Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

State Law And Child Welfare Policy Role In Nonparental Family Composition, Laura Alison Caliendo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children in nonparental care have worse outcomes than children in the general population, Federal child welfare policy has prioritized kinship care in an effort to improve outcomes for children; however, it is unclear if the intended child outcomes are achieved. Research shows outcomes vary depending on the type of nonparental family with whom a child lives, due in part to relationship but also to access to services and child welfare system supports. This research defines first five nonparental family types and then uses the framework of ecological systems theory to examine if state laws and child welfare policy influence the …

Educational Experiences Of Emancipated Foster Youth: An Exploratory Study, Cynthia Joyce Stunkard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The data obtained in this qualitative study focused on the educational experiences of youth formerly in foster care after graduation from high school from the viewpoint of the youth. Data were gathered from interviews from 10 participants. Themes included: (a) How do youth emancipated from foster care perceive their educational experiences? (b) What could teachers have done differently to assist the foster youth when he/she first arrived in the classroom or when he/she was moving to another placement? (c) What did teacher do to help the foster youth feel welcomed and part of the classroom community?

Interviews were conducted and …