Don't Be Afraid of Teen-Agers! -- Part 1

Later this week, on Feb 28th, a special panel presentation is going to be held at the Provo Library for already licensed foster parents who don't yet take teenagers. It's called "The Impact of Fostering Older Youth"; dinner will be Panda Express for all in attendance; the cost of that is being covered by the Utah Foster Care Foundation. The objective: to recruit more families to foster teens.

So, there are three teens on the panel, at least one is currently in foster care (my 16 yr old) and a couple of foster parents who already take teenagers, will also be on the panel. In preparation for my youth to present, we drew up a timeline of life events that she would be comfortable sharing. This was a great time for me to learn a lot more about her. And she happened to be in the mood to share. I am so impressed with her survivability, her candor, and her vulnerability. We talked about her having the right to say, "I don't feel comfortable talking about that." if something is asked that she doesn't want to share. Currently, I'm scheduled to train a class in Heber City that same night and I would much rather be at the Provo Library, supporting her. Suffice it to say, I'm going to try to find a substitute trainer.

The UFCF (Utah Foster Care Foundation) is sponsoring the event. It is in answer to a desperate request from DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services) to help them recruit more foster homes who will take kids 14-18 yrs old. In Utah, more than 25% of children currently in custody are between those ages. This is a population who is often overlooked by families with young children, thinking that the older kids will hurt the younger ones. This is a population who, too often, leave state custody without a family, without a place to go 'home' to for holidays, and without emotional support during the tough days life will surely bring. This is a group of kids labeled as trouble-makers, just because of their chronological age or their 'foster' status. But they too, are the victims of abuse or neglect, which initially brought them into DCFS custody.

But, it is our job (as Utah social workers) to clarify who these kids really are. Yes, there are kids who make bad choices (truancy, smoking, shop-lifting, promiscuity), some of them are in foster care, most are not! There are kids in foster care who also make really wise choices and set good examples for younger kids and go on to higher education, stable employment, church service, military service, and healthy parenthood. So, we gather these kids to sit on a panel and say, "Look at us! We're typical teens! We're not scary! We won't hurt your children! We can program your DVD player! We can do our own laundry! Be OUR forever family!"

I'll update you on Friday, after the Thursday night panel. Look for Part 2, then.