A Foster Care System Where Every Child Has a Loving Home | Sixto Cancel | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

People ask me all the time,

大家總會問我：

"What is the toughest part

「在寄養制度中長大， 最辛苦的部分是什麼？」

about growing up in the foster care system?"

I was an 11-month-old baby when I was placed in foster care.

我被送去寄養時才十一個月大。

By the time I was in the third grade and I was about nine, I was adopted.

我讀三年級大約九歲時被領養了。

I was given a new forever family,

我得到了一個新的永久家庭，

but it was far from a loving home.

但它完全不是個慈愛的家。

I was consistently referred to as the N-word.

我一直被稱為黑鬼。

The refrigerator couldn’t be touched.

我不能碰冰箱。

She cared more about that check than she did me.

她對那張支票的重視 勝過對我的重視。

我十五歲時，我受夠了。

By the time I was 15, I was sick of it.

I knew that I needed to take matters into my own hands.

我知道我得要自力救濟。

So after watching "Law and Order," the show --

在看了《法網遊龍》 這個節目之後——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Thank God for Olivia Benson.

感謝奧莉維亞‧班森（劇中人物）。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I realized something.

我了解了一點。

I needed to get the evidence of what was happening to me.

對於我的遭遇，我需要收集證據。

So I took a recorder and I took some tape

所以我拿了一個錄音機和一些膠帶，

and I taped that recorder to my chest

把錄音機黏在我胸口，

and I got the evidence that I needed to get back into the foster care system.

我得到了能讓我回到 寄養體制的必要證據。

即使沒有虐待，

Even without abuse,

foster care is a tough experience.

寄養仍然是很艱苦的經歷。

You don't know what's actually going to happen to you.

你不知道你之後會如何。

You're placed with a stranger and you're expected to become family.

你被安置到陌生人家中， 被期望要成為家人。

But if you don't fit in, if you act up a little bit too much,

但如果你不融入，如果 你表現過度叛逆了點，

you will find yourself in a new home

你就會被送到一個新家，有 新的學校、新的規則、新的一切。

with new school, new rules, new everything.

When I was placed back in foster care at 15,

我十五歲被送回寄養體制時，

I thought that that was the end of my storm.

我以為我的暴風雨就此結束。

But it was just the beginning of the next storm.

但那只是下一個暴風雨的開端。

I didn’t go back home,

我沒有回到家中， 去了幾個不同的家，

went to a few different homes, but unlike many,

但和大部分人不同，

I was placed in a non-profit program where I got ready to live on my own.

我被安排進入一個非營利計畫，

在那裡，我為自己 獨立生活做好了準備。

The foster care system is not doing a good job of raising children.

寄養體制在養育孩子 方面並沒有做好。

Unsupported foster youth are two to three times more likely

沒有支助的寄養青年，

有兩到三倍的機率 可能會面臨負面結果，

to have negative outcomes

related to homelessness, incarceration, being sexually trafficked.

包括無家可歸、監禁、

做性交易。

The mental toll is severe.

心理上的傷害很嚴重。

I want you to think about war veterans.

請各位想想戰爭退伍軍人。

Foster youth are two times more likely than war veterans

寄養青年

患有創傷後壓力症候群的機率 是戰爭退伍軍人的兩倍。

to experience and suffer from PTSD.

This is why I started Think of Us,

這就是為什麼我創立了 「想想我們」，

because this is the current result of the foster care system.

因為這就是寄養體制目前的結果。

It's designed wrong.

它從設計上就是錯的。

So we approach problems differently.

我們用不同的方式處理問題。

We actually engage those who are impacted.

我們真的會去接觸受到影響的人。

We ask questions, we listen.

我們問問題，我們聆聽。

We take the collective experience of thousands of people

我們採用了數千名受到

影響的人的集體經歷，

who are impacted

and turn that into data and insights

將之轉換為資料和洞見，

that then we know what are the most broken pieces of the system

接著我們就能知道 體制中最需要改善的地方，

and where we can start to redesign it.

以及該從何處著手重新設計它。

We work with leaders across the entire sector,

我們和這整個領域的領導者合作，

people with lived experience, to co-design new solutions.

和有實際經驗的人合作， 共同設計新的解決方案。

And then we do whatever it takes to implement those solutions.

接著我們盡一切努力 去實施那些解決方案。

I want to give you an example.

讓我舉個例子。

We overwhelmingly heard from teenage foster youth

我們聽到大量的寄養青年說

that they were being misplaced in group homes.

他們被錯置到集體居住機構中。

The system was acting like they have nowhere to place these children.

體制展現出來的好似他們 無處可以安置這些孩子。

Turned around, we sent our researchers out.

