The Foster Care system is not broken.
That’s the provocative claim in the opening pages of the groundbreaking work, “Life Changing Choices: The 7 Essential Choices at the Heart of Transformational Change for Foster Youth and Your Community“ by staff members of Just in Time for Foster Youth.
Five of the seven co-authors have lived experience/expertise in the foster care system and deliver a thought-provoking critique of the outdated child welfare system in the United States. The book challenges efforts to change the current system through reforms and initiatives that fail to address the underlying mental model established over a century and a half ago, which has left countless young people adrift in a system focused on placements and short-term problem solving rather than a sense of belonging and empowerment for the long-term.
Or as the book puts it “Without clarity of intention, we might be unable to course correct and change our work because we don’t see outside the system we’re steeped in or have the vision to recognize that different ways of thinking, not just new ways of working, are necessary to achieve different outcomes.”
Life Changing Choices not only questions the traditional narrative that sees broken children emerging from broken homes in need of fixing but also presents a tangible alternative based on demonstrated and measurable impact. Using firsthand accounts of how their lives were adversely affected by systemic assumptions and attitudes that too often led to displacement and disempowerment, and drawing on the remarkable 20-year legacy of the Just in Time for Foster Youth community, the authors introduce a paradigm shift through seven essential choices that promise empowerment, connection, and community.
The pivotal Choices outlined in the book include:
- What’s Your Intention? (Prioritize Protection or Empowerment)
- Who are You Serving? (See Damaged & Broken or Creative, Resourceful & Whole)
- What will You Promise? (Build a System or a Community)
- Where will You Find Answers? (Act from YOUR Agenda or Listen to Lived Experience Experts)
- When will You Know You’re Succeeding? (Report What was Done or Share What had Lasting Impact)
- How will You Sustain Your Efforts? (Follow the Funding or Engage with Impact)
- Who can Start THIS Where You Live? (Wait for Someone Else or Be the Needed Change)
Unlike conventional guides, Life Changing Choices doesn’t simply instruct “how-to” do things differently. It also engages readers in a compelling narrative that explores the “why-do” behind critical decisions. The book navigates the complexities of reversing the alarming societal outcomes of homelessness, hopelessness, and disconnection, linking readers to powerful stories that create personal perspectives with universal application. In the process, it suggests a bridge closes the gap between resigned despair and empowered hope.
At its heart, the book is a rallying cry for individuals and communities to reevaluate their stance on foster care. It challenges prevailing norms and beckons readers to consider an actionable alternative approach to serve any marginalized community.
Rooted in tangible success stories, Life Changing Choices is an essential read for anyone invested in effecting enduring changing in the lives of foster youth and fostering a positive transformation within our communities.
About Just in Time for Foster Youth:
Just in Time engages a caring community to help transition age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and well-being. They envision a future in which every youth leaving the foster care system has a community of supportive adults waiting for them after 18. They believe consistent, long-term help from the heart is the foundation for the success of youth so they can thrive and enjoy productive, satisfying lives. By mobilizing the San Diego community as an extended family for youth, they provide access to an empowering ecosystem of resources in the areas of: meaningful employment, essential education, financial literacy, safe, stable housing, transportation equity, positive social environments, and mental wellness.
