAwb0NGJ/story.html#comments>.

Blog Entry 4: Interviewing Important People in My Life

What makes a social issue even graver than it already is? When nobody knows it exists. Were I to make even the barest of a mention of abortion, gun control, or climate change to my friends, I would have a full fledged debate on my hands, but when I mentions the issues withing the DCF and the foster system, all I receive is questioning looks and the sound of crickets. How can change be effected when nobody is aware of the problem? The answer is that it can't. Luckily, some of the adults in my life have personal connections to the system and were able to give truly insightful testimonies. The overall view of this complex beast is that well, its dying. It simply is not effective enough, with ever increasing numbers of children in crisis and a fall in the number of foster families, things are not going well. The interview I will focus on today came to me completely by accident. We had a substitute named **** in AP Biology, and well...she was a talker. I was focused on my work, but I kept hearing buzz words like child, family issues, stress, and foster family. As it turned out, for the last 40 years, she had worked in the "planning room," working with troubled students. As I began to talk to her I realized she had the most amazing stories, having gone through the foster system, she had stories of her own but more importantly, stories of students today. Perhaps one of her most heartbreaking stories began with a child who every day would refuse to do his work, get sent to the planning room, and promptly fall asleep on the couch provided. This happened every day, until on the day of February break, the principle came to **** and said, you need to stop this, you can't let this kid camp out in your room, So she went to the student and said "after February break, you have to stop sleeping in my room." }"It's February break?" the child said, " Mrs. ****, what am I going to eat?" As it turned out, the child had been sleeping in a tent with his family every night, and waking up at 4:00 in the morning to ride to Newport on the bus with his mother to "go to the doctors" a.k.a. go get another dose of methadone, the drug she was dependent on. Three years later, he is still with his family, homeless, food-less, and blowing welfare money on drugs, just another child to slip through the cracks. Now how could this happen, aren't there programs in place, aren't teachers mandated to report these issues, to file a formal report with the DCF? Yes, but from there the DCF decides, they can choose to investigate a report or simply send a form letter back saying "we have evaluated the case and found it not to be worth investigating." There is simply not enough money, not enough employees, and not enough time to investigate every case. The foster system itself is troubled, one person confided that they stopped fostering children because they were afraid to be alone with them. Some children had been in the system for some time and had learned to look out for themselves. If they were angry with families, or wanted a change, they could simply say they had been hit or abused and bam, they get a new family and the old one gets a black mark. It was because of this happening that the family decided to stop fostering, and they were not alone, the number of foster families is falling and the turnover rate is excessive. My guidance counselor told me stories of foster children at our school who would be found loitering around outside, and when asked why, they would reply, "I dont know who I am going home with tonight."There is hope however, people are still trying; my uncle has been fostering a pair of children, for nigh on ten years now, at first full time, but now working in a partnership with the parents to ge the family back on their feet, but more on that later. (They are on a trip and can't be reached)

Felice, Carrie. "DCF and the Foster System." Personal interview. 2 Oct. 2015.

Grant, Phil. "DCF and the Foster System." Personal interview. 2 Oct. 2015.

********, ****. "Personal Stories About the Foster System." Personal interview. 5 Oct. 2015.

Brown, Jeff. "DCF and the Foster System." Interview by Alexander C. Bickart. 4 Oct. 2015: 

Assorted Friends Who Didn't Help Much.

(Word Count Stipulations are Agonizing)

Blog Entry 3: What I Know and What I Want to Know.

