Are You Kidding Me?

Because of the Family First Prevention Services Act passed in 2017, residential care facilities, or “group homes,” for foster youth have lost significant funding—leading to the closure of many residential treatment options. Many advocates of the policy believe that placement with families are always the best option for kids. But what about the numerous foster youth who report immense benefits from their time in residential care? This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Bruce Henderson, a former professor of psychology at Western Carolina University for over 40 years. Drawing on his background in child psychology, Bruce conducted a comprehensive review of the research on residential care facilities to understand how time spent in these homes affects foster youth. This research led to the publishing of his recent book, Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Residential Care for Children and Youth. In this episode, Bruce explains the findings of his research and why he believes residential care must continue to be supported as an option for foster youth. Lastly, he shares a way to support The Black Mountain Home for Children and Families, a very impactful residential care home for foster youth in Black Mountain, North Carolina, that has suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene. We encourage our listeners to give as they are able. Resources• Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Residential Care for Children and Youth | Bruce B. Henderson• A Critical Dialogue on Residential Care for Children and Youth: What We Really Know and Questions of Quality | Bruce B. Henderson and James P. Anglin• Why Foster Children Are Sleeping in Offices and What We Can Do About It | Naomi Schaefer Riley et al. Show Notes• 00:54 | What motivated your interest in this research topic?• 02:32 | What is the Family First Prevention Services Act?• 05:44 | Why does residential care carry so much stigma today?• 07:09 | What were your findings when you looked at residential care facilities in other countries?• 09:06 | Is there a version of Family First that you would have supported?• 10:51 | What are the circumstances that make it possible for residential care to have a positive impact on a child’s life?• 13:17 | Do attitudes around race play a role in the policy conversation around residential care?• 13:51 | How do you make appropriate comparisons when you look at this research and what studies have you found helpful when evaluating the effects of residential care on foster youth?• 17:14 | Does research show if the type of organization plays a role in the success of the residential home (i.e., faith-based, etc.)?• 18:21 | Do you envision a situation where we start to rethink whether we can really do without residential care? Can we go back?• 21:06 | Where does the financing come from for these facilities and programs?• 24:10 | How to Help The Black Mountain Home for Children and Families

Technological innovations are often sold to the public as ways to make life easier. But what if the increasing prevalence of technology in our lives is actually crowding out human experiences that are integral to children’s development and well-being?This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by AEI Senior Fellow Christine Rosen to discuss her new book, The Extinction of Experience. Christine argues that the unmitigated push to integrate technology into all areas of life can be particularly harmful for children, who could be missing out on fundamental human experiences that help them grow. She highlights how even simple practices like learning cursive, or more significant milestones like dating—without the medium of screens—play a fundamental role in shaping who children become as adults. Contrary to tech moguls like Elon Musk who want to form new human communities on other planets, Christine believes we have a responsibility to find solutions that make life on earth a good one for children. Making the active choice to cut out technology from certain areas of our lives could be a good place to start. Resources• The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World | Christine Rosen• The Lost Art of Waiting | Christine Rosen• Katharine Birbalsingh on Banning Smartphones from Schools | Naomi Schaefer Riley, Ian Rowe, and Katharine BirbalsinghShow Notes:• 01:13 | When did you first start noticing the negative impacts screens were having on kids?• 03:11 | Does it bring you some comfort that there is a growing movement to remove cell phones from schools?• 05:14 | What are some of the individual experiences we are losing because of technology? Are there some experiences that are alright to replace?• 08:00 | How has technology affected dating and the romantic lives of young people?• 10:03 | Can we recapture the tradition of having ‘forced’ human interaction in spaces like churches, schools, and homes?• 12:36 | What can you tell us about the individuals and companies who are making these technologies?• 15:19 | Figures like Elon Musk have resorted to colonizing new planets as a solution to some of our human problems. Is this the right response? How would you respond?• 18:08 | What are the chances that a child who has been raised with so much technology will be able to dig themselves out of this?• 20:55 | Is there a role for faith and religious institutions in all of this?

When parents perpetuate abuse against their children, it is all too likely that they themselves were also victims of abuse. Children who have experienced maltreatment face significant barriers to flourishing when they reach adulthood, but with support and the right tools, it is possible for individuals to make different choices and break the cycle of abuse in their family. This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Savannah Nelson, an undergraduate student at BYU-Idaho and recent author of an op-ed for the Institute for Family Studies, “Ending the Cycle of Intergenerational Child Abuse.” Savannah discusses her personal connection to the topic, sharing how her mother overcame the abuse she endured from her parents and was able to make a different choice when starting her own family. She also shares what she has learned from her research, including how forming strong marriages is associated with lower risk of abuse, and how marriage and family education can be an effective tool for equipping parents to create healthy relationships with each other and with their children. Resources-Ending the Cycle of Intergenerational Child Abuse | Savannah Nelson and Timothy Rarick-Married Fatherhood | Ian RoweShow Notes-00:52 | How did you come to write about this topic?-03:03 | What does it mean to be a “transitional character”?-04:24 | What kind of process must an individual go through in order to become a transitional character?-05:57 | How must a child make the choice to make a change even when the change hasn’t been modeled for them? -07:17 | How can we help children who have experienced abuse feel confident that they are able to form healthier relationships in their own life? -09:37 | What role does marriage play in breaking the cycle of abuse, and what do you think of the fact that more and more young people are not considering marriage or children within marriage as part of their future?-12:26 | What resources are available through churches and religious communities to educate individuals on ending the cycle of abuse? Is this topic incorporated into family and marriage education in the context of the LDS church?

Concerns about a mental health crisis among young people have produced broad initiatives to improve overall mental well-being or “prevent” mental illness. But what evidence do we have that these programs are producing desirable outcomes? This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Carolyn Gorman, the Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute. In a new report to be released on September 12, Carolyn examines whether school-based mental health initiatives are useful for combatting mental health issues among kids. She explains that, in many cases, the continued effort to broadly incorporate mental health treatment, awareness, and “prevention” programs into school systems do more harm than good. In light of the recent Georgia school shooting, the current conversation around mental health continues to be a pressing one. However, as Carolyn notes, policies targeted specifically toward individuals with severe mental health disorders are more likely to affect change than broad funding for mental health awareness and prevention. Resources-A Better Youth Mental Health Policy | Carolyn D. Gorman and Scott Dziengelski-Senate Gun Bill Includes Solid Mental Health Policies—But Must Focus on Serious MentalIllness | Carolyn D. GormanShow Notes00:40 | What were the findings of your research on theimpact of current mental health policy initiatives on the well-being andeducational outcomes of kids?02:29 | What are the downsides of the prevailing approachesto mental health policy? 05:38 | You divide mental health approaches into threetiers. Can you break those down?08:58| What is considered a mental illness and what is not?When are services at school appropriate, and where are the areas where schoolsare attempting to treat kids when they shouldn’t?11:51 | What do you mean when you say the distinct goals ofmental health and education are often in direct conflict?14:28 | What is the right role for schools to play in therealm of children’s mental health? 17:16 | How do mental health professionals view theencroachment of mental health treatment into schools? How can we untangle this?22:49 | How do social emotional learning programsexacerbating mental health issues?28:11 | What are the final policy recommendations from yourreport, and is there any distinction in recommendations based on the age of thechild?