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05 May 2008
Adolescent Human Services in the U.S. and Oregon
For most, adolescence is a time of change, confusion, and turmoil. When issues, such as poverty, drug abuse, and depression are present, human service professionals step in to guide them to a more positive, productive future. Over seventy million Americans are juveniles, and, of those, at least eighteen percent are living in poverty (“Statistical Briefing,” 2007). Coupled with severely underfunded services and the scarcity of educated human services helpers, the number of adolescents in need will only continue to grow.
Some common problems among today’s teens are obesity, depression, and suicide rates. At least ten to fifteen percent of America’s youth are obese which is a growing epidemic that only compounds problems with depression (Burniat, 2002). A survey of Oregon teens found that about twenty percent have experienced an episode of major depression, and 66 percent of juveniles in custody have a diagnosed mental illness, at least 34 percent of whom have been sexually abused (Oregon Department of Human Services [DHS], 2007; Oregon Youth Authority [OYA], 2008). The sharp increase in this mood disorder correlates strongly with an increase in suicide which is seriously considered by twelve percent of Oregon youth every year (Oregon Public Health Division, Injury Prevention and Epidemiology [IPE], 2007). Teen females are twice as a likely to attempt suicide than males, but boys are three times more likely to succeed (DHS, 2007). In fact, in Oregon, there are more teen suicides than homicides, making it the second leading cause of death behind car crashes (“Statistical Briefing,” 2007).
Many of these troubled youth turn to violence, drug or alcohol abuse, or other deviant behaviors in order to cope with stressful times. Teen violence correlates strongly with physical and sexual abuse, economic disadvantages, and discrimination, and, although youth arrests have dramatically decreased since the mid-1990s, about 2.5 million juveniles are arrested each year (Hoffman, 2004). Teenagers are the most likely to sexually assault young children, and teens are most likely to be assaulted by a young adult who is usually a family member or aquaintance (“Statistical Briefing,” 2007). This disturbing fact is accentuated by the fact that around forty percent of Oregon’s juveniles in custody have committed a sex offense (OYA, 2008). A primary factor of juvenile crime is often drug or alcohol abuse. Juveniles in custody are ten times more likely to have substance abuse problems than their peers (Stanley-Salazar, 2007). “The research shows clearly that substance abuse is one of a constellation of problem behaviors including delinquency, truancy and dropout, high-risk sexual activity, violence and others,” and “the presence of any one is highly predictive of the others (Stanley-Salazar, 2007).” Fortunately, cigarette and marijuana use among Oregon teens has declined in recent years and is now at approximately sixteen percent; however, alchohol abuse remains pervasive at 32 to 44 percent (DHS, 2008). This problem often stems from poor parental role-modeling, as nearly half of juvenile offenders admit to drug or alcohol abuse occurring in the home (DHS, 2008).
At the heart of many of the problems facing America’s youth are poverty, homelessness, and inadequate education. Of the eighteen percent of youth who are living in poverty, there are twice as many of Black or Hispanic races than white (Cannella, 2002). Youth of color are likewise overrepresented with juvenile arrests and school dropout rates (OYA, 2008; “Statistical Briefing,” 2007). Poverty is the result of many factors, including political, social, and economic dynamics, and the poor have been hit the hardest by recent economic downturns and lack of services funding (“Poverty,” 2008). Youth in foster care suffer a large impact, often unnecessarily, as at least half of them have been taken from their parents only because they are poor (Cannella, 2002). Teens living in poverty face more than homelessness and crime, however, as they are at least fifty percent more likely to die before adulthood (Cannella, 2002). Every year, 1.5 million youth either run away from home or are kicked out by their parents, and thirteen percent of those wind up living on the streets (Oregon Commission on Children & Families [OCCF] and Oregon Partners for Children & Families [OPCF], 2007). Add to that the disconcerting fact that the other forty percent of homeless youth come directly from the foster care system, and, in Oregon, that adds up to approximately 25,000 homeless teens, most of whom live on the streets in downtown Portland (OCCF and OPCF, 2007). Why do youth run away? The vast majority of them cite family problems as the primary reason. At least sixty percent have been physically abused, and an estimated fifty percent have been sexually abused (OCCF and OPCF, 2007). Sadly, most homeless teens never finish high school. Approximately one million, or twelve percent, of youth drop out of high school every year (“Statistical Briefing,” 2007; White, 2007).
There are a number of federal and state laws designed to protect the rights of youth and provide funding for youth services. Federal and state legislature which aims to protect the rights of youth include:
· Oregon’s House Bill 2004 created the Oregon Commission on Children and Families, and it provides supportive and preventive measures to keep children from entering the welfare and juvenile justice systems (OCCF and OPCF, 2007).
· The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 protects children from sexual exploitation and violent crime, prevents child abuse and child pornography, and promotes internet safety. It also requires criminal background checks on foster and adoptive parents, and it created a national database of substantiated child abuse cases (The Administration for Children and Families [ACF], 2008).
· The Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003 created the Amber Alert system and increased penalties for the sexual abuse of a child (ACF, 2008).
· The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 strengthened acts already in place, such as the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (ACF, 2008).
· The Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 focused more attention on finding adoptive families for older youth in foster care (Joint Council on International Children’s Services [JCICS], 2007).
