Let It Be Us Participates in Northwestern University Foster Care Research
- Foster Care
- January 22, 2024
Kendra Wright, Program Coordinator of Springboard to Adulthood and Special Families Programs, collaborated with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine on a research artciel titled “Understanding the needs of foster parents of youth with special health care needs: Perceptions, barriers, and recommendations” featured in the Children and Youth Services Review journal on ScienceDirect.com.
Highlights include:
• Youth with SHCN (special health care needs) tend to experience adverse outcomes in foster care compared to their typically developing peers.
• Foster parents cited a lack of SHCN-specific training, insufficient clarity about youth needs, and challenges locating service providers.
• Prospective foster parents tended to be more concerned about logistical barriers rather than service-related barriers.
• Foster parents of youth with SHCN require capacity-building, transparency on youth’s history and needs, and clarity on available resources.
About Kendra Wright, Program Coordinator, Springboard to Adulthood and Special Families Programs
Kendra Wright has experience as a caseworker in child welfare as well as supporting teens and young adults, many who have aged out of foster care. She has personal experience with children and adults who have special needs as well. Wright brings her background and passion to the population Let It Be Us serves as part of the Springboard to Adulthood program which focuses on teens and young adults as well as the Special Families program which focuses on connecting children with special needs with specialized foster homes. Wright has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Rehabilitation and Disability Services from Northern Illinois University where she is also working on her Masters Degree.
About Let It Be Us
