Foundations for Adolescent Well-Being (FAWB)

Background

Adolescents in foster care who have experienced maltreatment or chronic adversity face consequences that impact their life course, and are 25% more likely to experience delinquency, mental health problems, low academic achievement, teen pregnancy, and drug use.¹ Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s approach to adolescent programming focuses on protective factors and resilience to decrease the likelihood of these negative outcomes and increase the likelihood of positive outcomes as adolescents transition into adulthood.

Children’s Foundations for Adolescent Well-Being Program’s wide range of services include the use of evidence-based assessment tools to focus on youth needs and resilience factors and the coordination and implementation of programs to address the needs of at-risk or child welfare involved youth.

FAWB is youth-driven, therefore youth will ultimately have the final decision on what they would like to be involved in and Foundations staff will utilize Motivational Interviewing techniques to help youth make these decisions.

Foundations service array includes:

• Evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programming through the Healthy Kids, Healthy Choices program, providing Making Proud Choices curriculum to youth within the child welfare system and the Milwaukee Public School system.
• Youth involved with Children’s child welfare program are provided with education and training opportunities on a variety of topic areas to build independent living skills prior to moving into a Supervised Independent Living program.
• Adolescent assessments of all youth ages 12-21 in out of home care, utilizing evidence based assessment tools with a direct link and referral to services based on the results of the assessments.
• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an evidence-based clinical intervention for youth impacted by trauma and their caregivers. TF-CBT addresses emotional and behavioral difficulties associated with traumatic experiences.

[1] Kelly, Thornberry, Smith (1997) In the wake of childhood maltreatment, Office of Juvenile Justice Bulletin.