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Dan Galpern of Children's Rights on calling attention to grim realities of foster care through Facebook
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We have done several stories about Foster care and sometimes -- it is a a wonderful alternative for children who have been neglected and abused and other times.
It's just the opposite joining us here to talk about it is gang kill -- and who is with the children's rights.
Organization -- on the board of directors and thanks for being with us this is that FaceBook day dvi video.
And as I understand it there's an interactive experience on FaceBook that really depicts Foster kids life of stroke.
Yes McChrystal wants to think -- you may is national Foster care awareness month.
And while many kids around the country are getting ready for prom.
I'm thinking about their futures.
There are a whole host of children American children.
Living in this country who are living in a system that's failing.
And we have created a a FaceBook application.
Which launched a couple of days ago called trapped in which.
Allows people to experience what it's like to face.
The odds of Foster care what does it juxtapose it is.
The life of two Brothers.
A one of whom.
Both of whom were taken away from abusive parents and put into -- the child welfare system one of -- was adopted.
And the other who is faced with a grim realities of Foster care today.
And ends up having to me we each have to make on policy decisions as the user of the FaceBook application as to how we're going to live our childhood as this child Jeff.
And it comes with a lot of statistics around the challenges that face a child in Foster care so for example.
Less than 30% of children in Foster care graduate from high school.
Less than 2.5 percent graduate from college.
The average -- in Foster care for 25 months and they have more than three placements.
Real and so it's very hard if you think about your life -- I think about my life who would you be.
What would you be if every six months or eight months you were moved to another home.
How successful would you be in your life and so children's rights where we are standing up to say we're here to give the children a voice.
They don't we can't vote.
And we're here to to let people know and hopefully get people to go on FaceBook -- go to traps and learn more about what's happening in the system -- and get involved and help.
Do these.
Kids -- go on -- FaceBook application use their real names and then the real names of their Foster.
Parents amicus night you know as a lawyer taken liability here you know defamation.
And all kinds of lawsuits no actually that what we've done is you're actually correct we are protecting.
Not only do -- protect the children in the system we protect their anonymity.
As well and so the application was built as an amalgam of experiences so you are all right who go on will experience what it's like to be a child -- -- and so we will be asked to to make a number of decision so for example.
There are tens of thousands of kids unfortunately they're subject to abuse and neglect in our system -- to give you an idea.
Point.
25.
More than half of the states in this country today are failing the national federal standard.
-- child welfare to prevent abuse and neglect the needs is a country our child welfare system is getting an F minus -- and so so many of these kids while -- by the way there are a whole host of as you pointed out the beginning of the segment.
They are a whole host of angels.
Incredible people who have taken children into their homes and caseworkers who worked tirelessly.
There's another 50% of them that that bit of states that are not getting it done as of this walks through what is it like to be that child.
And what are the decisions that you faced with -- along when you're moving from home to home when you're subject to abuse do you reported all those sorts of things.
The not so good Foster care parents your families.
What's their motivation.
Money.
You know.
-- it's hard for us to speculate as to why people would get in the system in the first place we we focus more on how do we prevent those people from getting in the system.
How how how can we how can we as a society how can each of the states how can the child welfare systems do a better vetting job and -- more importantly to your point.
Whatever the reason is they get involved.
And there are a whole host of reasons.
That they may do so that are that are nefarious and that may not be in the best interest of providing a home for child how are we going to protect those children being monitored.
So we children's rights spend a lot of time making sure.
That.
The states are meeting standards of of review so that families are being interviewed -- regular basis.
You're website is and we would invite people to go to it.
Children's rights dot war.
And your FaceBook page -- FaceBook dot com slash children's rights slash -- Yes citizen thank you very much thanks for England's best of what you think they're great work.
