Foster care is the home placement of children living in situations considered to be in an at risk environment. Abuse and neglect are usually the main causes for the removal of a child from the home. Change of home care is generally intended for temporary purposes to for the primary care giver to regain stability. Provisional interference is the initial intent when removing a child from the home but isn 't always the result depending on the severity of exposure to danger. The objective is positive, to remove children from hazardous circumstances, but has also been associated with the negative developmental consequences that place children at risk for behavioral, psychological, developmental, and academic …show more content…
The number of children in foster care continues to rise each year, reflecting the flaws and problems within the system. It is a known fact that children who have been abused or neglected often have a range of unique physical and mental health needs (First Focus, 2008). The Massachusetts foster care systems seems to be struggling with the following issues: providing safe homes for the children, reducing the length of stay in foster care by increasing the adoption rates, improving the education system and health care systems for both children in and those transitioning out of foster care and a plan to provide adolescents with better life skills to foster independence after foster …show more content…
BTG is a 12 week prevention/intervention program to teach positive life skills to at risk youth ages 12-17. This program is at no cost to the family, and for many of the foster youth who attend; this is an assurance that they can participate. BTG aims to provide the teenagers with skills and community resources as well as the necessary tools for positive and successful decision-making. BTG features group activities and discussions, peer guidance, and guest speakers. Areas addressed include anger management, substance abuse, education, and employment. BTG has served over thousands of at risk adolescents and it has been a successful intervention. The director at BTG reported that
Eighty percent of adolescents do not reoffend, and thirty percent of those who attend the program are in foster care (R. Volkart, personal communication, February 22, 2010). These statistics show that this program does make an impact of foster youth who are in need of an