Foster Care Archives

Adult Trustworthiness and How It Affects Youth Participation in Mental Health Services

by Alisa Greenwood | Dec 10, 2024 | Access to Mental Health Services, Adoption Competent Services, for Caregivers and Families, For Professionals, Foster Care, Lived Experience, Mental Health

Adult Trustworthiness and How It Affects Youth Participation in Mental Health Services

Written by Cristina Tanzola and Sepherina Latthium

The majority of young people who spend time in foster care have experienced mental health services in some capacity. However, because of the challenges that bring young people into foster care, adult trustworthiness is frequently something they cannot rely on. This can spread into their relationships with child welfare workers, mental health professionals, and caregivers. Through the voices of those with lived experiences, we can better understand how adult trustworthiness impacts youth mental health participation.

The Power of Belief

Kenzie’s experience highlights a vital component of trust in therapeutic settings.

“When someone sits there and actually believes what I’m saying, it makes a different impact on [trust].”

Kenzie Drake, age 20, experience in Michigan foster care system This simple yet profound statement underscores the importance of validation in building trust. Many young people, particularly those in foster care or similar circumstances, may have developed deep-seated trust issues stemming from their past experiences. When a therapist actively listens and believes in their story, it can create a safe space that encourages openness and healing. Trust is foundational in any relationship, especially in therapy, where vulnerability is essential. Kenzie’s story illustrates that the act of believing can be transformative. It empowers youth to open up about their struggles, fostering a deeper connection that can lead to more effective therapeutic outcomes.

The Challenge of Traditional Approaches

Faith’s perspective brings another layer to the discussion. She expresses frustration with mental health professionals who dive too deep into complex familial relationships during initial sessions.

“If you like asking those questions in this initial interaction is going to be more damaging than trying to, like, just figure out where I’m at baseline.”

Faith Sharp, age 25, 5 years in Missouri foster care systen This speaks to the need for mental health providers to adopt a more nuanced approach to therapy. For many young people, the conventional one-size-fits-all approach may not resonate. Instead, they might benefit from professionals who take the time to establish trust before delving into complex backgrounds. Understanding a young person’s current emotional state and fostering a rapport can lead to more productive sessions. When therapists prioritize building trust first, it can make all the difference in encouraging youth to participate actively in their mental health care.

The Role of Caregivers

Shayne (age 19), 5 years of experience in Kansas foster care, emphasizes the broader context of support systems surrounding youth. He argues that the actions and qualities of foster parents and guardians profoundly affect a child’s mental health. “Their overall actions and qualities will affect the mental health of a child,” he states, stressing the importance of being present and engaged. When caregivers show they genuinely care and are available for support, they provide a vital safety net for young people. This support extends beyond basic needs. It creates an environment where youth feel valued and understood, reducing the risk of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Shayne’s assertion that “the best ability is availability” serves as a reminder that consistent support can significantly influence a child’s mental health trajectory.

Building a Culture of Trust

The testimonies of Kenzie, Faith, and Shayne collectively illustrate the critical role of trust in fostering youth engagement in mental health services. To effectively support young individuals, it is essential to cultivate environments where they feel believed, understood, and supported by both mental health professionals and caregivers. As mental health services evolve, incorporating these insights can lead to more personalized and effective approaches. By prioritizing trust, professionals can break down barriers that prevent youth from seeking help, ultimately leading to healthier outcomes. In conclusion, trustworthiness among adults—whether they are therapists, caregivers, or mentors—is paramount in shaping youth experiences in mental health services. By fostering a culture of belief, understanding, and support, we can empower young people to embrace their mental health journeys with confidence and hope.

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Visit the Knowledge Hub to access models of intervention, training resources, and practical tools to strengthen cross-system collaboration and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.

