Helping Minority Foster Children Fit Into New Environments | Youth ...

Children are children, regardless of whether or not they have two parents at home, but foster children face a rougher time in life because they normally do not have anyone they can count on in the long-term. Photo Credit: youthlaw.org

The Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 prohibits State agencies and other entities that receive Federal funding and are involved in foster care or adoption placements from delaying, denying, or otherwise discriminating when making a foster care or adoption placement decision on the basis of the parent or child?s race, color, or national origin. In short, this means that over the past 18 years thousands of children have been placed with families who are racially different from their family of origin.

Going into foster or adoptive care is already a stressful event in the lives of the children who are removed from their families and taken to live with strangers. A child who is placed in a home, a community or a school where they are the only person of their race must feel like the system is really piling it?on! The self-consciousness and loneliness brought about by such a situation can be overwhelming.

It isn?t a comfortable situation for the teachers who are called on to help these children fit in and thrive in their new environment either. Making sure that the other children do not bully, tease or embarrass the new classmate requires constant vigilance. Addressing the concerns of the parents about the new kid can be a daunting task as well.

While we can?t anticipate every situation that may arise due to a transracial placement, we can proactively ward off some potential problems by using these suggestions.

1. Introduce the new child to the class then ask for volunteers that will be the new student?s study buddy, lunch partner, after school activity host, and bus pal.

2. Speak privately to the student after class and ask if there is anything you can do to personally help make their transition to the new school as seamless and effortless as possible.

3. Find out what sort of extracurricular activities interest the new student and introduce him/her to the adults who lead the named activities.

Helping the new student feel included and accepted will not only improve their academic performance, but it may also provide them with a sensation that they have never experienced before: the feeling of being wanted.

Written by Rita Rizzo

Tags: academic, bully, embarrass, minority foster children, tease, transracial

Source: http://www.youthonrace.org/helping-minority-foster-children-fit-into-new-environments

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