Foster Care Training

Foster youth more frequently experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (Clarkson Freeman, 2014), which have a cumulative impact on lifecourse health and social outcomes (Felitti et al., 1998; Hayes-Grudo & Morris, 2020). ACEs in foster youth are risk factors for homelessness, education incompletion, employment and financial instability, mental health concerns, substance use disorder, and chronic health conditions later in life (Rebbe et al., 2017; Rebbe et al., 2018). We will focus on Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs): positive experiences that have been shown to increase resilience and protect against mental and physical illness. Specifically, we will discuss the importance of protective relationships (e.g. unconditional love from a caregiver, being part of a social group, and having a mentor), contextual resources (e.g. food availability, regular physical activity, and having family routines), and targeted interventions (e.g. mindfulness-based practices, programs to enhance cognitive, social, and emotional development) in mitigating the effects of ACEs on foster and system involved youth.