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Addressing Complex Mental Health Needs in Foster Care: A Youth Perspective

by Alisa Greenwood | Nov 12, 2024 | Adoption Competent Services, Child Welfare Competent MH, for Caregivers and Families, Foster Care

Addressing Complex Mental Health Needs in Foster Care: A Youth Perspective

Written by Sepherina Latthium When we hear the term “Complex Mental Health Needs,” it can evoke a wide range of thoughts. For young people with experience in the foster care system, the term often represents the layers of trauma, mental health challenges, and the need for intensive, tailored care. Youth in foster care face a unique set of challenges, including navigating the intersection of multiple diagnoses, emotional stressors, and the lingering impact of their environment. For them, addressing these needs requires more than just medication or therapy — it calls for understanding, compassion, and a system that supports their holistic well-being.

What Does “Complex Mental Health Needs” Mean to Foster Youth?

Many young people in foster care understand complex mental health needs through their own lived experience. Their insights offer a window into how deep and multifaceted these needs truly are.

“This term, to me, means that this person is experiencing a type of mental illness that affects them deeply; such as their perception of self, reality, or is so intense that it is debilitating both mentally and physically.

– Keona Rose, age 23, 5 years in Arizona foster care While each person’s experience may differ, many agree that complex mental health needs involve a combination of diagnoses or struggles that create layers of difficulty in daily functioning. These needs aren’t easily addressed by a one-size-fits-all approach.

“When I think of complex mental health needs, I think of someone who probably had an adverse childhood. Someone with multiple or severe mental illnesses that contributes to high levels of psychological distress… Someone with complex mental health needs typically needs more than just a typical youth.”

– Jaxx Ryann, age 24, 4 years in Montana foster care

The Weight of the Label

For some, understanding that they have complex mental health needs can feel empowering. It provides context to what they’ve experienced and helps explain why their struggles may look different from others. But for others, it can be a heavy label to carry.

“For me, it was really hard to hear at first. I’ve always been told I’m difficult to deal with, I’m a burden. It took a long time for me to separate myself from my diagnosis.”

– Jaxx Ryann, age 24, 4 years in Montana foster care On the other hand, sometimes the hardest part isn’t the diagnosis itself, but the perceptions and stigma carried by others:

“I got an adult diagnosis of autism, and my parents… took it almost like an insult, I guess. They’re like, ‘oh, something’s wrong with my genes, that can’t be right.’ And I was like, it’s just a thing, you know.”

– Silas Fulcher, age 25, experience in Georgia foster care For youth in foster care, understanding their mental health challenges is critical, but the system’s response to these needs must be thoughtful. Labeling a young person with “complex mental health needs” shouldn’t reinforce negative stereotypes or isolate them further. Instead, it should open doors to appropriate support that acknowledges their unique needs without defining them by their struggles.

A Call for Trauma-Informed Care

Ultimately, addressing complex mental health needs for foster youth requires a trauma-informed approach. These young people have lived through experiences that deeply affect their mental health, and they need services that reflect the depth of their struggles. Trauma-informed care goes beyond clinical treatment — it recognizes the impact of the foster care experience and centers on healing and understanding. This is where adoption competent mental health services come in. As Keona Rose wisely suggests, youth must be given agency in understanding their mental health: “Giving youth a choice to want to know more about themselves or just tend to their level of comfort and needs is what should be focused on and prioritized… Always take trauma-informed approaches.” Keona Rose, age 23, 5 years in Arizona foster care The perspective of these young people reinforces the need for systems of care to be compassionate, supportive, and adaptable to the complex realities they face. Their mental health is not just another checklist item, but a vital part of their jou ey toward healing and stability.

Conclusion

Addressing complex mental health needs in foster care is about more than treating symptoms. It’s about understanding the profound impact of trauma, recognizing the layers of difficulty that youth in care experience, and creating systems that respond with care and support. From their own words, it’s clear that foster youth need a comprehensive, individualized approach to mental health — one that centers their lived experiences, meets their unique needs, and gives them the tools to thrive. About FosterClub and the Lived Experience (LEx) Leaders who contributed their perspectives to this blog: FosterClub, a proud partner of the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health, is the national network for young people who experience foster care. In partnership with Lived Experience Leaders, FosterClub drives change in the child welfare system and provides direct support to children and youth.

