September 2014Vol. 15, No. 8Foster Care, Delinquent Behavior, and Juvenile Justice

Research indicates that children and youth in out-of-home care settings are more likely to be arrested as juveniles than youth in the general population. The May 2014 issue of Fostering Perspectives focuses on this intersection of foster care, delinquent behavior, and juvenile justice. Articles written specifically for foster parents and kinship caregivers seek to answer two questions:

1. How can I prevent youth in my care from getting involved with juvenile justice?
2. What do I do if a child in my home is charged with a delinquent act?

While most articles are written by child welfare professionals or veteran resource parents, the Kids' Page section presents youth voices. In this issue, several youth answered the question, "How can foster parents, social workers, and others support youth in foster care when they get in trouble with the law?"

Other articles in this issue discuss:

• Tips for foster parents and kinship caregivers on preventing delinquent behavior
• Adolescent brain development, impulsive and risk-taking behaviors, and implications for parents
• Suggestions for foster parents on handling visits from law enforcement, including tips on advocating for the children in their care
• An overview of the North Carolina juvenile justice system, including an interview with a juvenile defender (a special attorney assigned to youth that advocates for and serves as the youth's voice to the court)
• The use of Child and Family Teams as a tool for effectively working with crossover youth—youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems
• Preventing and responding to runaways from foster care
• Human trafficking and what foster parents should know

Fostering Perspectives, 18(2), sponsored by the North Carolina Division of Social Services and the Family and Children's Resource Program, is available on the Fostering Perspectives website:

http://fosteringperspectives.org/fpv18n2/v18n2.htm?e