• About Us
  • Contact
  • Subscribe Now
  • Download App
  • Benefit Hub for Subscribers Only
SWHELPER - Social Work Helper
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Mental Health
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Disability
  • Webinars
  • Buy Merch
Find/Post Jobs
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Mental Health
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Disability
  • Webinars
  • Buy Merch
No Result
View All Result
SWHELPER - Social Work Helper
No Result
View All Result
Home Human Services Child Welfare

Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care Epidemic

Stephanie PinskybyStephanie Pinsky
May 19, 2023
in Child Welfare, Parenting, Social Work
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on PinterestShare via EmailShare on Reddit

teen_grad_1_560

Possibly one of the few things more challenging than being a teenage parent is being a teenage parent in foster care.  While the adverse effects of teen pregnancy have been well studied, researchers and social service providers are only recently coming to terms with the growing epidemic of pregnant and parenting youth in foster care.

According to a 2009 Chapin Hall Study  adolescents in foster care are at a significantly higher risk for pregnancy than the general adolescent population:

  • At ages 17 and 18, one-third or 33% of young women in foster care were pregnant or parenting
  • By age 19, more than half, or 51 % of young women currently or formerly in foster care were pregnant or parenting, and nearly half of those young women had more than one child
  • 60% of 21-year-old former foster males report impregnating a female partner as compared to 28 % of the general population

To be clear, foster youth are children who have been removed from their families and are in the legal custody of the state. Another way to think of this is, the government is their parents. If that is the reality, then foster youth are basically “our children” and we are doing a pretty shabby job at being their parents.

What is possibly even more troubling than a 50% pregnancy rate is the experiences of these young parents while in foster care:

  • 1 in 5 pregnant teens in foster care received NO prenatal care
  • 22% of teen foster care mothers were investigated for child maltreatment
    (this is way above the 12% of teenage parents in general)
  • 11% of teen foster care mothers had their children removed from their custody
  • 44% of foster care mothers graduated from high school; 27% for parenting foster fathers
  • Having a child while in foster care was the largest predictor of homelessness after exiting care

Teen pregnancy and parenting are only one of the indicators of poor foster care outcomes. Very few programs and policies address the needs of pregnant and parenting youth in foster care or work to prevent initial or repeat pregnancy.  Other critical foster care outcomes include a significant increase in the risk of homelessness, incarceration, poor educational attainment, and poverty for foster youth ages 14-18. But there is something uniquely disturbing about the fact that the children of foster youth are at-risk for entering foster care while their parents are still in foster care.

Though I am in no way suggesting that the U.S. do away with child protective services or foster care, circumstances such as these do beg the question, “Is the government any better at being a parent than the very caregivers these children are removed from?” This is a scary question to ask, but one that social workers must constantly be appraising.  The answer is not “no” but it is not a resounding “yes” either.

By definition, children in foster care come into care from troubled circumstances, putting them at greater risk for a number of poor outcomes. But we must make a guarantee to these children that the new environments we provide for them will make them better off than the environments we took them from. We must transition child welfare into a place where safety and permanency are not our only goals. Well-being and a better future are essential.

As a child welfare systems change analyst, I applaud the tireless work of child welfare workers and administrations and recognize it is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding, jobs to do. There are so many forces beyond our control and endless administrative hurdles to overcome. But we must still do better. We have to do better or what is the point of the entire system?

References & Resources: 

Boonstra, H.D. (2011). Teen pregnancy among young women in foster care: A primer. Guttermacher Policy Review, 14 (11) pp.8-19.

Center for the Study of Social Policy: Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Children’s Bureau, Administration of Children, Youth, and Families. The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2012 as of July 2013.

Children’s Defense Fund. (2010). Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act Summary.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Making Common Sense A Common Practice: Mentoring & Social Work

Next Post

Hospital to pay $75,000 for Discrimination against Child Care Worker with Cerebral Palsy

Stephanie Pinsky

Stephanie Pinsky

Stephanie Pinsky is the Political Staff Writer for Social Work Helper. She recently completed her MSSW from Columbia University where she focused on Public Policy. She completed her field placement at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, where she worked on the Child Welfare Systems Change team. As a passionate social justice advocate and political fanatic, Stephanie writes on a wide range of social work policy issues including child welfare, immigration, public assistance, mental health, education, and race equity. You can read her blog Social Justice & Beyond at SocialWorker4Change.wordpress.com and follower her on Twitter @StephaniePinsky

Related Posts

Treating Teen Addiction With Compassion and Empathy
Mental Health

UB Social Work Researcher Introduces a New Tool for Treating Alcohol and Drug Addiction

June 6, 2023
Do District-Based Elections For School Board Help Minority Candidates Get Elected?
News

NASW Opposes Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Exams

May 22, 2023
Journalist Turned Social Worker?
Opinion

Journalist Turned Social Worker?

May 23, 2023
Business

Technology and Entrepreneurship in Social Work

May 21, 2023
Morgan State University Professor Anthony Estreet to be next CEO of NASW
News

Morgan State University Professor Anthony Estreet to be next CEO of NASW

May 23, 2023
To Address the Child Care Crisis, Talk to Low Wage Moms
Child Welfare

What is Early Trauma and Why Does it Matter?

May 19, 2023
Next Post
Hospital to pay $75,000 for Discrimination against Child Care Worker with Cerebral Palsy

Hospital to pay $75,000 for Discrimination against Child Care Worker with Cerebral Palsy

Early Childhood Education Pilot has Complex Mix of Concerns

Early Childhood Education Pilot has Complex Mix of Concerns

Leave Comment
ADVERTISEMENT
GET THE LATEST NEWS!
Subscribe
We hate spam and never share your details.
×

Thank you!

What Can Be Done To Solve The Foster Care Crisis?

Ending the Therapeutic Relationship: Creative Termination Activities

May 19, 2023
Exploring Emotions: The Power of the Feelings Heart Exercise in Therapy

Exploring Emotions: The Power of the Feelings Heart Exercise in Therapy

May 19, 2023
Want to Work With Children: 5 Skills and Qualities You Should Be Working On

Want to Work With Children: 5 Skills and Qualities You Should Be Working On

May 19, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT

Connect With Us

Twitter
FlipboardInstagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram TikTok
SWHELPER – Social Work Helper

  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Buy Merch
  • Terms of Service

© 2022 Social Work Helper, PBC

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Politics
    • Criminal Justice
    • Social Work
    • Education
    • LGBTQ
    • Technology
    • Disability
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Webinars
  • Career Center
  • Subscriber Benefit Hub
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart

© 2022 Social Work Helper, PBC

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
Sign Up with Linked In
OR

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.