DOCSLIB.ORG

Child Care Trends Research Brief: Youth Who “Age Out” of Foster Care

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Child Care Trends Research Brief: Youth Who “Age Out” of Foster Care ESEARCH RIEF PublicationR #2002-59 4301 Connecticut Avenue,B NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20008 Phone 202-362-5580 Fax 202-362-5533 www.childtrends.org Youth who “Age Out” of Foster Care: Troubled Lives, Troubling Prospects By Richard Wertheimer, Ph.D. December 2002 verview When children are abused, neglected, or abandoned by their parents or when parents’ own Odifficulties (such as drug addiction, mental illness, and incarceration) leave them unable to provide adequate care, other relatives often step in. If no family members are able to take in these children, a court often places them in the care of other families or in institutions. And so, they enter the foster care system. Today, more than 500,000 children in America live in foster care – about 8 out of every 1,000 children.1 This is a vulnerable population. Children who enter foster care have emotional, behavioral, developmen­ tal, and health problems that reflect the difficult family and environmental circumstances that caused them to be removed from their homes in the first place. Most of the children in foster care return to their families or are adopted (often by their foster parents), but not all. In 2000, more than 19,000 of the oldest children left foster care – or “aged out” in the parlance of child protective services – and many were pretty much on their own.2 Usually, this happened when they turned 18.3 If foster children, in general, are a population at risk, youth who age out of the system may be even more so. Research suggests that without the extended support most families provide young people in the transi­ tion to adulthood, youth leaving foster care face enormous challenges in building successful lives. They are less well prepared educationally, have a harder time embarking on a productive career, are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and are more likely to be involved with the legal system. However, it is worth recalling that many of the problems evidenced by foster children have their roots in experiences that occurred before they entered the foster care system. Various strategies may be effective in reducing the number of young adults aging out of foster care, including ensuring that every child born in America is a “wanted” child, improving the home environ­ ments of children at risk of abuse and neglect, and accelerating the permanent placement of foster chil­ dren when it is clear that their home environments pose too great a risk for them to return. And various approaches are being taken to help these vulnerable young people as they must navigate the waters of early adulthood largely on their own. Some of these approaches appear promising, but rigorous research is needed to confirm that what we think may work does, in fact, help this vulnerable population. FOSTER CARE IN THE U.S. arrangements making up the balance. Over the past two decades, the foster care population has General Trends grown substantially. Between 1980 and 2000:5 The vast majority of children in the U.S. live with ■ The number of children in foster care one or both parents – 96 percent did so in 2000.4 increased from 302,000 to 556,000 (as shown Yet about 1.4 million children live with neither a in Figure 1). parent nor a grandparent. Foster children make up ■ The rate of children in foster care increased more than 40 percent of this group of children, with from 4.7 for every 1,000 U.S. children in 1980 children living with other relatives or in other to 7.7 in 2000. F IGURE 1 Children of all ages entering foster care, leaving foster care, and in foster care at end of year, 1980-2000 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Entered care Left care in care (end of year) Source: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means (2000). Green Book 2000; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002). The AFCARS Report #7, Interim FY 2000 Estimates. What’s behind these dramatic increases? On one ■ Hispanic children were somewhat overrepre­ level, they reflect the simple fact that more chil­ sented among children entering and living in dren are entering the foster care system than are foster care in proportion to their share of the leaving it. This amounts to a relatively small num­ overall population (16 percent of all children, 18 ber of children each year, but year after year these percent of children entering foster care, and 18 numbers add up, as seen in Figure 1. On another percent of children living in foster care). level, the growth in the foster care caseload during ■ Non-Hispanic white children were substan­ the 1980s and early- to mid-1990s coincides with tially underrepresented (64 percent of all increasing public awareness of child abuse and children, 47 percent of children entering foster neglect and several pieces of legislation designed to care, and 37 percent of children living in address it.6 In the late 1990s, the foster care case- foster care). load continued to increase even as substantiated ■ Asian and Pacific Islander children were also cases of child abuse and neglect declined underrepresented (4 percent of all children, 2 percent of children entering foster care, and Racial and Ethnic Disparities 1 percent of children living in foster care). Analyses show that the likelihood of entering care The end result of these disparities is a population and the likelihood of leaving care vary substantial­ of children in foster care that looks very different ly by race. In 1999, for example:7 from the overall population of U.S. children. ■ Non-Hispanic black children were overrepre­ What might account for this discrepancy? The sented among children entering foster care and overrepresentation of black