Understanding Adolescent Development, Social Influence and Running Away to Better Support System-Involved Youth

Nicole Kelly, PsyD & Nancy Acosta, PsyD

Training Description

An alarming number of system-involved youth run away from home, foster homes, group homes, etc. This places them in extreme danger. Some youth have a history of running away prior to entering the child welfare system while other youth start running away once they’re involved in the child welfare system. To better understand why teens run away, it’s important to consider adolescent development and the role of social influence. The training will include a discussion about harm reduction strategies to support system-involved youth who run away.

Learning Objectives

·        Participants will be able to identify 1 change during early adolescence and explain how it may contribute to system-involved youth runaway.

·        Participants will be able to identify and explain at least 1 way social influence can impact system-involved youth who run away.