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May 2006Vol. 7, No. 4Refugee Youth Transitioning From Foster Care

The April/May Spotlight from Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) includes articles and resources focused on refugee youth transitioning to adulthood, many of whom have no parents or other family in the United States. These teens encounter all of the same problems as other youth transitioning from foster care, but they also must deal with a culture and institutions that are unfamiliar to them.

Several programs that provide foster care services to refugee children and youth are described to illustrate some promising practices. Family placement, mentoring with an adult from the same cultural background, and support groups are among these strategies.

The BRYCS website also includes links to its Clearinghouse and to back issues of Spotlight, both of which contain numerous resources on child welfare issues involving immigrant and refugee children and families:

www.brycs.org