Protective and Risk Factors for Young People who Transition from Foster Care

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
806	6099	3080	100%

Progress 01/13/14 to 12/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:• Policy makers • Funders • Academics • Practitioners • Foster parents • Students • People in foster care • Advocates • Educators Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?* William Gladden Foundation Conference. Growing Up in The Care Of Strangers. Tallassee, Florida. 7/22/2018 • Starr Commonwealth Schools. Thriving following foster care. Albion, MI. 9/2017. • Teaching both ISS 210 and SWK to a combination of both undergraduate and graduate students provide an excellent oppotunity to inform future stakeholders with respect to foster care trauma issues. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?See articles, book chapters, books reporting section. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I think that the most important progress made toward stated goals is a new understanding of the the importance of the recognition of pre-transition trauma as an important factor of the transition process and that the simple identification of uncomplicated ecological risk and protective factors are insufficient. Emerging research informs stakeholders of the importance of the addressing inflicted relational trauma. Relational, or Type 2 traumas (ongoing trauma) are more likely to result in long term negative effects than Type 1 trauma (single episode trauma). Our challenge as researchers informing policy makers, funders and practitioners with respect to trauma informed practice is two-fold: 1) to support practitioner efforts in creating caring community based and organizational, agency and school cultures that include healthy environmental characteristics and 2) to understand that that the private logic (Seita and Brendtro, 2005) of traumatized and relationship-wary young people is adaptive and a way to cope with noxious environments.

Publications

Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Seita, J. (2018). A Brief History of Foster Care in Handbook of Foster Youth. Trejos, E. & Trevino, N. (eds.) Routledge Press. London, England.
Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bath,H.& Seita, J. (2018). The Three Pillars of Transforming Care. Trauma and Resilience in the Other 23 Hours. University of Winnipeg Press. Winnipeg, Canada.
Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Seita, J. The Conversation (2018). https://theconversation.com/heres-how-we-can-make-going-to-college-smoother-forstudents- who've-been-in-foster-care-88694Heres how we can make going to college smoother for students whove been in foster care

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience has been fellow academic scholars through the publication of research findings in a refereed journal article. A second audience has been targeted and reached as a result of several presentations at professional conferences. Additional dissemination of research findings has occurred through informal discussions with professional affinity groups, sharing at nonprofit board functions and with research partners. Of course, MSU students are also an audience through PI taught course work which integrates findings into lectures and course materials. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Michigan State University School of Social Work Continuing Education. The Private Logic of Kids Who Outwit Adults. Webinar. 5/24/16 University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin - Keynote. In Whose Best Interest: From Risk to Resilience 6/17/2016 William Gladden Foundation Conference. Growing Up in The Care Of Strangers. Tallassee, Florida. 7/9/2016. Western Michigan University. Seita Scholars Roundtable. Life After Foster Care. Kalamazoo, MI. 9/2016. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?See above. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I have cultivated new research partnerships with two international nonprofits to conduct research on the rate of trauma exposure for young people who have been in foster care and other out of home placements. We plan to use the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) instrument to measure trauma exposure and to project transition challenges. ACE was developed in the late 1990s, by a large American medical insurance company, Kaiser Permanente, which had collected a great deal of data on many thousands of individuals from birth through old age. Kaiser Permanente partnered with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to look at the life courses of adults exposed to adverse experiences as children. They identified common adverse childhood experiences which were correlated with problematic health, social, and behavioral outcomes. The researchers identified ten adverse childhood experiences that occurred relatively frequently: Household dysfunction Substance abuse Parental separation or divorce Mental illness Domestic violence Criminal behavior Childhood abuse Psychological abuse Physical abuse Sexual abuse Neglect Emotional neglect Physical neglect While there are many other childhood adversities that occur (including being placed into out-of-home care or the death of a parent), these ten were the most prevalent. For each of these ACEs, a score of 1 was allocated, regardless of the age at which the events occurred, the intensity of the experience, or the number of times a particular ACE occurred. Researchers have found very strong correlations between the sheer number of ACEs and a wide range of later behavioral and social difficulties, as well as physical diseases, including life threatening conditions. Many diseases (cardiovascular, pulmonary and liver disease, and depression); behavioral disorders (drug dependence, suicide attempts, chronic smoking, alcoholism, and risky sexual activity) and adverse adolescent and adult outcomes (being prone to violence and juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior) have their roots in childhood adversity and trauma. In summary, this research initiative is nascent and novel. To date, the ACE study has examined a sample in which half were female; 74.8% were white; the average age was 57; 75.2% had attended college; and all had jobs and good health care, because they were members of the Kaiser insurance plan. The demographic being explored in this research is dramatically different in terms of age, race, income level, gender and life experiences, and will possibly have been exposed to greater and more frequent trauma, and will likely have more challenging health outcomes which could result in new polices and the reallocation of resources targeted toward this particular population

