Educators for Foster Kids
Suggested Interventions
Below are three intervention to help meet the emotional, behavioral, and academic developmental needs of foster children. While there are a number of different interventions that have proven to have positive results, these three interventions are evidence-based and able to be implemented by educators within their classrooms or by an BCBA within a school.

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
TBRI is an evidence-based approach that focuses on the underlying internal factors. Karyn Purvis at the Institute of child development at Texas Christian University created TBRI to emphasize the importance of safety, connection, and emotional regulation for student success (Reid et al., 2018). The intervention has three core principles: connecting, empowering, and correcting. Although TBRI is a relatively newer intervention it has shown to have positive outcomes, particularly in helping children manage their "fight, flight, and freeze" (Reid et al., 2018) responses. TBRI enables these children to be more engaged in learning and ultimately enhance their academic achievement by fostering a sense of safety in their enviroment and focusing on their internal and emotional development.
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TBRI is a highly researched and very relevant in the child welfare system for meeting the needs of children in foster care. In one of many studies conducted, Parris et al. had 93.5% decrease in incidents such as physical and verbal aggression in a two year implementation period. Videos, books, and in person trainings are available for individuals looking to implement TBRI within their classroom making this an easily accessible intervention for educators.

Skill-Based Treatment
Skill-Based Treatment is an intervention, developed by Gregory P. Hanley and often used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), to treat severe challenging behavior by teaching skills such as communication, tolerance, and behaviors that are appropriate for a specific situation. While it is often used with students who have autism and not all foster kids have a diagnosis in the special education field, it can be specifically used to treat behavior in a way that keeps uninformed and informed trauma in mind. This intervention addresses the influence that trauma can have on a child’s behaviors and emotions, for example taking potential triggers into account. ​The overall goal of STB is to decrease behavioral difficulties while teaching the student how to get their wants and needs in a more appropriate manner.
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SBT although originally developed to be implemented in a clinical setting, has been tailored to the school setting. Staubitz et al. conducted a study about SBT that resulted in promising results working with children with behavioral and emotional disorders. While a training for the implementors is necessary, implementation is doable since it can be done at a classroom level rather than on a school or district level.

Achillea
Peer Tutoring
Research has shown that tutoring is an effective intervention that can be implemented in the life of a foster child to increase their academic achievement (Goulet et al., 2023). This specific organization is a nonprofit that provides online tutoring with tutors trained in trauma response for students in foster care. This intervention was chosen because it allows for these at risk youth to get one-on-one tutoring anytime, anywhere, and for free.
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In the same Goulet et al. study cited above, three types of interventions were looked at; tutoring, individualized supports, and academic materials. While was shown that tutoring had the strongest results, it is important to note that the results of the other two types of interventions were not far behind. If needed, these types of interventions may also be looked at as possible options.
Links
- TBRI: https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.wiHvr3RD.dpbs
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- Tutoring: https://www.peer-tutoring.org​
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Considerations when choosing an intervention for children in foster care
There are a number of interventions that can be utilized when working specifically with foster children. If these three interventions are not a fit for you or your students, here are a few key characteristics that any interventions used for youth in foster care should involve.
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1. Positive behavior support style
2. Trauma-informed
3. Family involvement (if possible)