Beyond The Foster Care System

Beyond The Foster Care System
Author :
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
Total Pages : 284
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0813540151
ISBN-13 : 9780813540153
Rating : 4/5 (153 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Beyond The Foster Care System by : Betsy Krebs

Download or read book Beyond The Foster Care System written by Betsy Krebs and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2006-06-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each year tens of thousands of teenagers are released from the foster care system in the United States without high school degrees, homes, or strong family relationships. Two to four years after discharge, half of these young people still do not have either a high school diploma or equivalency degree, and fewer than ten percent enter college. Nearly a third end up on public assistance within fifteen months, and eventually more than a third will be arrested or convicted of a crime. In this richly detailed and often surprising exploration of the foster care system, Betsy Krebs and Paul Pitcoff argue that the existing foster care system sets teens up to fail by inadequately preparing them for adult life. They contend that the primary goal of foster care for teenagers should be preparation for a fully productive adult life, and that current policies and practice are misguided. The authors draw on their fifteen years of experience working with teens and the foster care system to introduce new ways to empower teens to be responsible for themselves and to identify and develop their potential. They also explore what sorts of resources-legal, financial, and human-will need to come from inside and outside the system to ensure that more teens reach successful independence. Ultimately, Krebs and Pitcoff argue that change must include the participation of caring communities of volunteers who want to see disadvantaged youth succeed, as well as the use of creative approaches such as the Socratic Method to help teens to take control of their lives. Bringing together a series of inspiring, real-life accounts, Beyond the Foster Care System introduces readers to a number of dynamic young people who have participated in the Youth Advocacy Center's programs. Their stories demonstrate that alternatives to the standard way of providing foster care are not only imaginable, but possible. With the practical improvements Krebs and Pitcoff outline, teens can learn the skills of effective self-advocacy, become better prepared for the transition to independence, and avoid becoming the statistics that foster care has so often produced in the past.


Beyond The Foster Care System Related Books

Beyond The Foster Care System
Language: en
Pages: 284
Authors: Betsy Krebs
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2006-06-01 - Publisher: Rutgers University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Each year tens of thousands of teenagers are released from the foster care system in the United States without high school degrees, homes, or strong family rela
On Their Own
Language: en
Pages: 338
Authors: Martha Shirk
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2006-08-08 - Publisher: Basic Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Each year, as many as 25,000 teenagers "age out" of foster care, usually when they turn eighteen. For years, a government agency had made every important decisi
Kids Need to Be Safe
Language: en
Pages: 18
Authors: Julie Nelson
Categories: Juvenile Nonfiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2005-12-15 - Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“Kids are important… They need safe places to live, and safe places to play.” For some kids, this means living with foster parents. In simple words and fu
Out of Harm's Way
Language: en
Pages: 201
Authors: Richard J. Gelles
Categories: FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Despite efforts to create, revise, reform, and establish an effective child welfare system in the United States, the system continues to fail to ensure the saf
Foster the Family
Language: en
Pages: 240
Authors: Jamie C. Finn
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-02-15 - Publisher: Baker Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

There are great rewards that come along with being a foster parent, yet there are also great challenges that can leave you feeling depleted, alone, and discoura