Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Deirdre Lanesskog

Abstract

Chronic illnesses such as type 1 diabetes can be hard diagnoses for children to understand and are a detriment to their mental and physical health. Evaluating current support systems for this interest group is necessary to make sure that they are receiving the best resources possible. Questioning type 1 diabetics who have grown out of the system, adults involved with T1D care, and social workers are included in the research design. Reviewing the ratings for each question allowed researchers to see where resources are lacking and what needs to be improved or implemented. Social workers should see the importance of research like this to point out areas that may need more support. Understanding things from the client’s perspective was also necessary to see the efficacy of resources that are already in place. Adequate resources were supported by participants for medical and financial support but noted a lack of resources for mental health and educational support. Participants also advocated for more preparation within the child welfare system and the importance of collaboration among caring adults. The importance of this study is discovering what supports need improving in the foster system and understanding this demographic better. By looking closer into these issues, social workers can begin to provide improvements to the support system surrounding this population.

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