How does CAFETY help youth in residential programs?
By bringing the expertise of all of our members together we help youth in residential programs in a number of ways. First, we decrease the stereotypes about residential care and the sense of alienation and otherness that so many current and former youth in care experience by being a visible group of role models and ‘success stories’. We make it possible for youth in care to imagine their own futures. Second, we improve the policies and practices that affect youth every day by educating mental health professionals and child serving agencies or organizations how to be more effective, by showing ways to identify programs of concern and promote approaches that support the strengths and talents of the young people in their care, by influencing the laws and program policies that dictate what happens to people in residential programs. Thirdly, we provide a permanent and validating extended family community for young people to join as they enter adulthood. Finally, when contacted by youth who
