Hoping to inform child welfare agencies about what Indigenous children in foster care need most, the Center for Native American Youth is completing a survey that gives voice to the youth themselves.
The center’s staff say that Native youth are overrepresented in the child welfare system, yet underrepresented in conversations about their needs, which are closely linked to culture, identity and proximity to their tribes. The anonymous survey, titled Understanding Native Youth Foster Care Experiences, captured answers from current and former youth in several states and is believed to be the first of its kind, according to Programs Manager Katy Stewart. While it is a small-scale sample, the information has already been shared with at least one state child welfare agency.
Read the full article at The Imprint.