Education Experiences for Foster Youth with Disabilities

Background and Purpose

Foster youth and youth with disabilities are at risk for lower educational outcomes than their peers. In schools, foster youth have higher rates of identified disabilities and placement in special education compared to non-foster youth. Thus, many foster children and youth face a compounded educational risk: poor academic outcomes due to issues of maltreatment, school and placement instability and from issues related to their placement in special education.

Little is known about the long term impact of education experiences among foster youth with disabilities and research is only now emerging about best practices in improving experiences of foster youth in schools. This study examines barriers to educational success for foster youth with disabilities from the perspective of child welfare workers.

Methods

This study was part of a larger project examining the collaboration between schools and child welfare agencies.  Four focus groups were conducted with specialists at the state child welfare system (n=22) during their attendance at a statewide agency meeting.  Two focus groups consisted of all disability specialists whose primary function is to provide regional support for caseworkers working with foster youth with disabilities.  The other two focus groups consisted of all education specialists who provide regional support for caseworkers related to school issues. Many of the specialists disclosed that they had experience working both in an education setting and within the child welfare agency.  A semi-structured interview guide was used that asked questions about participants’ experiences working in schools and ways to best support foster youth, particularly those with disabilities. Audio recordings from the focus groups were transcribed and coded using conventional content analysis.

Results

Major themes emerged that suggest problems between schools and the foster care system.  Lack of communication between schools and caseworkers was noted as a serious issue impacting foster youth.  For instance, participants reported that schools frequently did not notify them about special education meetings related to the academic progress of foster youth despite the fact that their attendance is required.  However, participants also acknowledged that schools did not necessarily know who within the foster care system they needed to contact.  Participants also noted the lack of training and expertise schools have in handling disturbances by youth with disabilities.  For instance, several participants noted that police were called to handle youth with behavioral outbursts.  In cases of youth with major disabilities that involve behavioral issues, participants suggested that schools expressed resistance at having to enroll foster youth who they felt would leave the school due to foster care placement changes.

 Conclusions and Implications

Themes point to the need for training of educators working with foster youth and a cultural shift to occur in schools that embrace working with foster youth. On an individual level, effective and consistent communication between foster parents, child welfare workers, and teachers is necessary to support youth with disabilities.