I too know of a foster family who are in it for the money. It is the father's second marriage and we knew him when he was married to his first wife. They had three children and he called them horrible names and treated them like nuisances. Now he has remarried and they have discovered the financial benefits of fostering. This guy has never been gainfully employed his whole life but is living a very comfortable life from the income from fostering.
IMO it's a sad blot on our society today that some children are seen simply as a source of income, be they fostered or biological.
There is a point (apparently) where if you have enough kids, you are better off income wise not going to work as that in itself has expenses .. Let alone the effort & input required!!
alternatively, there are the potentially wonderful parents who ache to nurture, but cannot birth their own, nor can they adopt due to shortage of availability. I cannot imagine the impact on them when they hear the horrors that many of our little ones are subjected to because they are nothing more than an income source.
and then there are the well-intentioned, burnt out, emotionally drained & frustrated on-the-ground 'docs' workers who face the reality & fallout, who try their best, and cop the flack when media draws attention to yet another appalling occurrence.
My personal belief is that the most important first steps toward overturning the problems in our society, are to ensure our babies / children are loved, are safe, secure & nurtured, are educated wisely & developed healthily.
I'll step off the soap box now as I am sure you don't want the next instalment!
Thanks for all your input, the varied perspectives are interesting & thought provoking, and I am appreciative to (once again) have the opportunity to partake.
On that note, I simply want to acknowledge a little boy who deserved a whole lot better, and to ask that we all remember him & those to whom he was precious, in our prayers.
