Chapter 13: Best Practices in Working with Children Living in Foster Care - - - - State and federal goals are: o Reunifying children with their families of origin when possible o Terminate parental rights and secure adoptive families if necessary o Create stable trajectories for children rather than allowing them to linger in more temporary foter homes for countles years Foster Care Child’s Profile o Median age is 8.8 years o Male > female o Caucasian, African American, and Hispanics o Remain in care for 13.5 months or 23.9 months o 5% of children emancipate from the fostre care system when they age out at 18 – 21 years old NASP Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services domain of Diversity in Development and Learning o Problem-solving approach that impolements multiple tiers of interventtions will best meet the unique needs of this population of students o School psychologists must be aware of the legislative requirements to better serve students living in foster care Problems and outcomes face by children in foster care o Common factors of foster care – poverty, homelessness, physical and mental health problems, criminal involvement as perpetrators or victims, young parenthood, and intergeneration child welfare system involvement o Early literacy delays with no guarantee of receiving earlychildhood intervention or preventive educational programs o Child in foster care lsnds in early childhood servicces because has been identified with a disability 31% of children qualify for disabilities in foster care, while only 13% of children birth to 21 years old are the national average Legislative solution – children in foster care qualify for Head Start independent of household income o Poor psychoeducational outcomes are higher Maltrealment rick increases with students with disabilities or emotionalhebavioral disabilitie with cognitive disabilities o Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s) tend to have discontinuity and lacking of coordination of services from the school setting to the child’s foster care setting o 33% of students in foster care are retained at least once in their academic careers An estimate of 10% of older high schoolers have been retained o 24% of cildren in foster care have been suspended or expelled at least once The national average is 7% annually Possible reason – negative assumptions made when entering the school setting o Results from ALL factors = majority of students emancipating from foster care wihtout a high school diploma or GED 1 - - The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth – shows that people from 17 to 26 gain their high school education later on. (83% foster care vs 85% national average) College completion is 11% foster care vs 28% national average o Common side effects from foster care placement Grief responses to losses Traumatic responses (internalizing and externalizing behavior) to abnormal experiences of maltreatment or removal Problematic attachment styles o Survival and resilience are characteriistics required from the children in order to come out healthy and succesful Early arrests, school enrollment, and placement instability are factors for the child to fail Legislature passed for children in foster care o 2008 Fostering Connection to Succcess and Increasing Adoptions Act States must provide care with educational stability plans If not necessery, the child must remain in original school setting If moved to new school, the child must be immediately moved and all school records given to the new school setting Foster care may be extended until 21 years old if maintaining employment, vocational training, or postsecondary education 90 days prior to the 18 birthday to develop a transition plan o 1999 John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act – amended Title IV-E of the Soial Security Act States must provide funding on a voluntary basis to improve transition services for secondary age students Medicaid and money for room and board are extended until 21 years old o 2001 McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act Stable education for children who are homeless and are presented without complete documentation Schools must provide transportation to facilitate student’s attendance o 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) IDEA Part B – local education agencies to provide students 3 to 21 with educational disabilities with a FAPE in the local education agency’s least restrictive environment IDEA Part C – need for early intervention for infants and toddlers with delayed development School psychologists’ role when working with children living in Foster Care o Services given to the student depend on their developmental levels Preschool – preventive and geared towards ensuring early childhood programming or interventions Elementary – accademic and behavioral intervention within a problem-solving and multitired framework that minimazies risks and maximizes resilience 2 - - - Secondary – targeted planning for emancipation from foster care must being, also known as transition plannnig o Consider the students needs holistically (interwebbing between academic, behavioral, and mental health needs) Early childhood education and intervention o Essential for offsetting psychoeducational challenges developed o Children can benefit from a frequent, higher quality cognitive stimulation and healthier social-emotional experiencess with peers nad adults Consistent, caring staff may help a