Q&A
Support systems and monitoring for youth in foster care
0:32:10
·
129 sec
Commissioner Dannhauser outlines the various support systems and monitoring mechanisms in place for youth in foster care, particularly for LGBTQ+ youth.
- Children in foster care are visited in their home once a month
- Many receive therapy and other medical services
- Youth have assigned coaches and attorneys
- Multiple individuals check in with young people about their placement and well-being
- ACS provides additional backup plans for youth to reach out if other supports fail
Jess Dannhauser
0:32:10
Yeah.
0:32:11
I'll just start with every every child in foster care is visited in their home.
Althea V. Stevens
0:32:15
Mhmm.
Jess Dannhauser
0:32:16
Once a month, they also have The majority of them are receiving therapy and other medical services.
0:32:23
The youth have a coach.
0:32:25
So this outreach to central office is sort of a redundancy, a you know, an additional backup plan.
0:32:32
So they are first reaching out.
0:32:34
They also have an attorney that is assigned to every young person in foster care.
0:32:38
So there are a lot of folks who are checking in with young people to see how they're feeling about their current placement, how they're feeling about their schooling, how they're feeling about the services that are provided to them.
0:32:48
And so this this piece of it that we put in place is just to make sure that if all those fail, there's another backup plan
Althea V. Stevens
0:33:00
Okay.
0:33:02
Are you done with the the whole thing with the the training?
0:33:05
Because I know you were talking.
0:33:07
Okay.
0:33:09
Is it done online or in person?
Steven Gordon
0:33:13
Our foster care agencies are trained to provide the training via either Zoom or in person depending on how that's at the industry's discretion, how they wanna provide the training.
0:33:24
And really they're gonna assess what's better for the foster parents in regards to scheduling, etcetera.
Jess Dannhauser
0:33:31
Mhmm.
0:33:31
Everyone it does every foster home goes through a a home study, however, that is in person, that is fully there's reference checks, there's checks around income security and a full, which we can talk further about for every young person in care.
0:33:47
That is expedited for family members for Ken, but then it happens over the course of the 1st 90 days while the child's in placement.
0:33:54
Mhmm.
Althea V. Stevens
0:33:55
And it and so is this training this is annually.
0:33:59
They have to take this training?
0:34:00
Or
Steven Gordon
0:34:00
Every 2 years.
Althea V. Stevens
0:34:02
Every 2 years.
0:34:03
Yes.
0:34:03
And so if they do have a young person who's in their home who do lots and defines LGBTQs, they still may have to take it every 2 years.
0:34:09
Yes.
0:34:11
Okay.
0:34:13
Has ACS face challenges identifying foster care homes that of that Affirm LGBT's identities?
