This semester I had one client and grandmother, I gained a lotof knowledge from, specifically that trauma never goes away and that it affectseveryone deeply. I reflect and wonderwas it something that I did wrong that caused this child to end up in an adultjail? Should the agency have put thechild in a more secure placement years ago, did the courts and the system failthis kid? I question should I have spent that day withhim doing a fun activity and let him tag along with me to Lancaster like hewanted, that maybe he was crying out for attention but I was just too busy withthe case load the agency places on you.
Attachmentis what he was most likely looking for something he has been unable to do mostof his life. Children want and need toseek comfort, support, nurturance, and protection selectively from at least oneadult caregiver. Human infants arebiologically predisposed to form attachments to caregivers. I was an advocate for this child and took thetime to care about him and support him.
I believe that this child ran from nine placements, trustedfew adults, pushed everyone away, and committed criminal acts of harm and violencetowards others is due to developmental issues he suffered from a youngage. The repercussions and consequencesof abuse, neglect, and placement in foster care on his early brain developmentas he has been dealing with the child welfare system, since he was four yearsof age. He had so many challenges of establishingattachment to caregivers as everyone since birth has abandoned him. He had challenges of all aspects of thefoster care experience and moving around consistently and never having a placeto call home. His response to stress issomething I will never know and he tells me that all the time, he always tellsme “I have no idea what it’s like to be in foster care” and “it’s not fair” andhe is right life has definitely dealt him a bad hand, something I wish I couldhave changed that for him having a normal childhood, and two loving parents asI think he would have been going off to college not to an adult state prison.
