Occupational Therapy’s Role in the Success and Positive Outcomes of Youth Within the Foster System

Abstract

This capstone paper will discuss the development of an occupational therapy program to support the needs of youth within the foster system and prepare this population to live independently. Background information including statistics, the need for occupational therapy, and the program specifics such as rationale, significance, and objective are discussed. The development of an occupational therapy program to aid in the success of children within the foster care system helps close a gap in research that will contribute to this population's success and positive outcomes. The purpose of this capstone was to develop a program for children in the foster system, ages 15-18, to gain the life skills needed for independence in occupational participation of ADLs and IADLs. Foster children tend to have many contributing factors that lead to a decreased quality of life (AOTA, 2021). The training and education that occupational therapists can provide will allow these children to develop strategies and skills that will improve overall mental health status, functional life skill development, feelings of success, and an increase in quality of life.