Occasional Services For Foster Youth
Online resources have become readily available in most people’s hands in the United States. These resources and computer skills are essential in today’s world such as applying for housing and cultural practices. For foster children, these online resources are important for their success after they leave the foster care system by means of aging out, or becoming too old for the system to care for them. Children usually ‘age out’ of foster care when they turn 18 years old, the age of emancipation in most states. Federal guidelines require states to assist children during their transition from foster care to independence, beginning as early as the state agencies find appropriate, and in some cases as early as age 13. With those foster children who age out of the system, there are no mandatory foster parents, child welfare agencies, or birth family members to help them.
The US foster care system has failed these students by not supplying enough online information of resources, training, and support they sorely need in order to be a success, or even a positive contribution to society. The system has provided inadequate and user-unfriendly efforts to assist foster children. By shifting the focus from data that exposes the many failures of the current system to programs that produce confident and successful young adults, the outlook should focus on how the Internet can provide more assistance. There needs to be an institutional reform focusing on developing thoughtful online products and tangible services for foster care youth.
By promoting a fundamental social change through technology, foster children will not be subjected to follow generalized self-assistance tutorials. A foster kid will turn 18 and there’s some kind of expectation that they’ll be able to function in a way that other kids who are never in foster care (Thompson, 2016). There are multiple failures and challenges that abused and neglected children and youth already must overcome to succeed. The push for mobile applications, websites, and video games to engage and empower foster care youth is driven by the poor outcomes associated with “aging out”. With the vast amount of material found on the Internet, any foster child is able to save time conducting research about important life skills.
There are foster children who fall through the gaps in schools and become forgotten or lost children. It is critical that we use all the resources within our means in an attempt to help them with their overall development. Online technology offers everyone a helpful and educational websites, apps, and other online resources. In order to progress, we need to address the failure of the foster care system for teens and three changes must occur to change them. First, we must reevaluate our expectations for when these youths transition into independent living. Second, we must provide them the training and support they need to develop life skills. Third, promote online communication and surveys that acknowledge all the children’s needs and goals. With the support of the US government and non-profit organizations, utilizing the online platform will update policy and practice to ensure that social networks support resilience and movement into productive adult growth.
