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Youth In Foster Care Study

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The purpose of this study to identify a preventive notion to improve high school graduation rates among children in foster care. An innovative therapeutic mentoring program that will not only decrease the chances of foster youth dropping out of high school, but it will also increase the chances of them furthering their education. According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System there are over 400,000 children in foster care (AFCARS, 2010). The high school graduation rate among youth in foster care is relatively low, and youth in foster care are less likely to graduate from high school compared to their peers (Day, et al., 2012). In a national foster care study 54% of youth that participated in the study finished high …show more content…

In addition to the lack of education attainment among youth in foster care, youth in foster care face a number of different challenges and obstacles. Research suggests that youth in foster care are more likely to be unemployed, and underemployment (Courtney, et al., 2010). In Illinois alone, 30% of former foster youth are unemployed (Harris, et al., 2009). The lack of education attainment can be problematic for youth when they try to seek employment (Courtney, et al., …show more content…

A protective factor for youth as they approach aging out of care is establishing a social support system (McDonald, 2013). Youth in foster care need mentors in their lives. Research indicates and I quote, “The consistent, enduring presence of a caring adult in a young person’s life can be the difference between staying in school or dropping out, making healthy decisions or engaging in risky behaviors, and realizing one’s potential or failing to achieve one’s dreams.” (Bruce, & Bridgeland, 2014) “Mentors can make a profound difference in the lives of their mentees, which can ultimately strengthen our communities, economy, and country.” (Bruce, & Bridgeland, 2014) According to the National Mentoring Effect, which is a national survey on the topic of mentoring for young people, the survey found that youth that had mentors in their lives set higher educational goals and are more likely to attend college compared to their peers who did not have mentors. (Bruce, & Bridgeland, 2014)
Research suggests that mentoring can have positive effects for at risk youth in foster care. (Osterling, 2006) In addition, research indicates that mentors provide youth with a vital emotional connection. (Osterling, 2006) Mentoring programs are very important, because they provide youth with not only a long lasting emotional relationship, but guidance. Mentoring

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1676 Words | 7 Pages

Statistics and data on this issue is very important in order to understand the amount of children and youth that go through challenges after leaving. As stated, “The U.S. Administration for Children and Families reports that within two to three years after aging out of foster care at age 18, approximately 51% of youth will lack employment, about 25% will become homeless and incarcerated,

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1174 Words | 5 Pages

Life skills should be taught to the children in preparation for the future. Foster care is meant to normalize the child’s life as much as possible and give help where it is needed. Although the intent of the foster care system is protecting neglected children, it may be causing

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203 Words | 1 Pages

The foster care system shatters like broken glass and there is no repair for broken glass. Permanent damage can only be fixed with drastic solutions, redesigning the system is the method to follow. Foster parents go through hardships and trials while trying to adopt children. Children need stability and the parents willing to give them that they cannot be with forever. A reason for a shattered system is the result of a shattered admissions process.

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3543 Words | 15 Pages

Many of these former foster children have not experienced college. The reason for them deciding not to go to college was almost the same across the board except for a few that had other reasons for not going. On the other hand, there are former foster children that made the decision to go to college for almost the same reasons, with the exception of a few that had other reasons why they decided to go to college. It is important that there is an understanding about how being in foster care affected children that experienced it and why some decided to go to college versus those that decided not to. It is also important to identify whether being foster care played a role in the decisions and whether there was abuse coupled with foster care that may have played a role in the decision (Goemans, van Geel, & Vedder,

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673 Words | 3 Pages

According to a Child Protective Investigation, there are approximately half a million children in the U.S. foster care system, otherwise known as congregate care (group homes and institutions). Children are placed in congregate care when they are found to be in an unsafe environment. Usually children of abuse or maltreatment are placed first (Font, 2015). Out-of-home-care causes increased problems of attachment, behavioral, and psychological disorders in the developing child. Child safety is the primary goal of out-of-home-care; however, maltreatment investigations are still reported in those institutions.

