Handbook of Foster Youth

<p>Currently, there are over 400,000 youth living in foster care in the United States, with over 20,000 aging out of the child welfare system each year. Foster youth are more prone to experience short- and long-term adverse developmental outcomes including diminished academic achievement and career opportunities, poor mental and overall health, financial struggles, homelessness, early sexual intercourse, and substance abuse, many of these outcomes are risk factors for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Despite their challenges, foster youth have numerous strengths and positive assets that carry them through their journeys, helping them to overcome obstacles and build resilience. The <i>Handbook of Foster Youth </i>brings together a prominent group of multidisciplinary experts to provide nuanced insights on the complex dynamics of the foster care system, its impact on youth’s lives, and the roles of institutions and policies in the foster system. It discusses current gaps and future directions as well as recommendations to advance the field. This book provides an opportunity to reflect on the many challenges and strengths of foster youth and the child welfare system, and the combined efforts of caregivers, community volunteers, policy makers, and the professionals and researchers who work with them.</p> <p>Preface <strong>Section I.</strong> <strong>Part I: Understanding the Child Welfare/Foster Care System: History and Structure </strong>1. History of Foster Care: Policy, Practice, and Reformation <i>John R. Seita </i>2. Foster Care Placement Process and Settings <i>Donna M. Aguiniga and Elissa E. Madden</i> <strong>Part II: Foster Youth Individual Development </strong>3. Neurobiological Development in Foster Youth: Outcomes and Intervention <i>Kristin Bernard, Allison Frost, and Sierra Kuzava </i>4. Trauma and Socioemotional Development in Foster Youth: Lessons Learned from LONGSCAN <i>Alan J. Litrownik, Laura J. Proctor, and May Yeh </i>5. Foster Youth Voices: An Exploratory Study on their Challenges and Strengths <i>Nancy Trevino-Schafer and Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo </i><strong>Part III: Impact of Foster Care on Youth’s Overall Health </strong>6. Assessment of Youth in Foster Care <i>Jeffrey N. Wherry </i>7. Physical Health and Foster Youth <i>Yo Jackson and Lindsay Huffhines </i>8. The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Youth in Foster Care <i>Amy Dworsky </i>9. Substance Use and Addiction Problems in Foster Youth <i>Jordan M. Braciszewski </i><strong>Part IV: Foster Youth Development in Context </strong>10. Natural Mentoring to Support the Establishment of Permanency for Youth in Foster Care <i>John Paul Horn and Renée Spencer </i>11. Youth in Foster Care Relationships with Biological, Foster, and Adoptive Families <i>Armeda Stevenson Wojciak and Nathan A. Hough </i>12. Factors Affecting the Educational Trajectories and Outcomes of Youth in Foster Care <em>Katherine C. Pears, Hyoun K. Kim, and Kimbree L. Brown </em><strong>Section II.</strong><em> </em><strong>Part V: Aging Out of Foster Care into Independent Living: Challenges and Opportunities </strong>13. Self-Sufficiency: Employment, Earnings, and Receipt of Public Benefits by Former Foster Youth <i>Loring P. Jones </i>14. Supportive Housing Contexts and Educational Opportunities for Foster Youth Transitioning Out of Care <i>Harriett D. Romo and Sophia M. Ortiz </i>15. Human Capital Accumulation: A Proposed Measure and Theoretical Framework for Foster Youth Job Placement Intervention Strategies <i>Toni Naccarato, Emily J. Bruce, Derek J. Stafford, and Nathaniel Hawkes </i>16. Access and Continuity of Transitional Living Services for Foster Youth <i>Mary Elizabeth Collins and Michelle Banks </i><strong>Part VI: Areas of Special Consideration in Foster Youth </strong>17. Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care <i>Katharine Hill and Elizabeth Lightfoot </i>18. Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality in Foster Care <i>Samuel L. Myers, Jr., William J. Sabol, Man Xu, and Diana Vega Vega </i>19. Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Foster Children and Youth <i>Nadine M. Finigan-Carr and Amelia Rubenstein </i>20. Undocumented Immigrant Latin@ Youth and the U.S. Child Welfare System <i>Frank Anthony Rodriguez, Vivian J. Dorsett, and John Jacob Rodriguez </i>21. Sexual and Gender Expansive Youth in Foster Care <i>Nicholas Forge and Robin Hartinger-Saunders </i><strong>Part VII: Social Policy and Institutional Support </strong>22. Fostering "Belonging-ness": The Role of Private Foster Care Agencies with Foster Parents and Youth <i>Marlo A. Perry and Mary E. Rauktis </i>23. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in Child Welfare Agencies <i>Jane Burstain, Brock Boudreau, and Jesse Booher </i>24. Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems: Crossover and Integration of Services <i>Melissa Jonson-Reid, Allison Dunnigan, and Joseph Ryan </i>25. Permanent and Formal Connections: Mentors, Community Services, and Connectedness <i>Preston A. Britner and Ciara M. Collins</i></p>