children in foster care living in foster care. Although black children is partially due to a higher rate of entering care (8 accounted for only 15 percent of all children entries for every 1,000 black children versus 3 under age 18, they accounted for 30 percent of entries for every 1,000 white children and 4 children entering foster care, and 42 percent of entries for every 1,000 Hispanic children).8 But children living in foster care. this overrepresentation is also partially due to a ■ American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut children lower rate of leaving care. Only 33 percent of were also overrepresented (1.0 percent of all black foster children left care in 1999, compared children, 2.7 percent of children entering foster with 53 percent of whites and 39 percent of His­ care, and 1.8 percent of children living in panics.9 In other words, the higher entry rate for foster care). black children combined with the lower exit rate 2 leads to a dramatic overrepresentation of black in foster care was associated with an earlier children in foster care. age of first pregnancy and having a larger But that is only a surface explanation. The deep­ number of sexual partners. Similarly, foster er reasons for this overrepresentation are com­ care by a relative was associated with an earlier plex, as well as controversial, underscoring the age of first intercourse and having a larger need for future research to sort them out.10 Pos­ number of sexual partners. sible explanations include: These findings should not be taken to mean that ■ a higher prevalence of poverty, single-parent­ living in foster care, by itself, is necessarily harm­ hood, and incarceration among black families; ful to children. Many of the problems experienced ■ higher rates of public assistance and receipt of by foster children originated before they entered social services (both of which may increase the foster care system. As noted, nearly all chil­ scrutiny) among black families; dren entering foster care are victims of sexual or ■ policies of social services agencies that placed physical abuse, neglect, or abandonment, or have a heavy weight on placing foster children with parent who is incarcerated or otherwise unable to adoptive families of the same race; and care for them.14 Thus, it is not surprising that ■ conscious or unconscious stereotypes that may these children are much more likely than other lead social workers to judge black parents children to have emotional, behavioral, develop­ 15 suspected of child abuse or neglect by a different mental, and health problems when they enter standard than parents of other races. foster care. Unfortunately, it is difficult to assess the effect of Characteristics of Foster Children foster care itself on foster children because situa­ There is no typical foster child. Each child in fos­ tions are often very complex, and research is gen­ ter care has his or her own history, personality, erally based on small samples that are not nation­ talents, and limitations, as is true of all children. ally representative. Still, two recent studies using Nevertheless, research suggests that most children small, localized samples found that being in foster who have experience with the foster care system care was associated with improved behavioral share a number of common characteristics. For outcomes: example, they are more likely to have: ■ A study of foster children in San Diego, ■ Compromised development: Nearly all California,16 found that youth ages 7 to 12 who studies of children in foster care show that they remained in foster care for at least five months experience more developmental problems than and who did not reunify with their natural other children while growing up. For example, parents had fewer risky or negative behaviors children living with foster parents are more six years later than youth who did reunify.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exploring the Transition to Adulthood by Youth Who Have Aged out of Foster Care and Identify As Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Or Transgender
    EXPLORING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD BY YOUTH WHO HAVE AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE AND IDENTIFY AS LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDER By Maryellen Banghart A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Social Work - Doctor of Philosophy 2013 ABSTRACT EXPLORING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD BY YOUTH WHO HAVE AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE AND IDENTIFY AS LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDER By Maryellen Banghart Thousands of young people in the United States are terminated from foster care services each year because they have reached the age of ineligibility, commonly referred to as ―aging out.‖ These young women and men face the challenges of adulthood with whatever survival skills they have acquired during childhoods marked by abuse, neglect, loss, and instability. Studies indicate that a significant number of these youth are not prepared to secure and maintain the resources they need to succeed in adulthood such as stable housing, steady employment, and continued education. Among those who age out of foster care are young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Although research has increased an understanding of the experiences of LGBT youth while in foster care, studies focusing on their experiences while transitioning out of this system and into adulthood have been largely absent in the literature. This qualitative study is an effort to address this gap in the research. Using a modified grounded theory approach, this study explores the experiences of 10 ethnically diverse LGBT youth, between the ages of 18 and 25, as they attempted to obtain housing, employment, and education after aging out of foster care.
