Please note that due to current CDC and Skagit County Public Health recommendations about COVID-19, the coronavirus, Youthnet staff are working from home whenever possible. If you need to reach a staff member, please utilize their emails and work cell numbers, as access to desk phones will be limited. Foster parent inquiries may be made through our website, and we will connect you with a staff member to talk about next steps. Thank you for your understanding!
Did you know about one in four youth in foster care will experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms? Former foster children are also twice as likely as U.S. war veterans to experience PTSD in adulthood.
For young people suffering with PTSD, it is a continuous challenge that can be a debilitating mental illness when undiagnosed. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is often triggered by traumas, especially when it is filled with physical and emotional abuse.
Victimization and rejection from caregivers can result in LGBTQ youth involvement in the foster care system, which is strongly associated with greater suicide risk among youth in general.
Presents the results of a study that showed sexual minority youth (ex. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and same-sex attracted) youth are almost two and a half times as likely as heterosexual youth to experience foster care placement and are largely overrepresented in child welfare services and out-of-home placement.
LGBTQ+ youth enter the child welfare system for reasons like those of other children and youth — that is, their birth families cannot provide a safe, stable, and nurturing home. In some cases, families reject, neglect, or abuse young people when they learn that they identify as LGBTQ+ or are questioning their romantic/sexual orientation or gender identity.
