My most recent radio story focused on some of the adults in the child welfare system. These adults, like the children involved, can feel lost and powerless.
Right after hitting the "publish" button on the post, I took a look at a link my colleague Dustin Dwyer had sent me on the other side of the coin, the kids stuck in the system. We've brought you some of these stories, but with more than 13,000 kids in Michigan's foster care system, we should continue to tell more.
The piece is written by Thomas Rios, a freelance journalist who is also an alumnus of the foster care system. It's definitely an opinion piece.
It's a beautifully written and honest takedown of the system that failed him, but it is not a rant. Instead it is a well researched and sourced translation of his experience into a call for reform. There are lots of young people and families who have had positive experiences with the child welfare system, but Rios believes too much of a child's experience with foster care is left up to luck.
In Rios's opinion, "A child is removed from their family and it’s on the system to either resolve the issue that led to their removal or find them a new home. The children who end up aging out are the remainder of a busted equation."
Read the entire piece here, and as always, share your story and your experiences.
