Peer-reviewed article
Understanding the Challenges Child Welfare Workers Encounter Related to Promoting the Online Safety of Foster Youth
Denielle Abaquita ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study explores how foster care case managers address online safety risks for adolescents aged 13-17 in the US foster care system. The researcher interviewed 32 case managers about their experiences managing online risks including sex trafficking and unsolicited contact. The study found that case managers lack adequate training and support to address these risks effectively, and often prioritise online safety below other demands on their time. The research recommends establishing collaborative training and support groups involving case workers, foster parents, and foster youth.
Key points
- Foster teens in care face prominent sexual-related risks (such as sex trafficking) and contact-related risks (such as unsolicited contact) online
- Case managers lack adequate online safety training to address these challenges
- Foster parents do not consistently provide needed support for managing online safety
- Case managers are overburdened with responsibilities that make online safety a secondary priority
- The foster care system needs collaborative training and support groups involving case workers, foster parents, and foster youth
Limitations
This study captures the perspectives and experiences of case managers only, through qualitative interviews conducted retrospectively. It does not assess actual outcomes for foster youth or measure the effectiveness of any specific online safety interventions.
Abstract
Foster care case managers are responsible for the wellbeing of foster youth in the foster care system. Teens (ages 13-17) in foster care are most vulnerable to serious risks, such as sex trafficking. Such risks have been heightened by the advent of internet-based technologies that connect foster youth with unsafe others at unprecedented frequency and speed. This thesis examines how case managers tackle the challenge of online safety as it relates to adolescents in the foster care system in the United States. I conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with case managers who worked with foster teens (ages 13-17) within the past 5 years. After each interview, I transcribed the recording and conducted qualitative data analysis to identify emerging themes. I found that foster teens face numerous online risks with sexual-related risks (e.g., sex trafficking) and contact-related risks (e.g., unsolicited contact) being most prominent. However, case workers may not be prepared to address all of these challenges because of lack of online safety training and support from foster parents. Also, case workers are overburdened with many responsibilities that make online safety a secondary priority. This thesis identifies the gaps in which case managers are trained and highlights the need for more support to handle online safety challenges. Therefore, this thesis recommends that the foster care system must place a higher priority in establishing support groups and collaborative training among foster parents, case workers, and foster children to fully manage foster youth online safety.