    [Show full text]
  • The Next Chapter: a Practical Guide for Individuals, Families, Communities, Social Workers, and Organizations Supporting Indigenous Youth Aging-Out of Care
    The Next Chapter: A Practical Guide for Individuals, Families, Communities, Social Workers, and Organizations Supporting Indigenous Youth Aging-Out of Care by Robert Mahikwa B.S.W., University of Victoria, 2016 S.S.W., George Brown College, 2013 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of: MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK in the School of Social Work © Robert Mahikwa, 2018 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis must not be reproduced in whole or in part by photocopy or by any other means without the permission of the author. ii The Next Chapter: A Practical Guide for Individuals, Families, Communities, Social Workers, and Organizations Supporting Indigenous Youth Aging-Out of Care by Robert Mahikwa B.S.W., University of Victoria, 2016 S.S.W., George Brown College, 2013 Supervisory Committee _________________________________________ Dr. Jeannine Carrière Supervisor School of Social Work ________________________________________ Dr. Billie Allan Committee Member School of Social Work iii Abstract This research utilized Indigenous methodologies rooted in oral traditions, storytelling practices, and the Medicine Wheel teachings to examine how individuals, families, communities, social workers, and organizations can assist Indigenous youth who are aging-out of foster care and are transitioning into adulthood. The methods of inquiry included five one-on-one Story-Sharing Sessions with Indigenous adults who previously aged-out of care in British Columbia, and two Talking Circles comprised of ten Community Helpers including Elders, Mentors, Educators, and Foster Parents; and fifteen Delegated Aboriginal Agency Social Workers who worked directly and/or indirectly with Indigenous youth in and from foster care. This research was person-centered, strengths-based, and solutions-focused, and re-framed ‘aging-out of care’ terminology as ‘a transition into adulthood’ to honour the sacred life-cycle teachings of the Medicine Wheel.
    [Show full text]
  • Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care
    Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care Research Report Fall 2018 Melanie Doucet, PhD(C) Written by Principal Researcher Melanie Doucet, PhD(c) McGill University School of Social Work In collaboration with co-researchers: Harrison Pratt Jordan Read Keeshana Emmanuel Raina Jules Ronda Merrill-Parkin Sabien Vanderwal Tahsina Al-aibi Martha Dzhenganin This research report is accompanied by: The Relationships Matter for Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care Photo E-book, which features the valuable photography work of the co-researchers. E-Book: https://www.yumpu.com/document/view/59918518/relationships-matter-e-book AND The Relationships Matter for Youth ‘Aging Out’ of Care Project Video, which features the co-researchers, the principal researcher, and the collaborative photo exhibit event held at Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Center, on December 18, 2017. Project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lmPDZ360ow TABLE OF CONTENTS Background & Purpose of Study ____________________________________ 6 Literature Review: ________________________________________________ 8 Emancipation of youth in care at the age of majority ________________________ 9 Independent Living Programs (ILPs) ___________________________________ 11 Institutionalization and lack of agency of youth 'aging out' of care ____________ 12 Reforming the exiting care policy framework _______________________________ 13 Relationships matter for youth 'aging out' of care _________________________ 15 Theoretical framework: Social capital theory _______________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Child Welfare: a Social Determinant of Health for Canadian First Nations and Métis Children
