Revamping Urban Foster Care: A State Responsibility

Write a short response (2-3 paragraphs) in which: utilizing what you have read and reviewed regarding lobbying, public policy, and local governance, discuss a major policy area that affects your local community. Define the issue; what needs to be done; whose responsibility (state or local government) to address the issue; is it a rural, suburban, or urban area? Make a compelling argument as to why the state should address this issue. Utilizing the political and policy preferences of the actors involved, try to appeal to their priorities and preferences, as well as make a compelling case for why the change you seek would be good policy. Be sure to address any local/state conflicts that might need to be addressed. There is no need to respond to other people’s posts for this assignment. For this essay, I am providing you the opportunity to show off what you’ve learned from the readings and audio lectures. The foster care system in the urban and suburban areas is an ongoing issue that is often overlooked, which is a major reason why the system has and is continuing to deteriorate. Many children in the foster care system are mistreated as there many cases of sexual violence or harrassment, and the overall mistreatment, whether it be physical or mental. Additonally, foster children are a vulnerable population as they suffer from many mental health challenges, perhaps child abuse, and impaired parenting which makes their chances of success when they become an adult extremely difficult. The foster care system is known for their negligence, there have been many cases where foster children have died or have been injured because foster parents simply neglected them. Additionally, many of the foster care facilities are in terrible conditions, which include lack of furniture, housekeeping, and inept staff members. It has been shown that many foster children become homeless when they leave the system because they have not been sufficiently supported in a way most other children do, which makes them more likely to be homeless. The homeless population in Austin is already relatively high, given that some major causes are unemployment, lack of affordable rental housing, and an increase in poverty. Thus, action needs to be taken for the foster care system by both local and state governments so that the foster youth can enter their adulthood with sufficient education and good mental health so they can be a productive part of the socioeconomic field in Texas. However, I do believe that the state has a greater responsibility and should provide more funding to local governments and facilities so that facilities can have greater resources to attempt to fix the problem. It is evident that many policy makers in Texas, like our governor, are in favor of the ban of abortions in Texas. With that being said, the state government needs to recognize that many more children will enter the foster care system due to this ban. Since many babies who would have been aborted are now brought to the world, there is a good chance they will enter the system as their biological parents cannot care for them. This heightens the need for the foster care system to be in a better standing, which requires funding. Many facilities cannot support the amount of children they have, which results in some children being sent to facilities out of state! The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) recognizes the issues but fails to take sufficient action, instead they assign mere citations against infractors. If the state government provided more funding, there could be a focus on finding suitable foster parents, or keeping foster care facilities safe and suitable for children. Coupled together, the chances for a foster youth to become successful is at a much higher level than them growing up in extremely volatile environments. Additionally, a prioritization of mental health can be a crucial addition that could increase a foster youth’s chance of success tremendously, as they can learn to cope with many challenges they see fit. The bad conditions of facilities and lack of unfit foster parents is something that is prevalent statewide, but can be commonly seen in very urban areas, like Austin. It is clear that the state government chooses to neglect the foster care system, but with the abortion ban, there needs to be change with the system, or else the homeless population could become higher and the success in our working population could also be at risk eventually.