student experience positie attachment with caregivers o Foster parents may participate in early childhood programs to understand the demands of aring for the children in their charge Results from the programs are (a) retention of foster parents, (b) prevention of movement of children between multiple placement, (c) give foster parents opportunity to seek additional emplotment and income to help with household management, and (d) give foster children the much needed jump start to preprate for elementary school years. Elementary education and Intervention o Aacademic and behavioral interventions withing a problem-solving and multitiered framework that minimizes speciaul education identification, grade retention, and suspension and expulsion may be helpful Important to alliviate grief, trauma, internalizing and externalizing behaviors that affect social skills, problem solving skills, conflict resoliution, and anger management skills if not intervined o Connecting student with extracurricular activities helps decrease time and motivation for delinquent behaviors and increases oisitive reinforcement with foster parents Secondary Education and Interventions o Centralize on identifying, intervining, and progres monitoring academic, behavioral, and mental helath concerns o Coordination and provision of life skills training for once they leave foster care o Independent Living Services Not all districts or counties offer independent living services Areas of focus: Job searching and maintainace Housekeeping o How to budget and manage finances Educational planning School psychologists may help impart with professional servcices or mentors o Transition Planning If the child has an IEP, then by the IDEA standards, the child at the age of 16 must be an active participant in the creation of the transition plan Postsecondary goals include education/training, employment, and independent living as appropriate to a case-by-case. 3 o School psychologists must ensure that the child is an active participant in their transition planning The youth requires empowerment and promotion of autonomous levels of being College and Vocational Preparation School psychologists can offset the negative impact on a child being in the foster care Worforce-bound students – job shadowing, school-to-work programs, and vocational training Assisting with creating a resume, conducting a job search, and interviewing techniques Federal programs that help with workforce-bound students Workforce Investment Act centers Job Corps Conservation Corps The Peace Corps AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps Military Promote to the student taking required courses, APs, and high school courses for college courses Additional interventions to enhance time management and study skills might be helpful also Federal TRIO Programs – help low-income students access higher education, if none are accessible, then the school psychologists along with a team of school and social workers can contact colleges or universities for furhter information Talent Search Upward Bound Educational Opportunity Centers Children have opportunity to apply to scholarships or have their tuition waiver as a former foste care child School psychologists must cover all sorts of finances faced by the students as an independent entity once entering college Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the Education and Training Vouchers – Chafee Act (up to $5,000) 4 Case study: Jayden and Izzie - - - - - Children o Jayden – 8 year old, second grade student Arrived to Mcclelland Elementary School in November Did not receive any targeted intervention within the context of an early childhood classroom previous school o Izzie – 3 year old, younger sister of Jayden Different father than Jayden Home situtation o Izzie’s father threw Jayden across the room causing bruising in the face o Two children are removed from the home in October Unknown caller reported to the county child welface office o Mother had a methamphetamine addiction o Jayden’s father is incarcerated Child Welfare Office action o Not allow Izzie’s father in the house o Seek drug treatment New school setting o New more permanent foster home for both siblings o Teacher notices difficulty in reading and following directions with Jayden School psychologists o Informs foster parents of early childhood education resources and community-based services within the district o Screen and assess the needs of the child Be aware that the child needs time to adjust and requires sensitive materials to develop and open up o Consultation with foster parents about more targerted intervention if needed o Check in can start on a daily basis, then decreased to a weekly basis Build connection with new school and with a positive adult in the new setting o Discuss with foster parents about possible extracurricular activities and how to meet the needs of the child in their care 5 1. National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services 2. Legislation 3. Average Child in Foster Care 4. Early Childhood Education and Intervention 5. Elementary Education and Intervention 6. Secondary Education and Intervention 7. Systematic Change References Scherr, T. G. (2014). Best practices in working with children living in foster care. In N. P. Manual, P. L. Harrison, & A. Thomas (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology: Foundations (pp. 169-179). Bethesda, Maryland: National Association of School Psychologists. 6