A caring community is the solution to the foster care problem. If parents can’t or don’t care for their children, then they belong to the community. The quality of care that a child receives from the community generally determines the outcome of his or her adult life. If the people in a community take personal responsibility for foster children, they will actively take an interest in who cares for the children and the quality of care they receive, a fact that has been observed and appreciated at Rio Bend.
| The Current State of Foster Care | The Rio Bend Vision of Foster Care |
|---|---|
Foster children have been exploited for the reimbursements that they can provide for their foster parents. |
Foster parents earn a livable income that does not include the children’s reimbursement. With both a mother and a father in residence, one parent is fully employed while the other cares for the children and the home. |
The typical facility and caregiver base their quality of care for the children on state and federal funding. Therefore, an inadequate number of appropriate foster homes exist to care for abused and neglected children that enter the court system. |
Rio Bend is committed to permanence. The homes exist for the foster children to enjoy the benefits and normality of living in a middle class neighborhood. |
Children often experience several placements during their time in the foster care system. The multiple placements can and do cause serious emotional and psychological damage that is often irreversible. Children can develop attachment disorders that cause them to be unable to love or bond with other people and fail to develop a sense of compassion for others. Studies show that a large percentage of inmates in prison for violent crimes were abused and neglected children. Many grew up in multiple foster homes or other basic care facilities. |
Rio Bend is committed to continuity. It can be home for the children from the time they are removed from their biological parents until they can go home to their parents or are adopted. |
When children reach the age of 18, they are “emancipated” from the system. No one is legally responsible for the new adult. In other words, no one legally has to care and the young adults no longer have anywhere to call home. If they have no family as a support system, the results are often disastrous for the individual and the community in which they live. The police and the court system still care about their behaviors. |
Rio Bend continues to be home for its young adults during their college breaks and holidays, or just when they want to visit. |