Foster Care Training

This is a gang prevention and Intervention training to help staff and foster parents to strategically address gang issues in a way that is tailored to your individual circumstances – based on the age group of foster youth, existing gang issues, and school/community safety issues. Oakland has experienced a rise in juvenile involvement in gang and street violence, sexual exploitation of minors and juvenile drug sales. It is important to note that, while many youth may fit popular stereotypes of being gang involved, they may not identify themselves as members of a “gang.” Gang involvement begins as early as elementary school. Children 7 or 8 years of age are being recruited to work for gangs because gang members know younger children are less likely to raise the suspicions of law enforcement. During this course explore ways you can help reduce and prevent the number of youth joining gangs.

Objectives:

1. Participants will have a clear understanding on why youth join gangs and how the greater number of risk factors a youth faces, the more likely it is that they will join a gang. Participants will be able to identify risk factors that may lead to gang involvement.
2. Participants will be able to identify warning signs of gang involvement.
3. Participants will understand the consequences of gang membership. Identify the role of schools, public health, law enforcement, community, family, to prevent gang membership.