April – June 2012, Youth Law News: A bold NCYL initiative to improve the educational prospects of foster youth in one Indiana county has done so well that it’s been expanded to cover the entire state. The Foster Youth Education Initiative, or FosterEd, will go statewide in time for the 2012-13 school year. FosterEd was created just three years ago by the National Center for Youth Law. The program, created in response to national statistics highlighting the bleak educational outcomes of foster youth, was launched as a pilot project in Marion County, Indiana. FosterEd serves as a bridge between schools, families, and DCS. Its main objective is to create and mobilize a team of people advocating for foster youth at school. Education specialists provide family case managers, teachers, school administrators, foster parents, biological parents, relative caregivers, and others the skills and knowledge to identify foster youth’s educational strengths and to ensure that their educational needs are being met. FosterEd requires that education case plans be prepared and implemented for every foster youth. The program supports these youth as they progress through school; from children in Early Head Start to teens planning for college. Link to Article
Tag Archives: Foster Children
Can Antipsychotic Medications for Foster Children Be Better Regulated?
April – June 2012, Youth Law News: Foster children are medicated with antipsychotic and other psychotropic medications far more often than other children in the United States. The long-term effects on the developing brains of children and adolescents are unknown. The side effects include significant health risks that in some cases are life-threatening, but the rationale for medicating tens of thousands of foster children is unclear, as few foster children are psychotic. Certainly the drugs’ sedative effects may make life easier for foster parents and group home attendants. An adolescent who is passive or even lethargic demands less attention than an active, obstreperous, and rebellious one. Concern that antipsychotic drugs in the foster care context often benefit caretakers at the expense of their foster children has led to many calls for better regulation. “Better regulation” generally means “less use” in the minds of those who have expressed concern. Link to Article