This story may be troubling, especially those with a history of trauma.Sierra Burns loves her rescue kitten, Ophelia – 'Opie' for short.She said she always wanted a pet, but her childhood was challenging. Now 19 years old, Sierra Burns aged out of South Carolina’s foster care system.She doesn’t have an adoptive family, nor has she reunited with her birth parents.“I grew up watching my dad choke my mother three separate times,” she said, “My father would, you know, he would slap us. He would grab us by the hair, he would throw us around, but he never did it hard enough to leave a bruise…and even if it was, it was never linked to him.”Sierra said she didn’t always recognize this as abuse.She said as she grew older, the verbal abuse started. “My parents were the ones who were mentally just…abusing me, and because of that, I felt like I wasn’t worth anything. And no one saw those signs, no one tried to dig deeper. And I want people to dig deeper,” she said, “Because I should have been rescued a lot sooner than I was.”She said it was her best friend’s family who first took her in.At 16-years-old, she went into foster care and was connected to resources she needed. “I started therapy as soon as I turned 16. Therapy, therapy, therapy!” she said. Sierra is now a student at Winthrop University. She is studying psychology, with a minor in social work.Sierra also works at the Greenville County group home where she stayed for some time as a teenager. She’s currently under voluntary placement - a type of housing assistance from SC DSS; no longer a kid in the foster system, still working to become a fully independent adult. “Their goal was reunification…like, making us better, making us go to family therapy, but we didn’t go to family therapy, and no one was really there to make us and hold us accountable,” she said, “And so it was just months of different case workers going in and out being involved in the case, and it was really just…we listen to the parents because they are the authority figures, but no one really talked to me.”WYFF News 4 Investigates found the majority of reunifications in South Carolina happen within the first eight months after a child enters the system.While there have been 704 reunifications this year, there are more than 4,000 children in foster care in South Carolina. Most have been in the system longer than eight months.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Mobile users tap here to view interactive graphic.A third of the children in South Carolina's foster care system are teens.Sierra hopes putting a face to these numbers will help move the foster system forward to better serve kids who find themselves needing help. “Foster kids are not troubled kids. They are not problem kids. They may have more trauma to deal with, and a lot, like, to process, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a kid," Burns said.According to South Carolina's Department of Social Services, 238 youth have aged out of foster care between 6/1/2020 and 5/31/2021. ‘Aging out’ is defined as not achieving permanency by adoption or by being reunited with the youth’s biological family.Older youth are currently receiving some funds and services through DSS's John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (formerly known as Independent Living Program).More state data from SC DSS shows 176 young adults (18+) are in South Carolina's foster care system. These individuals may or may not also have an aftercare service line open, according to Danielle Jones, Public Information Coordinator for SC DSS. SC DSS data also shows 328 young adults (18+) have only an Aftercare Service open.So in total, SC DSS has 504 young adults still getting some form of care or assistance after turning 18 as of 6/1/2021.Right now, there are additional funds in response to the pandemic for older youth through the ETV/Chafee program thanks to the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into federal law in December 2020. Click this link to learn more about the CAA: https://dss.sc.gov/news/pandemic-aid-for-foster-youth-alumni-available-from-federal-sources/.If you or someone you care about is in an unsafe family situation, here are some local resources in Upstate South Carolina:- Pendleton Place ; a youth resource center that provides safe housing and other programs like mentorship for young people at risk https://pendletonplace.org/- Jasmine Road ; Greenville-based program focusing on helping women in domestic violence situations find safe housing, employment and support https://jasmineroad.org/- Miracle Hill Ministries ; variety of programs for homeless children or young adults seeking shelter, food and other resources. Miracle Hill also has 'The Children's Home,' which transitioned from a group home to a foster care facility in 2020. https://miraclehill.org/shelters/miracle-hill-childrens-home/CLICK HERE to learn about South Carolina's Department of Social Services.WYFF News 4 Investigates is taking closer look at South Carolina’s foster system and how it was impacted during the pandemic through the 3-part series: Fighting for Foster Care Beyond COVID-19.
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. — This story may be troubling, especially those with a history of trauma.
