Foster Care

%3Cp%3ENY%20Times%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFoster%20care%20children%20age%20out%20of%20the%20foster%20care%20system%20at%20either%2018%20or%2021%20yrs.%20depending%20on%20the%20state%20they%20live%20in.%20%20Once%20foster%20children%20age%20out%20of%20the%20system%2C%20they%20no%20longer%20receive%20government%20funds.%20%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWith%20the%20recession%2C%20aged-out%20foster%20children%20are%20struggling%20to%20find%20work%20making%20it%20more%20difficult%20for%20them%20to%20acquire%20Section%208%20housing.%20Child%20welfare%20advocates%20are%20worried%20that%20this%20will%20cause%20the%20number%20of%20homeless%20aged-out%20foster%20children%20to%20severely%20increase.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20The%20New%20York%20Times%20--%20%2020%20years%20ago%20New%20York%20City%20embarked%20on%20an%20experiment%20aimed%20at%20better%20assisting%20and%20protecting%20its%20most%20vulnerable%20black%20and%20Latino%20children%20in%20foster%20care.%20This%20article%20examines%20what%20has%20been%20learned%20along%20the%20way%20and%20what%20improvements%20still%20need%20to%20be%20made%20in%20the%20foster%20care%20system%20in%20NYC.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20Associated%20Content%20--%20%20This%20Op-Ed%20column%20expores%20the%20foster%20care%20system%20in%20the%20U.S.and%20states%20that%20without%20cohesion%2C%20leadership%20and%20accountability%2C%20the%20system%20will%20continue%20to%20fail%20too%20many%20of%20the%20500%2C000-plus%20children%20assigned%20to%20it.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20ABC%20News%20--%20%20Many%20kids%20feel%20rejected%20as%20they%20spend%20their%20lives%20in%20the%20foster%20care%20system%20waiting%20and%20hoping%20for%20adoption.%20%20Foster%20kids%20no%20matter%20how%20old%20need%20families%20and%20sadly%20many%20of%20these%20children%20reach%20their%20teens%20and%20never%20get%20adopted.%20%20What%20can%20be%20done%20to%20change%20this%20epidemic%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3ERepresentative%20Peter%20Stark%20introduced%20the%20legislation%2C%20%22Every%20Child%20Deserves%20A%20Family%20Act%22.%26nbsp%3B%20This%20federal%20bill%20would%20prohibit%20state%20and%20child%20welfare%20agencies%20from%20denying%20parents%20the%20right%20to%20adopt%20children%20based%20on%20their%20sexual%20or%20marital%20orientation.%20Florida%20bans%20gay%20adoption%20outright%20and%20several%20other%20states%20have%20restrictions%20based%20on%20sexual%20and%20marital%20orientation.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3ESTLtoday.com%3AExtreme%20Recruitment%20is%20a%20federally%20funded%20%242%20million%20program%20in%20St.%20Louis%20that%20pairs%20social%20workers%20and%20private%20detectives%20together%20to%20find%20long%20lost%20relatives%20of%20foster%20children%20in%20hopes%20of%20placing%20the%20children%20in%20loving%20homes.%20Extreme%20Recruitment%20has%20reunited%20foster%20children%20with%20relatives%20in%20approximately%2070%25%20of%20cases.%20%20Should%20programs%20like%20this%20be%20funded%20across%20the%20country%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20Associated%20Content%20--%20%20A%20teenager%20recounts%20her%20experience%20in%20the%20foster%20care%20system%20and%20how%20one%20foster%20mother%20refused%20to%20give%20up%20on%20her%20and%20changed%20her%20life%20forever.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EUSA%20Today%3A%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AA%20study%20on%20foster%20care%20showed%20evidence%20that%20if%20children%20stay%20in%20troubled%20homes%20they%20fare%20better%20in%20life%20than%20those%20that%20go%20into%20foster%20care.%26nbsp%3B%20Keeping%20families%20together%20is%20the%20ideal%20situation%20but%20at%20what%20cost%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EOregonlive.com%3A%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AAn%20opinion%20piece%20by%20a%20foster%20parent%20of%2014%20years%20emphasizes%20that%20despite%20the%20flaws%20in%20the%20system%20there%20are%20foster%20care%20success%20stories.%26nbsp%3B%20The%20training%20of%20foster%20parents%20is%20increasing%2C%20DHS%20workers%20are%20more%20involved%20with%20the%20supervision%20of%20foster%20children%20and%20good%20parents%20across%20the%20country%20are%20taking%20in%20children%20in%20need%20of%20a%20safe%20and%20loving%20home.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A