1	The Story of John The man of a thousand movie personas discusses everything from his new favorite role, to his latest crusade to why he loves Obama. read more...
2	Two Decades of Growth As Hispanic magazine celebrates it’s 20th anniversary, we look back—and ahead. read more...
3	The Issues Over the course of the publication, Hispanic has covered many of the issues at the core of Latino life and some that have altered it. read more...
4	A People in Progress Much has changed in 20 years, from the size of our wallets to the size of our waistlines. We look at the impetuses for the evolution. read more...
5	Stamp of Approval A look at the life of the late Ruben Salazar, one of the first Chicano journalists in the country, and what it took to get his face on a new U.S. postage stamp. read more...
6	America’s Forgotten Children For a large number of Hispanic children languishing in foster care, the dream of a home where they can feel safe and loved remains elusive. read more...

America’s Forgotten Children

All children need a family in which they feel safe and loved.

But for a shocking number of Hispanic children languishing in foster care throughout the U.S., the dream of a home remains elusive. It is an issue that not only affects the child’s future, but that of the community as a whole.

Conception Cuevas is your average 24-year-old. She holds a full-time job while working towards her B.A. in criminal justice at San Diego State University. But unlike other young adults, Conception did not have a regular upbringing. The college student grew up in San Diego’s foster care system, eventually aging out when she turned 18. She came into care at age 7, along with her two younger sisters, after her father was murdered and her mother could no longer care for her daughters. Conception lived in more than 12 different homes—both foster and group homes—and attended over 25 schools.
Conception, who was never adopted, represents staggering national statistics. About 20,000 children age out of the system every year, and there are currently 17,000 Hispanic children in U.S. foster care waiting to be adopted. That’s according to Maria Quintanilla, spokesperson for Adopte1 (www.adopte1.org), a project of AdoptUsKids (www.adoptuskids.org), a federally funded national program that recruits foster and adoptive families for children in foster care.
“Historically, our community has not been seen as a resource for foster homes and adoptive families,” she says. For that reason, the campaign was created to recruit Hispanic families, for which there is a dire need.
The latest figures indicate there were 513,000 children in U.S. foster care in 2007, says Raymond L. Torres, executive director of Casey Family Services, a non-profit child welfare agency headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. “Of those children, one in five are Hispanic or Latino [or of Latino descent],” says Torres, a spokesperson for National Foster Care Month. That’s approximately 94,000 children.
How did we get here? Both Quintanilla and Torres cite similar reasons. At the top of the list are issues of poverty and substance abuse, mostly in poor areas in large urban centers. “[These] parents are stressed out, had no good role models, and neglect or abuse their child,” explains Torres. Child Protective Services comes out and removes the child from the home. Part of the problem is these parents have limited support and lack access to helpful resources such as parent training. This is especially true of immigrants who may not have relatives in this country to turn to. “They don’t have the natural support they would have in their country, and they move around,” Quintanilla says.
Kids who end up in foster care are at risk for future unemployment and homelessness, poor educational achievement and pregnancy, she adds.
“My experience in foster care was not good,” says Conception, who today is well-spoken and confident. “It was very hard having to move and being separated from my sisters. I had to learn to be part of a family, adapt to their beliefs.” The process was repeated every time she entered a new home. Adjusting was hard, as it was for foster families to understand her background. She got kicked out of homes time and time again.
That’s completely normal, according to Adria Silverman, LCSW, a Miami-based psychotherapist who runs her own private practice, Family Resolution Services, Inc. She knows firsthand what happens to these children. She worked for the local state attorney’s office for 20 years interviewing kids involved in allegations of abuse. “Children need support, structure, love, patience and guidance,” she says. “If there’s no intervention, they’re at risk for emotional problems, never completing education successfully, lacking social skills and at risk of becoming part of the criminal justice system.”
Conception will tell you growing up in foster care made her a stronger person, but it was the support she received from CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate, that would provide her the guidance she so desperately needed. “She [her CASA representative] advocated for me and my sisters.” In other words, she represented her best interests in front of the judge.
Voices for Children Foundation in Miami-Dade County raises funds to support the 11th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program, a similar program. Sonia Ferrer is the assistant director of the Ad Litem program. “Everyone has a voice except for the child,” she says. “They’re being bounced around ... have different school placements, there’s no consistency.” The guardians, who are volunteers, represent abused and neglected children in dependency court.
Some foster children are fortunate and end up in a loving home, as was the case for 20-year-old Oscar Román. Oscar is currently attending college in Boston, but grew up in Hartford, Connecticut where he was adopted by a foster family at age 9. One of four siblings, he came into care at age 5, and eventually was split up from his two brothers and sister. He recalls staying with three to four foster families before being adopted. “My family is great. Growing up, I had a lot of discipline problems,” he says. “I adjusted to the rules, and they gave me the attention that had been lacking,” he says about his adoptive family.
“We always wanted another child, but wanted to adopt,” says his adoptive mother, Virgen Román. “He needed love and we wanted to give it.”
Adoption advocates stress the need for Hispanic families to adopt or foster Latino children. Torres says there are roughly 150,000 foster homes available to provide foster care in the U.S., but there is a shortage of homes in the Latino community. “Less than 50 percent of Latino children in foster care are placed in Latino homes,” he says, explaining that can lead to self-esteem problems and identity confusion. Factors such as language, different expectations, and even different foods can impact a child. “If the environment is different from what they know, they can become disconnected from what’s familiar to them—friends, neighborhood, school,” he says. This is why connecting a child to a life-long Hispanic family is so important.
It can be rewarding for a parent as well.
Just ask Maria Cardenas, a Los Angeles resident who has been a foster parent for 12 years. She currently has three foster kids ranging from age three months to 13 years, and also adopted another four children she previously fostered. “For me, it’s unexplainable, the love you see on their faces. You give them love, time. Wherever my husband and I go, the kids go.”
May is National Foster Care Month, a time when many outreach organizations work to increase visibility of the issues and recruit people and groups to support children and families year-round. The initiative aims to change the future of America’s abandoned and neglected children, which they say is bleak. By the year 2020, they predict 9 million more children will experience foster care, and more than 300,000 youths will age out without the support to become successful adults.
Even more alarming is the estimate that 99,000 of those who age out can expect to face homelessness.
Adoption and becoming a foster parent aren’t the only ways to help. You can also volunteer time, become a mentor or a court appointed guardian. But providing a child a permanent home is sure to have the biggest impact.
One of the reasons potential parents do not pursue adoption is due to the misconception that it’s a costly and an unmanageable process. Adoptive parents have access to training as well as financial support in the form of adoption subsidies and Medicaid. In fact, parents who adopt a child with special needs can qualify for a tax credit. Prospective parents can also can turn to public organizations such as their state departments of social services and the Administration for Children and Families for help becoming a foster parent or adopting a child.
The Román family is a good example of how adoption can change a child’s life for the better. “Adoption gave me a different perspective in life,” says Oscar. “People don’t have to be your blood to care for you and be your family.” His mom encourages others to get involved. “Kids need love. If you have a home and love, you have to help them.”