I was stunned to hear a report on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday entitled, "States Underserve Disabled Foster Kids". The study describes that out of the 1/2 million children in foster care at least 1/3 of them have physical, emotional or mental disabilities.

Steven Bennett, president of United Cerebral Palsy reports that most disabled foster children have suffered significant pre-natal impacts and nearly 80% have been exposed to alcohol or drugs in-utero. The study, entitled Forgotten Children: A Case for Action for Children and Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care, was conducted jointly by United Cerebral Palsy and Children's Rights, Inc.

The statement that caused me to pull the car over yesterday and start jotting notes was this one:

"Research shows that children and youth in foster care have worse health than homeless children."

WOW! How can that possibly be?

The study cites some eye-opening statistics compiled from a variety of state resources/reports, because no comprehensive national data is kept on foster children:

40% were born with low birth weight or premature.
80% were exposed to drugs or alcohol in-utero.
30-80% have at least one chronic medical condition, like asthma, TB or HIV.
30-50% have dental decay.
30-60% have developmental delays.
50-80% have emotional or behavioral problems.
30-40% qualify for special education services.

The study cited several areas of weakness in the "system":

-- Case Workers are not adequately trained. Dr. Richard Gellis, the Dean of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania was quoted in the NPR article saying that the social workers coming out of masters programs are not adequately trained in disabilities. Out of the 150 candidates in his master's program this year, only 20 of them had taken advanced coursework on developmental disabilities. Gellis went on to say that the ones who do get this advanced training often are not hired by agencies because the are "too expensive".
-- Foster and Adoptive Parents are not prepared. The study points out that the parents receive little training in how to deal with disabilities and little support as well. And that this lack of training and support increases the probably these children will endure multiple placements within the system.
-- Health Care. So many providers are unwilling to accept Medicaid and/or the specialized resources foster children need aren't available in every community.
-- Education. The report estimates that out of the 30-40% who qualify for special education, maybe as few as 16% are receiving the services outlined in their IEPs. The reason-- a lack of advocacy for the child and confusion about whether that advocacy should come from the foster parent or to caseworkers.

A general lack of collaboration and communication was cited in the report as a major problematic factor for these children. Because disabled foster children are often moved from one home to another, coordination and communication of the child's needs, past history and records becomes an additional problem.

WOW! I'm starting to understand how, if you're disabled, being in foster care could be worse than being homeless!