         One Friday afternoon at around  11:20, I was driving back to school from a class I take at Johnson State when a news segment caught my attention. It was Tom Ashbrook discussing the recent murder of a social worker, and the issues that are pervasive in that field today. The details of the workplace, especially with DCF workers, truly shocked me. Both the case workers and the attorneys were being saddled with upwards of double the recommended cases, while the case workers were under additional stress because oftentimes going to visit troubled families was fraught with danger and the threat of physical assault. Hearing this reported was eye-opening, but what really solidified it as an important topic to me was the discussion on the topic. See, one of the amazing features of on point is that they have an expert in the given subject on air, and then callers can phone it and tell there stories, ask questions, or simply give their take on the subject. Hearing the families of social workers talking about how their daughter, sister, or son went through emotional and physical trauma on the job, yet still returned to work and put themselves into those situations again cemented into my mind the true issues and the true importance of this profession. Now how does this connect to Vermont in particular you ask? Well, beyond this being a national issue and not just a state one, Vermont has seen a massive increase of children entering the foster system including an over 30% increase in children under 6 in the last year, with upwards of 80% of those cases due to drug addictions caused by the increased drug trade through Vermont. Not only have we had this astounding increase in children in the system, we have had an increase in violence as well. Lara Sobel, a local social worker was gunned down by the parent of one of her cases in broad daylight as she walked out of work. After listening to this news segment I must admit I went on a bit of a research binge, looking into anything and everything I could uncover about the issue, and the more I read the more enthused I began to feel by this idea.
         As you may be able to tell, this is a fairly massive topic, and one that I am passionate about and narrowing it down to some small precise question that can be easily researched is painful, as that would involve leaving out parts of the issue, but if I were to do so, the question may look something like this; What are the pressing and current issues within the DCF and the foster family system in Vermont today. While collecting facts and data from published sources is important, much of the information I gather in the process of this project will be in the form of interviews, as statistics and official reports are twisted this way and that to show what people want to show, and many articles are heavily biased. While people are equally biased in person, it is easier to find out when bias is affecting the statement, and you have the chance to hear the backstory that lead to said bias, which may be a bigger story and a more important development that the original statement. Likewise, people may find it more worthwhile and meaningful to talk an honest student who cares about the topic and wants only for the truth to be told and for positive change to be made as opposed to talking to a reporter who covers the story as a part of a job. Between these two types of sources I hope to get to a point where I know, well...everything. I know that is not actually possible, but I'm looking to, at the end of this endeavor, to know things I can't hope to fathom now. When I think about this project I cannot help but look to the end as well as plan the beginning, and already I find myself planning how to present this, how to show it to the world. In my mind it would be a multi-faceted presentation, with the physical movie I create as the centerpiece and me answering questions from whoever comes to visit, but in the surrounding areas have posters of data, interview recordings playing, and testimonials from children, host families, officials, and parents whose children had been taken away. It is my hopes that my work will lead to improved conditions for DCF workers, a greater understanding and respect for the work being done by foster families and social workers, and a way for anyone and everyone within this system to speak out and let their voices be heard by all.

KUD Reflection

           The actual premise of this class feels natural and is not daunting to me at the least, diving into a project in this depth, the interviews, none of that fazes me. I am fine at interviewing and researching, and great at putting together a compelling case. Where the issues come in for me is the implementation of technology. I have very little experience with the types of technology we use here, and I dont have a great track record with technology as it is, so that in itself is the main point of stress for me. In all honesty this is probably an irrational issue and I should be able to deal with the technology just fine, but the irrational fears are often the ones that are the most real. I am particularly exited about collaborating to create a deep and abiding understanding  of complex topics and working to create change. I have no real issues or things I think are missing, but we will see in time.

Why Am I Involved In Whats The Story?

I suppose that the biggest draw for me is the freedom to pursue any topic I choose. While school english classes are wonderful, they also confine the students within a very narrow boundary of the field of english. We read books and write about them, we do essay after essay but we never go beyond that and into the applications of writing in the real world. With this class I have an opportunity to reach out and use my english skills in a way that they would be used in real life, the freedom to choose any topic and dive deep into it in the way a freelance journalist would is a unique opportunity that may not be found anywhere else. To be honest, every year I get less and less out of my english classes as we do the same things over and over, changing the books we read, and the vocab we learn, but not the fundamental styles of the learning itself . This is also an opportunity to get a greater feel for the real world, where you do not have every detail of what you need to do laid out for you, but instead you have to make your own way to success. This is something I end up doing on a regular basis, seeking out unique opportunities such as this so that I can have a broader sense of the world around me and get to know this I may not otherwise.