Research Paper on:
Abuse in Foster Care

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
they would with their natural parents. For the most part we assume that foster homes are places of refuge, places where children who have been abused and neglected get the  attention they need and deserve. Unfortunately, however, this is not always the case. In many instances we find that foster homes are perhaps just as bad, if not worse, than  the home from which the child was taken. Now, this is not to say that all foster homes are abusive, but it is to say that more abuse takes place  in foster homes than most people are aware of. In the following paper we examine the reality of foster care abuse in our country. Foster Care Abuse First  off we examine a real life case, involving a young girl named Hope. Her real birth mother received a call from her at one point where her daughter cried, "Mommy,  Mommy, Theyre raping me! Then click and a dial tone" (Maier, 1997; p. 8). Alma Kidder, the mother, reported the crime concerning her daughter who was in a Washington state  foster-care home. However, "no charges were filed. The rape was described as consensual lesbian sex" (Maier, 1997; p. 8). Now, while many may believe this to be a hoax and  something that does not occur very often, the truth is that this happens quite often, and the truth lies in the abuse seen in the foster care homes. "While  in foster care, Hope became a heroin addict, dropped out of school and grew so despondent that three times she tried to commit suicide. Records show she ran away at  least 11 times, only to be brought back to her torturers" (Maier, 1997; p. 8). Apparently there were medical reports which indicated that "she sustained such deep cuts to her