New Study Opens Eyes on the Relative Quality of Foster Care

New Study Opens Eyes on the Relative Quality of Foster Care
By Ed Bagley

Apparently the news is in on the contentious issue of whether children are better left at home or put in foster care.

The largest study on the subject (15,000+ kids from 1990 to 2002) says children whose families are investigated for abuse or neglect are likely to do better in life if they stay with their families than if they go into foster care.

The USA Today (7-3-07) reported that kids who stayed with their families were less likely to become juvenile delinquents or teen mothers and more likely to hold jobs as young adults, according to the study by Joseph Doyle, who studies social policy as an economics professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management.

A sampling of the study results showed:

Only 14% of young adults were arrested at least once when staying at home and 44% were arrested when going to foster care.

Only 33% became teen mothers when staying at home and 56% became mothers when going to foster care.

At least 33% held a job for at least 3 months when staying at home and only 20% held a job for at least 3 months when going to foster care.

"The size of the effects surprised me, because all the children come from tough families," Doyle said. The National Science Foundation funded the study.

Studies, including those by Mark Courtney while at the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center, show that the 500,000 children in U. S. foster care are more likely than other kids to drop out of school, commit crimes, abuse drugs and become teen parents.

I personally know two foster children who became very successful in life as adults.

I have never cared for the foster care program because I believe far too many foster parents are in it for the money and not for the tremendous responsibility they accept. I believe adoption sends a much different message than being a foster parent.
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Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

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