Foster Home Case Study

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At the age of 12, Nai was removed from her family of seven siblings and placed in a foster home. At the time, Nai (the second oldest child) and her older sister were caring for their younger brothers and sisters as her parents were usually absent. Being placed in foster care was extremely difficult for the siblings, who were separated and sent to live in different counties. Nai had become used to serving as caretaker for her younger siblings, and spent the first couple of years in foster care worrying about her brothers and sisters. Visitation opportunities together were rare, and over time Nai became resentful of and disappointed in her parents for being unable to “put the family back together again.” She had a very difficult time dealing…show more content…
Her change in attitude was largely due to her placement in a healthy foster family environment. Nai lived in two foster homes until her final placement with a supportive and loving foster family. At first, it was really difficult for her foster family as they were not sure how to emotionally connect with the quiet and reserved teen. Nai explains that it was just very difficult for them to understand what she was going through. But, her foster parents supported her as much as they could, and encouraged her to become involved in school academics and sports to keep her active and busy. The turning point for the family came one day when Nai was sent to her middle school’s principal’s office for wearing a sleeveless shirt. The principal called Nai’s foster mom to come to the school for a meeting. Nai recalls, “When my foster mom arrived at the principal’s office, she said, ‘My daughter hasn’t done anything wrong.’ She backed me up and supported me.” It was then that Nai realized that her foster mom would, “always be there for me and support…show more content…
“They always played a big role in my life, and encouraged me to be a more open person… a more outspoken person.” Nai believes that this encouragement made her stronger in comparison to her initially shy and soft spoken personality. Now, Nai stands up for what she believes in and speaks out. At the age of 23 and out of foster care for five years, today Nai is studying to become a pharmacist at Stanislaus State University. When asked if she still has a relationship with her former foster family, Nai responds, “I’m definitely still really close to them. I visit them on holidays… I still call them mom and dad. They’re always there to support me.” Nai advises potential and current foster parents to encourage teens in their care to be the best that they can be and to do things that will affect their lives positively. “Every kid is different, so try to support them in what they want to do. [My foster parents] really tried to help me out as much as they could. I’m really thankful that I got placed in foster care as I might have otherwise been in a much worse situation with my education and in terms of becoming a successful

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