Youth and Alumni Participate in FCAA Leadership and Advocacy Training in Cincinnati

Roleplays of Legislator Visits

Certificate of Completion of FCAA Leadership and Advocacy Training in Cincinnati

Florida Cost-Cutting Strategies Are Putting Up A Detour Sign on the Road to Independence

Here we have a program that is working. It's helping emancipated foster care youth to make it during their transition to adulthood. Yet, in the name of efficiency, Rep. Grimsley has decided to fix what ain't broke. Let's give young adults LESS money per month. Let's punish them for working by cutting their stipends.

Basically this reduction is putting up a great big DETOUR sign on the Road to Independence, and setting up additional barriers for Florida foster care youth/alumni who are trying to find stable housing and employment during their transition to adulthood.

For each of the legislators that supported this measure, I wonder how much assistance their parents gave them throughout young adulthood, such as: co-signing for their first apartment, paying for college and campus housing, and providing a place to stay during college breaks. I wish they knew how different the experience of turning 18 can be when you have no family.

For those of us who grew up in foster care and "aged out" of the system, the government is the only parent that we have. Please don't try to balance the state's budget on the backs of foster care youth. You'll save a penny now, and it will cost you two dollars later -- in terms of negative outcomes.

According the St. Petersburg Times: "Compared to other Florida teens, former foster youths are 14 times more likely to be homeless, six times more likely to go on welfare, and three times more likely to end up in the criminal justice system - as victims, if not defendants."

What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood

Child Trends recently released a factsheet on What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood.

Observations included the following:

• Targeting low-income and or high-risk youth early during their transition to adulthood can be effective at improving education and employment outcomes.

• Programs that were implemented over a long period of time were more effective at improving educational attainment.

• Mentoring has a positive impact on school and employment outcomes, and is also associated with decreased delinquency.

• Individual case managers who assess the needs of the participants, coordinate ongoing services, track participant progress, and provide ongoing support and guidance increase the probability of improved outcomes.

• Programs that implement skills training techniques have been found to be effective at improving some outcomes, but not reproductive health outcomes. None of the sexual risk-taking programs were consistently successful at changing behaviors among youth.

• Providing child care for participants contributes to education attainment, school attendance, employment, and earnings.

Two New Resources for Disconnected Youth

The term "disconnected youth" generally refers to young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in school or employed in the legitimate workforce.  

They may have had experience with the criminal justice system or have been in foster care. They aren’t receiving the education, work, civic, and family support they need to be successful adults.

Follow the Money: Funding and Legislative Opportunities on the Horizon to Serve Disconnected Youth discusses current and pending legislation that present opportunities to fund programs in communities to keep young people connected to school and recapture those who are not engaged in school or work.


Building a Comprehensive Youth Employment Delivery System: Examples of Effective Practice describes the landscape for youth in many high poverty urban communities across the country and outlines examples of effective collaboration across the education, juvenile justice and child welfare systems to address the needs of this population.

Parental Support Provided to Adult Children After Age 18

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately half of young adults ages 18 to 24 in the United States live at home with their parents:

• In 2003, 54% of young men and 45% of young women ages 18-24 lived at home with their parents. 
• In 2005, the numbers shifted a bit; 53% of young men and 46% of young women lived at home with their parents. 

A 2007 study sponsored by Ameriprise Financial on Money Across Generations revealed that nine out of 10 Baby Boomers have helped their adult children financially expenses such as college loans, automotive and home costs, medical expenses and/or allowing their adult child to move back home.

According to a 2005 research study on Family Support During the Transition to Adulthood:

"On average, for those living at home and those living independently, parents provide roughly $38,000 in material assistance – housing, food, educational expenses, or direct cash assistance – throughout the transition to adulthood (from age 18 to age 34). This averages to approximately $2,200 annually."

Please note that the amount of material assistance, $38,000 is cited in 2001 dollars. When the amount is adjusted to 2009 dollars using the CPI Conversion Calculator, it is $46,694.