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The identification of risk factors and protective factors for transitioning foster care alumni has broadened to beyond simply identifying observable environmental risk and protective factors to now include the recognition of pre-transition trauma as an important factor of the transition process. Children and young people who have been placed in out-of-home care have very high rates of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). One study found that children in the foster care system had rates of PTSD that were twice those of US veterans returning from combat. Quite significantly, it has been found that complex or Type 2 traumas (ongoing trauma) are more likely to result in PTSD than Type 1 trauma (single episode trauma). Our challenge as researchers informing policy makers, funders and practitioners with respect to trauma informed practice is two-fold: 1) to support practitioner efforts in creating caring community based and organizational, agency and school cultures that include healthy environmental characteristics and 2) to understand that that the private logic (Seita and Brendtro, 2005) of traumatized and relationship-wary young people is adaptive and a way to cope with noxious environments. Dissemination continues through scholarship publications, professional presentation and select media.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Seita, J. Day, A., Carrellas, A & Pugh, P. (2016). Assessing the Help-Seeking Behaviors of Foster Care Alumni within their Own Social Networks. Journal of Sociology and Social Work 4 (2), 1-9
Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Seita, J. (2018). History of Foster Care: Policy, Practice and Reformation. In Handbook of Foster Youth. In Trejos, E. & Trevino, N (eds.), Handbook of Foster Youth. John R. Seita Michigan State University
Type: Books Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bath, H & Seita (2018). The Three Pillars of Transforming Care in The Other 23 Hours. The University of Winnipeg Publications. Winnipeg, Canada.

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences arefellow academic scholars, social work practioners, educators, policy makers, funders, foster parents, private foundations, and alumni of foster care. A secondary audience are my undergraduate and graduate students at MSU. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? March, 2015. Keynote: The Circle of Courage. Breakout topics: Connectedness, Continuity, Dignity and Opportunity, (CCDO) Kids Who Outwit Adults and the Private Logic of Conflict. Presentation Location: The Rackers Center which is an alternative education school in Ithaca, NY. February, 2016. Obstacles and Pathways in Aging out of Foster Care while Attending College. Presentation Location: Western Michigan University. March, 2016. Invited Keynote Speaker at the 15th Annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference. Keynote Topic: In Whose Best Interest? Breakout sessions included Private Logic and Connecting with Kids Who Outwit Adults. Location: Amarillo, Texas May, 2016. Webinar. Private Logicof Kids Who Outwit Adults. MSU School of Professional Development. Location: MSU School of Social Work. July, 2016. Invited Keynote Speaker for the William Gladden Foundation. The Importance of Alumni Leadership in Reforming Foster Care. Location: in Tallahassee, Fla July, 2016. The Challenges and Strengths of Young People Aging out of Foster Care. University of Wisconsin. Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through training/workshops and publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to research, publish, network and seek funding. I am working on a researchdesign and seeking funding to identify outcomes and placement preferences for alumni of out of home placement. An analysis of out of home placement preferences for alumni of foster care is the ultimate product.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The above goals continue to progress through workshops/training, targeted publications, networking with connected colleagues and other stakeholders, and ongoing and planned research. Note that the quantifiable demonstration of goal progress in social science isinfluenced and informedby local context,resources, political will,citizen involvement, local population needs, non-standardization of the application of research findings, varying levels of adoption and adaptation of best practices, and skill levels of providers. Therefore, the ability of a social scientist to demonstrate goal attainment is a long-term commitment andis challenging to demonstrate in an annual report..

