#314 Jen Lilley - The Dark Truth About the American Foster Care System

Where this was said

Burnout, Outcomes, and the Argument for Getting Involved Anyway

At 2:07:21 · chapter starts 2:03:00

The episode's darkest policy chapter ends on a grim note: 36% of social workers nationally leave within 18 months (57% in Florida); 30-50% of foster parents burn out within 12 months. The people most committed to doing the work are being driven out by a system that has made the work nearly impossible. Lilley's answer to the question 'how do you fix it?' is blunt: you don't fix it by waiting for legislation. You recruit better foster parents, you support your social worker (even if they seem like a jerk — they're probably just crushed), you fund case management rather than duplicating Medicaid, and you make noise with your representatives. She also offers a long list of accessible on-ramps for people who can't or won't foster: donate suitcases, open your hair salon on prom night, give financial planning sessions to aging-out youth, mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters, become a CASA volunteer, and consider adoption — which is free from foster care and comes with financial assistance.