ATTENTION: Social Services Writers and Editors

10 April 2001
Contact: Patricia McBroom, Media Relations
(510) 643-7944
pmb@pa.urel.berkeley.edu

WHAT:
A day-long summit, "Education for Foster Youth," that will bring together researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and other universities, with county and school administrators to address the educational needs of foster children. These youngsters often have special problems associated with moving from one place to another during the school year.

WHEN:
Friday, April 13, 8:30 am - 4 pm.

WHERE:
Seven Hills Conference Center, 800 Font Blvd., at San Francisco State University.

WHO:
More than 100 educators, social workers, nurses, foster parents and children, plus researchers from the Bay Area Social Sciences Consortium (BASSC), a joint government-university alliance at UC Berkeley's School of Social Welfare.

BACKGROUND:
This is the first of several regional policy summits held by BASSC to desseminate research and implement findings which affect people, including foster children, who receive social services. Under consideration will be a nine-county BASSC study aimed at understanding why so many foster children have academic problems and how they can be alleviated. Authors include UC Berkeley researcher Pamela Choice, first author, and UC Berkeley professor of social welfare Michael Austin.