The Foster
Inside
AFTER DARK
Care System
Story by Spencer Clifton | Design & Photo Illustration by Sara Roach
Imagine if your biological mother was a narcissistic schizophrenic due to the overuse of drugs and alcohol. On top of this, your dad died when you were one, so your mother is the only parent you can rely on for support. For Amanda Fernandez*, senior Pre-Medicine major and former foster child of 13 years, this was a reality. Waking up and experiencing the day-today traumas in the same way that Fernandez dealt with throughout her whole childhood is something many children face. With numerous kids entering the foster system each year, there are many factors influencing their individual experiences and realities within the system. “For kids in care, every day it is like that moment when you are getting into a boat and you have one foot on the dock and one foot in the boat,” says Jessica Strawn, fulltime senior lecturer of Sociology and Social Services and former child social worker. Every experience within the system is unique to the individual and comes with a wide range of emotions. Each child in the system goes through this process due to varying circumstances in their life. Jane Mercer*, junior Public Health major and former foster child explains that she entered the foster system at 12-years-old because her mother was addicted to prescription pills and other illegal substances. Her case was reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) and she was removed from the home. “It was my normal, so I did not realize that other people did not live like that,” 58
WINTER 2020 | ISSUE TWO
explains Mercer. For some, this life of constant relocation becomes a routine no different than any other child’s life. Mercer adds that she was in three foster homes and two group homes throughout the duration of her time in the system. The Role of the Worker When transitioning into foster care, social workers are assigned to the case to aid the child in this change. Mercer explains that she was visited by a few different social workers throughout her duration in foster care. “I had a total of three over a two-year span,” she says. “My first one … I did not like her. My second one I did not have her for long enough to build a relationship with her, but I had nothing against her [and] the third one I had was very nice and would listen to what I wanted.” Assigned social workers are not the only people there to help children through the transition. Mercer had a guardian ad litem appointed to her to act on her behalf who supported her during those hard times. According to the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts, “A guardian ad litem is an individual appointed by the court to represent the best interests of a child.” “She had explained to me that she was volunteering for her position, so she was not being paid by the state. She was not in it for the money. She was really in it to be the voice for the child,” Mercer says. Until being placed in her aunt’s care, Mercer relied on a support system of
