Empowering Foster Care Youth

Empowering Foster Care Youth
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

Findings from this dissertation suggest that youth empowerment is possible in child welfare and might be beneficial. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care

LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care
Author: Adam McCormick
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2018-06-19
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317509145

Representing an often overlooked population in social work literature, this book explores the experiences of LGBTQ youth as they navigate the child welfare system. Adam McCormick examines the entirety of a youth’s experience, from referral into care and challenges to obtaining permanency to aging out or leaving care. Included throughout the book are stories from LGBTQ youth that address personal issues such as abuse, bullying and harassment, and double standards. Filled with resources to foster resilience and empower youth, this book is ideal for professionals who are hoping to create a more inclusive and affirming system of care for LGBTQ youth.

Empowering Training for Youth Entering the Foster Care System

Empowering Training for Youth Entering the Foster Care System
Author: Janet Garcia
Publisher:
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2012
Genre: Child welfare
ISBN: 9781267460318

Abstract: This curriculum aims to enlighten social workers and other mental health practitioners about the diverse needs foster care youth face, primarily upon entering the child welfare system. A review of literature suggests foster care youth continue to be amongst the most fragile and vulnerable members of society. This young population encounters extensive needs including safety, security, sense of belonging, love, and in many instances basic provisions such as food and shelter. The overarching goal of this curriculum is to help implement a system, which will empower foster care youth to succeed through the many challenges they face in out-of-home care. To successfully accomplish this goal the curriculum provides training modules on topics such as: understanding the child welfare system, establishing healthy relationships, positive communication and empowerment tools for success. The Empowering Training for Youth Entering the Foster Care System will give social workers and social service advocates, essential tools to effectively empower foster care youth as they first enter the child welfare system.

Beyond The Foster Care System

Beyond The Foster Care System
Author: Betsy Krebs
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2006-06-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780813540153

Each year tens of thousands of teenagers are released from the foster care system in the United States without high school degrees, homes, or strong family relationships. Two to four years after discharge, half of these young people still do not have either a high school diploma or equivalency degree, and fewer than ten percent enter college. Nearly a third end up on public assistance within fifteen months, and eventually more than a third will be arrested or convicted of a crime. In this richly detailed and often surprising exploration of the foster care system, Betsy Krebs and Paul Pitcoff argue that the existing foster care system sets teens up to fail by inadequately preparing them for adult life. They contend that the primary goal of foster care for teenagers should be preparation for a fully productive adult life, and that current policies and practice are misguided. The authors draw on their fifteen years of experience working with teens and the foster care system to introduce new ways to empower teens to be responsible for themselves and to identify and develop their potential. They also explore what sorts of resources-legal, financial, and human-will need to come from inside and outside the system to ensure that more teens reach successful independence. Ultimately, Krebs and Pitcoff argue that change must include the participation of caring communities of volunteers who want to see disadvantaged youth succeed, as well as the use of creative approaches such as the Socratic Method to help teens to take control of their lives. Bringing together a series of inspiring, real-life accounts, Beyond the Foster Care System introduces readers to a number of dynamic young people who have participated in the Youth Advocacy Center's programs. Their stories demonstrate that alternatives to the standard way of providing foster care are not only imaginable, but possible. With the practical improvements Krebs and Pitcoff outline, teens can learn the skills of effective self-advocacy, become better prepared for the transition to independence, and avoid becoming the statistics that foster care has so often produced in the past.

The Neglected Transition

The Neglected Transition
Author: Monique B. Mitchell
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2016
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0199371172

In The Neglected Transition, Monique B. Mitchell explores children's experiences of loss and ambiguity as they transition into foster care, as well as the questions they ask during this critical life transition. By joining children on this courageous and meaningful journey, readers will discover an illuminating, inspirational path of healing.

Empowerment of Youth in Foster Care

Empowerment of Youth in Foster Care
Author: Ewa U. Lavin
Publisher:
Total Pages: 119
Release: 2013
Genre: Ex-foster children
ISBN:

Outcome research has shown that upon aging out of the foster care system, many young adults struggle during their transition to independence. Youth who age out are less likely than their peers in the general population to achieve academic success, including high school graduation and post-secondary education. These youth are more likely to be unemployed or work at jobs that do not provide them with financial security. They are more likely than their peers to experience violence, victimization, homelessness or unstable housing, mental illness, and other poor health outcomes. They are also at an increased risk for incarceration, substance abuse, and early parenthood; and they are more likely to lose their children to the foster care system. The current study seeks to examine experiences foster care alumni identify as empowering and promoting resilience. By identifying elements that contributed to building self-sufficiency and positive outcomes, this research attempts to inform practitioners, policy makers, and other stakeholders as they attempt to move towards best practices of effective service delivery. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with four foster care alumni who were in care in New Jersey. Transcribed interview data was analyzed utilizing McCracken's "grounded theory" as a guide. Data was reduced to smaller units for identification of common, interrelated themes. These themes and patterns were subjected to a process of analysis in an attempt to inform conclusions. Participants credit their positive outcomes, post transition, to several factors, which include the impact of relationships and mentoring, as well as other intrinsic and environmental factors. Study participants offered several recommendations for policy and program reform. The relationship of findings to literature, limitations and implications of the current study for practice and research are discussed.