FCAA Culture of Foster Care Postcard Project

Amariana Crenshaw, today I am dedicating this FCAA Postcard to you....

An Injustice and An Atrocity

You will never get the chance to meet four-year-old Amariana Crenshaw.

Her life ended when she was burned beyond recognition by one or more Molotov cocktails landing on her while she slept on the floor of her foster mother’s rental property.

Medical records reveal that Amariana sustained at least 11 prior injuries during her time in foster mother Tracy Dossman’s care – including being pushed from a car.

Between the time that Amariana entered foster care and the time of her death, she dropped from the 83rd to the 3rd percential for her weight. Foster mother Tracy Dossman has been cited for numerous licensing violation – including two documented incidents of locking the refrigerator while Amariana lived with her.

Now, tell me this:

• Tell me why Tracy Dossman still has her foster parenting license.

• Tell me why Tracy Dossman has not been charged with a crime.

• Tell me why, at this very moment, five other foster children are residing in Tracy Dossman’s “home”

• Look me in the eye and explain to me why, after five black eyes and/or split and swollen lips, an injured leg and a molestation allegation, the conclusion drawn by DSS was that Amariana was “accident-prone.”

The California Department of Social Services says that until they complete the official inquiry, and unless they find Dossman in "noncompliance," they will not move to decertify her as a foster parent. Nor will they require the private agency that certifies Dossman to remove the other children.

"We're not there yet," says DSS spokeswoman Lizelda Lopez, who said it's not clear when a decision will come.

My question for Lopez and the other folks working at DSS is: "Would you trust YOUR children in Tracy Dossman's home?"

Sources:
Editorial: Who’s looking out for the next Amariana? Sacramento Bee, Feb. 14, 2010, pg. 6E.
Lundstrom, Marjie. Clinic records reveal more injuries. Sacramento Bee, Feb. 5, 2010, pg. 1A.

Challenges Facing Transitional Youth - Especially African American Young Men

Hearing this radio interview on NPR, and reading the research below concerns me - especially because of African Americans overrepresentation in foster care.

This is one of many reasons why the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America is involved in dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline in our state.

Our young people need better preparation and a network of support.



The Educational Crisis Facing Young Men of Color

• Young men are not persisting in school or achieving at the same academic levels as young women.

• This challenge is most acute for the most disadvantaged men of color. At just about every stage of the educational pipeline, they lag behind minority women in terms of achievement, persistence, and school and college completion.

High Unemployment Rate for African American Youth
• The current unemployment rate for black male youth, ages 16 to 19, is 52%

• Corporate Voices and the Ready by 21 Partnership are working to engage business leaders to create local partnerships within their communities.

Ohio County Map - Foster Care Youth & Alumni Communities

Please click on this image to view it at a larger size and higher resolution:

Ohio Children Abused or Neglected, By County

10TV News Coverage of FCAA Ohio Thanksgiving 2009

Fox News Coverage of FCAA Ohio Thanksgiving 2009

Rates of Poverty Growing Across the Nation

Also of note:

• The youth unemployment rate of summer 2009 was the highest on record.
• A record number (3.3 million) of job-seeking young people ages 16 to 24 are unemployed.

Lisa Dickson named Volunteer of the Year

Ohio Foster Care Alumna Named Volunteer of the Year
Foster Care Alumni of America names Lisa Dickson Volunteer of the Year

Washington, DC — The Board of Directors of Foster Care Alumni of America, the only national association for adults who experienced foster care as children, has named Ohio resident, Lisa Dickson, as Volunteer of the Year.

Lisa lived in foster care from ages 12-16, lived in a variety of placements, including group homes and an emergency shelter, and "aged out" of foster care and started college when she was 16 years old.  As the Communications Chair for the Ohio Chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA), Lisa has been extremely effective in establishing the chapter and its members as a source of expertise in the state and around the country.  Lisa has led efforts to advocate for reinstating state funding for Independent Living services through advocacy visits with members of the state legislature, coordination with other advocates, and numerous opportunities for chapter members to testify before legislative committees.

