Foster Care in the Media: Pretty Little Liars

I have always had a soapbox about the way foster care is portrayed in the media. The news loves to rehash isolated incidents. Fictional shows feed the stereotype that foster parents are in it for the money, foster children are pathological, and CPS workers could care less and "lose" kids on their caseload. So, I will be doing an ongoing post of pointing these stereotypes out.

In Pretty Little Liars, one of the characters, Caleb, is in foster care. His foster mom, Janet, berates him when she comes to the school. He hates living with her so much he is homeless at times and living with other characters' families at times- all so he won't have to go "home". It is pointed out several times that she still receives a check for him, although he is not staying with her. She is portrayed as a cruel, money hungry lady. The show portrays him as able to live elseswhere and CPS never notices or cares.