DSW CANDIDATES

The child welfare system in the United States has the responsibility of ensuring the safety for several thousand children. Many of these youth are traumatized from the maltreatment they experienced prior to their placement in foster care. Due to this trauma, foster children are more likely to develop and struggle with behavioral and mental health problems. Depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder are a few common diagnoses for children in foster care. In an attempt to address the elevated rate of mental health issues amongst the foster care population, psychotropic medication is often utilized in place of therapeutic services. Psychotropic medications are often prescribed to manage behavioral and mental health symptoms, but the elevated usage rates for children in foster care is a cause for concern. Youth in foster care are frequently prescribed and take two or more psychotropic medications, which is potentially harmful due to unknown long-term effects of these medications on children. This capstone project is composed of three products that address the issue of overmedication amongst the foster care population. The first product, or systematic literature review, explores the negative impacts of psychotropic medication on youth in foster. The second product utilizes systems theory as a theoretical framework to reconceptualize psychotropic medication oversight for children in foster care. Lastly, the third product is an exploration of how to apply the blanket guidelines to improve psychotropic medication oversight for youth involved with child welfare.