"Just being there, like a shoulder to lean on": Resilience and Mental Health among Older Youth in and Aged out of Foster Care during COVID-19.

Disasters share a common potential for significant ecological and psychosocial disruption at the individual, community, and societal levels, and are especially harmful to members of social groups in vulnerable situations, including youth in foster care and those recently emancipated from care. These young people are susceptible to mental health challenges and understanding their resiliency is key to mitigating pandemic-related harms. This qualitative study aims to (1) understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of older youth between the ages of 18 and 23 (M = 20.5 years, S.D. = 1.7 years), currently in or aged out of foster care (M = 5.9 years in care, S.D. = 4.4 years), and experiencing mental health challenges, and (2) gain insight into the resiliency that supports young people in dealing with these challenges. Twenty-six young people (77% female-identifying, 38% White, 27% Hispanic) in the USA participated in in-depth interviews. Salient themes include: 1) supportive relationships, 2) adaptive coping skills and mindsets, and 3) environmental, institutional, and social supports. Results amplify the voices of these young people concerning the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and foreground the dynamic strategies they are using to alleviate their distress. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00498-7.

'Almost everything else goes to the wayside': Experiences of caseworkers, middle managers and leaders responding to child fatality and near fatality cases

While child welfare scholars and caseworkers have acquired a better understanding of risk factors associated with occurrences of child fatalities due to maltreatment over the past 20 years, little is known about the organisational and system‐level characteristics that impact efforts to prevent or intervene in these cases. As part of a collaborative agreement between a university‐affiliated centre and a state child welfare agency, we conducted interviews by phone with 19 case managers, middle managers and regional leaders who were assigned to manage or oversee a near fatality or fatality case. They illuminated five major themes: 1) their perceived stressors and sources of support;2) client and perpetrator risk factors;3) system‐level risk and protective factors;4) case descriptions;and 5) lessons learned. Relying upon their lived experiences, we offer practice and policy recommendations to Child Abuse Review to support their efforts to prevent and respond to child fatality cases. Efforts should be devoted to evaluating strategies to reduce risk for all families before the child welfare system is involved, supporting workers when they are assigned to fatality cases by reducing caseloads and preparing them for the fatality review process, and embracing a culture of collaboration across and within child‐serving systems. Key Practitioner Messages: To respond effectively to child fatality and near fatality cases, child welfare caseworkers and leaders should be assigned fewer cases in the interim, and receive guidance, consultation, and time to prepare for the fatality review process.Embracing a culture of collaboration across and within child‐serving systems may also prevent fatalities and facilitate an efficient investigative process if/when they do occur.

The experiences of older youth in and aged out of foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Material and financial well-being by foster care status, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and race.

As a marginalized, underresourced population, older youth with foster care experience are acutely vulnerable to the economic and social harms wrought by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study summarizes findings from an online survey deployed in April 2020 to learn about the experiences of current and former foster youth (ages 18-23) during 1 month of the COVID-19 crisis. Using snowball sampling and a cross-sectional design, the survey yielded a final analysis sample of 281 respondents from 32 states and 192 cities or districts. Findings underscore the pervasive negative impacts of COVID-19 on respondents' housing/living situations, food security, employment, and financial stability. Chi-square tests and post hoc analyses revealed demographic disparities in respondents' experiences during COVID-19. Youth who aged out of care, cisgender females, nonstraight youth, and non-White youth were significantly more likely than demographic counterparts to experience pandemic-related adversities. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).