The 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA).
Introduction
Foster policies were instituted to assist the vulnerable children exposed to social dangers as a result of a lack of parenting. This paper analyses the past and the present policies that have aided foster care practice over time.
The 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA).
This act provided a pivotal discussion on solving the high number of children who remained under the care of foster programs for an extended period only to be left on unclear terms after reaching 18years old (Orozco, 2018).
Crucially, this act has been praised for its paramount concern on exploring the need for family reunification for children with close relatives. Also, it provides for permanency alternatives for children with peculiar family circumstances.
However, this is faced with some weaknesses. One such reason is that the speedy permanency planning and family reunification has seen an increase in the number of children leaving foster care (Orozco, 2018). This population without proper financial support ends up in an unexpected, undesirable outcome.
The 2014 Act on Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families.
The central focus for the enactment of this act was to ensure that the children and youth under such programs do not become subjects of any form of sexual offences (Jacobson, 2016). This may include the deliberate action to recruit, transport, or even expose children to commercial sexual activities while under foster care.
Further, this act’s vital strength is that it provided social security to children under foster care who need to develop cognitively, emotionally, and socially in a human environment devoid of socioeconomic exploitation (Jacobson, 2016).
Down the other path, the act’s pursuit to strengthen families, i.e., children’s support, is faced with the challenge of noncooperation between the state and the federal law. Therefore, coming into consensus might sometimes slow the process, thereby interring and or delaying the much-needed assistance.
In summary, contemporary society is faced with a quickly degrading family unit. Therefore, it’s the fulcrum position of foster policy through enactments of various acts to assist the affected children population.