...Achievement of children and youth in foster care Joanna Bermudez Mercy College Summer 2013 Introduction and Problem Statement Approximately fifty percent of adolescents in this country’s foster care system are graduating from high school each year. In NYS, less than forty-four percent of adolescent’s in the foster care system graduate from high school yearly. The outcomes of youth who leave the foster care system between the ages of 18 and 21 are statistically grim; less than 50% of these youth are equipped with a high school diploma (Scannapeieco, Connel-Carrick, and Pinter, 2007), and with-in two years of leaving the system, 25% of them face unemployment, homelessness, and/or incarceration (Krinsky, 2007). For all children, especially children in foster care, having the proper advocacy, stability, educational coordination and guidance are vital in ensuring their academic success. Unfortunately, children in foster care are less likely to receive these components to assist them in becoming successful in academia, which in turn affects their chances to live a productive adult life. The needs of the children and youth in foster care are in need of reformation across each state throughout the nation. Since the development of foster care, the focus of intervention has and continues to be a reactive approach, instead of a tactical approach. The intervention of foster care seeks to ensure the physical safety and well-being of each child and youth, which oftentimes leads to...
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...Running head: THE FOSTER CARE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis Sharon H. Stoess Grand Canyon University NRS-433V March 27, 2011 The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis “The child welfare and substance abuse systems are integrally linked through the children and families they serve (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). There is a dearth of knowledge, however, on how children who have experienced foster care fare when they are treated for substance abuse issues as adults” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “In addition, the funds available for in-depth, comprehensive research in child welfare are limited” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “Data collected for one purpose can potentially be used to answer other questions” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “Secondary analysis involves the use of data gathered in a previous study to test new hypotheses or address new questions” (Polit & Beck, 2009, p. 295). “The issue, however, is that the original researchers may not have collected all the data needed to answer the current question” (Blome, W., Shields, J., & Verdieck, M., 2009). “This article presents an exploratory study using the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS) study set” (Blome...
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...Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Children and Youth Services Review 30 (2008) 774 – 786 www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth The well-being of children in foster care: Exploring physical and mental health needs Dana J. Sullivan ⁎, Michiel A. van Zyl 1 University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work, Louisville, KY 40292, United States Received 20 June 2007; received in revised form 22 July 2007; accepted 9 December 2007 Available online 17 December 2007 Abstract A census of children in foster care provided valuable insight into the well-being of children in one state. CHAID analysis on differences related to physical and mental health needs among various groups of children in foster care revealed a number of significant differences that are often overlooked in other types of analyses. Children's medical needs differ significantly by length of stay and emotional needs were more profound among children of certain ages. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Foster care; Well-being; Mental health; Physical health; CHAID 1. Introduction Historically, social workers in child welfare have focused primarily on keeping children safe from abuse and neglect, and helping them return home safely or find new adoptive homes. However, Altshuler and Gleeson (1999) described the emphasis on safety and permanency, to the exclusion of well-being, as a triangle that can only be completed when well-being becomes a focus of child welfare services. In response to this emerging...
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...The Impact of Foster Care on Child Development Demeka F. Gaddy Liberty University Abstract The foster care system was designed to provide a safe temporary placement for children who can no longer stay in the care of their parents or guardian. The overall goal of foster care is for the children to return home to their caregiver. If the caregiver fails to regain custody the child is placed in other living arrangements, to include foster homes. However there is a controversy over the effectiveness of the foster care system in regards to child development. Foster care has been linked to negative impacts in child development to include; physical and sexual abuse, attachment disorders, and behavioral problems that eventually lead to children being placed in multiple placements and in some cases the juvenile justice system,. Children who are in foster care are a vulnerable group due to the being removed from their home, in some cases abruptly. It has been proven that the longer children living in foster care are subject to negative development more than children who do not live in foster care. Based on these factors the foster care system needs to focus more on the needs of the child so that positive development can occur. Keywords: child welfare, abuse, child development The Negative Impacts of Foster Care on Child Development The foster care system was designed to provide a safety net for children and families and to reunite children with their biological parents if possible...
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...organization and its objectives Youth Villages is a residential mental health treatment facility for children founded in 1986. The owner Patrick Lawler, combined two residential campuses at that time to create one Youth Villages. The company's main goal then and now is to build strong families. Over the past 30 years the company has grown tremendously and is nationally known for its great work. While it is known for its residential treatment, Youth Villages encompasses many areas. Youth Villages is made up of five residential campuses in Memphis, TN and one residential campus in Linden, TN. There are two residential campuses in Georgia and one residential campus in Massachusetts. Youth Villages also has two wonderful intense in home treatment programs using multi systemic therapy. The company has an adoption and foster care program that began in 1999. The company also has implemented a Specialized Crisis Services in 2003 with trained counselors that are available 24 hours a day. They implemented a mentoring program and MYPAC (Mississippi Youth Programs Around the Clock). Finally, there is YVLifeSet, a transition to adulthood program. Patrick Lawler and Youth Villages has served more than 23,000 families across thirteen states. U.S. News & World Report recognized Lawler as one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News & World Report in conjunction with the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Youth Villages only objective is...
