Photo by RDNE Stock project
Laughter at Dawn by Jo Ellen Capps-Layne takes a sober look at the world in which foster children find themselves. Based on real-life stories about foster placements, the book is crucial to knowing how to start building a warm home for these children who live without proper homes and proper families.
They say that the family is one of the smallest units of society. Why is it then that so many children slip under the radar–taken, abused, exploited, and whatever horrifying situation there is?
If a family is an essential block of society, then a child secure within the arms of a loving household should be its ideal image. As such, the foster care system should be one of the most caring and supportive networks we as a society manage and maintain.
Yet, the reality is that for countless children who have lost their homes and their families, the experience of building a warm home is a distant dream. While the foster care system might result in good endings every once in a while, the majority of children there–vulnerable individuals who deserve a whole lot of things–are not given the proper care and attention that should be afforded to them.
Building a truly warm and nurturing home for these children requires more than the hopes and dreams of an individual; it requires that society work together as one.
Photo by Kindel Media
The Need for Reforming the System
As it functions now, the foster care system is only a stopgap measure. That is the truth that we have to acknowledge before going forward with anything. Its primary aim is simply to offer temporary care for children who cannot safely remain with their biological families or who do not have a home that they can go back to.
Yet, even this limited ideal is severely strained and constrained.
All across the country, foster homes are overcrowded, and there is a great lack of support from within the community and within the government for them to properly function.
One area that needs significant consideration is in prioritizing family preservation efforts. Instead of taking children and placing them into the foster care system, perhaps it would be better to find ways in which families can be supported and given access to resources so that they don’t fall into a situation where they are no longer able to care for their children. This includes providing needed access to mental healthcare and proper education on how to be a better parent. Programs that deal with substance abuse and financial assistance are also critical services.
Building a Warm Home Requires Agency
Concerning the foster care system itself, there is a need to critically examine the role and the ability that foster parents–who make up the foundation of the system–are granted and allowed.
The most common issues that foster parents face are inadequate financial support and insufficient training to deal with traumatized children. While anyone has the ability to take care of children, not everyone has the time or the resources to do so, and that should be properly addressed by communities.
What’s more, a stronger and more comprehensive support network should be available to foster parents and foster children alike. There should be regular and ready access to social workers, peer support groups, and respite care services.
It is through these commitments that communities can better show their recognition and acknowledgment of foster parents.
Empowering Individuals to Become Parents
The most effective and immediate way an individual can help children is, of course, to become a foster parent. Opening up one’s heart and home to children in need is a fulfilling and powerfully altruistic choice–and anyone who has the courage to do so should be celebrated and given support.
While it can seem daunting, the support and resources available to prospective parents should be significant. Agencies work diligently to match children with families who can best meet their individual needs. Individuals considering this path should reach out to local foster care agencies to learn more about the requirements and the children waiting for a loving home.
Photo by olia danilevich
Jo Ellen Capps-Layne’s Laughter at Dawn can be heart wrenching and heartbreaking, but it shows us that there is a way to give all these children the care and family that they need. The book is available for order here.
