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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Legal Studies

Montclair State University

Foster care

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Lgbtq Youth In Foster Care: Litigated Reform Of New Jersey’S Child Welfare System, Ariel Alvarez Jan 2019

Lgbtq Youth In Foster Care: Litigated Reform Of New Jersey’S Child Welfare System, Ariel Alvarez

Department of Political Science and Law Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Institutional heteronormativity is endemic across the U.S. state foster care system. The study purpose was to explore New Jersey’s child welfare agency in the context of policy changes during litigated reform that diminished the influence of institutional heteronormativity contributing to inadequate care of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) foster youth. LGBTQ-related policy-based reforms identified through document analysis included: (a) leveraging the authority of state sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) based anti-discrimination legislation; (b) establishing a Safe Space Initiative program; and (c) integrating SOGIE-based anti-discrimination policy and procedural changes to LGBTQ youth case practice, management, service …


Lights, Camera, Action: The Images Of Foster Care In The Movies, Ariel Alvarez Jan 2017

Lights, Camera, Action: The Images Of Foster Care In The Movies, Ariel Alvarez

Department of Political Science and Law Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Movies often reflect public perceptions. The portrayal of foster care in movies provides insight regarding beliefs and attitudes children, parents, and others bring with them as they interact with the foster care system. The study focus was to identify images of foster care portrayed in 37 nondocumentary movies produced in the United States and Canada between 1921 and 2012. Using Framing Theory, an iterative review process was used to derive three dominant images presented to audiences: child entrance into foster care, a broken foster care system, and life in foster care. Movie images generally misrepresented the realities of foster care …