Monthly Archives: March 2014

Aging Out of the Foster System

Posted on March 13, 2014

The “quarter-life” crisis is known to be a challenging time for youth navigating the bridge from adolescence into young adulthood. Developmental tasks for this period include youth taking definitive steps towards achieving measures of independence in areas of finance, emotional maturity, employment, housing and education. Embodied in this transition period is the view that it is a period of growth, but one that can be a difficult crossroad for many.

A Vicious Cycle in Unintended Consequences for kids who have been in the care of government

Vicious Cycle of Unintended Consequences

* “Youth Leaving Care – How Do they Fare” by MISWAA – childhelp.org
* 25 is the New 21
* Conference Board of Canada Report – Success for All
* When Youth Age Out of Care – Where to from There

Best Practices in Transitioning Youth Out of Care, (Child Welfare Institute, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, March 2014)

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Foundation for Sound Mental Health is Built Early in Life, as Early Experiences Shape the Architecture of the Developing Brain (Harvard University, Center on the Developing Child)

Youth in Foster Care: An Examination of Social, Mental, and Physical Risks (NYU – Department of Applied Psychology)

The Educational Outcomes of Children in Care in Manitoba (University of Manitoba – Faculty of Health Sciences)

Exploring Youth Outcomes After Aging-Out of Care (Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth)

Unemployment Rampant Among Former Foster Youth (Children’s Rights)

The Foster Care Systems are Failing Foster Children: The Implications and Practical Solutions for Better Outcomes of Youth in Care (University of Alberta – Canadian Journal of Family and Youth)

Employment Outcomes for Youth Aging-Out of Foster Care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Youth Aging-Out of Foster Care: Risk and Protective Factors for Criminal Justice System Involvement (Washington State Department of Social and Health Services)

Children Placed in Out-of-Home Care as Midlife Adults: Are They Still Disadvantaged or Have They Caught Up With Their Peers? (Child Maltreatment – Sage Journals)

Child Welfare and Youth Homelessness in Canada (Homeless Hub Blog – Naomi Nichols, McGill University)

Nadine Burke Harris: How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime (TED Radio Hour – National Public Radio)

A Neurocomputational Investigation of Reinforcement-Based Decision Making as a Candidate Latent Vulnerability Mechanism in Maltreated Children (Cambridge University –
Development and Psychopathology)

Homelessness During the Transition From Foster Care to Adulthood (U.S. National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health)

Pathways to and From Homelessness and Associated Psychosocial Outcomes Among Adolescents Leaving the Foster Care System (U.S. National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health)

Early Childhood Mental Health: Foundation for Sound Mental Health is Built Early in Life, as Early Experiences Shape the Architecture of the Developing Brain (Harvard University – Centre for the Developing Child)

Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Foster Care (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Institute for Research on Poverty)

Does Foster Care Protect Children (Law Journal for Social Justice)

Foster Youth Statistics: The Need (Sanctuary of Hope)

Disrupting the Pathway from Foster Care to the Justice System – A Former Prosecutor’s Perspective on Reform (Constitution Project)

Unwanted Pregnancy and Childbirth Among Adolescents in Foster Care (National Center for Youth Law)

Negative Affects of Foster Care on Emotional, Intellectual and Psychological Development (Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D. Brain Research Laboratory)

Crime During the Transition to Adulthood (National Criminal Justice Reference Service)

Foster Care and Homelessness (Foster Focus)

Foster Care Children Need Better Educational Opportunities (Heritage Foundation)

Improving Educational Outcomes for Youth in/from Care (University of Victoria – Social Work and Vancouver Foundation)

Foster Kids Need Consistent, Caring Adult – a Full-Time Mentor (Youth Today, June 2018)

How Family Separation Can Affect Kid’s Brains (New York Post, June 2018)

B.C.’s Child Welfare System Has Failed Youth Who Age Out and Must Change (Vancouver Sun, May 2018)

Helping Young People in Foster Care Heal From Trauma and Build Resilience (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, May 2018)

Youth Panel at MMIWG Hearing Sheds Light on Canada’s Foster Care System (Richmond News, April 2018)

Breaking the Cycle for “Crossover Youth” (Policy Options, April 2018)

Foster Youth Graduate High School and College at Lower Rates Than Peers (Foster Care Newsletter, March 2018)

First Nations Youth Navigates Life on His Own After Growing Up in Foster Care (CBC News, March 2018)

How Socioeconomic Disadvantages Get Under the Skin and Into the Brain to Influence Health Development Across the Lifespan (Springer, November 2017)

Foster Care Youth More Likely to be Chronic Offenders (The Crime Report, October 2017)

Exploring Youth Outcomes After Aging Out of Care, (Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, 2017)

Fewer than half of B.C.’s Foster Kids Can Graduate High School Before 19 (CBC News, June 2016)

Foster Care Youth Need Help Stepping Into Adulthood (CBC News, May 2015)

Every Time Foster Kids Move, They Loose Months of Academic Progress (The Atlantic, February 2014)

How Can Foster Care Affect the Mind of a Child (Suzanne Robin, RN, February 2013)

Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Associated Service Variables Among Ontario Children Who Are Permanent Wards

Posted on March 11, 2014

Staff members in the child welfare sector are required to promote the safety and health of the foster children they supervise. According to the executive director of the Child Welfare League of Canada, provincial ministries commonly direct these staff to identify and address the particular emotional and behavioural needs of children in care but cannot necessarily provide the professional involvement needed (Peter Dudding, personal communication, May 12,2006). For decades, researchers and practitioners in children’s mental health and child welfare have argued that the mental health needs of children in care must be identified and addressed, yet these needs are still not uniformly assessed. Uniformity could be achieved if psychiatric evaluations or psychological assessments were mandatory, as has been proposed else-where. Further, documenting the actual rates of psychiatric diagnoses among samples of foster children is an important building block toward understanding determinants of mental health in this population and may assist future efforts to estimate ongoing contacts with psychiatrists and other mental health service providers.

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