scholarly journals Through Their Eyes: Using Photography with Youth Who Experienced Trauma

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Rice ◽  
Sarah Primak ◽  
Heather Girvin
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Case Planning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Multiple Traumas ◽  
Youth In Foster Care

Adolescent youth in foster care are often exposed to multiple traumas and often leave the child welfare system without processing thoughts, feelings, or plans for the future. This study employed photo elicitation with a group of adolescent youth in foster care to discover what is important to them. Eight themes emerged. Family and friends, or the need to have someone who is always there for them was the most frequent theme photographed. Utilizing photo elicitation with youth who have been abused and/or neglected is an engaging and empowering method as it allows for individualized case planning that is guided by the wants and needs of the youth themselves.

Structured well-being assessments in public child welfare: Observations across two states

2021 ◽  
pp. 251610322110046
Author(s):  
Crystal Collins-Camargo ◽  
Jessica Strolin-Goltzman ◽  
A. Nathan Verbist ◽  
Alison Krompf ◽  
Becky F. Antle
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Functional Improvement ◽  
Public Child Welfare ◽  
Case Planning ◽  
Over Time

Children entering custody within the child welfare system have been found to have high levels of trauma and significant behavioral health needs. In this paper, authors demonstrate how a structured functional well-being assessment can be used with the custody population to promote an understanding of behavioral health needs, inform case planning, and measure functional improvement over time. Specifically, this paper will: (a) briefly describe how two states implemented a common standardized assessment of functioning to inform case planning and measure well-being progress of children in the custody of a public child welfare system (b) examine what this common assessment tool reveals about the strengths and needs of children entering custody across two sites and (c) describe the magnitude of change in functional improvement measured across 6 months. This paper will contribute to the existing knowledge by sharing possible themes in functioning related to children entering custody while examining changes in functioning over time. Implications for practice, policy, and future research will be discussed.

Trauma and Children

2020 ◽  
pp. 168-187
Author(s):  
David R. Grove ◽  
Gilbert J. Greene ◽  
Mo Yee Lee
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Duration Of Stay ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Family Approach ◽  
Biological Family

Trauma and children placed in foster care is examined. Statistics related to foster care placement, duration of stay, and number of disrupted placements are offered. How these factors exacerbate the problems of trauma survivors in the child welfare system is explored. A family to family approach is described. Several case examples are offered covering numerous treatment issues including how to stabilize at-risk foster placements, how to recruit and include biological family of children placed in foster care, and how to enlist therapeutic help from biological family members when their child is placed in foster care.

scholarly journals Self-assessment of the quality of life of children and adolescents in the child welfare system of Serbia

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Damnjanovic ◽  
Aneta Lakic ◽  
Dejan Stevanovic ◽  
Ana Jovanovic ◽  
Jasna Jancic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
General Population ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Care Group

Background/Aim. Children and adolescents who enter a child welfare system are at higher risk of suffering from mental disorders, physical health, and/or social and educational problems than the general population of the same age is. This study was organized with the aim to evaluate the general characteristics of quality of life (QOL) in children and adolescents living in residential and foster care in Serbia. Methods. Two hundred and sixteen children and adolescents, aged 8-18 years, from residential and foster care and 238 children and adolescents from the general population participated in the study. QOL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) - Serbian version. Three groups were created: residential care group (RCG), foster care group (FCG), and control group (children and adolescents from biological families - CG). Descriptive data were calculated for all questionnaires? scores, while t-test and ANOVA were used to compare them. Results. The mean value of the total PedsQL was lower in the RCG, 67.47 ? 17.75, than in the FCG and the CG, 88.33 ? 11.27 and 80.74 ? 11.23, respectively. Additionally, the RCG reported lower all PedsQL Scale scores, but the lowest value was for the psychosocial domain. These differences were statistically significant (F value ranged from 17.3 to 49.89, p < 0.000). However, only the scores of the RCG were statistically different from the FCG and the CG, while the differences between the FCG and the CG were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Children and adolescents living in residential care have significantly poorer QOL than those living in foster care or in biological families. On the other side, QOL in children and adolescents from foster care is similar to the one of those living in biological families.

Independence or Interdependence: Rethinking the Transition from “Ward of the Court” to Adulthood

2003 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Propp ◽  
Debora M. Ortega ◽  
Forest NewHeart
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
The State ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Empowerment Model ◽  
Model Of Practice ◽  
Care System

Youth who transition out of foster care are often overlooked and unprepared for a life outside of the child welfare system. As youth begin to grow up in the foster care system, they are encouraged to move toward the goal of self-sufficiency. This article examines the idea of self-sufficiency as it relates to youth transitioning from the foster care system and proposes a different approach to the state of transition, an approach called interdependent living. Through this examination, the authors suggest a way to reshape practice approaches by emphasizing the values of interdependence, connection, and collaboration. Together these values lead to an empowerment model of practice for youth who transition from foster care.

Aging Out of Foster Care in Emerging Adulthood

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna K.P. Greeson ◽  
Allison E. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Foster Youth ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Aging Out ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Natural Mentoring ◽  
The Life Course

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a significant developmental stage. When foster youth age out of the child welfare system, they are at risk of having to transition without family support. This chapter applies the life course perspective to describe the theoretical and contextual foundation that explains the hardships foster youth experience when emancipated from the US child welfare system. Next, the theoretical basis for natural mentoring among foster youth is explored using the resiliency perspective to frame the discussion. Then, current research on natural mentoring among foster youth is reviewed. Implications are drawn for US child welfare practice, policy, and research with respect to how to improve outcomes for youth who age out of foster care through the cultivation of natural mentoring relationships. The chapter concludes with an examination of systems in place to support transitioning foster youth from England, Israel, and Australia.

Three sides to a foster care story: An examination of the lived experiences of young adults, their foster care case record, and the space in between

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Rolock ◽  
Alfred G Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Case Record ◽  
State Custody

Between 2000 and 2013, the U.S. foster care caseload decreased while the number of children in adoptive homes doubled. These shifts were a result of federal policies prioritizing the moving of children from state custody into legal permanence (e.g., adoption and guardianship) with the presumption they will live “happily ever after.” This study used a mixed-methods multiphase, iterative process to illuminate the congruencies and incongruencies between the young adults' accounts of their foster care experiences and the legalistic, system-focused view of their experiences. This study highlights the limitations of administrative data as the primary source for evaluating systems, assessing child well-being, and for understanding child welfare outcomes. An important consideration for assessing the success of the child welfare system in finding safe, stable, permanent placements for children involved with the child welfare system is including the perceptions of the young adults with foster care histories. There are often three sides to a foster care story: the lived experiences of the participant, the official case record, and the space in between. This study begins to illuminate this space, through an understanding of the quality and enduring nature of these relationships as reported by young adults who lives were impacted by their foster care histories. Child welfare records indicate a legal permanency status, but the interviews address the enduring nature and quality of the relationships.

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