Addressing Grief in Preparation for Permanency

by Alisa Greenwood | Nov 12, 2024 | Adoption Competent Services>Trauma-Informed Care, Foster Care

Addressing Grief in Preparation for Permanency

Exploring a Young Person’s Emotional Journey to Permanency

Permanency, whether through adoption, reunification, or guardianship, can be seen as the ultimate goal for youth in foster care. However, for many, the jou ey to permanency is fraught with challenges that go beyond logistical and legal hurdles. One significant barrier to successful permanency is the unresolved grief and trauma that many foster youth carry. Understanding and addressing these emotional burdens is crucial for making permanency not just a goal, but a sustainable reality. For many youth in foster care, grief is a constant companion. This grief can stem from a variety of sources: the loss of biological family, the loss of stability and routine, and even the loss of self. Each new placement can trigger a fresh wave of grief, compounding the emotional load and making it difficult for youth to fully engage with new potential permanent families. This persistent grief can impact their behavior, emotional health, and ability to form new attachments. When a young person is facing the loss (whether through death or separation) of biological family – whether it be parents, siblings, grandparents, or otherwise – foster care’s regular disruption of stability and routine may only exacerbate this grief. For foster youth, every move to a new placement disrupts their sense of normalcy and forces them to adapt to an unknown environment. This constant state of flux can hinder their ability to form trusting relationships and maintain emotional stability.

“You’re never okay as a foster kid–it’s abrupt, scary. It’s traumatic. Very traumatic… For my first six months in the system, I slowly developed depression because with the life I was in and the life I lived, I thought that was my normal. And when I was given a normal life, my world came crashing down.”

Anthony Rey, age 18, 3 years in Missouri foster care system: “Healing from this deep-seated grief is not just important, it is essential for the success of any permanency plan. Without addressing these emotional wounds, youth may find it difficult to trust and bond with new caregivers. Healing requires a supportive environment where youth can process their experiences, feel safe to express their emotions, and begin to rebuild their sense of self-worth. Recognizing the trauma that foster youth have experienced is the first step. Understanding how that trauma reflects in a young person’s behavior is the next. In order to create safe spaces for expression and begin to provide consistent emotional support, recognizing how a young person’s trauma shows up daily in their words, thoughts, and actions is critical.”

“A lot of situations could show up, like, it could make you look like you’re a juvie, but really it’s because of your mental health.”

Trinity Mathews, age 23, 8 years in New York foster care system: “Many youth in foster care share that professional mental health support has been important in navigating their grief and beginning the healing process. They describe therapy and counseling as providing valuable tools for understanding and managing emotions, developing healthy coping mechanisms, and building resilience. Consistent and trauma-informed mental health care can help them feel more prepared for the emotional demands of permanency. However, this kind of support is not always accessible to every young person in foster care.”

“I feel like they need to have more… support like therapy, grief counseling because a lot of the girls I lived with in my home, they had lost parents and they had lost siblings and everything and they kind of just were told to ‘thug it out.’ And if they did give a therapist, the therapist did the bare minimum to help them.”

Cloud Wilkins, age 21, 4 years in Michigan foster care: “Preparing youth for permanency involves more than just finding the right family; it requires ensuring that both the youth and the family are ready to navigate the complexities that come with it. The journey to permanency for youth in foster care is closely linked with their emotional healing and the resolution of grief.”

Experiences shared by Anthony Rey, Trinity Mathews, and Cloud Wilkins reveal how unresolved trauma and inadequate mental health support are common challenges for many young people in care. True permanency goes beyond securing a permanent placement; it necessitates addressing the emotional wounds left by past experiences. It also means creating an environment where the youth feels consistently understood and supported, not just immediately after placement, but for years to come.