Empowering Youth

Empowering Youth
Author: Kelly Curtis
Publisher: Search Institute
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Community leadership
ISBN: 9781574822540

Offering indispensable advice to anyone seeking to integrate empowerment into their youth work, this guide demonstrates how youth leaders, teachers, peer program advisors, adults who work with teens and adolescents, and any professional organization with a youth focus can foster leadership qualities in youth. Motivating examples are combined with activities, and reproducible self-assessment checklists to aid individuals and groups in evaluating their strengths and weaknesses in their efforts to empower youth. The tips included can be used in one-on-one situations, in groups, and in structured programs, and have been tested in varied circumstances, including youth programs, communities, classrooms, and faith-based organizations. The introduction outlines the Developmental Assets® framework, and the four empowerment assets are discussed in detail. The importance of being valued by community, treating youth as a valued resource, service to others, and ensuring safety are examined, and ideas for cultivating an environment conducive to empowerment are also discussed.

Life Changing Choices

Life Changing Choices
Author: Just in Time for Foster Just in Time for Foster Youth
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-04-20
Genre:
ISBN:

All the resources and effort dedicated to improving child welfare systems have made little change in positive outcomes. At Just In Time For Foster Youth, we invite exploration of an alternative approach to resources for children and families that lead to measurably improved results. We wrote this book because we've continued to see a stubborn truth over the last two decades about the critical necessity of Community and Connection as the key to that lasting impact. This truth has been reinforced by our own experiences and speaks to why systems resist change and fail to be empowering, healthy places for young people or families, despite the best intentions. This book is not a lecture, but a challenge for all of us to consider a different point of view. It presents a mindset and model that has empowered our efforts at Just in Time and might do the same for anyone who is frustrated by the persistent trauma that seems built into the current experience of our children in care. We wrote this book so you can hear their voices as we have, and get to know their stories as we do. Once their voices are clearly heard, we hope you seek out youth stories in your community and ask others to join and listen. Most of all, we want this book to start crucial conversations about the old Assumptions and Choices we can change to replace historically negative outcomes with lasting, positive Empowerment.

Raising Other People's Children

Raising Other People's Children
Author: Debbie Ausburn
Publisher: Hatherleigh Press
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1578269008

Raising Other People's Children helps you navigate the complicated world of foster and step-parenting with better awareness and greater empathy, providing real-life solutions for forging strong relationships in extraordinary circumstances. Drawing on Debbie Ausburn’s decades of experience with every facet of the foster care system, Raising Other People's Children provides expert guidance viewed through the lens of real human interactions. The responsibility and complexity involved in raising someone else’s child can seem overwhelming. Regardless of whether you’re a stepparent, foster parent or adoptive parent, it is on you to take on the challenge of caring for them, helping them to move forward while also meeting their unique emotional needs.

Redefining Normal

Redefining Normal
Author: Alexis Black
Publisher:
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2019-11-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781734573145

Growing up, they didn't believe they had a future. Together, they are building forever. Alexis Black persevered through her mother's death and her father's imprisonment. And after escaping a long and abusive relationship, the college junior promised her foster parents not to date for at least a year. But when she meets an incoming freshman on the first day of their scholarship program, she feels the world melt away, as though it were only the two of them in the room. Justin Black lived in the poorest section of Detroit before his parents surrendered him to the foster care system at the age of nine. But when he grabs the chance for better opportunities by pursuing higher education, he can't help but be drawn to a beautiful third-year student. At first, their past traumas--and their age difference--conspired to complicate their attraction. But the joy each took in the other and eventually conquered those obstacles, and these two survivors journeyed together toward healing. In a stark and wholehearted true story that shares how two individuals on separate paths found each other, Alexis and Justin merge their course into one full of hope and purpose. And hand-in-hand, with a desire to help others, they learned to reject the abusive patterns of their past, thereby intentionally breaking the cycle of generational violence and unhealthy behaviors. Written in an engaging novelistic style, the authors put forward a thoughtful exchange of ideas and personal experiences illustrating how anybody, no matter their backgrounds, can have a life of self-empowerment and joy. Broken down into four sections that cover crucial topics such as "Worthiness" and "Mental Health," this compelling narrative will help any who are learning to love themselves and want to end the line of toxic relationships. Redefining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat The Odds and Discovered Healing, Happiness, and Love is a page-turning memoir that will open your eyes to possibilities and dreams. If you like honest tales of triumph, refreshing transparency, and resilient faith in God, then you'll adore Justin and Alexis' inspirational story. This story contains mentions of domestic violence, trauma, sexual assault, and other difficult issues faced on the road to healing. Buy Redefining Normal to claim victory over harmful pasts today!