Social Work with Families and Children

Part 1

A. Summarize the research and your reason for choosing this population group. Identify limitations in the research and need for additional evaluation.

The study aimed to determine the effect of extended foster care on older youth aging out of foster care. The study utilized the NYTD Outcomes survey to determine the association between utilization of extended care and positive adult outcomes (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). The researchers used a logistic regression to analyze young adult outcomes and extended care utilization. The aim was to determine if extended foster care was beneficial to the older youth. It was established that allowing older youth to stay in care past 18 years is associated with better outcomes for young adults. Extended foster care is similar to the care youths receive when they have support from family as they begin their adulthood journey. Therefore, youth aging out of foster must receive comparable support to make better decisions, and some even manage to attain a high school diploma (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). Older youth aging out of foster care face numerous challenges since most do not have family support, and they no longer receive foster care. The abrupt disruption of their lives at an age where they need to make a critical decision leads most to live on the streets or even engage in negative behaviors. However, if they can receive support until they are 21 years of age, they will have better outcomes as they can make guided decisions and have people they can talk to regarding what they can do with their lives (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019).

Additional research is needed to understand the unique experiences of older youth of color. The data collected by the NYTD is low and cannot be generalizable to the population of older youths exiting foster care (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). Therefore, there is a need to increase the response rate and collected data. For better understanding, we need more details on the youths experiences in care. It should become mandatory for reporting on older youth still in foster care. Without it being compulsory, many foster centers do not report on young people in extended foster care, making it hard to determine the actual number and impact of the extension. Follow-up should be done after the youth exits foster care to examine the efficacy of the additional time in foster care.

B. Provide one evidence-based approach for working with this population, and summarize the intervention. Share your interest in working with the identified population.

Mentoring the older youth has been shown to have positive outcomes for the youth. Mentorship programs can be implemented to influence, guide, and direct the youth once they leave foster care. The shock they face when they leave foster care forces most of them to engage in criminal behaviors, and they prefer to stay in prison to receive food and education. With mentors assisting the older youth in making the right decisions, the youth receive the support they need and vital guidance on what to expect and how to survive once they exit foster care. Youth not in foster care receive support from their parents or grandparents. However, youths leaving foster care are allocated a house, and they have to fend for themselves (Rosenberg & Abbott, 2019). Without guidance and someone they can rely on, most find it hard to get a job or even continue with schooling. They need assistance in moving past foster care and navigating and surviving in the real world.

Mentors will guide them, and some might even offer financial support to the...

…will be to assist the family in developing boundaries by clarifying the interactions open to certain family members and closed to others. Understanding the importance of boundaries helps the family see how their interactions or behaviors impact the other family members encouraging them to make changes. Also, the lack of boundaries could be an avoidance pattern that can be corrected by setting boundaries and determining functional interactions for each family member. For example, a mother might find it easy to discuss her relationship with her daughter, pilling emotional trauma on the daughter. With boundary-making, the mother is encouraged to stop this behavior and push to talk to her husband about their relationship problems.

Role-playing will guide the family in looking at specific behavior patterns to identify dysfunction and practice alternatives. With role-playing, family members can see how their interactions are unhealthy and how they can make changes. Role play brings the unhealthy behaviors to the fore, and the family can view them with the therapists assistance. Then the family is encouraged to role-play the same scenario but now keeping boundaries and hierarchies in mind. With practice, the family can see how their behaviors impact other family members and make changes.

It would be more challenging to work with a disengaged family than working with an enmeshed family. The main reason is that it is easier to teach an engaged relationship how to redirect energy than it is to have a disengaged relationship to engage. An enmeshed family is already engaged, and the family members can be easily taught how to redirect their energy in the right way and to the right family member. However, when dealing with a disengaged family, the family members are emotionally and psychologically withdrawn from each other. Therefore, getting them to start building bonds and connecting emotionally will be…