It is one of the beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.

Washington, D.C. – Children in foster care are in desperate need of mentors to help break the cycle of despair and provide hope for a better life, say members of an expert panel who met on October 8 2008 to discuss the challenges and benefits of mentoring.

 Marilyn Benoit, M.D, Judge Josey-Herring, Roque Gerald, PsyD and DC Councilman Tommy Wells, MSW, JD participate in BEST Kids Panel Discussion on Mentoring Foster Care Children at the School of Social Work at Howard University.

There are currently 2,200 children in the foster care system of the District of Columbia, many of whom have no positive role model. Research indicates that many young adults end up homeless or incarcerated after aging out of foster care. The panel was convened by BEST Kids, Inc., a mentoring organization in the District of Columbia, and was held at the Howard University School of Social Work. 

DC Councilman Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) moderated a lively discussion and question and answer session covering the challenges of foster care mentoring from various perspectives - legal, psychological, and political. The panelists included Judge Anita Josey-Herring, psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn B. Benoit, and Dr. Roque Gerald, Interim Director of DC’s Child and Family Services Agency.

Foster care children have been “traumatized by the loss of sustained relationships,” said panel member Marilyn Benoit, M.D., associate professor at Georgetown University Medical Center. Benoit listed critical needs of foster children: consistency and predictability in a close relationship over an extended period of time; rich hands-on learning experiences which draw on innate curiosity, and simply a positive adult role model in the life of the child. For foster care children, many of these needs go unmet, but Benoit said that a mentor could go a long way toward filling the gap. She cited research which says that if there is no positive relationship, a child’s academic achievement suffers. The research concludes that “relationship is essential to learning.” 

“The importance of a consistent, caring, competent and positive adult in the life of a child in foster care is critical,” according to Todd Leibbrand, President of BEST Kids, Inc., the DC-based volunteer mentoring program which convened the program.

Wells challenged the group to provide support for mentors: currently “there is not a clear role for the mentor in the foster care system. How can we better support mentoring in our system?” Wells has introduced a bill to encourage mentoring, and he floated the idea of tax credits for individuals who take the time to mentor foster care children.

A challenge in mentoring foster care children involves privacy laws which were established to help protect them. Mentors do not have easy access to teachers or report cards. In conducting assessments of foster care children, Benoit noted that often, the best person to speak with would be the mentor, but because of privacy laws, mental health professionals cannot speak to the mentor about what the child has said. Gerald and Josey-Herring agreed that the manner in which participants in the process address confidentiality rules “need to be revisited.” Benoit suggested that “the best interests of the child” should be the guiding factor.

Gerald emphasized the importance of volunteer versus paid mentoring. He said that the sincerity of the volunteer mentors’ commitment is evident to the child being mentored. Volunteer mentoring “can last forever,” said Gerald, whereas paid mentoring ends when the payment stops.

Josey-Herring said “I applaud BEST Kids for establishing a program that helps foster care children.” She cited the upheaval that children experience when being moved from their biological family. “Having no one to talk to in a situation like that would be ‘traumatic’” said Josey-Herring. She noted that many children are moved several times, and that a mentor would be an “invaluable” support.

A recent study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that foster care youth who were mentored are “less likely to report suicidal ideation, less likely to have received a diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection, and less likely to have hurt someone in a fight in the past year.” 

About the Panel: 

Judge Josey-Herring is the Presiding Judge of Family Court of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  In this position, Judge Josey-Herring oversees the branch of Superior Court that addresses child protection issues. 

Dr. Marilyn Benoit is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center, is former President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and serves on the BEST Kids advisory board. 

Dr. Roque Gerald is the Interim Director of the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) of the District of Columbia.  Dr. Gerald is a licensed clinical psychologist and, prior to his appointment as Interim Director in July 2008, Dr. Gerald was the deputy director and director of clinical practice at CFSA.

Councilman Tommy Wells is a trained social worker and currently chairs the Committee on Human Services, which oversees CFSA and other matters and agencies concerning welfare, social services, and youth affairs. 

About BEST Kids: 

BEST Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting individuals mentoring children in the District of Columbia's foster care system.  BEST Kids believes, based upon the guidance of its advisory board of psychologists and social workers and current research that long-term mentoring relationships will provide these children with a level of continuity and stability that will help create more positive outcomes in the children’s lives. In addition to providing continuity and support, BEST Kids strives to improve academic performance and positive, pro-social behaviors of the at-risk youth who are being mentored.