11 Chapter 11 Failure of Foster Care System in Canada

Foster care system, although well intentioned, does not seem to live up to the objectives it has been set for. This is well illustrated in the novel The Lost Ones, where the main character, Nora Watts, was brought up in foster care and hence suitable to rely on it in analyzing whether foster care lives up to the objectives. Nora Watts experiences at foster care, and her attitude towards her daughter growing up in foster care demonstrates that there is a problem with this system. Also, Canada has a well-developed social welfare system, and hence one would expect foster care system to be near perfect. The country therefore fits in this analysis, as the faults in its system show that not even the most developed countries have been able to streamline the foster care system. Therefore, there is a relative failure in the foster care system as the main objectives why it is established in a society do not seem to be always achieved fully. This is because there are cases of children brought up in this system who end up experiencing other more challenges that would be least expected, and they end up shaping their lives in a more negative way, as the life of Nora Watts from the novel illustrates.

To begin with, foster care system helps children born into broken down families and orphans get a chance at experiencing good parenthood. Broken down families in this context means a family where the child is likely to not get good care and protection, such as where the parents are violent, drug addicts or any other type of lifestyle that may expose the child to danger. The family of Nora Watts fits in this category, as while her father had died, the whereabouts of her mother were unknown. Ideally, it is a system that perhaps provide the best alternative to such children, as it is intended to give them a good chance at getting parental love and protection just as those in stable families. Indeed, it has over the years benefited a lot of people, through giving them a better environment to grow up in under parental protection, and which benefits them though improving their functioning abilities, getting better health care, getting better behavioral guidance, emotional support and so on (Horwitz et al.). Many children getting into foster care were found to be experiencing problems such as poor physical and mental health, educational problems, developmental problems, behavioral problems and much more (Horwitz et al.). The fact that the system helps take care of these problems and in the end offer more benefits to these children show its importance in a society. Another perspective into showing the necessity of foster care in a society is the high number of children who are affected and in need of such care. Statistics from 2008 showed that in Canada, there were around 76,000 children under foster care, and the number rises steadily each year and hence there is a great need for this system (Ramsay-Irving).

However, as illustrated from the growing up of Nora Watts under care, the system is not without faults. In an ideal situation, such faults would be least expected to occur, especially in a society like Canada. That these faults exist expose a major weakness that should be addressed so that the system can live up to its objectives. Ramsay-Irving puts this issue into context where he state that “Although the foster care systems in North America are set up with good intentions for best practices for foster children, in reality these systems are failing youth in care. Many foster children experience more psychological, social, educational, behavioral, and emotional problems as compared to children who are not in foster care, and this can continue into adulthood.” Interestingly, majority of children who are taken into foster care is usually because of neglect by their parents, as shown by data from the government that by December 2018, 75% of children taken into foster care had been taken in due to neglect by their parents (Seucharan et al.). It is therefore ironical that when they get into foster care homes, they experience “more psychological, social, educational, behavioral, and emotional problems,” (Ramsay-Irving). Although this is in comparison to those not in foster care, it still points to a fact that in some cases, some appear to experience more problems when they get to foster care, despite the fact that some of the problems they usually have before they get there are resolved.

Nora Watts, personify this problem to a great extent. This is shown in numerous instances in the novel where she is reported to have experienced more problems at foster care, and which even prompted her to escape, as she state that “I ran away from foster care just after I turned fifteen, after Lorelei and I had been long separated,” (Kamal). She also illustrate the problems at foster care where she state that, “You learn some valuable lessons in foster care. Eat everything on your plate. You never know when they will feel like feeding you again. Beware of footsteps outside your bedroom door. For obvious reasons. Don’t trust people who are nice to you and asking nothing in return. These are the people who want something and usually you have to figure out what it is,” (Kamal). This shows the failures of this system, in the sense that besides separating siblings who should ideally grow up together, there is still no assurance of proper feeding or even the security of the children at foster care. Whereas the illustration may not entirely mirror the present day situation in Canada, it indicates that there are some challenges with the system that cause the children under care to experience several problems resulting from how the system is structured.

Also, it is portrayed that her life situation in adulthood is largely due to the unpleasant experience she had growing up, part of which was at foster care. For instance, she state that “A disgust that creeps up when a liar is doing her best to muck things up or, more likely, save her own ass. Oftentimes, I can’t put my finger on it; I can only tell when I see it. And years in foster care honed this skill to an art,” (Kamal). This shows that she had grown to hate lies, and the fact that she makes a direct reference to foster care, show that she experienced being lied to often when there. More examples have been given of how reckless her life turned out to be, for example being an alcoholic, and also the fact that she expresses how she wished she had better childhood. All this point to a failure in foster care system, because had that not been the case, she Nora Watts would probably be portrayed as being very pleased and proud of the childhood she experienced at foster care.

In conclusion, it is evident that despite being necessary and well-intentioned, foster care has many challenges that make it not achieve its objectives fully. The children who grow up through it benefit, but there still some negative effects that some suffer, and which follow them to adulthood, completely shaping up their lives, and this is well demonstrated by the life of Nora Watts, and also her attitude regarding her daughter being under care. Also, it is noted that despite the number of children needing foster care increasing, the number foster care parents are decreasing, and hence the current problems in the system may increase further with time, as there will be very few foster care parents handling very many children (Smith et al.).

Work Cited

Horwitz, Sarah McCue et al. “Foster Care Placement Improves Children’s Functioning”. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, vol 155, no. 11, 2001. American Medical Association (AMA), doi:10.1001/archpedi.155.11.1255.

Kamal, Sheena. The Lost Ones. William Morrow, 2017.

Ramsay-Irving, Mary. “The Foster Care Systems Are Failing Foster Children: The Implications And Practical Solutions For Better Outcomes Of Youth In Care”. Canadian Journal Of Family And Youth / Le Journal Canadien De Famille Et De La Jeunesse, vol 7, no. 1, 2015, pp. 55-86. University Of Alberta Libraries, doi: 10.29173/cjfy24298.

Seucharan, Cherise et al. “B.C.’S Focus on Foster Care Neglects Need to Support Struggling Families, Experts Say | The Star”. Thestar.Com, 2019, https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2019/06/13/bcs-focus-on-foster-care-neglects-need-to-support-struggling-families-experts-say.html.

Smith, Jessica et al. “Comparing the Experiences and Withdrawal Considerations of Treatment and Regular Foster Care Parents: The Canadian Perspective”. International Journal Of Child, Youth And Family Studies, vol 6, no. 1, 2015, pp. 93-110. University Of Victoria Libraries, doi:10.18357/ijcyfs.61201513480.