THE EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AFTER BEING IN FOSTER HOMES

Community ReportClaudia Chaparro

OVERVIEW Growing up in a dysfunctional foster home with

any kind of abuse is traumatic. Orphans experience trauma and pain from the

foster parents from who was supposed to care for and love.

Having grown from this trauma into adults still has its lasting effects.

Having experienced, “you grew up changed, different from other children, missing important parts of necessary parenting that prepare you for adulthood, missing parts of your childhood when you were forced into unnatural situations.”

George A. Boyd, head of Mudrashram Institute of Spiritual Studies

Focus Not many people truly understand of how

the effects of neglect and abuse take a toll on foster children's lives Trudy Festinger, head of the Department of Research at the New York University School of Social Work, determined that “over 28 percent of children in state care had been abused while in foster homes”.

Being abused sexually, physically, or emotionally in a foster home by the foster parents is a traumatic experience which leads them to feeling that they are not self-worth.

Focus This feeling of self-worthlessness rarely

goes away even after they are adopted and have grown into adulthood.

A 22 year old named Andres Bernal was placed in a foster home in Los Angeles, California at the age of 6 months and was mentally and emotionally abused.

Focus He was adopted when he was 6 years of

age and became known as “The Scapegoat, who is, characteristically acts out in anger and defiance, often behaving in delinquent ways, but inwardly he or she feels hurt about the situation” says Dr. Janet Kizziar of the "Counseling Survivors of Abusive Foster Homes”.

Awareness The awareness that I want to bring is if

you hear about an orphan getting abused while in foster homes report the people in charge immediately.

You can and will change that child`s life right then in there and in the future as an adult.

Resource Rick Thoma (1996-2005) Critical Look at

Foster Care System http://www.liftingtheveil.org

American Academy of Pediatrics (2012) Developmental Issues for Young Children in Foster Care

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org

George A. Boyd (2004) When you grow up in a dysfunctional fosterhomehttp://www.mudrashram.com/