Due to their high rates of parental maltreatment and violence exposure, youth in the foster care system are considered particularly vulnerable to experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in adolescence and young adulthood. Those who have emancipated from foster care may be at a heightened risk, as they are significantly more likely to struggle in a variety of critical domains (i.e., mental health, substance use, and delinquency). This longitudinal study is the first to explore the impact of demographic, individual, family, and foster care system factors on IPV involvement for foster care alumni at age 23/24. Analyses were conducted on three waves of quantitative data from the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (the Midwest Study). We find that approximately 21% of the young adults in our sample were involved in some type of IPV at age 23/24, with bidirectional violence the most commonly reported form. Males were more likely than females to report IPV victimization, whereas females were more likely than males to report IPV perpetration and bidirectional violence. Young adults who reported parental IPV prior to foster care entry were more likely to be involved in bidirectionally violent partnerships than nonviolent partnerships in young adulthood, as were young adults who reported neglect by a foster caregiver and those who reported greater placement instability while in the foster care system. Anxiety at baseline increased the odds of IPV perpetration at age 23/24, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at baseline decreased the odds of IPV perpetration at age 23/24. Understanding the characteristics and experiences that place these young adults at risk for IPV will allow for more effective and targeted prevention efforts.

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This qualitative study brings together the voices of parents and their representatives, including attorneys, social workers and parent advocates, to understand the lived experiences of child welfare involved parents as they navigate Family Court, and how to improve it. The findings suggest that these courts are difficult to navigate for both parents and their representatives, and are often experienced as punitive and unsupportive spaces. The findings also reveal a strong congruence between how parents and their advocates wish the courts to operate (and how they sometimes do), and the principles of therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), which recognizes the emotional and psychological toll legal proceedings can take and suggests ways to minimize that harm. Parents' relationship with their judge and the judge's ability to understand and connect with them are identified as transformative factors in the courtroom. Key Points for the Family Court CommunityThe fast paced and often harsh environment populated with multiple actors make navigating the Family Court system challenging for both parents and their representatives.Contextual factors, such as trauma, and race and class bias multiply the often negative and anti-therapeutic effects of Family Court.Judges have a key role in mediating these contextual factors, and providing a supportive and therapeutic environment for adjudicating claims of child maltreatment Specific behaviors that exemplify TJ are identified, and suggestions made as to how they can be applied in the court room.

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Sexuality is an integral part of human behavior throughout the lifespan, with sexual health and well-being having an important impact on overall health and well-being, including increased life satisfaction and improved quality of relationships. As such, social workers encounter issues related to sexuality in all aspects of practice. However, very limited content on sexuality, especially positive sexuality, is included in the social work core curriculum. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for and ways in which a sex positive, strengths-based approach to sexuality can be anchored within the Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) core courses. A model for integration is provided. KEYWORDS Sexuality; sex; Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE); human development; social work curriculumSexuality is an integral part of human behavior throughout the lifespan, with sexual health and well-being having an important impact on overall health and well-being, including increased life satisfaction and improved relationship quality (Myers & Milner, 2007). Social workers encounter issues related to sexuality in all areas of the practice arena (Bay-Cheng, 2013;Dodd & Tolman, 2017). For example, they engage with clients around reproductive health, romantic and sexual relationships, sex trade victimization, childhood sexual abuse, sexual identity, HIV/AIDS, and sexuality issues related to aging. However, reflecting the cultural context in which they practice, most social workers have internalized messages that position conversations around sexuality as taboo. This internalized taboo creates discomfort, results in avoidance of key sexuality related conversations, and contributes to the invisibility of sexuality in social work curricula, classrooms, and, subsequently, practice (Dodd & Tolman, 2017). In fact, the profession as a whole seems to have internalized this taboo, resulting in very limited literature, research, and curriculum content on sexuality. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for and ways in which a sex positive, strengths-based approach to sexuality can be anchored within the Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) core courses. We argue that the sexual dimension is not just a constructive addition to HBSE and the CONTACT SJ Dodd

a b s t r a c tThis study explores the self-reported unmet need for independent living services of young people making the transition to adulthood from foster care after the creation of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. We find that 34.5% of youth indicated that they had an independent living service need that went unmet at age 17, 27.9% at age 21 and 35.5% at age 23, with the largest percentage indicating they lacked preparation in the area of finance. Some of these youth expressed unmet need consistently while others' expression of unmet need fluctuated over time. Youth who indicated that they had mental health issues were significantly more likely to report unmet need at baseline and wave 3. Youth who indicated that they received more social support and independent living services were less likely to report unmet need at baseline and wave 3. These youth perspectives could lead to the enhancement of existing independent living skill provision as states prepare to extend the age of foster care benefits, ultimately making them more timely and effective.

Young adults with a history of out-of-home care report poorer mental health and life satisfaction compared to non-care-experienced peers. Social support is a known protective factor for mental health. There is limited evidence, however, on the relationship between sources (e.g., family members) and types (e.g., information) of social support and mental health symptoms and life satisfaction in this population. Reporting cross-sectional survey data from 215 young adults aged 18–22 years with a history of out-of-home care, the current study conducted descriptive, bivariate, and linear regression analysis to examine the different sources and types of support young adults receive and their relation to mental health symptoms and life satisfaction. Participants had high levels of support from family members, friends, and other adults. Most participants had informational support, but less than half had consistent material support. Regression analyses demonstrated that having enough informational and material support were associated with fewer mental health symptoms. Having family support and material support were associated with greater life satisfaction. Further longitudinal research is needed to understand the trajectory between social supports and mental health functioning and life satisfaction.