Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Foster Parents' Perceptions Of Barriers To Accessing Substance Abuse Treatment For Foster Youth, Tiffany Sabrina Harrington

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As Counties continue to grow and the need for foster parent’s increases, resources become scarce. In San Bernardino County, Juvenile drug court is no longer offered, which has led to fewer resources for foster parents in need of substance abuse treatment services. Without access to juvenile drug court, foster youth are often in need of substance abuse treatment services after they have been placed, as part of rehabilitation and success.

Substance abuse issues are often found at the initial interaction of children and family services, and foster youth agencies; however, for ongoing treatment, there are few resources. The purpose of …

A Quantitative Study Of Animal-Assisted Interventions With Youth Who Have Experienced Maltreatment, Meghan Elizabeth Anderson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Youth who have experienced maltreatment (abuse, neglect, exposure to violence) typically exhibit worse life outcomes (lower graduation rates, higher incident of substance use, unplanned pregnancies, etc.). Effective therapeutic interventions are important to combat these negative effects. Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) is a popular and growing field. Anecdotal evidence abounds on the efficacy of AAI, however, there is a lack of quantitative and qualitative research and evidence-backed models of treatment particularly with youth. This study sought to increase the amount of quantitative evidence on AAI by specifically focusing on evaluating the Power Tools for Living Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) model with …

Program Evaluation Of The Wayne State University (Wsu) Transition To Independence Program (Tip), Dinah Ayna

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: A significant number of children in the US are placed in the child welfare system every year. Among the multiple negative outcomes associated with being in the foster care system is a wide academic achievement gap between foster students and the general population, as well as other disadvantaged groups (e.g. low income). Low academic achievement is particularly pronounced in college. The government and higher education institutions are recognizing these educational gaps and developing specialized programs to address the unique needs of foster students; however, the effectiveness of these programs remains unclear. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of …

The Story Of A Foster Youths Journey Through The Maze Of Higher Education; Implications For Faculty And Staff Throughout The Campus, Lynn Wales

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

As educators and higher education administrators, it is important that we connect to our students. It serves us well to learn the stories behind those beautiful eyes looking back at us, as we support their navigation through the journey of higher education. This thesis, written in a Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) style, will use former foster youth students, as well as at-risk youth, as the population of focus. I will relay my own personal experiences, as a former youth-in-care. I will also explore this kind of alternative upbringing, to draw closer to the conclusions and insights of the struggles and …