Dr. Walter Shaffer, medical director for Oregon's medical assistance programs testified before the Senate Health and Human Services that:
*Between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2006, children in the Oregon foster care system were three times more likely than other children to have been prescribed a psychiatric drug.
*Over that two-year period, nearly 4,700 Oregon foster children were prescribed an antidepressant, stimulant or other mood stabilizer.
*Meanwhile, less than a third of them received mental health assessments within 60 days as the law requires.
While the pharmaceutical industry might benefit from this all-too-common lack of oversight, it endangers the lives of these children.
As a former foster child and current youth advocate, I agree with Shaffer's recommendation that the state should:
1.) Hire a medical director for child welfare
2.) Build a network of nurses or mental health experts to consult with caseworkers
3.) Develop a better data system to track psychiatric medications used by children in foster care
It is important to note that this is a national problem, and it needs to be addressed. If the government is 'parenting' these children, then the government is accountable to regulate their medication, just as a parent would.
It is a crime when state laws are ignored, and hundreds of foster children prescribed multiple prescriptions with little or no state scrutiny.
Why? Because young children are three times as likely as adults to have adverse results to psychotropic drugs.
Drastic, damaging side effects can haunt their adulthood, as a result of this negligence, including lifelong medical problems and the inability to have children of their own.
Source:
Cole, Michelle. Testimony reveals foster care failings. Oregonian, Feb. 14, 2008.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Two great bills for foster care youth
Arkansas foster children driver's license passes
"Foster children would be able to obtain a driver's license more easily under legislation that passed the Senate on Thursday.
"Teenagers in foster care are unable to hold jobs, drive to school or visit friends without mobility, Madison and other bill supporters said. Foster parents usually are unable to afford liability coverage, and some teen-agers who are wards of the state live independently and have no foster parents.
"Under Senate Bill 247 by Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, the state would assume liability for driving accidents by foster children.
"No other method would allow foster children old enough to drive but not to obtain their own liability insurance coverage to get valid driver's licenses, bill supporters told the committee.
"Although Madison said she had no figures available Wednesday, the financial impact on the state is expected to be less than the existing impact of teen-agers being unable to contribute fully to their own support through jobs.
"The bill passed 26-0 in the Senate and goes to the House."
Source: Legislative briefs, Arkansas News Bureau, March 13, 2007.
Colorado law lets foster children see siblings
"Colorado's foster children can now see their siblings if they have been separated but want to stay connected.
"Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) signed the measure into law on Thursday.
"It requires counties to arrange the visits.
"Former foster children like Tony Corley helped lobby at the Capitol in favor of the measure, which was passed unanimously by state lawmakers.
"I was in foster care and unable to see my siblings. Being in foster care can be challenging. Now, with this new law, the connection between siblings will be easier for others in the system of care," said Corley.
"When a foster child makes a simple request to see their brother and sister, we should all listen. We should put that request at the top of their list and our list. It might seem like a little thing, but for a child in foster care, it's not," said Ritter.
"Ritter says, on any given day, there are 8,800 Colorado children in foster care. "
Source: 9NEWS.com
"Foster children would be able to obtain a driver's license more easily under legislation that passed the Senate on Thursday.
"Teenagers in foster care are unable to hold jobs, drive to school or visit friends without mobility, Madison and other bill supporters said. Foster parents usually are unable to afford liability coverage, and some teen-agers who are wards of the state live independently and have no foster parents.
"Under Senate Bill 247 by Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, the state would assume liability for driving accidents by foster children.
"No other method would allow foster children old enough to drive but not to obtain their own liability insurance coverage to get valid driver's licenses, bill supporters told the committee.
"Although Madison said she had no figures available Wednesday, the financial impact on the state is expected to be less than the existing impact of teen-agers being unable to contribute fully to their own support through jobs.
"The bill passed 26-0 in the Senate and goes to the House."
Source: Legislative briefs, Arkansas News Bureau, March 13, 2007.
Colorado law lets foster children see siblings
"Colorado's foster children can now see their siblings if they have been separated but want to stay connected.
"Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) signed the measure into law on Thursday.
"It requires counties to arrange the visits.
"Former foster children like Tony Corley helped lobby at the Capitol in favor of the measure, which was passed unanimously by state lawmakers.
"I was in foster care and unable to see my siblings. Being in foster care can be challenging. Now, with this new law, the connection between siblings will be easier for others in the system of care," said Corley.
"When a foster child makes a simple request to see their brother and sister, we should all listen. We should put that request at the top of their list and our list. It might seem like a little thing, but for a child in foster care, it's not," said Ritter.
