Multiple sources say that there are roughly 400,000 kids in the foster care system in the United States currently, and that's not including the thousands of youngsters that came through the system but are back in someone's permanent care. There are some things that humans won't fully understand unless they live through them, and the processes surrounding adoption and foster care are likely included in those things. How do children get into these systems, and what does life look like for families that take them in? The complexity of the laws and costs surrounding both of these topics can feel intimidating. But taking super nuanced concepts and making them less scary to approach is what we do best here at Simplified!
Dr. Gannon is an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences. He is a general pediatrician at the University Medical Center as well as the founder of the FRESH Start Clinic at UMC, which serves children in state custody across West Alabama. He is a foster parent himself to eight (!!!) children and an advocate for foster families. There are likely very few people who know more about these topics in the state than him. So trust that his info comes from tons of experience and research!
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Local support for Simplified is provided by The University of Alabama Online