Publications

Type: Books Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Bath, Howard and Seita, John. The Three Pillars of Trauma.
Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Seita & Brown. The History of Foster Care in America in Handbook of Foster Youth -Routledge/Taylor
Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Seita and Brown (2017). An analysis of out of home placement preferences for alumni of foster care. William Gladden Foundation. Tallassee, Fla.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience: Educators, special education teachers, social workers, policy makers, funders, families,foster care workers and youth development professionals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Presented two keynote professional developmental opportunities both in March, 2015 while on sabbatical. One was in Ithaca, NY at The Rackers Center which is a alternative education school.Topics included the Circle of Courage and the core principles of a model of support that considers the developmental needs of people.Further topics included Kids who Outwit Adults.andthePrivate Logic of Conflict. Asecond keynote was in Amarillo, TX atthe 15th Annual Child Abuse PreventionConference. The audience included child care workers, social workers and teachers. Topics included: In Whose Best Interest Private Logic The Private Logic of Connecting with Kids Who Outwit Adults How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through professional presentations and journal articles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continued presentations and writing to professional audiences. Outside of the scholarly community the use of social such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube is worth exploring.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The content below relates to report goals 1 and 2: 1. Risk factors for transitioning foster care alumni 2. Protective factors for transitioning foster care alumni Selected risk factorsidentified in research: 1)Poor preparation by caregivers in helpingyoung peoplefrom foster careto transition to college. 2) The lack of social support systems while in college. 3) Confusion about rules in college and in society 4) Concerns about money 5) Uncertainty about housing during the summer and during semester breaks Protective factors identified: 1) A sense of self-reliance and resilience. 2) A sense of pride for being admitted to college 3) Improved policies and laws for this population such as foster care being extended until age 21. 4) Increased resources for the population such as more funding for the John Chaffe Foster Care Independence Program and the State of Michigan Foster Youth in Transition. The content below relates to report goals 3, 4 and 5: 3. Informing policy on how to improve the transition process for foster care alumni 4. Informing practice on how to improve the transition process for foster care alumni 5. The disseminationof best practice to appropriate stakeholders in the area of the transition process for foster care alumni The above three goals are all communication activities that are addressed through the following mechanisms and are documented in other sections of the report ("Target Audience", "Products") and include training activities, public presentations to professional groups and writing in professional journals.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Seita, John (2014). Reclaiming Disconnected Kids. Reclaiming Children and Youth. V1 n. 23 Spring 2014.
Type: Books Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: Brown & Seita. A Foster Care Manifesto: Describing the Alumni Transition Movement. William Gladden Foundation Press. Tallahassee Fla.
Type: Books Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Bath& Seita. The Three Pillars of TraumaWise Care. Starr Commonwealth Press. Albion, MI.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: 1. Seita, J& Day, A. An Assessment of Behavioral Orientation of Foster Care Alumni within Their Own Social Networks. Journal of Public Child Welfare