"Ritter says, on any given day, there are 8,800 Colorado children in foster care. "
Source: 9NEWS.com
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Who has the authority to define "permanency?"
How the System Defines Permanency
A recent round table of experts, convened by Casey Family Services and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, defined permanency as:
“Having an enduring family relationship that:
- is safe and meant to last a lifetime
- offers the legal rights and social status of full family membership
- provides for all levels of a young person’s development
- assures lifelong connections to extended family, siblings, other significant adults, family history and traditions, race and ethnicity, culture, religion and language.”
These are lofty goals. It’s almost as if a group of people who emerged from a “normal” family looked at everything that they personally had, and said, “Yes, we want foster care youth to have that.” So, they set that as the standard, after taking upon themselves the responsibility to define what that standard is…
Is it realistic? Is it attainable? I don’t know. As a former foster care youth, I found my first “family” in my peers while living in a college dorm. But I did not have the legal rights of full family membership until I was married in 2001.
How Youth Define Permanency
It's important to note that young people in foster care define permanency very differently. When the Urban Institute and the California Youth Connection facilitated focus groups of foster youth to ask them about this issue:
- Some youth referred to permanency as a physical or concrete entity. They said things like: “Staying in one place” and “Not having to move” and “A place to stay until you age out.”
- Other young people said, “No, it’s more than a place to live. It’s a feeling of connection.” They defined permanency as an emotional commitment from other people.
One young man described the concept of permanency as being like a permanent marker; he said, “If you draw on the paper, that mark ain’t going nowhere. The paper may go somewhere or it could be picked up, but the mark ain’t going nowhere.”
That is a great visual. Think about the people who have made an indelible mark upon your life. Not all of them were connected to you by blood, birth or legal contract.
Whose Permanency Is It, Anyway?
Now, I am going to suggest something radical here… I believe that the “experts” and the “professionals” should allow the input of foster care youth and alumni to influence how they measure success in the area of permanency.
What do youth say about adoption, guardianship, reunification with their biological family, independent living programs and aging out of foster care?
During a youth panel at the 2006 Casey It's My Life conference:
1.) Young people differentiated between biological or legal family and chosen family
2.) Youth said that they needed an entire network of connections, and not just one person
3.) Young people didn't want to be viewed as a "failure" if they aged out of the system without being adopted
4.) Teenagers in foster care expressed their need for independence and independent living skills
There Is No “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach To Foster Care
The experiences of young people differ according to the situation. Some find happiness through reuniting with their biological families. Others report being taken advantage of by ‘predatory parents.’
Here are some legitimate fears that young people in foster care express:
1. “Do you just want to close my case, or am I really safe now?” Many young people fear becoming a ‘closed case.’ The rate of re-entry into the foster care system after an initial attempt at reunification is high.
2. “Aren’t I too old for adoption?” Teenagers in United States foster care report that they have learned from past experience that most foster parents are not eager to take teenagers into their homes. They also report their fears that, by being adopted, they might lose access to independent living classes, college tuition assistance and medical insurance.
3. “Why should I take the risk of adoption by a stranger?” One of the horrors of foster care is its unpredictability. Teenagers who have grown up in the system often know what to expect from independent living programs. They anticipate having some power and control over their personal living situation.
Young people interviewed by the Urban Institute said that when they were placed in a group home or foster home, they had opportunities to leave if they did not like it – but “once you are adopted, you are stuck.”
Broadening Our Definition of Permanency
We live in a pluralistic society, where the word ‘family’ can be defined in many ways. Perhaps the definition of permanency from that roundtable was more than just lofty… maybe it was limiting, too.
I would ask the experts: "Is it a nuclear family that we are trying to accomplish, and is anything less a failure? Are we engaging in partisan politics? Or are we trying to lay a foundation that will lead to lifelong emotional resiliency?"
Foster care alumni often report finding their first experience of “permanency” through friendships and mentoring relationships. A FosterClub intern from Michigan reported finding permanency through her involvement with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, which she described as being an ‘emotional parent’ in her life.
The way I see it, the choice is simple: We can keep defining what permanency should look like for a young person and forcing it upon them. Or we can listen to the young people themselves.
Because for a researcher, this is an outcome. For a staff person, this might be a job performance issue. But for a young person in foster care, this is their life.
Sources:
Chambers, K., et al. Foster Youth’s Views of Adoption and Permanency. Urban Institute, Child Welfare Research Program, January 2008.