    Child Welfare: A Social Determinant Of Health For Canadian First Nations and Métis Children Caroline L. Tait Robert Henry Rachel Loewen Walker The language is lovely. The language in child welfare is that Abstract the duty of care of a child welfare authority is to act in the This article argues for child welfare to be named a social capacity of a wise and compassionate parent. A wise and determinant of health for First Nations and Métis peoples. compassionate parent doesn’t do all the things that hap- pen to these kids. (Joan Glode, Former Executive Director For decades, First Nations and Métis children have been – Mi’kmaw Family and Children’s Services in Tait and overrepresented in child welfare (CW) systems across Cutland, 2011) Canada. Despite governmental and public awareness of the devastating impacts on Indigenous children and families from CW policies and practices, CW systems Introduction across Canada apprehend Indigenous children at alarming In 2010, the Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review rates, and a significant number of Indigenous children are Panel (SCWRP) conducted a comprehensive as- raised outside of their families, culture, and communities in non-Indigenous foster and adoption placements. This sessment of the child welfare system (CWS) in paper examines whether the state is fulfilling its mandate Saskatchewan. The final report, For the Good of Our to be a “wise and compassionate parent” based upon a Children: A New Vision, A New Direction, documents social determinants of health perspective. We consider severe deficiencies in Saskatchewan’s CWS pointing specifically the impacts of foster home overcrowding, specifically towards the overrepresentation of First multiple foster placements, and the micro-level “day to Nations and Métis1 children in care (SCWRP, 2010, day” experiences of Indigenous children and parents.
    [Show full text]
  • Literature Review – Youth Aging out of Care
    Literature Review – Youth Aging Out of Care Foster Care Foster care refers to “24 hour substitute care for all children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010a). Foster care can be provided in a variety of settings including: pre-adoptive homes, group homes, institutions, supervised independent living, and foster homes provided by both relatives and/or non-relatives (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010b; Wiseman, 2008). The most common reasons that children become the responsibility of the state include physical and/or sexual abuse or neglect (approximately 60%), parental absence as a result of parental illness or death, behavioral delinquency, and/or disability (Lopez & Allen, 2007). In 2006, over 850,000 children were confirmed to be victims of maltreatment with differential state demographics, and roughly 512,000 children were in foster care (Montgomery, Donkoh, & Underhill, 2006; Pecora et al., 2006; U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). Over 255,000 children entered foster care during the Fiscal Year 2009 (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010b). Emancipation is a term used to refer to youth who age out of care between the ages of 18 and 21, depending on the state (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2010; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). The term “age out” refers to the termination of the child welfare’s legal responsibility to care for the youth. Namely, youth may lose eligibility to receive services (Wiseman, 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • Children Who Age out of the Foster Care System
    CHILDREN WHO AGE OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INCOME SECURITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JULY 12, 2007 Serial No. 110–53 Printed for the use of the Committee on Ways and Means ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 43–505 WASHINGTON : 2008 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:52 Sep 10, 2008 Jkt 043505 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\43505.XXX 43505 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with HEARING COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS CHARLES B. RANGEL, New York, Chairman FORTNEY PETE STARK, California JIM MCCRERY, Louisiana SANDER M. LEVIN, Michigan WALLY HERGER, California JIM MCDERMOTT, Washington DAVE CAMP, Michigan JOHN LEWIS, Georgia JIM RAMSTAD, Minnesota RICHARD E. NEAL, Massachusetts SAM JOHNSON, Texas MICHAEL R. MCNULTY, New York PHIL ENGLISH, Pennsylvania JOHN S. TANNER, Tennessee JERRY WELLER, Illinois XAVIER BECERRA, California KENNY C. HULSHOF, Missouri LLOYD DOGGETT, Texas RON LEWIS, Kentucky EARL POMEROY, North Dakota KEVIN BRADY, Texas STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES, Ohio THOMAS M. REYNOLDS, New York MIKE THOMPSON, California PAUL RYAN, Wisconsin JOHN B. LARSON, Connecticut ERIC CANTOR, Virginia RAHM EMANUEL, Illinois JOHN LINDER, Georgia EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon DEVIN NUNES, California RON KIND, Wisconsin PAT TIBERI, Ohio BILL PASCRELL JR., New Jersey JON PORTER, Nevada SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland KENDRICK MEEK, Florida ALLYSON Y.
