<instructions>Your goal is to analyze the following comment and estimate how highly it will be upvoted by the Hacker News community.</instructions><comment><author>jfrankamp</author><text>I can answer this, also fostered then adopted a teenager. It actually does not help the kid, its the worst thing that could happen to them except all of the alternatives. Being placed in a foster home is trauma. Getting separated from their bio family is trauma. Continuing to be physically abused (in their bio fam) is unacceptable trauma. Extended family was also a bust and resulted in more physical abuse.</text><parent_chain><item><author>tooltower</author><text>Sorry about the completely noob question, but in your mind, do you think it actually helps these kids to separate them from their bio families in the first place?&lt;p&gt;What are the most common situations that require a kid to be placed in foster care?</text></item><item><author>treeman79</author><text>Adopted a teenager out of foster care.&lt;p&gt;None of the others she knew from foster care did well in life.   All on drugs, homeless, many in prison, spent time there. Many are having kids that will soon be take away by the state, for good reasons.&lt;p&gt;Our own has done better, but was years of insane drama.&lt;p&gt;Knowing that bio family was out there hurt her immensely.&lt;p&gt;She finally had to spend time with them.   Literally Pulling her drunk biological dad out of a ditch, to realize that they were dragging her down.&lt;p&gt;She does aight these days.&lt;p&gt;Foster kids can be helped, but  you really need multiple strong families or support groups dedicated to the task. For a couple of decades, at least.</text></item></parent_chain></comment><story><title>We are sending more foster kids to prison than to college</title><url>https://www.kansascity.com/news/special-reports/article238206754.html</url></story>
<instructions>Your goal is to analyze the following comment and estimate how highly it will be upvoted by the Hacker News community.</instructions><comment><author>worik</author><text>The best thing to do, to help a child, is to help the family.&lt;p&gt;But the family is often very unattractive.  Adults can be such reprobates: Drug addicted, &amp;quot;lazy&amp;quot;, wasteful....&lt;p&gt;So the state tends to remove the child and inject them into what they know is at best a failing system and at worst a fertile training ground for child abusers.&lt;p&gt;Better to help the families, never mind that they will have lifestyles you disapprove of.  It costs a lot of money.  A huge amount.&lt;p&gt;But it is cheaper in the long run to put aside the moral panic about the behaviour of the grown us....</text><parent_chain><item><author>tooltower</author><text>Sorry about the completely noob question, but in your mind, do you think it actually helps these kids to separate them from their bio families in the first place?&lt;p&gt;What are the most common situations that require a kid to be placed in foster care?</text></item><item><author>treeman79</author><text>Adopted a teenager out of foster care.&lt;p&gt;None of the others she knew from foster care did well in life.   All on drugs, homeless, many in prison, spent time there. Many are having kids that will soon be take away by the state, for good reasons.&lt;p&gt;Our own has done better, but was years of insane drama.&lt;p&gt;Knowing that bio family was out there hurt her immensely.&lt;p&gt;She finally had to spend time with them.   Literally Pulling her drunk biological dad out of a ditch, to realize that they were dragging her down.&lt;p&gt;She does aight these days.&lt;p&gt;Foster kids can be helped, but  you really need multiple strong families or support groups dedicated to the task. For a couple of decades, at least.</text></item></parent_chain></comment><story><title>We are sending more foster kids to prison than to college</title><url>https://www.kansascity.com/news/special-reports/article238206754.html</url></story>