Using cross-system communication to promote educational well-being of foster children: Recommendations for a national research, practice, and policy agenda

Angelique Gabrielle Day, Cheryl Somers, Joanne Smith Darden, Jina Yoon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study captures the voices of school-based behavioral specialists employed across the state of Michigan to share how well schools and child welfare agencies communicate and collaborate to address the educational well-being of foster care children on their caseloads. This includes knowledge of federal policies and how they support and hinder communication across systems. Participants included a total of 249 K-12 employed school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Survey methodology was used, and both inferential and narrative analyses revealed that these school practitioners were highly unaware of how to identify the foster care children in their schools and what supports they need. The three groups of school-based professionals were similarly unaware, they have minimal communication with outside agencies, and they largely do not take initiative in reaching out to communicate and collaborate with community-based agencies outside the school. Despite that, collectively, the work of child welfare and education professionals could have a substantial impact on retention and the overall student performance of children who are living in out-of-home care. Implications of this lack of communication and awareness are discussed, and recommendations to guide a national research agenda for advocacy and policy efforts are identified.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)54-62
Number of pages9
JournalChildren and Schools
Volume37
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cross-system communication and collaboration
  • Educational well-being
  • Foster care
  • School social work
  • Trauma history

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Education

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Using cross-system communication to promote educational well-being of foster children: Recommendations for a national research, practice, and policy agenda'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this