Article Elevate is a group of young
people who seek to inspire others to understand the needs of
foster care and adoptive teens by sharing their personal stories
of hope. Its members are youth age 13 and older who are involved
in the foster care system, alumni of the system or adopted. This
empowering program teaches youth how to advocate for themselves
and for change within the system and to share with the public
how their lives are affected by the decisions that are often
made for them.
One of the ways that the youth have been able to advocate for
change is by educating and training professionals in the child
welfare system. Elevate youth are a part of a new training that
the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) requires of its new
social workers; the youth give workers a unique perspective
about the decisions they will soon have to be making.
 Members of Elevate have participated in the passage of five
legislative laws. Through this process, they have realized how
advocacy can create change. In February, Elevate youth
participated in a legislative breakfast with the Community
Partnership for Protecting Children. The youth had the
opportunity to speak with legislators about their experiences in
the foster care system. As a way to illustrate their point of
view, Elevate members created paper sacks to represent the bags
that kids in foster care use to move from placement to
placement. On the outside of the bag was printed “Handle with
Care.” Inside the bag was an Elevate member’s journey, a story
of her life since entering foster care.
The youth have also participated in judicial trainings across
the state in an effort to improve the court systems and created
a DVD— Insights: Perspectives from Legal Advocates and the
Youth They Represent—to share their experiences with lawyers
and other members of the judicial community.
One of the topics that Elevate has surveyed its members about is
the topic of permanency. When asked to define the word
permanency some of their answers were as follows: A place to
call home where you feel safe and secure and accepted; a place
where you belong; stability and unconditional love; when you’re
at the place you are and there for a long time until becoming an
adult—or longer if you want to be; and a place that you can call
home that will still be there in the morning.
Clarissa, age 19, shared her definition of permanency and what
comes to mind when she hears that word. One home, one
bedroom, one mom, one dad. When I hear that word it feels like a
fantasy or an illusion—too good to be true.
One of the factors that affected the youth’s perspective on
permanency was the system’s preservation of important
connections, including neighborhood, community, faith, family,
school and friends. Youth who were kept in contact with at least
some of these connections reported a more positive experience.
Most teenagers who are involved with the child welfare system
have had multiple placements and been in many schools,
increasing their educational problems and creating a sense of
disconnectedness.
Elevate youth offer the following recommendations for improving
the child welfare system and permanency outcomes:
- Involve kids more; ask them what they want.
- Explain to the youth what is going on and the steps of the
judicial process. If a child is of an age appropriate to
attend the hearing, give them that opportunity.
- Trust what the children say. A discrepancy in the stories
between an adult and a child does not mean that the child is
lying. Even if a child recants after alleged abuse, do not
assume he was lying.
- Do not speak negatively about the birth family. This will
put the child on the defensive and decrease the odds that he
will trust you. It may also make the child think that you look
down on him because he is part of that family.
- Don’t make promises you cannot keep. If you are not
certain that you can do something, just say that you will try.
To find out more about Elevate or to request a copy of
their DVD, visit the Elevate website at
elevate2inspire.com.
Elevate is a program of Children & Families of Iowa. |
