Erickson's Theory Analysis

Every child deserves the right to feel safe and trust the world they are living in According to the psychosocial theorist, Erik Erikson, as stated by Jacobs, Ph.D in “Will I ever see you Again?”. Erickson’s theory is made up of eight stages of psychosocial development; trust vs. mistrust, being the first of those stages. It is during this stage that infants make a judgement on their caregivers, based on basic needs and how they are met. In the “Understanding Children”by Sutherland, Monson and Hill Arbuthnot, it is noted that the major influence in a child’s life is the interaction between children and adults who care for them. At each of these stages the child may face conflict which must be resolved before the next stage is reached in
the development of the child. As a family child care provider and educator, I have been involved as a caretaker for several foster families. I have chosen to research the foster care system as my main topic and reunification of the child in the foster care system as my subtopic. The reason I have chosen this topic is to obtain information pertaining to how the system operates and what reunification is based on. Having had the experience of playing an important role in these children’s lives, it is vital that I know what the procedures are, and if reunification of a child to a biological parent is always the answer. The foster care systems lie under the jurisdiction of the Department of Human Services/Child Welfare. Legislation and funding are provided under the “Safe and Stable Families Act,” which is the primary responsibility of child welfare services. In each state there is an entity for child protection, in the State of Rhode Island it is the department of Children, Youth and Families. According to the Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse RI, the money is funded from the federal government with the guidelines that each state must abide by. This funding allows the state the ability to do their job and provide services to protect and reunify children who are in out of home placements by providing services. Under the “Safe and Stable Families, Title IV-B Act, funding is provided for family support, family preservation, time limited family reunification and adoption promotion and support for families, The purpose of the funding is to provide services to the families to rectify any circumstance that would inhibit the child from a reunification plan. Reunification is the most common goal and the most common outcome in the foster care system. More than half of the children in foster care returned home to a parent or a principal caregiver, according to the Department of Human Services. Child welfare requires several interventions when reunifying the families. According to the Children’s Bureau, an office of the administration for Children & Families, the Safe and Stable families: Title IV-B, Subpart 2, of the Social Security Act published in 2012, the primary goals of Promoting Safe and Stable Families are to prevent the unnecessary separation of children from their families, improve the quality of care and services to children and their families, and ensure permanency for children by reuniting them with their parents. Any help that can provided to a parent at risk to get their children returned to them is a positive goal for the parent-child relationship. Although the federal government controls the funding that will enhance the family relationship by supplying services, this unfortunately does not always rectify the family situation. If the system in place doesn’t work and the parent isn’t ready to have the child returned, this will leave a negative impact on the parent-child relationship. The parent may become frustrated and resort to behaviors such as substance abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse jeopardizing the parent-child relationship. As stated in Foster Care at issue, by Debra Bloom, family reunification is less likely to occur when parents are involved in the correctional system. Reporting that 16 % of mothers with children in foster care are arrested within 18 months, with the arrest occurring after the child has been placed in foster care. Suggesting that child welfare look beyond the system when developing potential outcomes. Positive effects on the child in the foster care may be the ability to provide some stability during a very stressful time.
The child, especially a very young child in the foster system, needs to have quality care in a trusting safe relationship. Foster care is one of the ways to provide this security for children. Having an individual who has accepted the role of a foster parent and is willing to handle all the challenges that come with this title, can be a very positive impact on a child. Children may develop a bond with the adult who has accepted this role and follows the regulations that are in place within the state. As with parenthood, foster parents become foster parents for various reasons. Some foster homes are not always the healthiest place for a child who has been misplaced from his or her home. Older children and children who have had various encounters with foster care may enter the system with negative attitude due to neglect and maltreatment. According to Kids Count Factbook, in 2014, three-quarters (77.0%) of child maltreatment cases in Rhode Island involved neglect. Poverty, parental substance abuse, and mental health problems are the leading contributors to neglect. Achieving timely and successful reunification requires access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, as well as interventions designed to improve the economic status of
families.

As the federal government sets the guidelines that must be followed and the states implements them, this can be a very difficult and trying time for the children as they try to adjust in their new lifestyle and society. Not only do they need to adjust to a new home, but they must adjust to a new school system, and new friends. Guidelines are provided to ensure that the positive development of the child is met, as stated by Chipungu and Bent-Goodley. Federal funding through Child Welfare can provide the foster parents and child welfare workers with the required training which should include children with developmental delays, children from different cultures, children who are influenced by the environment they come from. Although the funding provides services for the children, the foster parents, the biological parents and the case workers involved this may not be enough to ensure that the child then returns to the parent will have a positive role in society. Continued monitoring of the family and the children who are reunified with their parents is costly and time consuming. There may not always be enough staff to follow through thoroughly in each case. The caseworkers involved may not have received adequate training on how to deal with a child with a disability or a child from a different culture. This will cause a negative impact on how successful the child will be and his or her impact on society. Regardless if you live in an urban or rural community, as a child care provider and educator there is a possibility you may encounter a foster child.
This child may not openly share his story with you or maybe a child in an early childhood program. As educators and childcare providers we need to be sensitive to the foster child and the new life they have been placed into. We need to be aware of the reason the child was placed into foster care, we also need to be informed if the child has been abused. We need to obtain as must information regarding the child and keep it confidential. Some of the cases in foster care may be upsetting and as a childcare provider you must control your emotions if you intend on providing a service to this child and his or her foster family. You need to be aware of the emotional impact visitation has on this child, monitoring his or her behaviors before and after each and every visit if it takes place from your center. As providers we must be diligent in reporting any signs that require attention to the appropriate person. A provider whom this child is placed with may be the person who this child spends most of his or her time with, as the foster parent is a working
parent. The Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse RI, during our interview, had the ability to outline how the system worked and how the government was able to create the guidelines for each state to follow. She was also able to provide resources as what to do if we see a case in which the system is failing. Prevent Child Abuse RI at 500 Prospect Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860 –Telephone number [phone] under the direction of Executive Director Kate Begin, is one resource for educators and child care providers to use and offer to all families. Another viable resource is the HOTLINE at Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) at 1-(800) RI-CHILD /1-[phone]. I learned through my research and interview process that the intent of the foster care system is based on federal guidelines carried out through the Child Welfare System to provide and protect the child who is placed into foster care. I realized that although there are guidelines in place, the system does not always work according to how it was designed to work. As in any system there is always the possibility that an area may fail, whether it is due to caseworkers who are not able to carry their full case work load, or the inability to obtain a substantial amount of funding necessary to meet the goals, or the parents aren’t ready to take on the responsibility of being a parent and resort back to a life of substance abuse and neglect and this affects the safety and security of the child. I will advocate by continuing to accept foster children into my program and develop a secure and safe environment in which each child will hopefully be influenced to feel the trust and security they may have been missing. Foster care placements occur because of a judgement that it would be the best way to protect a child and keep them safe. Reunification in most cases is the goal of the foster care system and child welfare. Awareness and involvement are the responsibilities of the child care providers to protect the child from harm. If one is placed in the situation where they observe a child at risk, it is the responsibility of that adult to be the voice of the child. .