然而，我們派出我們的研究員。

And what they were able to reveal

他們揭露出來的事實

was that the majority of those children actually had extended family members

是那些孩子大部分

其實都有延伸家庭的親戚 可以一起生活。

that they could have lived with.

On top of that,

此外，

that they were having these very traumatic experiences.

他們有非常創傷性的經歷。

We collected those voices and lifted them up.

我們收集了這些聲音並加以關注。

The vibration of the truth of what they shared with us

他們和我們分享的真相 帶來好強大的共鳴，

was so strong that it helped inform litigation

協助促成了

美國司法部民權部門提起訴訟。

brought on by the United States Department of Justice,

the Civil Rights Division.

It helped inform an investigation into institutional abuse

也協助促成美國參議院 去調查機構虐待問題，

by these for-profit group homes by the United States Senate.

針對營利的集體居住機構進行調查。

It helped inform an amicus brief

也協助促使一份法庭之友書狀

that went to the United States Supreme Court.

送到美國的最高法庭手上。

That is the power of lived experience.

那就是實際經歷的力量。

The key to transformation is lived experience.

轉變的關鍵就在於實際經歷。

For the past eight years,

在過去八年間，

we've listened to thousands of young people.

我們聆聽了數千名年輕人的聲音。

And it's become so clear that there's one key thing that we need to transform.

很明顯看到有一個關鍵需要改變。

And that is who children in foster care get to live with.

那就是：寄養的孩子 能和誰住在一起。

Kin.

親屬。

We believe that kin can transform the foster care experience.

我們相信親屬能轉變寄養的經歷。

Kinship care is when a child goes ahead

親屬寄養是指孩子可以

and is able to live with an extended family member

和延伸家庭的家屬一起生活，

or an adult that they have already known,

或者他們已經認識的成人，

an adult who loves them.

愛他們的成人。

That adult can be a church member, a close family friend.

這樣的成人可能是教堂成員、

親密的家族友人。

And what we now know

我們現在知道，

is that research is showing that when children are placed with kin,

研究顯示，如果孩子 和親屬住在一起，

they fare way better,

他們的遭遇就好太多了，

from mental health, to stability, to graduating high school on time.

從心理健康，到穩定性，

到按時從高中畢業。

And yet only 35 percent of young people in the foster care system

但在寄養體制中的年輕人，只有 35%

are actually placed with kin.

被安置到親屬家。

But it doesn't have to be this way.

但，可以不要這樣的。

In one state, in partnership, right,

在其中一個州，透過合作，

we went in and we implemented some simple solutions,

我們介入並導入了 一些簡單的解決方案，

like, let's ask young people which adults in their family they should live with.

比如，

咱們先問問年輕人，他們 想和家族中的哪些成人生活。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I wish I told you something better.

我希望我能告訴各位更棒的方法。

That is one solution.

那真的是一個解決方案。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

We ask,

我們去問，並且去做，

we went ahead and like, require social workers to get extra approvals

也會要求社工如果要把你安置 在家屬以外的地方，必須要

if they're going to place you outside of kin.

取得額外核准。

The result?

結果如何？

The initial placement with young people in the foster care system

寄養體制中的年輕人初次被安排

in a situation where they were living with kin,

和親屬一起生活的案例

rose from three percent to over 40 percent in just two years.

從 3% 提升

到超過 40%，只花了兩年。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

In another state, we looked at a county,

在另一個州，我們觀察了一個郡，

we looked at that state, and in one county

我們觀察了那個州，在其中一個郡，

they were able to figure out

他們找到方法能夠將超過 80%

how to place over 80 percent of those children with kin.

這類孩子安排與親屬同住。

So the idea that young people don't have adults in their life

所以，年輕人的人生中沒有 任何成人願意挺身而出的說法

who can step up, is not true.

不是真的。

Here's what this shows.

這告訴我們一件事：

That when the system believes that children should be raised in family,

當體制相信

孩子應該在家庭中長大，

guess what?

猜猜如何？

That the children are actually raised in family.

孩子就真的在家庭中長大。

For me, I was almost 30 years old

對我來說，我快三十歲時， 我姐姐打電話給我，

when my sister called me while I was visiting New York City.

那時我去造訪紐約市。

She told me that in just three hours

她告訴我，三小時後，

that my father's side of the family

我爸爸那邊的家庭有一場家庭聚會。

was going to be having a family reunion.

They didn't know I existed.

他們不知道我的存在。

And I didn't know that they existed.

我不知道他們的存在。

And so I raced over to Harlem,

所以我趕到哈林區，

walked through that park, looking at every single family,

穿過那公園，

看著每一個家庭，

wondering which one was mine.