How Adoption Competency Supports Young People: Alex’s Perspective

by Alisa Greenwood | Nov 12, 2024 | Access to Mental Health Services, Adoption Competent Services>Trauma-Informed Care, Adoption Competent Trainings, Foster Care

How Adoption Competency Supports Young People: Alex’s Perspective

Adoption is often celebrated as a new beginning, but for many youth, it’s a complex jou ey filled with layered emotions and experiences. Part of the process is working with providers who understand adoption competency. Adoption competency refers to the skills, knowledge, and understanding that professionals—like social workers, therapists, and educators—need to effectively support children who are adopted or in foster care, as well as their families.

The Importance of Permanency and Respect

Alex Oleson, a Lived Experience Leader, was adopted into a multi-racial family and has navigated this jou ey. In his experience, he lea ed a great deal about the importance of adoption competency—both for adoptive parents and for the youth themselves. Alex shares, “I am a 22-year-old Black man adopted into a multi-racial family including white, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian siblings. My family has taught me the importance of permanency and to respect and love others that don’t look like me.” Growing up in a diverse family has not only enriched Alex’s life but has also instilled a strong sense of identity. Permanency is crucial for any child, especially those who have experienced instability in foster care. It’s not just about having a roof over your head; it’s about having a consistent environment where love and respect flourish. This foundational support allowed Alex to thrive, encouraging him to embrace his individuality while also appreciating the diverse backgrounds of his siblings.

Misconceptions About Adoption

Alex explains “oftentimes going into foster care there is a misconception that a youth starts a new life with a new family…” This idea that adoption equates to a fresh start can be misleading. While it is a new chapter, it often comes with the weight of unresolved feelings about one’s birth family and past experiences. The phrase “adoption means starting a new life” can be misleading because it oversimplifies the complex emotional jou ey that adopted children and their families experience. While adoption certainly offers the opportunity for a fresh beginning and a loving home, it often comes with the weight of past trauma, loss, and identity struggles. Many adopted children carry memories or feelings about their biological families, which can impact their sense of belonging and self-worth. Additionally, the transition to a new family can be filled with challenges, as children may need time to adjust, build trust, and navigate their emotions. Instead of a clean slate, adoption is more about integrating past experiences into a new narrative, emphasizing the need for understanding, patience, and ongoing support as families work together to heal and grow.

Supporting Identity and Connections

Alex recommends “enacting strategies young people have identified such as identity training…” Identity training focuses on helping individuals, particularly youth, understand and explore their personal identity, including aspects like culture, ethnicity, gender, and life experiences. Identity is a critical aspect of any young person’s development, especially for those in the adoption constellation. Adoptive families should prioritize understanding the unique cultural and emotional backgrounds of their children. By doing so, they empower youth to explore and express who they are while acknowledging their past. Additionally, Alex shares “I would encourage all adoptive or resource parents to support any young person they adopt in feeling confident in themselves…” Maintaining connections with birth families can significantly contribute to emotional stability. For many young people, these relationships are lifelines, providing a sense of belonging and continuity. It’s essential for adoptive families to facilitate and encourage these connections, allowing youth to engage with their kin and preserve their history.

Cultivating Emotional Stability

While some may believe that it’s better for a youth to have a fresh start without contact with their birth families—thinking that biological relatives might sabotage the adoption or that staying connected could be too painful—fostering an environment that values permanency, supports identity exploration, and encourages connections with birth families can truly make a difference in the field of mental health. This perspective overlooks the potential for healing and understanding that can come from maintaining those connections. For many adopted youth, knowing their roots and having access to their biological families can provide a sense of belonging and help them navigate their identities, ultimately supporting their emotional well-being and resilience. Alex shares, “existing relationships with kin are incredibly important for young people’s emotional stability when being adopted. As I reflect on my own jou ey, the support I received from my adoptive family in maintaining ties with my birth family has been invaluable. These relationships can serve as a source of comfort and identity, reinforcing the idea that one’s past does not need to be erased but can be integrated into a new narrative.” Adoption competency is more than just a concept; it’s a commitment to understanding the multifaceted experiences of youth in the system. By creating a nurturing environment that prioritizes permanency, supports identity exploration, and fosters connections with birth families, adoptive parents can significantly impact the field of mental health. Ultimately, it’s about equipping young people with the confidence to embrace who they are while navigating their unique jou eys. In this way, we can transform adoption into a powerful story of resilience, connection, and love.

