At Risk Youth Advocacy

Foster Care and Adoptions

The Bronfenbrenner ecological model proposes that "individual human development occurs within interconnected and embedded ecological systems." (McWhirter, et al., Chapter 1). These are the macrosystem of societal norms, the exosystem of public policy, the microsystems such as family and schools, and the individual characteristics. Defects in one or more of these systems can put a child at risk.

An example of a child at risk is Doughboy, Ice Cube's character in Boyz in the Hood. A teenage black male in an impoverished area of Los Angeles, Doughboy faces a number of risk factors. His environment is characterized by poverty, but also by social norms and gender roles. The social norm in the area is that many young males join gangs, and he is specifically at risk because of the emphasis on aggression as part of one's self-worth among males in that area. Such cultural values among young people in that area place all of the teenage characters in the film at risk, but Doughboy's particular ecology increases his risk. His family life is broken (microsystem), he is faced with a high degree of institutional racism, such as from police and from politicians who ignore the problems plaguing the area (exosystem). While his friends have assets that can give them hope --Ricky is a star athlete and Tre is highly intelligent, Doughboy is average in many respects, giving him less hope of rising above his circumstances. He is at significant risk for things like drug and alcohol abuse, violence, gang membership and other negative outcomes.

Unit 2. Maltreatment of risk placed in state care is a common problem, with over 3 million cases reported annually, 60.9% of which meet the criteria for investigation (Child Welfare Policy, 2013. There is a duty to warn, so when there is a problem with abuse involving a patient --if they are the abuser or the abused, there is a duty to warn a third party. There could be legal liability for not upholding this duty, especially since failing to warn increases the risk of somebody getting hurt. Confidentiality is not the issue here -- you want to ensure that the third party is aware of who the child is, so that they can help.

Unit 3. The advocate plays an important role in the foster care system, by looking out for the interests of the client. The advocate is available to assist with things that the foster family cannot, including issues pertaining to the system itself. Furthermore, the advocate plays an important mediating role in the relationship between the client and the foster family. For families, it is important to provide services. . These can include focus groups of other foster families that understand the issues the new families will face. Information is one of the most important things the advocate can do for the foster family, as there are a number of issues that can arise. Knowing that there are resources is important for a new foster family. Criminal and other background checks are important for screening, as well as means testing so that the foster parents can ensure an adequate level of care for the child.

Unit 4. Screening is the first step in the educational setting, to understand the student's needs, and ensure that the school is equipped to meet them. For example, screening to identify suicidal teens is used. There are several attributes of a good school environment, including leadership, academic emphasis, quality teachers, community support and social capital (McWhirter et al., Chapter 5). These qualities mean that a school is in a better position to deal with the child, and meet the child's needs. At risk youth with special needs, however, also require a strong special needs education program in order to thrive. Advocates can learn more about potential schools by examining their track record with respect to education, and maybe even visiting the facilities is the child is especially high-risk.

Unit 5. There are several influencers of drug and alcohol use, including ethnicity, sexual orientation, family and peer influences, and individual characteristics. Understanding how these things work together is key to understanding the risk that a youth faces (McWhirter, et al., Chapter 8). Youth people often use drugs as a response to bleak social and economic conditions, traumatic events, negative peer influences and adverse school conditions (Ibid). Low parental monitoring is also a factor. A framework for dealing with this issue would base around peer, family and individual characteristics. It would highlight what the risk factors are and demonstrate understanding of why teens engage in these activities. The framework would highlight alternatives to things like self-medication, gender-related stressors and economic despair. It is important to show teens that there are other ways.