WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, leaders of the Caucus on Foster Youth, today announced a panel discussion on the need for trauma informed care for foster youth. These young people may have experienced abuse and neglect before entering the foster care system and need care from professionals who have been trained to recognize and treat trauma. The panel discussion will take place on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 10 a.m. in 212-10 Capitol Visitors Center.
This is the third panel discussion Grassley and Stabenow will have organized during National Foster Care Month. The prior discussions were on promoting policies that allow grandparents or other family members to care for foster youth and preventing homelessness among the 23,000 foster youth who age out of the system each year.
Details of Wednesday’s panel discussion follow. The event is open to congressional staff, the public and the media.
Trauma Informed Care
Foster youth face many challenges when they’re part of the foster care system, and most face complex issues even before entering care. They are abused and neglected, exposed to substance abuse or mental illness. They are then separated from their families and placed in an unfamiliar environment. Before they enter care, they may face some sort of trauma, and when they enter care, they may be traumatized again. This trauma has far reaching consequences that can affect them daily or diminish their long term well-being. Child welfare service providers – along with adoptive and foster parents – are on the front lines in helping children cope with this trauma. Yet, oftentimes, they are not provided the resources or training in properly screening or treating the traumatic issues that foster youth face. This panel discussion will allow foster youth and caregivers to share their perspectives, and experts to share research and best practices from the field.
Sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley and Debbie Stabenow,
Co-Chairs of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth
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