Experiencing foster care is associated with poor outcomes including homelessness, unemployment, criminal justice system involvement, poor health, and enduring mental health/substance use problems (Courtney & Dworsky, 2006). As such, building resilience among youth in foster care is important for prevention and intervention efforts. To mitigate the likelihood of such outcomes, this grant proposes a mentorship program between youth in foster care and an adult mentor to strengthen youth social support networks and promote resilience. The proposed trauma-informed mentoring program will match youth with community adults into mentor-mentee pairs. Pairs will participate in activities meant to bolster support (e.g., volunteer events, sports events) and attend group meetings to participate in skill building activities monthly (e.g., goal planning, problem solving, coping, and communication). The goal of the intervention is to strengthen youth support networks to promote resilience and mitigate the likelihood of negative outcomes.
Following a public health framework, this intervention employs strategies at the primary and tertiary levels of prevention (Feuer-Edwards et al., 2016) by using social support to prevent adverse outcomes and promote adaptive skill use in youth experiencing foster care. At the primary level of prevention, this program aims to prevent the negative outcomes that are associated with experiencing foster care (e.g., homelessness, chronic health conditions, mental health problems, etc.) by using social support to reduce the likelihood of such outcomes. At the tertiary level of prevention, this program will involve clinical psychologists who may provide youth with skills, such as coping and communication skills, to help mitigate the impacts of early life adversity. Psychologists will also be available to youth for additional support as needed and individual therapy sessions may be set up outside of program activities with the psychologists.
Moreover, this intervention addresses the individual and relational levels of the CDC’s social ecological model (2022). At the individual level, this program aims to help youth develop effective coping skills (e.g., diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness, grounding skills) and interpersonal effectiveness skills to promote positive interpersonal behavior and adaptive coping in youth who have experienced adversity. These skills will also help youth learn to better communicate their needs and manage stress. Next, to address the relationship level, the intervention will guide youth in building supportive relationships with a trusted adult. Within the intervention, youth and their mentors will engage in activities to bolster social support. By promoting safe and nurturing relationships with trusted adults, youth will learn how to establish healthy boundaries, learn problem solving skills, and expand their support networks.
This program will also incorporate SAMHSA’s six trauma-informed principles. Safety will be implemented by respecting boundaries, monitoring who is coming and going, using welcoming language, and keeping meeting areas well-lit with low noise levels. Trustworthiness and transparency will be implemented by incorporating youth team leaders in the planning process. We will also conduct monthly check-ins between staff, youth, and mentors to solicit feedback and address raised concerns. Peer support will be incorporated through monthly meetings with all mentor-mentee pairs and promotion of youth support networks. Collaboration and mutuality will be implemented by training service providers, mentors, and organization/support staff on how to deliver trauma-informed care and engage in appropriate and respectful interactions with youth. Empowerment, voice, and choice will be reflected in part through our youth leadership team and by asking youth about their priorities related to social support and what can be done to make the program more comfortable and engaging for them. Lastly, this program will address cultural, historical, and gender issues by encouraging use of positionality statements during the first meeting to help reflect on identities and experiences so that we can work to identify and address biases and be responsive to the needs of the youth being served.
As a result of participating in the intervention, youth will learn how to set healthy boundaries in relationships, grow their social support networks, learn effective communication and problem solving skills, develop adaptive coping skills, and set long term goals.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violencepr...ecologicalmodel.html.
Courtney, M. E., & Dworsky, A. (2006). Early outcomes for young adults transitioning from out‐ of‐home care in the USA. Child & Family Social Work, 11(3), 209-219.
Feuer-Edwards, A., O’Brien, C., O’Connor, S. (2016). Trauma Informed Philanthropy: A Funder’s Resource Guide for Supporting Trauma-Informed Practice in the Delaware Valley. Retrieved from https://philanthropynetwork.or...raumaGUIDE_Final.pdf
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884.
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