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...CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 1 The Correlation Between Child Maltreatment & Juvenile Delinquency April 6, 2014 CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 2 Abstract Research suggests that there is a correlation between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency. The findings indicate that children, who have experienced abuse or neglect during childhood, are at increased risk of committing crimes in adolescence. A substantial number of children enter the juvenile justice system with a history of abuse, with approximately one third of these adolescence are actively associated with a child welfare agency at the time of their initial arrest. This paper attempts to establish a clear definition of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as, neglect, while also reviewing a pattern of subsequent delinquency. The effects of racial, ethnic and gender differences in criminal behavior will be explored. A collaborated effort among youth serving agencies is discussed as a method of prevention of child maltreatment and future delinquency. CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 3 Juvenile delinquency is a serious public health concern. Throughout literature, child and adolescent maltreatment are consistently identified as powerful predictors of juvenile and adult crime. In 2009, law enforcement agencies arrested approximately 1.9 million persons under the age of 18 “ (Ryan, Williams, & Courtney, 2013, p.454). There is a long...
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...Organizational Analysis: Department of Human Services Francine Jackson Wayne State University Official and Operative Goals of the Organization Department of Human Services (DHS) is a human service organization meant to help individuals and families with temporary services in their time of need. The mission statement is: “Improving the quality of life in Michigan by providing services to vulnerable children and adults that will strengthen the community and enable families and individuals to move toward independence.” (Michigan.gov) DHS provides an array of services to individuals and families, these include: food assistance, cash assistance, health care assistance, children services, adult services, and many more. Since there are so many services under the umbrella of DHS, I will focus on a part of the organization that I am familiar with, Foster care services. Approximately 14,000 Michigan children are in foster care at any given time (Michigan.gov). Foster cares mission statement is “Families first”, meaning the goal is for children to have reunification with their families. So when children cannot be returned to their homes, relatives or foster parents are often asked to provide permanent homes. Foster families provide children in this situation with the consistency and support they need to successfully transition to adulthood (Michigan.gov). In terms of operative goals, there are seven that encompass DHS and represent what the organizations day-to day goals...
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...Jessica Carpenter Marvin Caston SCWK 3233 22 April 2013 Delinquent Behavior by Maltreated Juveniles Maltreatment of youths directly influences whether or not a child will participate in acts of delinquency. In Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Delinquency: Investigating the Role of Placement and Placement Instability, Joseph P. Ryan and Mark F. Testa evaluate the results of maltreatment in youth and try to determine if placement in substitute care helps prevent or cause acts of delinquency. Child maltreatment, by definition, is an event occurring within the family or substitute care setting (such as a foster home, group home or daycare center). Physical abuse and neglect of children is best understood as “the manifestation of an unfolding sequence of underlying problems that are often initiated prior to the family’s formation and could be located as well in community and cultural conditions.” (Pecora, Whittaker, Maluccio & Barth, 2000) Maltreatment in children happens all the time, but it does not always happen by members of the family. Maltreatment comes in many forms and occurs by people in the community, peers and of course, members of an individual’s family. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that there were approximately 2.9 million children in the United States in 1999 that were the focus of a child protective investigation. 826,162 of the children in the child protective investigations were associated with a substantiated report of maltreatment...
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...Description Be Great is a nonprofit agency providing mentoring programs for middle and high school youth in the Southeast Texas region. The program will form partnerships with local school districts, churches, shelters and the juvenile court system. Be Great is a program that is in direct response to the growing number of young people that are either falling through the cracks at school or are already entangled with the juvenile court system. The goal of the program is to identify youth who are having major difficulties throughout the middle and mainly high school years. Be Great is geared towards being a positive support system for the youth so that any pitfall or distraction may be avoided while on their journey to adulthood....
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...options. “Approximately 18% to 22% of youngsters experience mental health problems and, of those, 5% to 8% have diagnosable mental disorders or serious emotional disturbance” (Maag & Katsiyannis, 2010). Unfortunately, children placed in foster care suffer and face even more mental health problems. The services that the children receive whom are in foster care, are typically provided by the school that they attend. A lot of the programs in the schools are moving in the same direction as our Crime to Mind Pipeline and just like our proposal, those programs are in desperate need of funding. Because funding is often times a neglected topic of discussion, we aim to uncover the disparities in the budgets of federal prisons and correctional...