· Oregon’s Senate Bill 1034 improved the way youth transition out of the foster care system (OCCF and OPCF, 2007).
· The highly controversial No Child Left Behind Act aims to improve education in public schools and increase testing standards for both students and teachers. Opponents allege that this act has only exacerbated the teacher shortage and masked student achievement issues (White, 2007).
Legislature designed to allocate funds for youth services include:
· The Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children’s Protection Act increased funding for at-risk youth and transitional living programs for young mothers and it reauthorized funding for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (U.S. House of Representatives, 2003).
· Oregon’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Act provides funding for local youth services, such as street outreach programs, emergency shelter, case management, and transitional living programs (OCCF and OPCF, 2007).
· The Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 increases reserves for Indian tribes and promotes caseworker retention and training (ACF, 2008).
· CAPTA, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, provides funding to states and public agencies for preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and researching cases of child abuse or neglect (ACF, 2008).
· The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) provides funding to states for delinquency prevention measures, offers incentives for state and non-profit compliance, and supports law enforcement initiatives (Johnson, 2007).
· The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 gives states additional funding for assisting youth in transition from foster care to self-sufficiency (ACF, 2008).
Funding for all adolescent services continues to be severely insufficient, and is, in fact, declining rapidly. The JJDPA, for example, has seen a 55 percent decrease in funding to states since its reauthorization in 2002 (Johnson, 2007). Also, while federal and state funding for criminal justice services continues to increase, funding for education has seen a sharp decrease in recent years (Hoffman, 2004). Then there is evidence of abuse of funds within the system. For instance, since every case of child abuse or neglect provides additional funds for the agencies involved, some professional helpers are tempted to mismanage these very important cases, and, since state agencies are given monetary incentives for every foster child in their care, youth are often kept in the system instead of adopted out to caring familes (Cannella, 2002).
The contiuum of care for underfunded, adolescent human services typically includes a number of preventive measures, welfare services, mental health services, and case management. Preventive measures may include, community organization, prenatal care for teen women, domestic violence prevention, safe-sex education, life-skills training, and transitionalliving for juvenile offenders (U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP], 1998; “Poverty,” 2008). Welfare services include food, shelter and housing, clothing, substance abuse services, crisis interventions, and health insurance (OCCF and OPCF, 2007; OJJDP, 1998; “Children,” 2007). Healthcare and mental health services may include early interventions, residential treatment, outpatient counseling, detoxification, and relapse prevention (Stanley-Salazar, 2007). “Case management is a key element of a full continuum,” because “there is a need to link the youth and family with other resources and provide regular follow-up and support (Stanley-Salazar, 2007).” Many human services agencies try to focus services on the family as a whole, and, ideally, the continuum of services would be available to the adolescent and their family at any stage of need (OJJDP, 1998). Unfortunately, “because of the inadequacy of resources, almost all but the most disordered (or economically advantaged) teens go unserved (Stanley-Salazar, 2007).”
There are many essential attributes for successful work in the field of adolescent human services, including problem-solving skills, creative capabilities, critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, and versatile skills of scientific inquiry, as well as maturity, objectivity, and empathy (Stark, Lowther, & Hagerty, 1986; Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2008). Youth helpers “must be able to handle responsibility, work independently, and maintain good working relationships with clients and coworkers (BLS, 2008).” “Although a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for entry into the field, an advanced degree has become the standard for many positions (BLS, 2008).” Most employers are seeking candidates with a graduate degree in social work or behavioral science, and the state of Oregon requires an MSW along with documented clinical supervision for licensure as a Clinical Social Worker (Board of Clinical Social Workers, 2007). The American Psychological Association (APA) recommends that students interested in human services should take the following steps: obtain essential practical experience, enroll in an internship or practicum, perform volunteer services, learn foreign language for multi-cultural clients, become familiar with government hiring procedures, be willing to relocate, and be prepared to obtain a masters degree ("What Can I Do," 2008). I was able to interview two directors of residential youth programs in my area. The first highly recommended obtaining a Master’s of Social Work degree, and both stressed the importance of continuing education throughout the career. The second advised taking courses in attachment, neurobiology, and “general coursework that would give you a broad perspective.” She also recommended general knowledge of business fundamentals and the ability to document for legal purposes. As an incentive to recruit more, much-needed human services workers, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which went into effect in October of 2007, offers college loan forgiveness to full-time child or family service workers (“New Web Site,” 2008).
The future of human services for teens largely depends upon whether or not our elected officials and policy makers are willing to make an adequate financial commitment to a long term restructuring of care coordination within each state and city. Early intervention services must be available to every youth in every setting, including schools, welfare offices, and juvenile corrections facilities (Stanley-Salazar, 2007). In Oregon, there is great concern about availability of services for youth, as the state does not have a coordinate system of care for runaway and homeless youth (OCCF and OPCF, 2007). Additionally, only a small fraction of teens who need basic food and shelter receive services, and street outreach programs are narrowly focused in the city of Portland (OCCF and OPCF, 2007). While some preventive measures, like transitional homes, are increasing, thousands of adolescents who are abused or hungry remain unserved. Unless both federal and state governments can follow through with promises and more citizens become willing to help those in need, the number of teens stricken with poverty, homelessness, abuse, and depression will surely continue to increase.
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