Abuse in foster homes

Abuse in foster homes

by Jill Johnson
Abuse does occur in foster homes. I have a child who was removed from home at age 18 months and placed in a foster home. The state had made allegations that the mother had placed her children in danger by running an outreach ministry from her home. This precious child - one of five - was sexually abused for a full year in her initial foster home. The state removed her on an emergency basis due to pending charges against the foster father. The child had become very attached to her foster parents. She was taken to a regular weekly visit with her mother and afterwards, two social workers physically forced her into her car seat with a stranger to take her to a new home. She was not told what was going on or even given a chance to say goodbye to the foster mother. She was so terrified, she kicked, scratched, and bit the social workers as they were forcing her into the vehicle. The state left her in her new home without so much as a change of clothes or a familiar toy for two weeks before deciding she needed her belongings. Six months later they placed her with her biological father in spite of having received two separate reports from two minors alleging he had sexually abused them just prior to placing her with him. She remained in her father's care for eight months and the state then gave him full permanent custody and closed the case. Three days later, he abandoned her. He took her to the second foster home she had been in and just left her there. The mother was notified to appear in court and a week later, she won custody back. Within one month, it was apparent that something was not right with the child. Her mother took her to see a private therapist. After six sessions, the therapist determined she could not help the child. The little girl went on vacation with a family friend shortly after her therapy was terminated. At this time, she disclosed that her father had sexually abused her. The mother called social services and demanded an investigation. Over the course of several months, it was found that she had been forced to perform oral sex on her father, sodomized with a popsicle, deprived of food as punishment, forced to drink beer and smoke cigarettes, and that he had beaten her feet with a kitchen spatula until they bled - then beat her again for bleeding on his carpet.

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