The Reality of Aging Out of the Foster Care System

The Reality of Aging Out of the Foster Care System
Author: Katerina Suther
Publisher:
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2021
Genre: Ex-foster children
ISBN:

Nearly half of youths aging out of the foster care system find themselves homeless due to a lack of systematic programs and public awareness. Due to unawareness of the resources available to foster children in the United States, much foster youth end up uncertain how to navigate their lives after emancipation, which often results in homelessness. This project uses literature reviews, diary studies, and mind mapping to identify the leading causes behind homelessness amongst emancipated foster youths. Reviewing first-hand accounts of children and adults associated with the foster care system provides insight into how youth in the foster care system view their situations and how these affect them. This project aims to inform the public of the statistical and emotional reality regarding homelessness amongst emancipated foster youth to encourage awareness of the issues associated with the foster care system in the U.S. This is the stepping stone to creating actual change in the foster care system. By raising awareness, more people will be encouraged to become active in assisting foster youth, for example, by becoming foster parents. This project proposes a solution to homelessness amongst emancipated foster youth. By targeting foster parents, foster care workers, and foster youth through interactive activities from the Beyond Foster Care share box, more attention is drawn to the importance of preparing youth for the transition out of the system. At the same time, a new way for youth to communicate with their foster parents and caretakers becomes available.

The Bond

The Bond
Author: A M Grotticelli
Publisher:
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2020-12
Genre:
ISBN: 9781649219145

"The Bond" is a powerful memoir that chronicles the strength of the relationships formed among a collection of unrelated siblings who forged a remarkable, separate, and permanent family within a foster home. Kirkus.com calls it: "A poignant, infuriating, informative, and ultimately triumphant account of an unusual clan." BookLife.com wrote: "Grotticelli's unsparing honesty about his birth and foster families will make readers wince and keep them marveling at the indomitability of these children. That the foster siblings were able to forge familial bonds with each other is extraordinary." OnlineBookClub.com said: "This is a book about real people, real lives and real feelings. It is the story of their triumph over adversity and their struggle to find the kind of family love that many of us take for granted." Angelo M. Grotticelli is a veteran technology journalist. This is his first book.

On Their Own

On Their Own
Author: Martha Shirk
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2006-08-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0786722029

Each year, as many as 25,000 teenagers "age out" of foster care, usually when they turn eighteen. For years, a government agency had made every important decision for them. Suddenly, they are on their own, with no one to count on. What does it mean to be eighteen and on your own, without the family support and personal connections that most young people rely on? For many youth raised in foster care, it means largely unhappy endings, including sudden homelessness, unemployment, dead-end jobs, loneliness, and despair. On Their Own tells the compelling stories of ten young people whose lives are full of promise, but who face economic and social barriers stemming from the disruptions of foster care. This book calls for action to provide youth in foster care the same opportunities on the road to adulthood that most of our youth take for granted-access to higher education, vocational training, medical care, housing, and relationships within their communities. On Their Own is meant to serve as a clarion call not only to policymakers, but to all Americans who care about the futures of our young people.

Some Type of Way

Some Type of Way
Author: Lisa Schelbe
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2023
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0197568718

"At age 17, Plato disclosed that he had been certain his whole life that he would die-most likely by being shot on the street like other Black young men he knew-by the age of 18. As his 18th birthday approached, Plato planned to spend his birthday alone, reflecting on the reality that he might have a future. As he approached adulthood and the transition out of foster care, the many possibilities seemed miraculous to him"--

Aging Out of the Foster System

Aging Out of the Foster System
Author: Miranda Mosier-Puentes
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2024-11-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1040226434

Decades of demographic studies and applied efforts have convinced scholars, students, and social workers that young people coming of age and transitioning out of the foster care system face great challenges in health, education, income, and general well-being. Despite the wealth of research on these outcomes, we know much less about the lived experiences of young people leaving foster care. Aging Out of the Foster System: Youths' Perspectives adds to this narrative the personal experiences of young people who are aging out or have aged out of their child welfare placement. The authors center the stories of these young people and apply critical ethnographic methods to frame their accounts with attention to the encounters within which they were produced, including power imbalances, institutional contexts, and relational dynamics. By centering the experiences of youths in these contexts and attending to the larger forces at work, this book helps connect the dots between youth aging out of the foster care system, social workers in Independent Living Programs, and the professors and scholars teaching the next generations of professionals working to support the aging out process.

Aging Out

Aging Out
Author: Catherine Dwyer Simmons
Publisher:
Total Pages: 93
Release: 2003
Genre:
ISBN:

Aged Out: How We're Failing Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

Aged Out: How We're Failing Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care
Author: Sixto Cancel
Publisher: Think of Us
Total Pages: 94
Release: 2022-05-05
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0578288001

Across the country, far too many young people age out of foster care into appalling circumstances. “Aging out” occurs when youth under the state’s custody are still in the foster care system when they reach either the age of majority or the end of extended foster care. Aging out refers to the moment in time when child welfare is no longer legally responsible for the youth, and the system abruptly stops providing services–usually when the youth turns either 18 or 21. Each year, thousands of youth age out of foster care, essentially legal orphans with no legal connection to family or a supportive network. Unfortunately, foster youth who go through the experience of aging out of foster care have statistically poor life prospects. Longitudinal studies across the country show very high rates of homelessness, incarceration, unemployment, and lack of access to health care among youth who aged out of foster care. These outcomes are disproportionately worse for Black, Native, and Brown youth, as well as queer and trans youth. This study is designed to understand the experiences of transition-age youth in their transition out of foster care and investigate: Why do poor outcomes for youth who age out of care persist? What are the current lived experiences of youth who age out of care? In what ways does child welfare continue to fall short for youth who age out of care?

Oxford Bibliographies

Oxford Bibliographies
Author: Edward J. Mullen
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release:
Genre: AIDS (Disease) in adolescence
ISBN: 9780195389678

Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on social work as a discipline grounded in social theory and the improvement of peoples' lives. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable. Contains a "My OBO" function that allows users to create personalized bibliographies of individual citations from different bibliographies.

Aging Up, Not Out

Aging Up, Not Out
Author: Clarence Miller
Publisher: Daniel Clarence Miller
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2021
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1737164817

Everyone comes from different backgrounds and life situations. The way we manage and deal with these challenges is the key to our success. Growing up in the foster care system, I learned this to be true at a young age. In this book, I advise and lead you toward handling life when aging out of the foster care system. What career path is right for me? How do I recognize abusive relationships? When do I start saving money? Join me as I discuss life, love, and happiness. This book is a great starting point for an foster child moving out on their own. It's full of helpful advice and guidance covering aspects such as basic decision-making, all the way to how much water to drink daily to live a healthier, happier life.