Sierra Burns loves her rescue kitten, Ophelia – 'Opie' for short.
She said she always wanted a pet, but her childhood was challenging.
Now 19 years old, Sierra Burns aged out of South Carolina’s foster care system.
She doesn’t have an adoptive family, nor has she reunited with her birth parents.
“I grew up watching my dad choke my mother three separate times,” she said, “My father would, you know, he would slap us. He would grab us by the hair, he would throw us around, but he never did it hard enough to leave a bruise…and even if it was, it was never linked to him.”
Sierra said she didn’t always recognize this as abuse.
She said as she grew older, the verbal abuse started.
“My parents were the ones who were mentally just…abusing me, and because of that, I felt like I wasn’t worth anything. And no one saw those signs, no one tried to dig deeper. And I want people to dig deeper,” she said, “Because I should have been rescued a lot sooner than I was.”
She said it was her best friend’s family who first took her in.
At 16-years-old, she went into foster care and was connected to resources she needed.
“I started therapy as soon as I turned 16. Therapy, therapy, therapy!” she said.
Sierra is now a student at Winthrop University. She is studying psychology, with a minor in social work.
Sierra also works at the Greenville County group home where she stayed for some time as a teenager.
She’s currently under voluntary placement - a type of housing assistance from SC DSS; no longer a kid in the foster system, still working to become a fully independent adult.
“Their goal was reunification…like, making us better, making us go to family therapy, but we didn’t go to family therapy, and no one was really there to make us and hold us accountable,” she said, “And so it was just months of different case workers going in and out being involved in the case, and it was really just…we listen to the parents because they are the authority figures, but no one really talked to me.”
WYFF News 4 Investigates found the majority of reunifications in South Carolina happen within the first eight months after a child enters the system.
While there have been 704 reunifications this year, there are more than 4,000 children in foster care in South Carolina. Most have been in the system longer than eight months.
Mobile users tap here to view interactive graphic.
A third of the children in South Carolina's foster care system are teens.
Sierra hopes putting a face to these numbers will help move the foster system forward to better serve kids who find themselves needing help.
“Foster kids are not troubled kids. They are not problem kids. They may have more trauma to deal with, and a lot, like, to process, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a kid," Burns said.
According to South Carolina's Department of Social Services, 238 youth have aged out of foster care between 6/1/2020 and 5/31/2021. ‘Aging out’ is defined as not achieving permanency by adoption or by being reunited with the youth’s biological family.
Older youth are currently receiving some funds and services through DSS's John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (formerly known as Independent Living Program).
More state data from SC DSS shows 176 young adults (18+) are in South Carolina's foster care system. These individuals may or may not also have an aftercare service line open, according to Danielle Jones, Public Information Coordinator for SC DSS.
SC DSS data also shows 328 young adults (18+) have only an Aftercare Service open.
So in total, SC DSS has 504 young adults still getting some form of care or assistance after turning 18 as of 6/1/2021.
Right now, there are additional funds in response to the pandemic for older youth through the ETV/Chafee program thanks to the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into federal law in December 2020.
Click this link to learn more about the CAA: https://dss.sc.gov/news/pandemic-aid-for-foster-youth-alumni-available-from-federal-sources/.
If you or someone you care about is in an unsafe family situation, here are some local resources in Upstate South Carolina:
- Pendleton Place ; a youth resource center that provides safe housing and other programs like mentorship for young people at risk https://pendletonplace.org/
- Jasmine Road ; Greenville-based program focusing on helping women in domestic violence situations find safe housing, employment and support https://jasmineroad.org/
- Miracle Hill Ministries ; variety of programs for homeless children or young adults seeking shelter, food and other resources. Miracle Hill also has 'The Children's Home,' which transitioned from a group home to a foster care facility in 2020. https://miraclehill.org/shelters/miracle-hill-childrens-home/
CLICK HERE to learn about South Carolina's Department of Social Services.
WYFF News 4 Investigates is taking closer look at South Carolina’s foster system and how it was impacted during the pandemic through the 3-part series: Fighting for Foster Care Beyond COVID-19.