Beyond The Foster Care System: The Future for Teens

Index

abuse, 108, 193, 202, 223 academics, 134, 136, 149, 152 accountability for teens, 35, 50, 153, 217, 226 Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), 13, 158, 196 adoption, 2, 70, 131, 187. See also families advocacy, 78, 128, 143, 225; agency resistance to, 189; educational, 37; effective, 53; legal, 82–83; and teen mothers, 61, 88–89. See also Youth Advocacy Center (YAC) policy advocacy, 50, 79–107, 130, 131, 152; and class action suit, 92–96; and CWA meeting, 99–100, 103; and CWA report, 96–99; and empowerment programs, 224; and prejudice, 104–106; and self-advocacy, 127; and teen mothers, 80, 83–91, 94–95, 103–105, 106–107 self-advocacy, 131; and agency teens, 210; and Carlos, 42, 48; developing programs for, 114, 226; and education, 42–45; effective, 224; and GBS, 139, 159, 180, 182, 193–196, 214; as IL preparation, 126–129, 183; in informational interviews, 162, 165; and Leonard, 119; and Nelson, 153, 154–156; and rights, 52–53; and teen mothers, 105, 106–107 agency resistance to empowering teens, 183–216; and expectations of teens, 188–190, 194, 196–197; and foster parents, 200–203; and innovative programming, 203–205; and pressures on agencies, 186–188, 196, 212–213; and pressures on staff, 192–193, 197–199, 207–208, 213; and staff behavior, 190–192, 204–208, 209–212; and teens’ interest in program, 194–195, 211–212; and YAC’s approach to changing, 213–216; and YAC’s preparation for implementing seminar, 183–186, 196. See also Getting Beyond the System Self-Advocacy Seminar aging out of care, 2, 79, 116–119 Alicia (teen mother and GBS student), 105–106 allowance, 89–90; clothing, 55, 56, 62, 63, 127 ambition, 168, 177 analytic skills, 134, 149, 152, 161 Mr. Arthur (RTC director), 74–76 attendance, 37, 136–137, 143, 152, 153–156, 212; and lateness, 136, 145 Mr. Barnes (Teresa’s grandfather), 8–10, 12–13, 15 behavior management, 40, 51, 70, 76, 108, 220–221; vs. empowerment programs, 224, 226 231 Index Benny (GBS student), 141–142, 145, 166, 167 biological family, 23, 187, 219. See also families budgeting, 51, 83, 104, 108, 118–119, 130, 144, 145, 146, 192 bureaucracy, 50, 94–95, 108, 130, 192–193, 214, 221, 226; agency, 188, 200; child welfare, 25, 51, 83, 99–100, 104, 108; educational, 35–39, 151; and foster parents, 201; and innovation, 221–223; legal, 54–55 Bureau of Child Welfare (BCW), 13. See also Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Caleb (family court lawyer), 15, 18 careers, 120–121, 131, 143, 177, 219, 222; at agencies, 110, 211–212; and employment, 108; and GBS, 132, 139, 141–142, 160–161; and informational interviews, 163, 165, 169, 171–172, 174; and self-advocacy, 135, 183; vs. subsistence living, 188–190, 218. See also futures of teens; Getting Beyond the System Self-Advocacy Seminar; informational interviews; jobs; work Caring for our Children: Improving the Foster Care System (teen mother report), 97 Carlos (foster teen), 28–50, 66, 102; and college, 44, 46–50; and desire for school, 28–29; and GED, 31–32; and group homes, 30–31; and IL programming, 33–34; and independent living preparation, 108, 180; and Jenny, 57–59, 61; and school bureaucracy, 35–39; and self-advocacy, 42–45, 54, 126; and special ed school, 29, 39–41; and YAC, 53, 64, 65 case method, 63, 133–134, 139, 143–151, 152; and informational interviews, 169–174; and training, 147–148. See also Getting Beyond the System SelfAdvocacy Seminar; Socratic method chain of command, 64, 78, 127 changing the system, 78, 79, 196; and independent living preparation, 126; and innovation, 221–223; and teen mothers, 88, 104 Index 232 children: vs. foster teens, 217. See also families; foster teens Children’s Rights Project (ACLU), 94 child welfare, xiii–xiv; and bureaucracy, 25, 99–100, 108; policy of, 97, 223; professionals in, 70, 110, 119–120, 162 Child Welfare Administration (CWA), 19–20, 85, 86, 96, 97, 99; as ACS, 13, 158, 196. See also family court child welfare system: and budgeting, 51, 83, 104, 108, 130, 192 civil rights, 39–40, 92. See also rights class action lawsuit for teen mothers, 92–95 class participation, 136, 156, 180. See also Getting Beyond the System SelfAdvocacy Seminar clothing allowance, 55, 56, 62, 63, 127 college, 136, 219; and Carlos, 29, 44, 46–50; and GBS, 144, 148, 158, 212; and informational interviews, 176, 177; and Jenny...