The chapter has also been involved in Ohio Reach, a statewide effort to increase the recruitment and retention of foster care alumni in high education, and to establish foster care liaisons at Ohio universities, community college and technical schools.  Lisa’s commitment to supporting the leadership development of other alumni across the state has led to a very well trained and experienced core membership in the chapter and will serve to make the Ohio chapter sustainable well into the future.

Lisa has led the development of a number of trainings for FCAA including Emotional Resiliency, Purposeful Sharing and Real Life 101 workshops. She is dedicated to teaching professionals to effectively and respectfully engage alumni, to create understanding about how childhood trauma can affect an individual for their entire life, and to support young people and alumni to establish healthy boundaries and expectations in their personal, volunteer and professional relationships.

In addition to her activities at the state level, Lisa is a highly visible and effective national leader.  She has a strong presence online as a person who is always willing to ask tough questions about practice and policy in both foster care and adoption.  She has provided her technical expertise to numerous other FCAA members as well as the broader child welfare community (leading the establishment of a number of resource websites aimed at people in and from care and the professionals who serve them).  Lisa is a gifted trainer and often represents FCAA at state and national events as a keynote speaker and/or workshop presenter.

Lisa has recently been engaged FCAA’s Volunteer Social Media Coordinator.  This is a fitting evolution for an individual committed to making her own voice heard through blogs, forums, and social networks that are related to foster care. 

Foster Care Alumni of America’s Board of Directors named four Volunteers of the Year in 2009. In addition to Lisa, they celebrated the contributions of Ryan Dollinger (alumnus of foster care from Texas), Eshawn Peterson (alumna from Arizona) and consultant and retired juvenile and family court judge, Stephen Rideout of Virginia. 

About Foster Care Alumni of America: In 2004, foster care alumni and advocates created a national non-profit association that brings together the expertise of adults who have experienced foster care.  Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) was formed to engage the more than 12 million alumni of foster care and to advocate for the needs of the youth and alumni of foster care.

FCAA has nearly 3, 000 members from all 50 states. Through FCAA, alumni of foster care hope to create the ability to connect with one another in an organized and well-supported community and to use alumni expertise to transform the foster care system.

FCAA's mission seeks to provide innovation in the federal and state child welfare systems and effective and meaningful partnerships with child welfare organizations. FCAA has confidence that it can partner with others to reduce the numbers of children and youth in foster care and can improve the foster care experience through investments of their expertise and energy.

For more information on Foster Care Alumni of America, please visit our website at: www.fostercarealumni.org

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Interview on WOSU NPR

Foster Kids Who Age Out of Care Face Tough Road

Mandie Trimble, WOSU News (2010-01-11).

COLUMBUS, OH (WOSU) - Many rites of passages come along with turning eighteen: high school graduation, voting, entering the work force or college. For most young people it means the first time away from home and parents, an exciting, albeit scary, time for which many teens have been anxiously waiting for years. But for youth who reach the age of majority while in foster care, the rite of passage comes with additional challenges.

Mandie Trimble asked FCAA Ohio Communications Chair, Lisa Dickson, about the resources available and the current challenges for Ohio foster youth "aging out" of foster care.

Thought on Approaching the New Year

We are approaching a new decade -- can you believe that?

I am hoping that it's a decade of continued positive change regarding improving outcomes for foster care youth/alumni. That's what I'll be working towards for the next 10 years.

Today, I am looking back and savoring every second and every moment of 2009...

During 2009, the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America:

• Testified before legislators
• Visited various counties to build youth advisory boards
• Supported Ohio Reach efforts to increase the number of foster care youth enrolling in and graduating from college 
• Co-hosted the youth track of the NACAC conference
• Shared our insights nationally and locally
• Had Ohio's First Lady present during our Thanksgiving event

We will continue to move forward during the next decade...

The Real Research On Foster Care

As a former foster child and current youth advocate, the research I respect most comes from the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.