Looking for Additional Resources?

Visit the Knowledge Hub to access models of intervention, training resources, and practical tools to strengthen cross-system collaboration and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.

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Assessment: My Child Needs Help! How Should I Get Started with Mental Health Care?

by Alisa Greenwood | Oct 4, 2024 | Access to Mental Health Services, Adoption Competent Services, Child Welfare Competent MH, for Caregivers and Families, Foster Care, Parenting

Assessment: My Child Needs Help! How Should I Get Started with Mental Health Care?

Noticing that your child is beginning to struggle with their mental and behavioral health can be a hard moment for any caregiver. The challenges that your child is facing may have begun slowly and grown over time, or may have seemed to come up abruptly, with no easy cause or event to blame. It can be paralyzing to watch your child suffer, and to feel the impact on your own family and home, without knowing the next steps you need to take to secure effective support. The National Center is helping States, Tribes, and territories improve access to child welfare competent mental health services. As part of our efforts to support child-serving systems, we’ve partnered with the Baker Center to create this evidence-based assessment guide to help families and caregivers find care for their loved ones. There are many kinds of assessments that address different presenting problems and challenges, so let’s break it down to help you identify the assessment that you might need for your child. These different assessments can be useful in their own ways, but it can be overwhelming to figure out the right fit.

Adoption Competent Assessments

Mental health professionals working with children and families who have experienced the child welfare system should ensure that their assessment addresses this unique experience. The assessment process should be used as an opportunity to provide families feedback and psychoeducation to help them shift from blaming the child or themselves to a more realistic understanding of what has happened to the child and the resulting difficulties. Some commonly used assessment measures are: Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment Includes the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self Report The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Parenting Stress Index Treatment Outcome Package This article provides more information about how adoption competent assessments can increase the effectiveness of mental health services.

Neuropsychological Assessments

Neuropsychological assessments are conducted by neuropsychologists, who are specifically trained to carry out testing procedures and understand the relationship between an individual’s behavior and cognition. These evaluations are appropriate for children at least 6 years old, through adulthood, though some evaluations may occur much earlier depending on a child’s presentation and need. A good neuropsychological assessment will start with a referral question and then the neuropsychologist works to identify psychological tests that will help them answer pertinent questions. These questions can be broad and are determined by an individual’s need. For instance, a neuropsychological evaluation can assess questions of intelligence, lea ing and comprehension, reading abilities, language abilities, concentration, attention, processing speed, memory, fine motor skills, visuospatial skills, executive functioning, and mood/personality. This kind of testing is often recommended when an individual is experiencing unexplained challenges in day-to-day functioning, particularly struggles at school. This could include difficulty with lea ing and encoding new information, short term memory, challenges interacting with and communicating with others, speaking or pronunciation challenges, poor attention and concentration, unexplained changes in personality, major challenges with executive functioning skills, and having trouble staying organized or completing tasks, among other things. Neuropsychological evaluations can help identify things like:

Learning Disabilities

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ADHD

Autism

Cognitive difficulties

Mood Disorders

A developmental delay

The result of a neuropsychological evaluation is the identification of the above challenges, and recommendations for next steps to support your child through additional services or support in school.

