How can social workers and resource parents work together to get better resources for foster youth? In what ways can foster youth who have incarcerated parents or parents who are facing deportation be better supported? When we take a closer look at the foster-to-prison pipeline, we may find many opportunities to answer these questions. According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, it is estimated that 40% of children who enter the foster care system have had either one or both of their parents incarcerated. Within two years of aging out of foster care, one in four former foster youth will come in contact with the juvenile justice system. Nearly 60% of incarcerated youth have experience in the child welfare system, according to a report by the United States Department of Justice. These statistics create a framework of how resources can be more strategically streamlined between social workers and resource parents to benefit foster youth.
Systemically, every child in the foster system has the odds stacked against them. As a former foster child, minimal adult guidance often left me with more time on my hands than I could be productive with. This speaks to the fact that there is only so much a resource parent can do on their own as they do experience burnout as well. In this sense, social workers are sometimes greater heroes to foster youth than anyone. Resource parents may change while the social worker remains a constant advocate for foster youth. To ensure that foster children have the best shot at overcoming the odds, every adult involved in their lives should maintain the responsibility of offering guidance and encouragement wherever necessary.
I am a man who grew up in foster care with an institutionalized mother and an incarcerated father. Some may say it’s no surprise that I found myself incarcerated by the time I was 18 years old, not to mention, serving two stints in juvenile hall years before. I have had all kinds of experiences resulting from the negative impact of not having access to adequate resources and support as a foster youth. I learned firsthand that not every resource parent is equipped with the time and energy to pour endlessly into the lives of the children they care for. There were also instances where I had more access to resources than others, which benefited me greatly. Therapy, for example, had a positive impact on my outlook and mental state when I was encouraged to take it seriously. Being in therapy helped me identify with the fact that although my situation wasn’t “ideal,” it still wasn’t something to be ashamed of because I wasn’t the only one going through what I was going through. There are hundreds of thousands of foster youth who have to navigate some of the same emotions that I did, with the help of therapy, of course.
The foster system has a lot of resources available to foster youth such as paid college tuition (if you choose to go), “independent living programs” that give emancipated foster youth tools to help navigate the real world once they reach adulthood, and, even, monthly allowances. With all of these resources available, I probably wouldn’t have taken advantage of the little resources I did (i.e. college and emancipation programs) if it wasn’t for therapy. While it is common for foster youth to be referred to therapy by their social workers, what if resource parents were offered therapy resources, as well? Perhaps with such support, resource parents may become better suited to help foster youth avoid certain external risks and pitfalls.
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