TO: Jacob Stewart, ENC3331 Instructor

FROM: Regina Martiarena

DATE: March 31st, 2016
SUBJECT: Minimize The Use Of Psychotropic Drugs In Foster Homes
Due to falling victims of abuse and neglect, foster children will often develop emotional
and behavioral health issues that may force them to relocate frequently. Administration of
psychotropic drugs is a common practice for foster care children health providers- a cost
effective way to regulate the retention and the workload of the caregivers. As these
powerful drugs become more and more loosely prescribed, foster children are essentially
forming an addiction from a very young age. The goal of my campaign is to minimize the
distribution of psychotropic dugs in out-of-home care.
Strategy #1: Advocacy For Improved Foster Home Health Policies
Overview: The essential but problematic components in the foster care health system
regard the medical history of the children and the guardian consent process. Currently,
Florida medical records for children in out of home care are the paper formatted,
Resource Records- an outdated and inefficient form of shuffling information from one
healthcare provider to another when relocation occurs. Faulty guardian consent occurs
when there is not an informed adult who has regular interactions with the child- at least
not enough to vouch for medical action.
Audience: Two audiences will contribute to an enhanced advocacy for improved foster
home health policies: foster parents and Committee on Ways and Means. Foster parents
are considered the foot soldiers of this campaign- they have direct and regular
interactions with the children. Committee on Ways and Means has a more general but
equally important role in influencing health policy.
Types of Power: Both audiences powers work intertwined to influence one another.
Foster parents will work to lobby for health policy reform with a strong ethos appeal
considering they are the individuals with the most direct interaction with the children.
The Committee on Ways and Means will work to permanently bring about health policy
change that will affect both children and their caregivers greatly.
Tactics: First, I plan to craft an educational program for foster parents to inform them on
the dangers of psychotropic drugs and the roles they play in the health policy reformparticularly in the consent process and medical records history of the children. This will
be done through a series of speakers (doctors, past victims of overmedication, etc.),
videos, and social media advocacy accounts will be created and will be easily accessed
by all foster parents.

Strategy #2: Therapeutic Program For Foster Children

Overview: Therapeutic foster care differs from traditional foster care systems in its
specialization in children with severe emotional or behavioral issues. All foster families
in this organization undergo specialized training sessions, are in close contact with
certified therapists, and follow basic curriculums in efforts to aid children in habituating
constructive social behaviors. Treatment plans are strategically tailored to each child;
each child is strategically paired with a foster parents whos skills and resources align
with a home that can assist the children in thriving both physically and emotionally.
Because attempting to construct a therapeutic system might be costly and out of the range
of my power, I plan on implementing therapeutic programs in traditional foster homes.

Audience: My main audience for this portion of the program is foster children. I
plan to organize valuable and meaningful interactions with the children in order to
serve as a therapeutic treatment to their mental and behavioral difficulties.


Types of Power: As the leader of this program, I have the power to stage this
program in a way that will most positively affect foster children. My team that will
be composed of artists, musicians, and psychologists will have the power to alter the
mental and behavioral state of the foster children. The foster children have the
power to affect one another in a sort of positive domino effect.


Tactics: My first step is reaching out to the arts and music departments at UCF and
recruiting a group of 20 artists and musicians willing to volunteer for the cause. In
addition, I will be in close contact with the undergraduate and graduate students of
the psychology department and the counseling services at UCF for guidance on what
our best techniques should be. Programs will mostly take place on weekends and
will last 2-4 hours.