Maximizing educational opportunities for youth aging out of foster care by engaging youth voices in a partnership for social change

Foster Care Youth Share Stories of Trauma Before, During, and After Placement: Youth Voices for Building Trauma-Informed Systems of Care

“…Michigan is exploring how to close the health care gap faced by foster care youth through employment of health liaison officers in public child welfare agencies. The goals of the demonstration project are to provide enhanced health services to children entering foster care; actions include oversight of children on psychotropic medication, as well as medical consultation to older youth exiting the foster care system (Alavi, Day, Fogarty, McCafferty, & Embaye, 2011;Day, Riebschleger, Dworsky, Damashek, & Fogarty, 2012). Psychotropic medication oversight might address youth concerns about overprescription.…”

Young People Transitioning from Out-of-home Care and Access to Higher Education: A Critical Review of the Literature

“…The idea of wellbeing is a broad one and includes career prospects and earnings, physical and mental health, access to and participation in broader social and community relationships, self-esteem, and generally positive life outcomes. Those young people who do participate in tertiary education are therefore far less likely to experience manifestations of social exclusion, such as unemployment, poor self-esteem, ill-health, homelessness and imprisonment Creed, Tilbury, Buys, & Crawford, 2011;Day, Dworsky, Fogarty, & Damashek, 2011;Day, Riebschleger, Dworsky, Damashek, & Fogarty, 2012;Jurczyszyn, 2014;Jurczyszyn & Tilbury, 2012;Townsend, 2011).…”

“…These include ongoing financial stress concerning food and other bills; an associated need to engage in substantial part-time employment, which may adversely affect their academic commitment and outcomes; difficulty in securing access to satisfactory yearround housing that incorporates university vacations; problems in attaining adequate health care, particularly in the USA; the limited availability of child care for those who are parents; often poor conditions for study; lack of academic preparation and ongoing information and guidance; not knowing anybody with higher education experience; general social isolation; lack of a support network of caring adults to deal with the psychological impact of past abuse and neglect; and negative care experiences and ongoing conflict with birth families (Ajayi & Quigley, 2003Day et al, 2011Day et al, , 2012Hernandez, 2012;Hernandez & Naccarato, 2010;Hyde-Dryden, 2012;Jackson et al, 2011;Merdinger et al, 2005;Stein, 2012).…”

“…Specifically, support is needed from significant adults and broader support networks, including the opportunity for young people to participate in a range of extracurricular social, cultural, community and work experience activities. It is also important that partnerships be formed between child welfare and education authorities with a view to minimising rates of expulsions and suspensions within the care population, and ensuring that all care leavers are given the support required to complete Year 12, including, if necessary, the extension of placements beyond the age of 18 years (Day et al, 2012;.…”

Foster Care Alumni and Funding for Postsecondary Education: Examining Variation in State Support

“…Although surveys of agingout foster youth reveal that the desire and intent to attend college is quite pronounced (Courtney & Dworsky, 2006;Wolanin, 2005), these youth often exit care with significant educational deficits, severely hindering their enrollment in and completion of postsecondary education programs (Courtney, 2009;Pecora et al, 2006;Vacca, 2008;Wolanin, 2005). For instance, numerous studies have shown that foster youth tend to have lower grades, poorer performance on standardized tests, and lower rates of completing high school compared with the general population (Casey Family Foundation, 2006;Day et al, 2012;Naccarato & DeLorenzo, 2008). Moreover, additional critical factors that influence short and long-term academic performance and functioning pertain to frequent changes in foster care placements, resulting in inconsistent school attendance and lack of reliable support and encouragement from caregivers and caseworkers (Harker et al, 2003;Naccarato et al, 2010).…”