The perception of modern-day social work professionals on the impact of trauma and Black teen mothers in the New York City foster care system

Abstract

There is minimal research that includes societal and program changes that are needed to support better outcomes for Black teenage mothers who are in the New York City foster care system. If this is to be done, it starts with the thought processing of social work professionals and how we perceive the population of Black teenage mothers. This research sought to understand whether the perceptions of social work professionals impact their overall decision-making as it relates to this population. The quantitative research responses helped bring this discussion to the forefront of the research world and aid social work professionals to consider their perceptions and experiences while working with Black teenage mothers. The research analysis demonstrated significance as it relates to the length of time a social work professional has worked with the population of Black teenage mothers in foster care and the other variable of significance was the professionals identified RACE.