Essay - Foster Care Children Chapter One--introduction the Introduction of This Dissertation...

Foster Care Children

***** ONE--INTRODUCTION

The introduction of this dissertation details the background ***** the study and the problem statement, explains ***** purpose and significance, and provides an overview of the nature ***** the ***** ***** research methodology. The definition of key terms *****d limitations of the study are listed and finally the scope ***** the ***** is explained. The topic addressed ***** ***** extent that high school foster care youths receive support on making post-graduation choices, which include attendance at secondary schools, employment, military enlistment or miscellaneous opportunities, as well ***** knowing how to prepare for life on their own as adults. Studies s***** that education in general for foster care children, although improved over the p*****t several years, still needs to be extensively revised in order to help this at-risk population. A literature search of the education and counseling provided to foster care youths in their later high school ***** to prepare them for ***** experiences brought minimal results. ***** purpose of this qualitative study is to determine what, if anything ***** being done in Virginia to ***** ***** care youths ***** for their adult transition and make suggestions based on the findings.

Background

*****nne Holton, The First Lady of Virginia, and a past Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge in Richmond, recently set a goal ***** doing more for the 8,000 foster ***** children ***** youth in the state. She is especially focused on older foster children, especially those who age out of care at 18. Although the State of Virg*****ia has one of the lowest numbers of foster care children, it has a high amount who fall into th***** older population. Only 17 percent are under age 5. The largest age groups are teens ages 13 to1***** (24 percent) and young adults ages 16 to18 (27 percent).

***** ***** Lady Holton recently toured ***** state, she continually heard about the inadequacy of ***** support given to 18-plus year olds ***** were in ***** care. Some families want ***** provide their foster ***** with college funds, but do not have enough after pay*****g for ***** biological children. Some young people lose their Medicaid when they get part-time jobs while completing their schooling. Others express the need for more help with employment, transportation, ***** independent living skills. In Testimony Be*****e ***** Subcommittee on ********** Security and Family Support of the House Committee on Ways and Means in May 2007, she stated:

We know from sociological studies ***** ***** people in *****tact families do not magically become fully independent at age 18. In fact, ***** average age at ***** a young person typically last moves out of the family home in the United States is 26, 8 *****s beyond when we effectively declare our foster kids able to ***** for themselves" (House ***** and *****)

One ***** the areas of concern ***** that older ***** ***** are ***** receiv*****g the counseling and informational support they require in ***** school in ***** to make effective choices and to c***** for