Foster Home Adoption Paper

According to Adopt US Kids (2016), in West Virginia there are a couple of requirements to be considered a foster home: must be at least the age of 21 years or older, have a stable income without foster care assistance, be both physically and mentally healthy, being able to pass a safety and fire inspection, cannot have a criminal background or child abuse substantiations, stable family relationship, and ability to commit to a child. Future foster parents would have to complete PRIDE classes and complete the home study process.
With 1,100 eligible for adoption in 2014, many children are consider “special needs.” Adopt US Kids (2016) defines “special needs” as: child over the age of 8, physical or mental disability, serious emotional maladjustments, any child over the age of 2 with race or ethnic factors, sibling groups, and any child certified as special needs by the Department of Human Health and Resources. If a child had any of the above situations, finding
When children who fall under the “special needs,” and cannot find a stable home, can suffer from long-time mental, behavioral, and/or physical health problems. Teenagers who cannot find a stable home and family are more likely to suffer from depression, withdrawal behaviors, somatic behaviors, and anxiety. Close to 27 percent, or 3 in 10, of teenagers ages 11 to 18, had behavioral problems that resulted in some form of clinical assistance. Young adolescents and teenagers are more likely to internalize mental health problems after they are placed into foster care system (Woods, Farineau, & McWey, 2013; Walsh & Mattingly, 2011). With the situations many children who were removed dealt with, mental health issues are something many foster families will have to consider when taking on teenagers and children with mental and physical