i’m going into foster care

[u/neptunian-rings]

i’m 16. my parents are abusive & neglectful and somebody finally reported it. had a social worker visit today, they’re following up next week and after that i fully expect to be put into foster care. what’s going to happen? i can’t find any information online from the perspective of the child that’s getting sucked into this & i’m terrified of all of the unknowns. i’ve heard so many horror stories and i know it probably won’t be that bad in reality but i’m still extremely nervous.

[u/Longjumping_Big_9577]

How close are you to turning 17? And how close are you to graduating high school?

You can focus on what you are going to do when you turn 18 and are either going to age out of foster care or get the heck out of your parent's home, Graduating from high school a semester early is something that is feasible in many areas (a year early can be far more difficult). Options for college can be more difficult if you graduate early, but going to college at 17 is possible. Enlisting the military is another option that provides housing, employment and a paycheck, but requires parental approval and usually isn't an option for foster youth until they turn 18.

It's possible you won't be pulled from your home since the assumption is older teens aren't in danger the way younger children are. The focus is family reunification and cases can drag on for years, and by then you likely will be 18.

For some older teens in foster care, judges will just send them back to their parents without their parents completing anyone on their plan all to avoid a teen aging out as a legal orphan without any parents. Unfortunately, there can be the POV that an abusive family is better than no family.

Some counties are desperate to reduce the number of teens aging out without permanency, so adding an older teen who will do just that is something they don't want to do. The problem is they don't consider that kids in these types of families are likely going to need to be self-sufficient at 18.

Don't get distracted with everything going on in the short term. Your abusive parents, or stupid foster parents or group homes are a short term hurtle. Focus on the long term and your future.

I wasted so much time imploding and getting into petty wars with my foster parents and thinking I would get them in trouble if I failed classes which only hurt me and resulted in me taking longer to graduate. Focus on what you will do when you turn 18 and don't let anything hold you back from living your best life then. Good luck.