Diagnostic Assessments

If you know your child or teen is struggling, but you’re not totally sure why and they haven’t yet received a psychological evaluation, a diagnostic assessment is a good place to start. A diagnostic evaluation involves a semi-structured interview process in which children and their caregivers are asked about an array of diagnostic areas they might struggle with and specific examples from the child or teens life about how these challenges manifest across settings. The interview will address cultural, social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health conce s for children and adolescents across a wide spectrum. The clinician will address challenges including mood disorders, behavioral disorders, executive functioning, and traumatic stress to consider a broad etiology of factors contributing to the presenting challenges, especially because in youth mental health, the culprit is rarely the cause. In addition to a semi-structured interview, good diagnostic assessments will also include the completion of clinical questionnaires to corroborate or provide an alte ative perspective on functional impairments across settings. This includes having the youth, their caregivers, and other important adults in their lives (e.g., teachers, coaches), completing validated questionnaires about how symptoms do or do not present. Once the interview with child and caregivers are completed and questionnaires are scored, the assessing clinician will hold a feedback session, often complemented with a diagnostic report, outlining clear diagnostic impressions and recommendations for next steps, including treatment and other resources for support. Examples of diagnostic assessments that are validated and empirically supported are:

The K-SADS, (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia)

The ADIS (Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule)

DIAMOND (Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders)

TheMINI (Mini International Neuropsychological Interview)

Bottom line, a good diagnostic assessment is a good place to start, and should include an interview, questionnaires, and a feedback session to clearly outline the problem and the next steps to address it.

ADOS

For more specific areas of concern, there are specific types of evaluations and tests that you can request to help you answer the questions you have about your child. If Autism Spectrum Disorder is an area of conce , we recommend seeking out a provider who offers ADOS. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) is an assessment administered by professionally trained clinicians to evaluate conce s specifically related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the evaluation, they will be assessing communication skills, social interaction abilities, and imaginative uses of materials. This assessment is appropriate for kids as young as 12 months into adulthood and, in tandem with the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) or another comprehensive developmental interview, is considered the gold standard for how to evaluate and diagnose autism across the lifespan. We know that early and comprehensive diagnosis for neurodevelopmental conce s such as autism are key to successful treatment and prevention of problems getting worse over time. Therefore, families must be empowered with information on how to assess this conce . A good autism evaluation should consider developmental history, information from informants in the child’s life, and behavioral observations across time and settings. When you’re deciding where to pursue your evaluation, it’s important to consider what you hope to gain from the assessment. Each of these types of evaluations can provide valuable insight, but you want to make sure that it’s shining a light on the challenges that are most prominent for your child, and that any diagnoses or recommendations given can be actioned based on the information from the assessment.

Sources

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Casaletto KB, Heaton RK. Neuropsychological Assessment: Past and Future (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29198281/). J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2017;23(9-10):778-790. Accessed 07/08/2024.

Kaufman, Joan, et al. “Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL): Initial reliability and Validity Data.” Jou al of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 36, no. 7, July 1997, pp. 980–988, https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199707000-00021.

McCrimmon, A., & Rostad, K. (2014). Test Review: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) Manual (Part II): Toddler Module. Jou al of Psychoeducational Assessment, 32(1), 88-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282913490916

Sheehan, D. V., Lecrubier, Y., Sheehan, K. H., Amorim, P., Janavs, J., Weiller, E., Hergueta, T., Baker, R., & Dunbar, G. C. (1998). The Mini-Inte ational Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. The Jou al of clinical psychiatry, 59 Suppl 20, 22–57.

Shulman, Cory, et al. “The role of diagnostic instruments in dual and differential diagnosis in autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan.” Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, vol. 29, no. 2, Apr. 2020, pp. 275–299, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2020.01.002.

Simon, Ellin, and Susan Maria Bögels. “Screening for anxiety disorders in children.” European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 18, no. 10, 5 May 2009, pp. 625–634, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0023-x.

Tolin, D. F., Sain, K. S., Davis, E., Gilliam, C., Hannan, S. E., Springer, K. S., Stubbing, J., George, J. R., Jean, A., Goldblum, R., Katz, B. W., Everhardt, K., Darrow, S., Ohr, E. E., Young, M. E., & Serchuk, M. D. (2023). The DIAMOND-KID: Psychometric Properties of a Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-5 Anxiety, Mood, and Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Assessment, 30(8), 2351-2363. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911221143994

Looking for Additional Resources?

