Customer Reviews

Beyond The Foster Care System: The Future for Teens

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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This book tells an important story a sad story but a story that we --as society--can make better. There are thousands of foster care teens who age out of the system between 18-21 and they aren't prepared or educated well enough to know how to deal with the outside world. For example--- how to interview for a job or where to go for services that could help them---- consequently many end up homeless or on drugs or welfare that drains the taxpayers money. The authors have created a new and proven approach that changes these teens lives. Read the book it's an awakening. and well written.

Beyond the Foster Care System: The Future for Teens is a compelling, eye-opening, easy read that shines light on an often overlooked topic. The true stories of teens Betsy and Paul have worked with put these issues in the context of real people and give a human voice to teens transitioning out of foster care. Their perseverance, dedication, and triumph in the face of adversity are a genuine inspiration to all. <a href="www.youthadvocacycenter.org" target="_blank"> Youth Advocacy Center, Inc. </a> does work that is important, necessary, and deserving of attention.

A book for all those interested in a society that is serious about "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Betsy Krebs and Paul Pitcoff have devised this innovative, intelligent, sensitive system to help unfortunate teenagers take control of their own lives, and become contributing members of the communities in which they live. Their description of their method, the voices of the teenagers themselves, and all their efforts to expand this brilliant idea, should make this book compulsory reading for anyone involved in foster care. And for those of us who long for a kinder understanding of children in difficult situations, this book is enlightening. Even if all you're looking for is to reduce drug addition and all the crime associated with it, then read this clear and beautiful book. Many answers are here.

With poignant case stories, Beyond the Foster Care reveals how woefully our public education system is failing hundred of thousands of teens, who will age out of the foster care system totally unprepared to deal with the outside world. Pitcoff and Krebs also explain how these youth can be empowered to take charge of their lives and raise everyone's expectations - including their own - as to what they can achieve in adulthood.

Beyond the Foster Care System, made me aware of a world I knew little of... The authors have developed a very innovative approach to the problem of youths who age out of foster care between 18-21, unprepared for the outside world. In the book Pitcoff and Krebs use the voices of the teens to tell their own stories which makes the book even more powerful and poignant.
-Claire Reed (posted by her granddaughter)

`Beyond the Foster Care System' is an `easy read' and should be of interest to any caring person. I never realized what is happening to teens in our foster care system. This book was a real eye opener for me. Everyone can relate to the stories in this book about teens who want to make it and the government systems that fail them.

This book --"Beyond the Foster Care System " gives the reader an inside look into failings of a foster care system that does not properly prepare teens who age out between 18-21 to face a complex world. The authors, Pitcoff and Krebs developed a series of classes that use the Socratic method to teach the kids how to deal with the problems and expectations they will meet when the are alone in the outside world. The authors new and creative system has been a proven success. Most interesting for the reader is to read the teens stories in their own voices.

The book reveals how thousands of young lives are wasted because teens in foster care are not prepared to living in the outside world the authors have a new and proven successful approach tha gives these teens a chance to reach their goals and be productive citizens of society
The book holds the reader' interest for it's an important story well told

C Reed

Oh yes, the system is broken. We need to be creative with how we fix it.
Foster teens are among the most vulnerable of our population. We all need to advocate for them, even as they learn how to advocate for themselves. Thumbs up for anyone who can offer viable solutions and ways around the "system." There are still plenty of teens who are adopted, however, and who benefit from a "forever family." For those who aren't this book offers hope.
Pamela Lowell, MSW, LICSW, BCD
Author of Returnable Girl about a teen in foster care and her journey to adoption.