Credit hours:
2.50

Course Summary

The overuse of psychotropic medication for children and youth in foster care has been a popular topic for national news networks and in discussions among policy makers, child welfare professionals, and other stakeholders in the field. It is critical that foster parents have a strong understanding of this important issue, so they can help to manage the mental health and treatment of the young people they care for. This module will provide an introduction to the issue, as well as a tool that foster parents and caregivers can use with young people in their care to help manage mental health needs and decisions about psychotropic medications.

In this course, you can expect to learn:

  • General concerns with the use of psychotropic medications for children and youth

  • How to engage children and youth in your care in conversations about their mental health and the use of medication to manage it

  • Trauma-informed strategies to manage a child or youth’s mental health

Step 1

Read national media story "Foster Kids Given Psychiatric Drugs At Higher Rates" from National Public Radio (NPR) that provides an overview of the uses and concerns with psychotropic medication in foster care.

Step 2

Learn the impact psychotropic medications can have on young people and grow your understanding of potential behaviors that can occur in reaction to psychotropic medications. Read in-depth report "Colorado Responds Slowly to Psychotropic Drug Use Among Foster Kids" by the Denver Post, featuring FosterClub Lived Experience Leader Diego Conde.

Step 3

Review the "Making Healthy Choices" guide developed for youth in foster care that discusses making decisions about their mental health, treatment options, and the use of psychotropic medications.

Step 4

Learn more about treatment for youth in foster care who have experienced trauma and are working to improve their mental health by reviewing the guide "Supporting Youth in Foster Care in Making Healthy Choices" for caregivers and other supportive adults.

Step 5

Join the discussion in the comments below to answer the following question:

How should foster parents be consulted or actively participate in the treatment plans of children and youth they care for?

Step 6

Finished the module?  If you are logged in as a subscribed user, take the quiz to earn your Continuing Education Credit hours and certificate!

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Course Discussion

amberbobst's picture
6 years 8 months ago

amberbobst said:

I feel that medication should always be last result, there are so many other healthy alternatives to try first before assuming that the only cure is a medicine.
rdande1's picture
6 years 8 months ago

rdande1 said:

The health and welfare of the child in care needs to be a team effort. My wife, myself, the Doctors, Teachers, Caseworkers, and Therapists work together cohesively for what is best for the children in our care. When applied appropriately, medication is a delicate and powerful tool in helping children through trauma and behaviors that overwhelm them in their recovery plan. The role my wife and I play is critical in providing observations of behaviors and any side effects for the Psychiatrist and Therapists to best treat and support the child. We also serve as advocates for the children to minimize medications not needed or when alternate treatment options are available.
Stufflyn2's picture
6 years 9 months ago

Stufflyn2 said:

Working in a school all day around students who exhibit emotional outbursts, it is hard for me to fathom what would happen to them if they ended up in the foster care system. Many of the students that I encounter have broken homes with missing parents who either left them with a relative, or show up once in a while to introduce them to their new fling. These students would be thought to be so out of control that they would be primary candidates for over medication if they were sent to the foster care system. Pharmaceutical companies know that overdosing kids is the best way to stay profitable and even go as far to lobby the government to impose the medical quick fix is the only way to get them in control. Unfortunately, the affected patient is unable to fully understand what is happening to them since they would be usually zombified, bloated and completely maladjusted for daily life. Yes the student behaves now, but he/she is miserable. To the school and drug companies: mission accomplished!! To the families, including that of the child, the world continues to fail them. There needs to be more done by all agencies, caretakers, and families to ensure that foster care children cannot be victimized ever again by the almighty dollar.
scohorn's picture
6 years 9 months ago

scohorn said:

I think that foster parents should definitely have input in the treatment plans. Foster parents are the ones that are with them day in and day out and know what the struggles they are facing are. They are the ones who have to deal with the effects. I think they are acting as parents and should be allowed to make decisions as if they were the parents.
timmac53's picture
6 years 10 months ago

timmac53 said:

I appreciate having a doctor who has a very conservative approach to prescribing meds and who takes the time to explain what the desired effect is and then monitors the children very closely.
epowell's picture
6 years 10 months ago

epowell said:

I have two kids in my home and they are both on medication. In my opinion it varies from situation to situation, but I do believe med should be the last resort. If mess in the result making sure that your educated is very important because just like the different passages stated sometimes kids are put on things that ended up doing more harm than anything. So just be aware than go from there.
epowell's picture
6 years 10 months ago

epowell said:

I have two kids in my home and they are both on medication. In my opinion it varies from situation to situation, but I do believe med should be the last resort. If mess in the result making sure that your educated is very important because just like the different passages stated sometimes kids are put on things that ended up doing more harm than anything. So just be aware than go from there.
kimberley504's picture
6 years 11 months ago

kimberley504 said:

Our foster/adoptive daughter (six years old) joined us in June 2015. She has ADHD. She had been kicked out of pre-k programs and after joining us had difficulty in kindergarten. She was sent to the principal's office almost daily and had few friends. We started her in therapy, had a behavioral therapist visit her several times a week at school and at home, and put her on medication. She needed all of these to be able to function at school, but her reputation could not be fixed. We have moved and started a different school and it's like night and day. She is no longer the kid that hits people, and all of these therapies helped, in addition to having a loving, stable home.
mooreson92's picture
7 years 3 weeks ago

mooreson92 said:

We have a 4 year old that we adopted from foster care last year. He has a history of trauma and we are exploring methods of treatment other than medications.
moorekandm's picture
7 years 3 weeks ago

moorekandm replied:

No kid that young should be on meds