In theory, foster care is a safety net system for abused and neglected children to be temporarily removed from their homes for their own protection. In reality, foster care becomes a way of life for many children. Temporary care turns into long-term care and, for many, the only care they receive until they age out of the system.

Of the 276,000 children exiting the foster care system for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, 29,000 (11 percent) did so because they were "emancipated," meaning they aged out of the system. The fact that 29,000 children have no family or home at the age of 18 because the foster care system failed them is tragic. Imagine being a teenager with your whole life ahead of you and you are alone in the world with no family foundation or guidance. [more ...]

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The July 2011 Family Voice Insight, "Forever Families Campaign: Promoting Adoption from Foster Care," is published for the Web via Adobe Acrobat. The Acrobat Reader is available for free by visiting Get.Adobe.com/Reader/

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