Engagement Resources
Teens in the child welfare system may find it to be lonely and disconcerting at times. Dealing with past trauma, feeling unheard and misunderstood, and the looming fear of aging out can all be scary to them. As adoption professionals, it is your job to shine a light on possibilities that youth cannot see for themselves. The resources below are meant to be shared with the teens you work with as you help them better understand what has happened and prepare them to make decisions for their future.
- Empowering Youth to Be Agents of Change in Their Own Lives (PDF - 128 KB)
Child Welfare Information Gateway, National Foster Care Month - "Foster Care Alumni - Making Lived Experience Matter" [Podcast]
Child Welfare Information Gateway - A Guide for Youth: Understanding Trauma [Video]
Youth Move National - You Are the Hope (PDF - 653KB)
Unbelievably Resilient - “I Want Other Kids to Know the Things I Learned Over Time”
AdoptUSKids - Our Identities/Ourselves: Know Your Rights Guide for Young People and Families (PDF - 320 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy - "Radical Self-Love: An Alternative Trauma Response"
Bennet & Lynch-Novakovic
The Guardian, 43(2) - Using the Protective and Promotive Factors to Support Youth Well-Being: Guide for Youth (PDF - 205KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy - Using Your Voice: A Guide for Youth on Participating in Case Planning
Child Welfare Information Gateway