Half a million children live in foster care in the US. More than 100,000 are waiting to be adopted. The good news is that attitudes toward foster children are changing. Growing numbers of people who want to adopt say they’d consider adopting a foster child, according to a survey conducted for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
The bad news is that foster children in California, some as young as eight, end up in the criminal justice system for behavior that would get other kids a time out, according to a San Francisco Chronicle investigation. What will it take to change this and ensure foster kids are given real opportunities?
Guests:
Karen de Sa, investigative reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle
Jennifer Rodriguez, executive director of the Youth Law Center
Rita Soronen, president of The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Web Resources:
San Francisco Chronicle: Dubious Arrests, Damaged Lives: How shelters criminalize hundreds of children
The Washington Post: New attitudes toward adoption from foster care offer hope
The New York Times: Foster Care as Punishment: The New Reality of ‘Jane Crow’
