Safe Haven: Youth Experiencing Success

Adolescents are a population that can be at-risk in regards to drug and alcohol abuse. A program called the Community Reinforcement Approach was created and later adapted into the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach in the 1970s to address problems adolescents face when it comes to drug or alcohol abuse ("Intervention Summary - Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA)"). The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach works with adolescents from the ages twelve to twenty-five in both outpatient and residential settings. There are three parts to the program; the client has intervention alone first, next the guardian has intervention alone, and finally they have intervention together. It addresses mainly alcohol and drug abuse but also deals with mental health, homelessness, and other behaviors that can lead to substance abuse. The main focus of A-CRA is designed to change certain aspects of the participants’ environment to make it so that non-using behavior will be more rewarding than using behavior (Garner, et al., 2009). This program has been tested against multiple other approaches and it is usually the most cost-effective option, making it a desirable program when the success rate is also factored in. Many rehabilitation facilities utilize this approach, for example the Maryhaven treatment center in Columbus, Ohio. Maryhaven uses a combination of residential and outpatient treatment plans, incorporating the Adolescent Community

One of the most pressing issues facing foster youth in America is employment following emancipation. Former foster youth face many challenges in becoming self-sufficient adults due to the lack of a support system that a traditional family would provide for their children. There is an insufficient safety net for a particularly vulnerable group and the statistics reflect poor care for this demographic. By age 24, roughly half of all former foster youth are unemployed; those who are employed earn a median income of $7,500 annually. In their first four years following their aging out of foster care, more than half will be homeless or in a shelter at some point; up to 70% will be “reliant on government assistance.”

There purpose is to help families in their community with housing, employment, and education in order to break that cycle. They have a specific model they follow called The ForKids Model (n.d). Following this model helps the agency provide services that help families succeed. They have many programs in place to help families, such as housing placement, job coaching, mental health consultation, referrals to resources, etc.

Foster youth has long been thought of as an at-risk population, often failing the educational system. In her dissertation on foster youth and secondary education, Brenda Morton writes, “Foster children are an invisible population. Teachers and administrators often do not know that a student is in foster care” (p. 1). There are just under half a million foster youth currently residing in the United States, many will fail to graduate from high school, and only a few will graduate from college. California has the largest population of foster youth with approximately 56, 138 youth (Children’s Bureau, 2014). It is estimated that foster youth high school graduation rates are near the forty sixth percentile and college graduation rates are near two percent for former foster youth, making this at-risk population is in need of more support (Friends of Foster Families, 2014).

The article discusses a research which was performed in 1990 to 2011, that found between 11% to 36% of the youths that age out of the foster care become homeless during the transitional to adulthood. The analysis was based on data from the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth, which was a ten-year study that used a sample of youth from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois from 2002 to 2012. According to Dworsky and Courtney data collection reflected that transitioning out of foster care in the three Midwestern states, that the odds of becoming homeless by age of nineteen years of age were higher, those who had ran away from a foster care placement, those who was placed in group home settleing, those who had been physically

The reporting party (RP) is group home youth Laura Qi DOB: 4/11/03 DOP: 9/22/16 SCHOOL: Clyde L Fischer Middle, 1720 Hopkins Dr., San Jose CA 95122-1632 SW: Irene Lee (408) 501-6650. The reporting party (RP) stated she has been bullied for the past 4 months by both the group home youth and the staff members. According to the RP she has been called names, physically hit and punch by other group youth, and threatened with physical harm from staff members. These incidents has causes the RP to feel unsafe and place her at risk for harm in the group home. On 1/22/17 the RP disclosed she was hit by another foster youth and reported the incident to a staff member named Dan McGirt, however, Mr. McGirt didn't believe her and stated to her "you are full