納悶哪個才是我的家庭。

When I finally arrived,

我終於抵達時，

words can't describe that moment.

那一刻無法用言語形容。

They were kind.

他們很仁慈。

They were accepting.

他們願意接納。

They were curious about who I was.

他們很好奇我是怎樣的人。

And then about 90 minutes in, everything changed.

接著，經過了約九十分鐘，

一切改變了。

I discovered that I had four aunts and uncles

我發現我有四個姑姑和叔叔，

who had been fostering longer than I had been alive.

在我出生之前他們就 一直在接寄養孩子了。

In that moment, all I can do was go into my pocket,

那一刻，我能做的

就只有伸手到口袋裡，

pull out my phone,

拿出我的手機，

open Google Maps

打開 Google 地圖，

and GPS to my last foster home.

找到我最後待的寄養家庭。

Fifty-eight miles away.

就在五十八英里外。

My whole life,

我的一生，

I was always 58 miles

我只差五十八英里和幾個問題，

and a couple questions away

from being raised by people who could have loved me,

就能和本來可以 愛我的人生活在一起，

by people who could have been my family.

他們本來可以成為我的家人。

The worst part about this is that my story is actually not unique.

最糟糕的是，

我的故事並非獨一無二。

That every single year hundreds of thousands of children

每一年，

都有數十萬名孩童

are entering the foster care system and they're not being placed with family.

進入寄養體制，且沒有 被安排與家人同住。

And again, it actually doesn't have to be this way.

同樣，可以不要這樣的。

The system spends over 30 billion dollars on less than one million families a year.

這個體制每年花費超過三百億 美金在不到一百萬個家庭上。

That is more than enough to make sure we find family, we support them,

這筆錢絕對足夠確保我們 能找到家人，支持他們，

and that every child is living in a loving family situation.

讓每個孩子都能生活在 有愛的環境中。

Right now,

現在，

there's a big systems change opportunity,

有個很大的機會可以改變體制，

a federal decision that would make it super easy

有個聯邦的決策，可以很容易就讓

to have people who are related to a child step up and say,

跟孩子有親戚關係的人站出來，

"I'm willing to do this" and get that support.

說：「我願意做這件事， 並取得那些支助。」

If approved,

如果核准，

we would see three billion dollars shift from traditional foster care

我們就會看到三十億美金

從傳統寄養轉到親屬寄養。

to kinship care.

So when we work on these crazy ideas

所以當我們致力於

這些瘋狂的點子，如 「讓親屬寄養變成標準」，

like “let’s make kinship care the norm,”

it is actually possible.

實際上是有可能的。

And I want to leave you with three things to think about.

我想留下三點，讓各位思考。

Number one, I came on this stage with, like, a very simple idea.

第一，

我帶著一個非常簡單的想法 走上這個舞台。

Children should be raised in family.

孩子應該在家庭中長大。

How can we replace the majority of foster care with kinship care?

我們要如何把大部分的寄養 都改成親屬寄養？

Number two.

第二，

How do we center those who have been impacted,

我們要如何把焦點放在 那些被影響的人、

those who have lived experience,

有實際經歷的人，

in making kinship care the new norm

在我們設計和導入親屬寄養 讓它成為新標準時能考量他們？

as we design it and implement it?

And the last part,

最後，

I want to tell you, we need some help.

告訴各位，我們需要幫手，

We need some allies.

我們需要盟友，

We need you to become advocates with us.

我們需要各位成為我們的倡導者。

And you don't have to be a foster care expert

你不需要是寄養方面的專家

也能知道家庭的力量，

to know the power of family

and to know that every child should be being raised by family

也能知道每個孩子

都應該在可能的情況下被家人 或他們認識的人扶養長大。

or someone that they know when it's possible.

I will say this.

讓我這麼說。

I truly believe we're at this pivot point.

我真心相信，我們正處在轉捩點上。

And then if we push just a little bit harder in this very moment,

這此刻，如果我們能再加一把勁，

我們就能真正生活在新的現實中：

that we can actually live in a new reality

where when children have to come into the foster care system,

當孩子必須要進入寄養體制時，

that the first thing that is looked at is extended family,

首先去找的是延伸家庭，

it's people that they know.

是他們認識的人。

And if we are able to achieve that,

如果我們能做到這一點，

we will literally be able to ensure that millions of children

我們就能真正確保

數百萬孩童下了學校巴士之後，

will come off of that school bus,

go into their homes,

能走進他們的家裡，

look at family members,

看著他們的家人，

people that they know,

他們認識的人，

and say, "I am loved."

說：「我是被愛著的。」

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）