The Boston Globe has this interesting piece in today's edition. I think this is a great idea. It would professionalize what is indeed a difficult job & it would also give foster parents a chance to directly bargain for a just & fair compensation. All too often, the state, the school, the social service institution takes advantage of people with a heart & the skills to deal with at-risk kids. These authorities know that honest people will not turn a kid away, & this can lead to exploitation of both the parents & the foster kids.
She and others are trying to organize what is believed to be the nation's first union of foster parents, and they hope to win the right to bargain with state government.
They want to establish higher training and education standards and create an experienced, professional corps of foster parents. They also hope to secure better compensation, including retirement benefits and perhaps medical insurance.
That, in turn, could reduce the high turnover in their ranks that results in youngsters being bounced from one foster home to another, they said.
1 comment:
I agree, now that is the best idea I have heard in a while.
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