Progress 01/13/14 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Target audience includes social work practitoners and educators. The target audience also includes other scholars, potential funders, students, and policy makers and perhaps the general public. Changes/Problems: The biggest challenge in working with this population for research purposes is accessibility. The foster care alumni population can be difficult to locate due to several factors:a high percentage of foster carealumni are incarcerated, homeless or someprefer not to be found. Therefore the big challenge isnot only locating them but also encouraging and supporting them in order follow with then up for research purposes. Children in foster care constitute less than .003 percent of the nation’s population. However, 17 percent of state prisoners are former foster-care children, 40 percent of foster children leave the system to go on the nation’s welfare roles, and 39 percent of the homeless youth in Los Angeles County are former foster-care children (McKenzie, 1999). Cook, 1990,1992 found: 66 percent of 18-year-olds had not completed high school or obtained a GED;. 61 percent had no job experience 38 percent had been diagnosed as emotionally disturbed; . 17 percent had a drug abuse problem · 90 percent had a health problem; 17 percent of the females were pregnant. 40 percent had held a job for at least 1 year; among the females, 60 percent had given birth. 25 percent had been homeless for at least one night and fewer than 1 in 5 were completely self-supporting. Courtney & Piliavin in a 1998 study of Wisconsin youths 12-18 months after they emancipated from foster care in 1995, researchers found: .37 percent had still not completed high school; · 18 percent of the youths had been incarcerated at some point since their discharge. Nevada KIDS COUNT (2001) interviewed 100 youth who had aged out of foster care at least six months ago. They found: 41 percent did not have enough money to cover basic living expenses; . 34 percent earned less than $5,000 in 1999, and 60 percent earned less than $10,000; 24 percent had supported themselves at some time by dealing drugs; 11 percent had had sexual intercourse in exchange for money; While 63 percent were employed at the time of the interviews 55 percent had lost at least one job since leaving care; What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? During the current reporting year, the researcher has provided a total of13 workshops and professional development opportunities across the region, state and the nation. Invited Keynote Speaker Saginaw Carrolton HS Title: Strength-Based Approaches in a school setting. January 14 Invited Keynote Speaker RISE U.P. for Youth Convening Conference. Marquette, Michigan. March, 25. Invited Keynote Speaker Saginaw DHS Foster Parent banquet. One person can make a difference. May 14. Muskegon County Juvenile Transition Center Panelist. Helping the isolated or awkward youth find their comfort zone in the athletic/camp environment. MSU Breslin Center. May 21. Invited Keynote Speaker National Resource Center for Youth Services: The University of Oklahoma Outreach. May 30. Invited Keynote Speaker Texas outreach conference. Transitioning Out of Foster Care: Health Care Supports and Challenges Dallas. June 4th Invited Keynote Speaker 2013 Southern Region Student Wellness Conference. Thursday, July 11th.San Bernardino County Superintendent of School Invited Keynote Speaker National pathways to adulthood conference. Baltimore. MD. August 9. Radio interview WKFR September 4th. Topic: MSU Fame Program. East Lansing, Michigan Panelist on Foster Care Transition Saint Vincent home. Delta Township Library September 4th. Invited Keynote Speaker 14th Annual Worcester Institute on Loss and Trauma Conference "Innovative Practices in Treating Complex Trauma" 9/11/2013 Worcester, MA. Hogan Campus Center at the College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Square, Worcester MA 01610 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? As noted above, the resultshave been disseminated through professional development opportunities in various academic and practitioner localesas well as through journal articles, book chaptersand books. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? I plan to do more the same,includingnetworking with community groups, policymakers legislators, funders, practitioners like social workersand teachersand scholars.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I think the main accomplishment is applying our reseach toward the MSU FAME program (Fostering Academics Mentoring Excellence). FAME is an on campus program for foster alumni provided for alumni of fostter careon the campus of MSU. The program provides support to young people who have trasnsitioned from foster carein theareas of academics, mentoring for social support as well as understanding the complexities and machinations of things like financial aide and personalbudgeting. A second accomplishment is using the research to present to various professional audiences across the nation. Moreover, the researcher has been invited to present his findingsin New Zealand during the coming year.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Seita, J. (2014). Family Privilege. Reclaiming Children and Youth.23.(2).
Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Brown and Seita. (2013). A Foster Care Manifesto: Defining the Alumni Movement. Gladden Foundation Press. Tallahassee, Fla
Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Blitz, R., Brown, W and Seita, J. (2013). Early Detection/Intervention with Children Adopted or In Foster Care. In Glascoe FP, Marks KP, Poon JK, Macias MM (Eds). Identifying and Addressing Developmental-Behavioral Problems: A Practical Guide for Medical and Non-medical Professionals, Trainees, Researchers and Advocates. Nolensville, Tennessee: PEDSTest.com, LLC, 2013
Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Seita, J. & Baines, T. (2013). Using Program Evaluation in an HBCU. In Fort, E. Survival of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Making it Happen. Lexington Books
Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2015 Citation: b. Seita. (under review) Deep Brain Learning: Trauma and Resilience: Trust Maps. Belonging and Attachment, Hurdles and Lags, Relationship Beachheads). Reclaiming Family Privilege. Reclaiming Children and Youth
Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2015 Citation: Seita,J& Day, A. An Assessment of Behavioral Orientation of Foster Care Alumni within Their Own Social Networks. Journal of Public Child Welfare.