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24 Child L. Prac. 1 (2005-2006)

handle is hein.journals/chilawpt24 and id is 1 raw text is: AN Chnild Law Practice Vol. 24 No. 1 March 2005 Helping Lawyers Help Kids SeuigPr aec fo Adoescnt Aril 93 iaseis Teen Sexuality and Relationships by Rachel Feidheim F rancie (teen in an abusive relationship): Francie, 16, has been living with her older sister, Sydney, since she left her parents' home a few months ago because she was not allowed to see her boyfriend. Her parents do not approve of her boyfriend because he is 22, has hit her on occasion, and often stalks her during their numerous breakups. Sydney was often busy at work and did not have the time or energy to monitor her sister's activities so Francie was able to spend time with her boyfriend. One evening, Sydney walked in on a fight between Francie and her boyfriend where Francie was beaten up and Sydney was threatened. Unless Francie agrees to stay away from her boyfriend, Sydney wants her out of her apartment. Francie has already told Sydney that she is not interested in counseling, nor does she want to separate from her boyfriend. * Like Francie, a teenager may be in a physically, emotionally, or sexually abusive relationship and that may have caused friction with her biological family. This relation- ship might also jeopardize future placements with a family unwilling or unable to take on the risks associ- ated with a dangerous partner. A teen involved in a relationship with someone older may have trouble returning home or to a placement if the relationship originated there. A placement away from this partner may be difficult to find. W illow (teen in a lesbian relationship): Willow is a 15-year-old girl who recently came out to her family and friends. Her parents could not deal with her sexual identity and abused her physically and emotion- ally. After entering care, she was placed with a religious foster family who had narrow views on sexual identity. The family's 17-year-old son made advances towards her as he was intrigued by her sexual identity. Willow did not get along with the family and rebelled against them and their religious beliefs. She also displayed signs of depression and began self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. Eventually, she was placed in a locked residential treatment center for girls because she was not able to get along with the foster family. She is having trouble because she is experiment- ing with other girls in the foster home. Her counselor is concerned that the home is not the right place to explore her sexuality, and she should be focusing on other issues at this time. + A teen who has identified herself as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered such as Willow, may not be able to safely return home to her family due to abuse based on sexual identity. The same teen may have trouble being placed outside of the home because of prejudices or stereotypes. Den (teen with H1V/AIDs) l Ben, 14, has been living with the same foster family for over a year. His family threw him out of his home because of his drug use and promiscuous behavior. He has recently tested positive for HIV infection. His foster family had been considering adopting Ben, but upon learning the test results, developed serious reservations. While the family members, espe- cially the couple's two young boys, had grown attached to Ben, they were concerned about his medical (Continued on page 6) What's Inside: 2 CASE LAW UPDATE 11 NEW IN PRINT 12 SPECIAL FOCUS: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment in Native Communities 15 Q&A What is an APPLA? E-mail: childlawpractice@staff.abanet.org * Internet: http://www.childlawpractice.org

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