This article discusses the importance of mentoring in the lives of children and youth in foster care and highlights research that suggests how mentor programs should be implemented in order to take into account the specific challenges of youth in foster care.
This article discusses the unique situations facing youth who live in foster care, noting the variety of placements including non-relative foster homes, kinship care, residential care, and group homes; it highlights the challenges, such as disruptions in education and permanent housing, that can make it difficult for youth in foster care to form and maintain strong and consistent relationships. With these factors in mind, the article discusses elements of effective mentoring programs which provide targeted training and support for mentors that meet the needs of youth in foster care. It provides links to resources such as MENTOR’s Critical Issues and the Role of Mentoring, Youth Collaboratory’s Mentoring Youth in the Foster Care System Toolkit, and other resources on embedded mentoring and the foster care system. The article is organized into sections that discuss what research says about mentoring for youth in foster care; resources that the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) offers on the topic; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)’s investments in mentoring for youth in foster care; and select additional resources, including webinars, articles, and other guidance.