Sacred Journey Inward

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Walking Children into Safety

In 2018 there were approximately 687,000 children in foster care.Out of that amount 63,000 were adopted that year.52% were male. 48% were female.About 30% of the children in foster care have severe emotional, behavioral and developmental issues. This number is rising with lack of services for each individual.There are over 329 million people living in the United States. So when you see that number it seems like a small amount of foster children. It becomes an after thought...someone else's problem. What can we do that hasn't already been done, right?!Many children go back to their parents or primary caretakers – (56% of them). Others get lost in the system. Some grow out of the foster care since they become of legal age (and many fall into the cycle of their parents because they have owned the stigma of foster children). There is a large demographic of blacks, biracial, Latinos, and other minorities.I don't do charts well. My brain is not very analytical. I feel. That's what I do. So when I see the staggering numbers of this reality I cringe. It stops me. My heart breaks open. I have lived it with my own children and the fractured system. Not just in this country but a third world country.How can we fix the system? There is a drug epidemic. There is a rise in abuse. There are economic issues and social problems thrown in there as well. There is a lack of awareness of what happens to many of these kids who slip through the cracks in many states. The courts and social care systems are depleted. There is not enough man power or money to help these children, the parents, and the foster caretakers. There is just no consistency from one state to another...therefore, children are often not able to get the best care.The system is set up to reunify the children with their parents. In many cases this becomes a cycle of psychological welfare for the children. They get taken out of their homes, put into a stranger's house, and then return to parents who really cannot properly parent their children. And a small percentage die in the hands of parents who get them back.It's staggering. Overwhelming. Inexcusable. These are the future adults of this nation.Let's start with the basics.I would like to know if anyone here knows of folks who help start non-profits. I have several ideas of how to start small into changing the system. Please message me. It's time! Dharma.1111@hotmail.com