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...CONCEPTS The Child Welfare System: Through the Eyes of Public Health Nurses Janet U. Schneiderman ABSTRACT Objective: This qualitative descriptive study investigates how public health nurses working within the child welfare system view the organization and the organizationÕs effect on their case management practice. Design: Semistructured interviews were conducted utilizing the Bolman—Deal Organizational Model. This model identifies four frames of an organization: symbolic, human resources, political, and structural. Sample: A purposive sample of nine nurses and one social worker was selected to participate in comprehensive interviews. Results: Data analysis identified two main themes. The first theme was the presence of organizational structural barriers to providing case management. The second theme was the lack of political influence by the nurses to change the structure of the organization; hence, their skills could be more completely utilized. Conclusions: Public health nurses who work in child welfare will need to systematically analyze their role within the organization and understand how to work in Òhost settings.Ó Nursing educators need to prepare public health nurses to work in non-health care settings by teaching organizational analysis. Key words: child protective services, organization, public health nursing. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative descriptive study was to investigate how public health nurses working in the child welfare system in a large metropolitan...
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...Homeless Youth General Education Capstone October 14, 2013 Homeless Youth Homelessness affects many youth today; 46% runaway because they express their gender identity, and or sexual identity because their family rejects them, 43% are kicked out by parents also known as thrown away. Youth also take more things literally then adults, so they feel misunderstood especially when they are opening up about their sexual lifestyle. Homelessness in youth is worldwide and needs a world wide solution. Just to name a few countries that have issues with youth and homelessness; Russia’s homeless population has decreased some since the 1990’s but according to Anna Rudnicki the totals are still around 3,000 – 10,000 homeless street kids. (2013). In Australia the homeless youth rate is “estimates that 50,000 Australians under the age of 24 years are homeless with numbers increasing” With numbers increasing Australia needs to find a situation that will help lower their numbers and help get these teens off the street, Since health issues can become an issue. Another area with a heavy population of homeless youth is in Canada. Every day in Canada you can find homeless kids. “Canada, on any given day it is estimated that there are 150,000 homeless youths on the streets” (Rogers, 2012). Rogers’s states that this is an estimate since most homeless youth do tend to avoid shelters. With every country and every town we can find a teen that is homeless, while being homeless the can become sick, and...
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...Drug and alcohol control Name Course Institution Tutor Date Drug and alcohol control The pure food and drug act of 1906 The pure food and drugs act of 1906 was an important piece of the progressive Era registration. This act was enacted to safeguard the public against the adulteration of food and also from the products which were identified to be healthful without the scientific support. It was applied to the goods that were shipped in the foreign commerce. The main reason was to safeguard against misbranding or adulteration. The adulteration was as a result of poisonous color or flavor in food or even various ingredients that which would be harmful to the health of humans. The provisions included development of the food and drug administration that was entrusted on with the charge of testing of all drugs and foods that was meant for human consumption (Curtis, 2013). The provisions required that there be prescriptions from the licensed physicians prior to purchasing certain drugs by the patients. There were also requirements for the label caution for drugs that are addictive. In case a distributor or a manufacturer were caught offending this enforcement they were liable for prosecution by the central government. However distributors were not entirely liable to this action if they could show a sufficient guarantee from the vendors (Curtis, 2013). The pure food and drug act also required that certain drugs inclusive of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, cannabis and morphine...
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...caring and financial support it would not have been possible and I would also like to dedicate this work to the memory of my parents, my loving dad Joseph Onyuka and caring moms Pamela Anyango and BeldineAoko who passed on the love of reading and respect for education. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Masinde for impacting us with knowledge on research proposal. I want to thank most profoundly Mrs. Adeli for her guidance on the relevance materials needed in writing research proposal. It is my hope that all families and institution of foster care will remain focused and committed to rescuing children from the Streets and empowering them to resourceful citizens and that this research will encourage more responses and interventions that are geared towards the same. ABSTRACT The care and protection of children experiencing orphan hood presents a major child-care...
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...Juvenile Alternative Programs Analysis For almost two decades, the Juvenile Justice system has expanded to help turn the experience of a disadvantage youthful offender into a solution that supports his or her transition into adult independence. This comparative analysis shows the different aspects of two juvenile diversions, intervention, or prevention programs working with the state of Arkansas. This study shows the relationship of the mission promise for each of juvenile prevention programs. The goals of the programs define the causes of juvenile delinquency providing innovative solutions to the current problems for the youthful offenders. Arkansas Department of Family and Protective Services A wide array of departments shows the advantages of professionals working with the community to gain the confidence and reliability of the people living within the five county-area of North Central Arkansas. The young teen programs provide information and protective services for different ranges of abuse, neglect, and truancy as these problems can lead to juvenile delinquency. The wide umbrella of the family protective interventions (AFPS) covers two different programs working to decrease the many causes leading to juvenile delinquency. The main goal of reducing juvenile delinquency shows within the Arkansas Sheriffs Ranches and Arkansas Youth Network Boot Camps for youthful offenders (McDaniel, 2012).. Youth Network Boot Camp Goals The purpose and goal of the YBC program show...
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