What are the reasons foster kids leave their foster homes?

Answer 1

Foster Care Placement DisruptionsFoster children can leave a foster home for a variety of reasons. Foster care is intended to be a temporary home for a child until that child can be placed in a permanent home. The goal for a child in foster care is usually to be reunited with family. A judge can order that a child be reunified with the biological parents once they have completed their court ordered case plan.

Another reason a child could leave a foster home is to be placed in a kinship home. This is when a relative of the child comes forward to take in the child. Typically a home study and background checks must be done on the relatives before the child can be placed in their home.

Sometimes when a child is first placed in foster care there is not a foster home available to take an entire set of siblings. A child can be removed from a foster home to be placed with siblings in another foster home once one becomes available.

Disruptions in placements are sometimes because of behavioral issues. A child who has been abused, neglected and otherwise had an unstable life may have behavioral issues that are threatening or abusive to the other biological or foster children of the fostering family and even to the foster parents. The child's behaviors may be so extreme that the child needs to be placed in a thearaputic foster home or group home.

Although it is often portrayed in the media that foster families are abusive, it is not typical for a child to be removed because of abuse by foster parents. Children who are in foster care often have a variety of attachment and oppositional behaviors leading to false accusations. Even though it is rare, it does happen occasionally.

Sometimes uncontrollable circumstances prevent a family from continuing to foster, such as an accident or health problems, and must have the child removed from their home. There are times when a foster child is not able to "fit in" with a foster family and requests to be moved to a different home.

When a child is deterimined to have Native American heritage, a child may be moved to foster home that is recognized by the child's affiliated tribe.

When the goal of reunification is no longer percieved as attainable, the child can be transitioned to a preadoptive home when the foster parents are not willing or able to adopt the child.

When a child reaches a certain age (it varies by state) the child can become emancipated and establish their own independent living arrangements. Some children also run away from their foster homes.

Children can also be moved to another foster home if the agency or state who has custody of the child determines that a foster family is disruptive to the goal of reunification. A child can be removed from a foster family that does not maintain the licensing requirements for the agency in which they are fostering.

A Good Foster carer will know the benefits of discipline, structure and boundaries, a typical child in foster care does not understand any of these concepts and is used to punishment without reward, parents who give in rather than stick to principles and come and go as they please. Disruption can take place when the child cant take what is good for them and the carer cant enforce it.