A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM

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How Great the Need?
Over half a million children are in foster care or some other kind of out of home placement today. Do these children all really need to be there?

How Safe the Services?
How safe are foster care services? Critics suggest that the foster care system is anything but a safe haven for children.

How Widespread a Problem?
How widespread are the problems of abuse and neglect in foster care? What is the actual percentage of abuse in foster care? Are children really better off in state care than they would be in their own homes?

Incentives to States
Exploring the financial incentives behind foster care. Financial incentives and legal maneuvers used by states to maximize funding. (This article is currently being revised).

Incentives to Foster Parents
Critics charge that financial incentives are not the only reason that some foster parents take children into their homes.

The Sectarian Agencies
Examining the surprising range of private and often sectarian "non-profit" service providers. How do they compare with state operated foster care services?

The Group Homes
Examining the labeling of children, and the shadowy world of congregate and group home care. A close look at living conditions, and fiscal incentives for maintaining children in care. The impact of group home care, and listening to the voices of children.

Phychotropic Medication in Foster Care: A Bibliography
Examining the widespread use of psychotropic and mood-altering medications on children in state care.

Foster Care Outcomes
Critics say the effects of foster care extend well beyond the present, and may greatly impact on the futures of these children, as well as on that of our own society.