Visit the Knowledge Hub to access models of intervention, training resources, and practical tools to strengthen cross-system collaboration and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.

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Permanence Versus Placement: What it Means and Why it Matters to Young People

by Alisa Greenwood | Oct 4, 2024 | Adult Adoptee Experience, Foster Care

Permanence Versus Placement: What it Means and Why it Matters to Young People

For youth in foster care, the terms “permanence” and “placement” carry profound significance. While they might seem similar, they represent very different experiences and outcomes. Understanding the distinction between the two is crucial for appreciating the unique challenges and hopes of foster youth.

In the foster care system, placement refers to the act of assigning a youth to a foster home, group home, or other temporary living arrangement. Placements can change frequently, sometimes with little notice, leading to instability and uncertainty for the youth involved. Each new placement requires adjusting to new environments, caregivers, and expectations, which can be incredibly stressful and disruptive.

“I’ve never been inside of like adoptive or foster home [placements]. All of my placements were placements, like, I went from detention centers to group homes to [mental health] treatment facilities. . . independent livings. I’ve never been, like, placed inside of a home.”

– Trinity Mathews, age 23, 8 years in New York’s foster care system

Permanence, on the other hand, goes beyond the physical act of placing a youth in a home. It can embody a sense of stability, belonging, and long-term commitment. Permanency means something uniquely different for each and every young person in foster care. For many foster youth, however, achieving permanence could look like finding a place where they feel safe, valued, and loved—a place they can call home, not just temporarily, but for life.

“From a personal perspective, I find that permanency is not materialistic, but rather purely emotional. For myself, I believe that permanency is feeling welcome and restored.”

– Evelin Ramirez, age 25, 3 years in Montana foster care system

Frequent placements can take a significant emotional toll on foster youth. The constant upheaval can exacerbate feelings of insecurity and mistrust. Youth often report that each move feels like a reminder of their lack of control over their own lives, reinforcing feelings of rejection and abandonment.

“As a child I always knew my life was different and I would just question all the time, like, I would see parents together with their children and I would always wonder why my family doesn’t look like this. Like, why can’t I have this? What did I do wrong?”

-Lily Ford, age 19, 4 years in Rhode Island foster care system

When foster youth talk about permanence, they speak of the longing for a stable, supportive environment where they can build lasting relationships. Permanence is about more than just a roof over their heads; it’s about having consistent, reliable people in their lives and a place where they can form an identity and plan for the future.

“For a long time I felt like a mistake and unworthy of love. I could feel that [my foster parents] wanted to give me more love than I was ready for, but living with them was the first time I felt needed and wanted. I felt valued as an individual. They let me talk to them when I needed them. They hugged me when I wanted it. They made me feel safe and heard. I have never met two people so dedicated to love. They adopted me after two and a half years together.”

– Shelli Guyer, age 24, 2 years in Idaho foster care system

Despite the clear benefits of permanence, many foster youth face significant barriers in achieving it. These can include systemic issues within the foster care system, a lack of suitable permanent homes, and the youth’s own unresolved trauma and grief. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders involved in the foster care system.

Support systems, including mental health services, educational support, and peer support and mentorship programs, play a critical role in helping foster youth transition from placement to permanence. These resources can provide the stability and guidance needed to navigate the complexities of the foster care system and build a foundation for a successful future. Something which can’t be forgotten here, however, is the role of the young person in having access to determining what permanency looks like for them.

“Youth should be informed on all options that are available. Look to the youth as resources to build their own permanency. The court’s role is to provide tools for the young person to be successful in securing permanency.”

– David Hall, age 28, Experience in the Oklahoma foster care system

The distinction between placement and permanence is not just semantic—it reflects the lived experiences of foster youth and their quest for stability and belonging. By prioritizing permanence and understanding its significance and including young people at the table of permanency discussions, we can better support foster youth in their journey toward finding a true home.

Looking for Additional Resources?

Visit the Knowledge Hub to access models of intervention, training resources, and practical tools to strengthen cross-system collaboration and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Knowledge Hub

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