State of Sadness - Great Reference

Here is a Book one may want to add to their Reference Library?? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ State Of Sadness Author:  Stacey Soares (Therapist, Social Worker and Foster Mother) Like this on FaceBook Nonfictional book regarding our foster care system. This story is written about my foster daughter with a shocking conclusion.  It shows what needs to change in the foster care system and how to help these victimized children.  Also includes interviews with other professionals' and their views for change as well as reports and statistics.

Learn More>> http://www.staceysoares.com/id56.html

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Story and Photo By Thomas Atkins

Sonora resident Stacey Soares poses with her book, ”State of Sadness: A Mother’s Fearful Fight to Save Her Foster Daughter.”

Imagine yourself not having a place to call home. Imagine longing for that place, and after finally finding it and settling in and becoming comfortable…it is taken from you – forcing you to move to another place, which you hope to call home. Yet again you are there for only a limited time and find yourself on the move. As this process repeats itself, each move wears you down and you begin to lose hope. Welcome to the world of the hundreds of thousands of foster children scattered across the United States who are trapped in the vicious cycle of the child welfare system, as they are moved from house to house, but never to a home.

In 2005 the AFCARS (United States Department of Health and Human Services) reported that there were 513,000 children within this system, and one report states that 65 percent of foster children have nowhere to live once they “graduate” the system, leaving many of these children on the street. In fact 41 percent of people living in California’s homeless shelters are former foster children. With 51 percent of graduated foster children unemployed, the reality is that far more of these children will end up in prison than in college.

However, as bleak as it may seem…there is hope. Wherever there is love, there is hope, and many loving foster parents have opened their doors to these children, often adopting them as their own. It is through this love and support that these children can avoid becoming like one of the statistics mentioned above. Stacey Soares, previously a social worker, marriage and family therapist, mentor and foster parent, is one who has always had her door open to help children in need – hoping to give them a better life than what the foster care system offers.

Unfortunately, foster parents don’t have too much control in matters concerning their foster children, and the social service system often has the final say. Sadly, Stacey and her foster daughter, Tinea, found this out the hard way, when after two years of living with Stacey social services removed Tinea from her home. (Original link: http://mysierramountaintimes.com/2008/06/state-of-sadness-local-author-reveals-inside-look-at-the-foster-care-system/ )

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Please note since 1974, an agency was created by the Mondale Act. As far as the agency created to manage Our Children, they had two main tasks:

1. Protecting Children;
2. Strengthening Families

  Some may think this is conflict? However, there is one main goal expressed by everyone: 

A child needs to have a family that they can call
Their Family.

  I will let anyone who reads this figure that out.
May you find Strength in Your Higher Power,
Granpa Chuck
Keeper of the web files for http://nfpcar.org