Bella Chang L&S Social Sciences
Examining CA AB12: Human trafficking prevention for transitional age foster youth
From the time one is born, family is the tie that binds you to what is supposed to be your first community. For children who enter foster care, that community either doesn’t exist or is broken to the point of nonexistence. Children who enter foster care are often separated from their primary biological ties, such as their siblings, and their primary physical roots, such as their place of origin. Studies show that this physical instability increases foster youth’s vulnerability to trafficking, particularly at the tenuous point between youth and adulthood. In 2008, California was one of the first states in the nation to enact a law to create the Extended Foster Care Program, which provides care for former foster youth up to the age of 21. This research project explores the impact of extended foster care, focusing on the intersection of foster care and human trafficking, with hope of informing policy reform for transitional age foster youth.
Message To Sponsor
I am so immensely appreciative of the experience I had this summer through SURF! Through interviews with knowledgable people in the field of child welfare, I was able to gain a great understanding of the foster care and social welfare systems.Thank you for your support!