ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to decrease the spread impacted youth in foster care and foster parents in a myriad of ways. One critical yet unexplored area is how educational changes during the first 2 years of the pandemic impacted this specific group of youth in foster care and foster parents. This exploratory study used three methods: (1) A scoping review of the prior research on pandemics/climate events and school closures and the research from early 2020; (2) individual interviews and focus groups with foster parents and teachers; and (3) an online survey of 88 foster parents. We endeavored to include findings at each stage of the process. Research from prior epidemics and school closures and predictive models predicted learning losses which were verified by the findings in the survey and interviews. Foster parents reported that the youth in foster care had great difficulty concentrating with on-line delivery and the absence or greatly limited access to mental health services compounded the challenges. Even as children returned to classrooms, the behavior of children, youth resulted in suspensions and expulsions likely increasing learning losses. The discussion identifies some approaches to addressing COVID-19 learning gaps and the mental health needs of this vulnerable group of children and youth.
ABSTRACT
This reprinted chapter originally appeared in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2020, 63[6-7], 702-705. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2021-00510-030.) In this letter, we present a case for why and how social workers who work with older adults should assess and respond to human-pet interaction;while important on a routine basis, given the current pandemic situation and subsequent increases in isolation experienced by older adults, it is especially crucial to be responsive to their relationships with pets as potential strengths, stressors or both. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)