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524 Words | 3 Pages

The foster care system has decreased entry of children and increased the permanent placement of the child in a long term foster home. Research by Davis and O’Brien, (2012, p1918) supports that strategies used in the permanency planning lead to a high success rate of legal permanency for the child in care. That child who is placed in a legal permanency has a better chance in becoming an active member of society. From 2011-2012, which a year later showed entry of children being placed in foster care showed a slight increase, in foster care, but the outcome of legal permanency was still at a higher rate. Another factor that Davis and O’Brien (2013, p 2130) found was that age was a key factor in legal permanency placement.

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1132 Words | 5 Pages

a. Foster parents can have an impact on the lives of a foster child by giving them a safe place to stay where they can feel loved and cared for. Foster parents can also provide the love and support that these children need especially if they came from an abused or neglected home. According to (Hasenecz, 2009) there have been several shocking stories about children being abused and neglected while in foster care or even worse reports of social workers who knew of the abuse and neglect and failed to report it or do anything about

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210 Words | 1 Pages

Common misconceptions associated with being in foster care portray youth in the system as orphans. Youth in foster care are supposedly delinquents, and will perform poorly in academics compared to their peers who are not placed in these institutions. In society, these stereotypes are often pretended, but very little people understand the circumstances and factors the youth in the foster care system are facing. Youth in care are often juxtaposed to their community counterparts, to signify the impact of being a ward of the state, rather than being with a family member.

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211 Words | 1 Pages

Quite often, children are released from the foster care system without preparation for the outside world. “Aging out” has recently become a major area of critique. Author, Cris Beam, includes statistics backing that “20,000 youth “age out” each year” (61); a large quantity of the juveniles are unlucky to be as successful as a child with a permanent family (Beam 61). Youth that have had experience in the foster care system have larger reports of pregnancy and incarceration. Flaws within the system continue to affect children and juveniles throughout their lives.

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1422 Words | 6 Pages

In addition to the maltreatment of children in foster care, another issue that arises is that children are moved from one foster care home to another on an average of every six weeks (NCANDS, 2012). With the changes in the caregivers of children in foster care experience, the more likely they are to exhibit oppositional behavior, crying, and clinging. With that being said, in 2012, 23,396 youth aged out of the U.S. foster care system without the emotional and financial support necessary to succeed. Nearly 40% had been homeless or couch surfed, nearly 60% of young men had been convicted of a crime, and only 48% were employed. Seventy-five percent of women and 33% of men receive government benefits to meet basic needs.

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1209 Words | 5 Pages

Obtaining some form of education such as a high school diploma is required to attain employment. As a result employment is not standard among youth in foster care whereas, adolescents who are not in foster care are mostly likely to be regularly employed. In addition to employment and education, behavior and emotional problems are prevalent and those youth who live with foster

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2116 Words | 9 Pages

Have you ever thought about how it feels to be ripped out of the only place that you know as home? To get no explanation of why your parents just did not want you anymore? Not a lot of people think about this. Usually, the only people that do think about this is children that are experiencing or have experienced this problem. The children’s rights website stated that, “On any given day, there are nearly 428,000 children in foster care in the United States.”

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789 Words | 4 Pages

Adding onto this, former foster children are without parent and family support. “I wasn’t prepared for college. I didn’t have parents or anyone to look up to or help me with my college experience,” said Barries, a student that was interviewed by the PBS Newshour. This shows that not only are foster kids struggling to be encouraged, the foster kids are becoming incharge of bills and certain topics that

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867 Words | 4 Pages

Over seventy five percent of homeless youth who are in foster care will drop out of high school, and as low as three percent will graduate from college. It has been recorded that homeless teens who come from foster care become homeless earlier in their lives and remain without a permanent home for an extended period of

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890 Words | 4 Pages

Literature Review Throughout the years, research has been conducted on the effects that foster care can have on children. In the United States alone, there are roughly 670,000 children who have spent time in the foster care system each year (“Foster Care,” 2017). Of those children, approximately 33% of them age out of foster care system. Studies then show that the foster care system has had varying effects on the children who are/have been a part of it. In many cases, studies have noted the effects of attachment for children in foster care.

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