Written by Erin Bader from Child Welfare Information Gateway
A sense of belonging and connectedness is a vital human need. We all need the love and support of others in order to achieve our goals and meet our personal definition of success. Unfortunately, young people in foster care are often disconnected from their families, friends, and communities especially when they are unable to safely reunify with their families. While every effort and resource should be utilized to preserve and strengthen families, there are times in which youth need alternative permanency such as adoption and guardianship. On September 30, 2019, the number of children and youth waiting for adoption or other permanent homes was over 122,000, 11 percent of whom were between the ages of 15-17. This is why the Children’s Bureau’s National Adoption Month (NAM) initiative is focused on increasing awareness of the need for permanent families for youth in foster care while also highlighting the importance of engaging young people in both routine and systems-change processes. The theme of NAM 2020 is Engage Youth: Listen and Learn. Child welfare professionals cannot be effective in their work without partnering with youth to ensure that the plan is individualized to each youth’s needs and wants for their life. The thoughts, feelings, and experiences of each young person should not only guide the work but are essential to reimagining and transforming the existing system.
The For Youth section of the National Adoption Month website identifies ways that you can lend your voice and expertise such as decision-making in your own life, co-facilitating/creating trainings for professionals and foster/adoptive families, and joining a youth advisory board. Regardless of how you do it, your insight is so valuable and should be incorporated into all aspects of child welfare. Additionally, the Voices of Youth section features narratives written by your peers and videos that explain what family, unconditional love and support, and a sense of belonging can mean for young people. If you are an advocate working within child welfare, please also feel free to take a look at and share the Resources for Professionals which can help them incorporate youth engagement into their daily practice.
