Would you rather grow up in a group home or a family setting? In general, children in foster care fare better in family homes than in group homes or congregate care settings.
Issues with Group Homes
The primary concern for caregivers is health and safety. Group homes often institute policies to protect children in their care, protect themselves from liability, and save money (e.g. by limiting the length of showers). However, there’s more to childhood and adolescence than being healthy and safe. As reported on KJZZ,
“When I was in a group home, you weren’t really allowed to go out and have friends or have people come over, and make phone calls to people that weren’t on your approved list,” he said.
He said he got used to coming home, sitting on the couch and watching TV but felt unprepared when he was let out in the real world.
When no one is allowed to be left at home alone, teenagers have to drop everything they’re doing and pile into the van every time another child has a doctor’s appointment. Without privacy or freedom, dating and normal socializing are pretty much out of the question. Jobs and extracurricular activities could be limited by approval and transportation requirements.
Reasonable and Prudent Parenting
Procedures for reasonable and prudent parenting were introduced in 2014 to all caregivers, including foster parents and group home staff. These rules and guidelines address the rights of children in foster care to live with a reasonable amount of freedom versus supervision.
For parents in family homes, these are the types of decisions you would be inclined to make for your kids anyway. For group homes, the higher the ratio of children to staff, the harder it is to keep track of everyone, monitor cell phone and Internet use, and document everything.
Why are children placed in group homes?
Children in foster care might be placed in a group home while waiting to be matched with a foster family. A shortage of families leads to an increase in the number of children in group homes, especially for siblings who need to be kept together. Becoming a foster parent is one way to help kids live a more normal life.
If you need assistance funding activities for children in your care, we can help. AFFCF supports caregivers from group homes as well as those in family settings.