DSW Candidate – Abigail Ayers, 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
$0.00
Virtual Showcase of DSW Scholars 2025 Event!
Amplifying the Voices of Foster Youth: Shaping Child Welfare Policies through Youth Inclusion
DSW Candidate – Abigail Ayers, LCSW
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM Eastern Time Zone
Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)
Description
Amplifying the Voices of Foster Youth: Shaping Child Welfare Policies through Youth Inclusion
This capstone project featured three scholarly papers focused on including foster youth as stakeholders to transform child welfare policy and practice. While the child welfare system is fundamentally designed to protect youth, policy often fails to translate into effective practice, leaving youth excluded from decision-making. As a result, their voices are unheard, and their perspectives are undervalued. Foster youth are experts in their own lives and possess invaluable insights gained through lived experience, which can be utilized to transform the child welfare system and improve outcomes for all youth.
The first product, a systematic literature review, focused on identifying initiatives incorporating foster youth into child welfare agency policy and planning. The review aimed to explore how child welfare policy transfers to practice implementation. Conclusions from the SLR indicate Youth Advisory Boards (YABs) as the most common initiative.
The second product, a conceptual review, developed a new framework by utilizing the concept of economic marginalization to analyze the potential societal impact of involving foster youth as stakeholders in decision-making through Youth Advisory Boards. Economic concepts of supply and demand and human capital were discussed.
The third product, an application paper, focused on expanding Youth Advisory Boards to create a federalized model for consistent practice implementation and youth access across states and localities.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this conference, participants will be able to:
- Gain an understanding of evidence-based initiatives integrating the voices of foster youth into child welfare policy.
- Examine the benefits and challenges of Youth Advisory Boards (YABs) in fostering youth participation in child welfare decision-making.
- Analyze the macro-level impacts of incorporating foster youth as stakeholders in child welfare policy and practice.
Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing
Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)
Target Audience: This conference is intended for social workers and students.
Accreditation: University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Provider # 1377, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/29/22-9/29/25. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 15 general continuing education credits.
Claiming CE Credit: Instructions for claiming CE credit will be disseminated at the beginning of each session.
Questions: If you have any questions regarding CE credit or to report a grievance, please contact Christina Krantz at Christina.Krantz@uky.edu. For technical assistance, please contact lmshelp@uky.edu.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these presentations are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the University of Kentucky or the College of Social Work. The inclusion of any topics, perspectives, or discussions is intended for academic engagement and does not constitute endorsement by the institution.
