When you consider lives that have experienced trauma, time involved with the child welfare system, and on top of this, the natural confusion of development and growing up, it seems perfectly clear that some youths’ views of the world, and the skills they cultivate, are not the same as their peers who have a more supported and secure upbringing. This understanding leads to much greater conversation as to why the need for connection and family is so important, but inherently difficult at times to nurture. When relationship has not worked in your favor as a secure, consistent, safe place, why would you feel comfortable and aligned with rather awkwardly constructed new dynamics?
Now take all this trackable insight and add another layer to the recipe of life: sexual trauma or experience. So many youths who have experience with the child welfare system have experience with sexual trauma which leads to confusing and negative impacts on their development and understanding of their environments or relationships. These children not only have to hold space in their brains for the harmful impacts of being removed from their families and connections, but also make sense of how to understand their bodies and what relationship to others sexually looks like. Many of these youth are working incredibly hard to grow and learn how to navigate what might have happened to them and what that looks like to connect to others. This is not an easy thing.
These youth are often overlooked or dismissed by prospective families who are interested in adoption because families may lack an understanding of what sexual trauma is or why the impacts might be presenting in negative ways. Children and sexuality is such a cultural taboo; most folks do not have the capacity to consider how they could parent or keep children safe in their care. Because of the reality of an already small pool of adults that are motivated to parent older youth, the options for permanency become even more minute for these children.
Ampersand Families’ new Targeted Recruitment program is taking a closer look at how these perceptions can (and should) change to better equip all parents with the understanding that children with sexualized behaviors are just that – children, and there are strategies for keeping everyone safe and connected.
Targeted Recruitment for Youth with Sexualized Behaviors is an innovative and first look by Ampersand Families at how we can develop more opportunities within Child Specific Recruitment to identify permanency for these youth. We seek to create a network of supportive adults and services, education opportunities for parents, and expanded understanding for all. As we deepen our understanding of how the impacts of trauma affect our youth, we are also continuing to understand the barriers that lead people to not feel equipped or comfortable with sexualized behaviors. Taking a more holistic approach to giving everyone the resources and opportunities for communication, understanding, and growth is so important for creating more connection for the youth we work with.
Targeted Recruitment is a hopeful approach to supporting youth and families in more opportunity for permanency, and debunking preconceived, cultural understandings of trauma.
To learn more about this program, contact Amber Buer at 612.578.0755 or amber@ampersandfamilies.org.
