Citation

Francois E. Fam. Court Rev. 2023; 61(2): 242-245.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/fcre.12705

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Ericka Francois, an advocate for young people living in and aging out of foster care, thoughtfully shares the events that led to her and her siblings being placed in the child welfare system. Her frank account of physical abuse over the course of her early years of life illustrates the struggles many families face. Her and her siblings' entry into the child welfare system, an intervention intended to improve well-being for her and siblings, produced varied outcomes. Ericka describes her blossoming in her grandmother's care and the pain of watching her siblings languish and even decline while in the state's care. Ericka makes a powerful appeal for immediate system changes.

Language: en

Keywords

child abuse; child development; child trauma; children; families; family dynamics; foster care; high conflict; neglect; new York City; parenting; stress