    [Show full text]
  • “ ” Questions to Ensure That the Educational Needs of Children And
    Acknowledgements We wish to acknowledge the work of TeamChild® in developing the original Checklist, and to thank Casey Family Programs for their support to build on and expand the Checklist so that the nation’s judges can access this important information. We would also like to thank the judges and systems stakeholders that worked to field test the Checklist and provided us with valuable feedback about its use. Also, thanks to those judges and PPCD Advisory Committee members who reviewed the Checklist and pro- vided feedback via focus group or online survey. Finally, we would like to thank the members of the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Children and Family Research Center, “Taking It to the Courts (TIC)” Youth Advisory Council to the Courts (YACC) for convening a focus group to provide feedback from the perspective of young adults that have been in the foster care system. 2 Asking the Right Questions: A Judicial Checklist to Ensure That the Educational Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care Are Being Addressed Introduction Studies have shown that education is a significant factor in determining the success of children and youth as they exit the foster care system. Yet research measuring educational, social, and vocational outcomes for children and youth in foster care indicate that the majority of children who enter the protection of child welfare agencies do poorly in school. They are significantly under-represented in post-sec- ondary programs and are over-represented in special education programs. This is not surprising given the instability many young people experience in foster care— both in terms of changes in placements and changes in schools.
    [Show full text]
  • B.C. Poverty Reduction Strategy Submission
    B.C. Poverty Reduction Strategy Submission Submitted by: Bernard Richard B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth Date: March 29, 2018 Contents Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Children and youth living in vulnerable situations ....................................................................................... 2 Poverty’s relationship to child welfare ..................................................................................................... 4 Indigenous children, families and communities ....................................................................................... 6 Youth who ‘age out’ .................................................................................................................................... 10 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Appendix A: Indigenous Child Poverty in Canada ....................................................................................... 15 Appendix B: Agreement with Young Adults (AYA) ...................................................................................... 15 Appendix C: 2017 Metro Vancouver Youth Homeless Count ....................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Everybody Needs Someone: the Aging-Out of Foster Care Project
    Everybody Needs Someone, The Aging-Out of Foster Care Project By SalaamGarageNYC 2012 Cover photo by Ian Spanier Copyright © 2012 SalaamGarageNYC thought my life was over. I couldn’t be- writers and journalists volunteered their skills lieve this was what my life had become,” and time to tell these stories and to document said 27-year-old Krista James, who spent the efforts of young adults like Krista James, most of her adolescent years in and out Brandon Kolin, Shirley Newman, Dmitiry of the foster care system, and then lived Reibl, and more to emerge from the foster ON in multiple homeless shelters as a young adult. care system prepared to face the world and I IGrowing up, Krista was shuttled between live a safe and productive life. unfit relatives unable to care for her and a SalaamGarageNYC worked with You Got- series of foster and group homes. At 21, she ta Believe, a non-profit organization based found herself on her own. Feeling discour- in Coney Island, Brooklyn, and the Home- aged and distraught with life, Krista lived in lessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing five different shelters over the course of four Program (HPRP) in Nassau County, Long years. “You feel like you’re at the bottom Island, to identify and connect with our sub- of the earth and everything is horrible and jects. These young people want to tell their messed up,” said Krista. stories to impact change in the system. Some, Krista’s experience is not unusual. This year, with the help of family, friends or loved ones, approximately 1,000 youth will age out of the have successfully adapted to life on their own; foster care system in New York City alone.
