Date of Conferral

8-5-2024

Date of Award

8-5-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Mary Bruce

Abstract

The lack of quality care is continuously questioned for the at-risk youth within the group home system fostered by the Department of Children and Family Services. However, due to a lack of proper training for trauma-informed care and a lack of knowledge of the pedagogical treatments such as Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP), direct-line staff are having a hard time navigating and assisting the at-risk youth with their rehabilitation. It is pertinent for direct line staff to understand the at-risk youth population, how to implement and execute the appropriate pedagogical treatment, and the hierarchy within the agency. Critical ethnography was used in this qualitative research to understand if there was a direct connection in understanding the social construct between institutional racism and intersectionality because of the population being served with these resources. The questions for this research study were developed to understand the experience with STRTP within the group home system from direct line staff. A total of 10 participants were interviewed from various group homes in Los Angeles, California. The information and data collected were analyzed through Nvivo and intra-rater reliability. The study's significant findings presented that the direct line staff was experiencing issues with policy implementation, and the program's effectiveness for the at-risk youth. As a result, the data suggested the implications of the need for more education about at-risk youth. It is population, more training around the pedagogical treatment of STRTP, and more information about the program's effectiveness, which will allow positive social change for the at-risk youth and their rehabilitation, even after transitioning out of the program.

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