Abstract
Children and youth in foster care are some of the most underserved and holistically unhealthy people in our country today. Toxic stress, mental illness, environmental instability, and unrecognized or under diagnosed chronic disease are just a few issues that plague this special population of children that then grow into ill or maladapted adults with higher rates of morbidity and mortality than their “nonfoster” counterparts. Their story is not complete however. We can increase the resilience of our foster children and rewrite the outcomes of their futures through the responsible and intentional interventions of our health care professionals, child welfare workers, and communities.
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Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
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1.
For Health Sciences Students: Physicians play a salient role in determining whether allegations of child abuse or neglect are substantiated by medical evidence. What challenges come with being in a position requiring you to provide information that has the potential to significantly affect the immediate future of the child (i.e., removal from the home) as well as affect the long-term outcomes of the child? Consider both ethical/professional challenges, as well as personal challenges (i.e., dissonant thoughts or feelings) that may emerge during the process. How do you go about addressing these challenges and resolving these issues?
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For Human Sciences Students: Relationships are the heart of the classroom; strong teacher–child relationships and teacher–family relationships are essential for children’s educational success. Brainstorm a list of challenges that teachers must address in order to nurture teacher–child relationships with children in foster care as well as teacher–family relationships with foster families. Do you think teachers are adequately trained to meet the unique needs of children and adolescents in foster care as well as the families caring for them? If not, what do they need to know?
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3.
Design a longitudinal study to examine the outcomes of children in foster care. What physical health, mental health, and/or educational outcomes would you assess and why? What community partners would you need to engage in order to successfully implement your study?
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4.
Consider the authors’ concluding appeal to service providers and the larger community to embrace the opportunity to “intervene, reconnect the broken strands of (children’s) lives, and change the ending of their family’s story.” Using a strengths-based approach, strategize pathways to answer this call to action.
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Shropshire, D., Williams, A., Burge, L., Hines, L. (2017). Fighting for the Forgotten: Risk and Resilience of Children and Families Involved with the Foster Care System. In: Welch, G., Harrist, A. (eds) Family Resilience and Chronic Illness. Emerging Issues in Family and Individual Resilience. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26033-4_7
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