Description
In order to guide children successfully through their time in foster or kinship care, caregivers and practitioners must begin to advocate for the child before he or she is placed with a family, and then both need to combine their fight until permanency for the child is established. Few resources explain the best ways to navigate the labyrinthine, and at times frustrating, institution of foster care, not to mention the dynamics of the foster or kinship relationship once the child enters a home. Additionally, caregivers who raise their relatives’ children also seek a relatable resource.Mitchell Rosenwald and Beth N. Riley introduce the first book to offer strategies for effectively advocating for youth in foster and kinship care, paying special attention to the consequences of the trauma youth may experience. Advocacy must be consistent throughout a child’s assignment and adjustment, and this text teaches practitioners the best methods for assessing a family’s abilities and level of commitment, while guiding families through the various challenges of the foster care system. Part one details the important steps that potential foster parents and kinship caregivers should consider, with the assistance of practitioners, when contemplating caring for youth. Part two addresses advocacy within service providers, such as family court, social service agencies, schools, and the medical and mental health establishments. Part three describes lobbying for agency and legislative change, as well as change within a given community. Case examples ground recommendations in concrete contexts, and an entire chapter discusses how to broker a successful partnership between practitioners, families, and other disciplinary teams.