MSTT met with Jake at the Valley Youth House to see how he was doing. Jake stated he is doing pretty good there because he has a lot more freedom there then he does at home. When asked what he means by that Jake explained his mother trys to control everything he does and at the Valley Youth house he as some freedom. MSTT and Jake discussed what his plans are once he returns home. Jake stated he does know at this time if he wants to go home. Jake explained Cody from CYS came to speak with him and explained to him he could be placed in a indenpedent living situation. Jake stated this is something he may be considering it because he's not sure if he wants to go home. MSTT will continue to meet with Jake and assess how he doing and develop a plan

In this Unit, we are learning about reliable and relevant sources. My source "Supporting Vulnerable Youths Through Community Collaboration" by Sophie Godley is an article in the American Journal of Public Health. It is an overview of how juveniles in poverty are predisposed to unlawful activities, and how that behavior can be prevented by different community centers. I found this article through the Purdue University Library, using the keywords "community centers" and "improving young lives". By using this database and search engine, I found a credible, relevant source for my research.

After searching for hours over the internet and sending many emails, I chose the Washington United Youth Center (WUYC) to volunteer at . It was simply perfect; there were many eager students at the school, located in a poor area, waiting for help. It pleased me to see many students

Many youth are dependent on their families, receiving financial and emotional support. A youth experiencing foster care does not have the same support network making transition into adulthood challenging. Adolescents in foster care require more intensive monitoring of their health care needs in all aspects. The foster care system in the United States strives on providing care and protecting both children and adolescents from their biological family primarily for reasons of neglect, abuse, and safety concerns. The Child Welfare system refers to children and adolescents from birth to 21 years of age. The goal of the foster

Foster youth living in residential facilities have a high risk of entering the juvenile justice system. Most incarcerated adults in the federal justice system are former foster youth. Lack of stability, poor life skills, mental health issues, and academic failure lead many TAY to engage in criminal activity. To serve this vulnerable population, I would attempt to connect the TAY to a caregiver or mentor to build a strong attachment. I would promote them to work towards acquiring job skills and training to have employment opportunities and break the cycle of criminal activity. Finally, I would provide an in depth assessment to identify if they are in need of additional services such as wraparound, counseling, and tutoring, to minimize risk and

There over 10,000 children currently in the foster care system in Washington State. Many of these youths are continuously moving from one home to another never knowing where they belong. The majority of this population have suffered a wide range of traumatic events that are now being topped by their academic struggles and failures. There are not enough programs in place to address the need to improve the educational situation of foster youth. Foster youth need a stable safe environment that promotes a positive environment that is reliable to the growth and wellbeing of the foster youth, as well as their education. An academy designed to provide a long term living environment while also providing educational curriculum that promotes resiliency,

At risk youth is a growing problem we are starting to face at a rapid pace. However it is not the youth that is the problem, it is what’s causing the youth to become at risk is the real villain behind the mask. As we all just saw in the film Girlhood directed by Liz Garbus, Megan and Shanae are very good examples of how this villain comes to power. In the article “Reclaiming Family Privilege” John Seita gives his personal knowledge on how at risk youth get there dangerous start. With the article “Youth at Risk” Gene Stephens give programs that can prevent and defeat this villain once and for all. The problem with the youth at risk is that they do not receive the support or help they need until it becomes too late and because of this they are

This quarter our small group chose the Coats 4 Kids organization. We were searching for an organization that involves kids, but it was very challenging to find something that worked for us. It was a challenge to find an organization that involved babysitting or tutoring or playing with kids. Some organization that we wanted to work with were, Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, Boys and Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House and various elementary schools. But every single organization required background checks and an extensive registration process. Eventually we choose KXLY's Coats 4 Kids. This organization was very important for me because coats are a necessity for every child. One day I was driving past an elementary school and I saw kids walking out of the school, many of them either had no coats or their coats were not zipped upped. This made me sad that so many kids were walking out into the cold with no coats. If a child doesn't have a good coat for the winter, it turns into a domino effect. They could get sick and then that would mean doctor visits. Every child deserves a coat during the winter.

Adult give suggestions and cues to youth without teaching directly. When youth worked with an adult, adult often made comments that prompted youth to think about longer-term of the problem.