Foster Care Youth: Extended Care, Mentoring & Family Therapy
This paper examines social work practice with children and families across three interconnected areas. Part 1 reviews research on extended foster care for older youth aging out of the system, identifies limitations in current data, and proposes mentoring as an evidence-based intervention. Part 2 analyzes the real-world challenges faced by two foster youth — Mykell and Corey — as they transition to independent adulthood, including barriers to housing, education, and family reconnection. Part 3 evaluates two therapeutic frameworks: solution-oriented therapy and its capacity to empower clients without dismissing their pain, and structural family therapy techniques for treating enmeshed families, concluding with a comparative reflection on working with disengaged versus enmeshed family systems.
- Extended Foster Care: Research Summary and Limitations: Research on extended care outcomes and data gaps
- Mentoring as an Evidence-Based Intervention: Mentoring programs to support foster youth transition
- Challenges and Supports for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care: Housing, education, and family barriers for Mykell and Corey
- Social Worker Roles and Family Support Networks: Social worker guidance and informal family support
- Solution-Oriented Therapy: Empowerment Over Pain: How solution-focused therapy empowers clients toward change
- Structural Family Therapy for Enmeshed Families: Boundary-making and role-play for enmeshed family treatment
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper integrates research evidence, case analysis, and therapeutic theory across three distinct parts, demonstrating range in social work knowledge.
- Claims are consistently grounded in cited sources, particularly Rosenberg & Abbott (2019) and Trepper et al. (2012), lending academic credibility to each argument.
- The therapy sections use concrete examples — such as the shy client and the mother oversharing with her daughter — to make abstract concepts accessible and practical.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper skillfully applies theoretical frameworks to real-world scenarios throughout. In Part 3, the writer does not simply define solution-oriented therapy or structural family therapy — they evaluate each framework critically, weighing benefits against limitations (e.g., whether solution-focused approaches neglect client pain) and justifying specific technique choices such as boundary-making and role-playing for enmeshed families.
Structure breakdown
The paper is divided into three parts. Part 1 presents a research summary with identified limitations and an evidence-based intervention recommendation. Part 2 applies course material to a case study involving two named foster youth, examining their goals, obstacles, and support networks. Part 3 addresses two distinct therapy questions — one philosophical (does solution-focused therapy ignore pain?) and one applied (how would you treat an enmeshed family?) — concluding with a comparative clinical judgment about family engagement difficulty.
Extended Foster Care: Research Summary and Limitations
This study aimed to determine the effect of extended foster care on older youth aging out of the foster care system. The study utilized the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Outcomes Survey to determine the association between utilization of extended care and positive adult outcomes (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). The researchers used logistic regression to analyze young adult outcomes alongside extended care utilization. The aim was to determine whether extended foster care was beneficial to older youth. It was established that allowing older youth to remain in care past the age of 18 is associated with better outcomes in young adulthood. Extended foster care is comparable to the support youth receive from family as they begin their journey into adulthood. Therefore, youth aging out of foster care must receive comparable support to make better decisions; some even manage to attain a high school diploma under such conditions (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019).
Older youth aging out of foster care face numerous challenges, as most do not have family support and no longer receive foster care services. The abrupt disruption of their lives at an age when they need to make critical decisions leads many to live on the streets or engage in negative behaviors. However, if they can receive support until age 21, they are more likely to achieve better outcomes, make guided decisions, and have people they can consult about their futures (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019).
Additional research is needed to understand the unique experiences of older youth of color. The data collected by the NYTD is limited and cannot be generalized to the full population of older youth exiting foster care (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). Therefore, there is a need to increase response rates and the volume of collected data. For a more complete picture, greater detail is needed on youths' experiences while in care. Reporting on older youth still in extended foster care should be made mandatory; without this requirement, many foster centers do not report on young people in extended care, making it difficult to determine the actual number of participants and the true impact of the extension. Follow-up should also be conducted after youth exit care to examine the efficacy of the additional time in foster care.
Mentoring as an Evidence-Based Intervention
Mentoring older youth has been shown to produce positive outcomes. Mentorship programs can be implemented to influence, guide, and direct youth once they leave foster care. The shock many experience upon leaving foster care forces some into criminal behaviors; some even prefer incarceration because it provides food and access to education. With mentors assisting older youth in making sound decisions, the youth receive the support and vital guidance they need about what to expect and how to survive after exiting foster care. Youth who are not in foster care typically receive support from parents or grandparents. However, youth leaving foster care are often placed in independent housing and expected to fend for themselves (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). Without guidance and someone to rely on, most find it difficult to secure employment or continue their education. They need assistance moving past foster care and learning to navigate the real world.
Mentors can guide youth and may even offer financial support to help them pursue education. Young people need guidance since they are often not yet equipped to make major life decisions independently. A mentor works with youth to provide assistance and advice — someone they can call when they face difficult choices, a resource that is entirely absent once they leave foster care. When youth transition from adolescence to adulthood, they develop decision-making and coping skills as they become more independent (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). Older youth exiting foster care, however, lack family they can rely on for support during this transition. They therefore need assistance from professionals willing to invest time in guiding and shaping them during this critical phase.
After recognizing the potential of these youth and how much they need assistance as they age out of foster care, it becomes clear why supporting and mentoring them is a meaningful professional commitment. Most leave foster care seeking independence without adequate guidance and are unprepared for the harsh realities they will face. With guidance and support, however, they can make better decisions and achieve more positive outcomes.
References
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. (2016, December 16). GET GOAL'D. IDCFS. https://www2.illinois.gov/dcfs/brighterfutures/independence/Documents/GetGoaldHandbook.pdf
Rosenberg, R., & Abbott, S. (2019). Supporting older youth beyond age 18: Examining data and trends in extended foster care. Child Trends. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/supporting-older-youth-beyond-age-18-examining-data-and-trends-in-extended-foster-care
Trepper, T., McCollum, E., De Jong, P., Korman, H., Gingerich, W., & Franklin, C. (2012). Solution-focused brief therapy treatment manual. In Solution-focused brief therapy: A handbook of evidence-based practice (pp. 20–36). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385724.003.0015
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