This Isn’t My Room: Living Away from Mom and Dad Presented by: Carmen Landy Helping Hands, Inc. for Summer Institute

Types of Child Maltreatments and the effects: 4 major types of child abuse Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect As a result, victims suffer from cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems. (Havelin, 2000).

The Foster Care System: Created for children who are unable to be with their biological families. Provides homes for over 800,000 children in the United States each year. Consists of unrelated foster parents, group homes, or residential treatment facilities, until reunification can occur. Is needed mostly for children who have experienced maltreatment. Can sometimes be voluntary.

Variables that may produce anxiety in foster children: Separation from families and possessions History of abuse/neglect Dysfunctional families Continuous changes in living arrangements

National Implications Children in Foster Care: Score 15-20% lower on statewide achievement tests than non-foster children. Are significantly below grade level in reading and math. Have a higher rate of school changes in midyear. Are more likely to repeat one or more grades. Are more likely to drop out of school than non- foster children. Are 15 times more likely than other children in the Medicaid system to use mental health services.

Statistics of the 20,000 youth who leave the foster care system at 18: 25% end up homeless within months after leaving. 61% have no job experience. 2½ to 4 years after leaving, less than 50% have jobs. 33% have been diagnosed with a mental illness (Emerson & Lovitt, 2003).

What are our responsibilities? Child Welfare Agencies Are responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of children in foster care. Make placement arrangements Arrange for mental health assessments and counseling. Arrange for physical and follow-up with referrals. Are responsible school enrollment. Secure Medicaid for children. Schedule visitation with family. Ensure sibling contact.

Foster Care Placement Agencies Are responsible for creating a culturally competent environment Are responsible for providing services, direct or indirect, to help children and their families Are responsible for promoting the child’s development and supporting families in caring for their children

In what areas do children experience the most anxiety? Educationally Emotionally Physically

Reducing Anxiety in Education 70% of foster children school age and large percentage of them nationwide perform poorly in school (Conger & Rebeck 2001). Make efforts to keep the child in the same school. Collaboration with the school system.

School Disruptions: May occur when placement changes result in school transfers Academic recovery can take 4 to 6 months each time a child changes schools Negatively affects school performance Impacts social relations (Finkelstein, Wamsley, &Miranda, 2002).

What can teachers do? Be aware of how the foster care system affects education attainment. Orient the child to the new classroom and its norms Determine the child’s academic needs Reinforce positive social skills Establish a relationship and communicate with their new guardians (foster home, relatives, etc.)

What can teachers do? Be aware of bullying and teasing (as targets and perpetrators). Establish a relationship and communicate with their new guardians (foster home, relatives, etc) Be aware of special programs that may be available. Guard against misdiagnosis of ADD,ADHD, and other psychological disorders. These disorders have many of the same indicators as maltreatment and preoccupation with emotional loss, anger, and lack of trust (Finkelstein et al., 2002).

Foster Care Placements should: Encourage children to adapt to social situations, which will enhance their self-esteem (Coulling, 2000) Demonstrate a level of commitment to the child. Use resources to help child avoid unnecessary school transfers Offer educational support

Reducing Personal Anxiety Children entering foster care often suffer from feelings of grief and loss Children are less likely to be verbal about these feelings Children often feel confused about the apparent “replacement” of relatives, friends, and other familiar parts of their lives Children are experiencing trauma when placed

Foster Care Placements Should: Educate themselves on the stages of grief Allow a child to express emotions in his/her own time Obtain and deliver personal items ASAP Understand that your home is not home!

Reducing Anxiety with Physical Surroundings Adapting to physical changes is one of the most controllable anxiety producing factors. Children must physically adapt to new schedules, new surroundings, new rules, etc.

Foster Care Placements Can: Find out what the child likes Allow the child some power in setting daily routines, room arrangement, selection of activities Allow the child to use as many of his own things as possible Introduce the idea of “transitioning”

What are the answers? Collaboration Patience Information sharing

Collaboration of Services: Would decrease/eliminate problems by enlisting the support of the school system, foster parents, and caseworkers. Would help us meet the educational needs of foster children (Conger & Rebeck, 2001). Means more effective, more efficient services for everyone (and sometimes less work)

Conclusion: Success can occur for these children with several variables; placement stability, educational advocacy and support, integrated social work/educational practice, school communication, and transitional planning. A child’s educational success, hinges on the quality of adult life they could have (Jackson, 1994). A child’s future is dependent on us “getting it right”

References Child Welfare League of America (2004) Standards of Excellence for Residential Services. Washington, DC: Conger, D. & Rebeck, A. (2001) How Children’s Foster Care Experiences Affect Their Education. New York: Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. Coulling, N. (2000) Definitions of Successful Education for the ‘ Looked After’ Child: A Multi-Agency Perspective. Support for Learning, 15 (1), Emerson, F. & Lovitt, T. (2003) The Educational Plight of Foster Children in Schools and What Can Be Done About It Remedial and Special Education, 24 (4), Finkelstein, M., Wamsley, M., & Miranda, D. (2002). What Keeps Children in Foster Care From Succeeding in School. New York: Vera Institute of Justine, Inc.. Havelin, K. (2000). Child Abuse; Why do my parents hit me? Minnesota: Capstone Press Jackson, Sonia. (1994) Educating children in residential and foster care Oxford Review of Education, 20 (3),