    [Show full text]
  • FROM FOSTER CARE to INDEPENDENCE an Assessment of Best Practices to Support Youth Who Age out of Foster Care
    FROM FOSTER CARE TO INDEPENDENCE An Assessment of Best Practices to Support Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care INTRODUCTION United Community Services of Johnson County (UCS) has tracked poverty data since the 1980’s. Since 2000, Johnson County has seen a rise in the poverty rate for residents of all ages. This trend United Community Services of Johnson County (UCS), a nonprofit led UCS to launch the Poverty Initiative in 2015, which aims to agency founded in 1967, provides reduce poverty and create opportunity using targeted strategies data analysis, leads collaborative and key partnerships. planning and mobilizes resources to enhance the availability and delivery Nearly 15,000 of the county’s 37,000 poor are “unrelated of health and human services. UCS has a long history of monitoring individuals,” individuals living alone or with nonfamily members. trends, and examining the state 30 percent – roughly 4,500 – of those unrelated individuals are policies and practices that influence age 15 -24. This age group is often referred to as transitional-age the well-being of our community’s youth.i most vulnerable residents. For example, when the former Social and Rehabilitation Services privatized Transitional age youth are in a critical developmental stage of life. child welfare in the 1990’s, UCS It is often the time when young people prepare to launch into convened a task force to examine independence, higher education, or full-time employment, how it was working and make setting the foundation for their future. Those who enter this recommendations for statewide stage without the support of a financial safety net or family improvements.
    [Show full text]
  • Extension of Foster Care Beyond Age 18
    STATE STATUTES Current Through February 2017 WHAT’S INSIDE Extension of Foster Care Availability of foster care Beyond Age 18 beyond age 18 Requirements for Young people leaving foster care are often at different remaining in placement levels of development in their transition to adulthood. With the growing recognition that most young people Placement agreements are not fully prepared for self-sufficiency by age 18, Transition supports States offer a variety of programs, including foster provided care, to this population. Federal Option to Extend Foster Care Summaries of State laws The Federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351) To find statute amended the title IV-E program to give States the information for a option of allowing youth to remain in foster care after particular State, reaching age 18, provided that they have not yet go to reached age 19, 20, or 21, as the State may elect. The https://www.childwelfare. conditions for continued title IV-E payments apply to gov/topics/systemwide/ laws-policies/state/. youth over age 18 and require the youth to be completing secondary school (or the equivalent), enrolled in postsecondary or vocational school, participating in a program or activity that promotes or removes barriers to employment, employed 80 hours a month, or incapable of school and/or work requirements due to a documented medical condition.1 The act also amended the definition of a child care institution in 42 U.S.C. § 672(c)(2) to include a supervised setting in which an individual who has reached age 18 is living independently.
    [Show full text]
  • Youth with Disabilities Aging out of Foster Care: Issues and Support Strategies
    Feature Issue on Children with Disabilities in the Child Welfare System Published by the Institute on Community Integration (UCEDD) · Research and Training Center on Community Living Volume 19 · Number 1 · Fall/Winter 2005/06 From the Editors When children with disabilities and their families become involved with the child welfare system – with child protective services and/or permanency services – there is often a steep learning curve for the system as to how to best serve them. As complex as the needs are of any child removed from his or her family because of abuse or neglect, or because the family is unable to continue caring for the child, the needs of children with disabilities are even more complicated because they involve multiple systems – the disability services and child welfare services systems.These two systems don’t necessarily Carolyn Johnson was a child with a disability who grew up in foster care.Today, as a mom she works hard to communicate with each other in a way that create a strong and loving family environment for her own children. See story below. supports their work on behalf of children with disabilities who have been removed from their family home or who are at risk for Growing Up in Foster Care: Carolyn’s Story such removal, and they may not have adequate access to expertise in one another’s by Carolyn Johnson, as told to Jennifer Hall-Lande areas of focus. In this Impact issue, we My childhood was spent in the foster care system. The first time I went into foster care examine the presence and needs of children I was seven years old.
    [Show full text]