Fostering a child with special needs and the barriers they faceFostering a child with special needs and the barriers the foster parent faces on a daily basis can be a real challenge for both the child and the foster parent. Since the days of institutions and family homes, the government has come a long way, but is it really enough? Both the custodial parent and the children with disabilities still struggle. With the help of a new and improved program, education, a better relationship between social worker and foster child, and peer intervention, the foster care system will be more successful. History Before organizations or acts were introduced into legislation, children with disabilities were placed in institutions and group homes. The institutions were far from desirable and had no external contact. People with disabilities were labeled and viewed differently than a normal person and kept away from society. The first orphanage opened in 1728 in New Orleans, and orphanages continued to open in North America until after the Civil War. (Pistorino 2008) “Founded in 1853, the Children's Aid Society offers foster care to approximately 550 young people between the ages of 0 and 21 every year.” (The Children's Aid Society-Medical Foster Children) The agency provides services such as Medical Foster Care so that children with special needs and disabilities can stay with families instead of being institutionalized or placed in a residential program. (The Children's Aid Society-Medical Foster Children) In 1973 the Rehabilitation Act was passed and for the first time in the United States the civil rights of people with disabilities were protected. In 1975 the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was introduced into legislation, children... at the heart of a document... thoughts and ideas they may have about the cases they are currently dealing with. And finally I would have an open door policy so that if at any time the foster family had concerns or behavioral problems with the foster child with a disability we could work through it together and if necessary, and as a last resort, find another family for the child foster. Foster children and parents still face challenges every day when it comes to education, funding or lack of funding, advocacy and support system from our social workers. There will always be obstacles for foster families to endure, but as human service providers we must utilize and exhaust every option, quitting is never an option. With a new and improved program, foster parents and foster children with disabilities could prevail and have a higher success rate in achieving overall goals..