Research Roundtable: Convening on Youth Permanence, Sept. 12-13, 2006.
Sanchez, Reina M. Youth Perspectives on Permanency, California Youth Connection, California Permanency for Youth, 2004.
A recent round table of experts, convened by Casey Family Services and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, defined permanency as:
“Having an enduring family relationship that:
- is safe and meant to last a lifetime
- offers the legal rights and social status of full family membership
- provides for all levels of a young person’s development
- assures lifelong connections to extended family, siblings, other significant adults, family history and traditions, race and ethnicity, culture, religion and language.”
These are lofty goals. It’s almost as if a group of people who emerged from a “normal” family looked at everything that they personally had, and said, “Yes, we want foster care youth to have that.” So, they set that as the standard, after taking upon themselves the responsibility to define what that standard is…
Is it realistic? Is it attainable? I don’t know. As a former foster care youth, I found my first “family” in my peers while living in a college dorm. But I did not have the legal rights of full family membership until I was married in 2001.
How Youth Define Permanency
It's important to note that young people in foster care define permanency very differently. When the Urban Institute and the California Youth Connection facilitated focus groups of foster youth to ask them about this issue:
- Some youth referred to permanency as a physical or concrete entity. They said things like: “Staying in one place” and “Not having to move” and “A place to stay until you age out.”
- Other young people said, “No, it’s more than a place to live. It’s a feeling of connection.” They defined permanency as an emotional commitment from other people.
One young man described the concept of permanency as being like a permanent marker; he said, “If you draw on the paper, that mark ain’t going nowhere. The paper may go somewhere or it could be picked up, but the mark ain’t going nowhere.”
That is a great visual. Think about the people who have made an indelible mark upon your life. Not all of them were connected to you by blood, birth or legal contract.
Whose Permanency Is It, Anyway?
Now, I am going to suggest something radical here… I believe that the “experts” and the “professionals” should allow the input of foster care youth and alumni to influence how they measure success in the area of permanency.
What do youth say about adoption, guardianship, reunification with their biological family, independent living programs and aging out of foster care?
During a youth panel at the 2006 Casey It's My Life conference:
1.) Young people differentiated between biological or legal family and chosen family
2.) Youth said that they needed an entire network of connections, and not just one person
3.) Young people didn't want to be viewed as a "failure" if they aged out of the system without being adopted
4.) Teenagers in foster care expressed their need for independence and independent living skills
There Is No “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach To Foster Care
The experiences of young people differ according to the situation. Some find happiness through reuniting with their biological families. Others report being taken advantage of by ‘predatory parents.’
Here are some legitimate fears that young people in foster care express:
1. “Do you just want to close my case, or am I really safe now?” Many young people fear becoming a ‘closed case.’ The rate of re-entry into the foster care system after an initial attempt at reunification is high.
2. “Aren’t I too old for adoption?” Teenagers in United States foster care report that they have learned from past experience that most foster parents are not eager to take teenagers into their homes. They also report their fears that, by being adopted, they might lose access to independent living classes, college tuition assistance and medical insurance.
3. “Why should I take the risk of adoption by a stranger?” One of the horrors of foster care is its unpredictability. Teenagers who have grown up in the system often know what to expect from independent living programs. They anticipate having some power and control over their personal living situation.
Young people interviewed by the Urban Institute said that when they were placed in a group home or foster home, they had opportunities to leave if they did not like it – but “once you are adopted, you are stuck.”
Broadening Our Definition of Permanency
We live in a pluralistic society, where the word ‘family’ can be defined in many ways. Perhaps the definition of permanency from that roundtable was more than just lofty… maybe it was limiting, too.
I would ask the experts: "Is it a nuclear family that we are trying to accomplish, and is anything less a failure? Are we engaging in partisan politics? Or are we trying to lay a foundation that will lead to lifelong emotional resiliency?"
Foster care alumni often report finding their first experience of “permanency” through friendships and mentoring relationships. A FosterClub intern from Michigan reported finding permanency through her involvement with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, which she described as being an ‘emotional parent’ in her life.
The way I see it, the choice is simple: We can keep defining what permanency should look like for a young person and forcing it upon them. Or we can listen to the young people themselves.
Because for a researcher, this is an outcome. For a staff person, this might be a job performance issue. But for a young person in foster care, this is their life.
Sources:
Chambers, K., et al. Foster Youth’s Views of Adoption and Permanency. Urban Institute, Child Welfare Research Program, January 2008.
Research Roundtable: Convening on Youth Permanence, Sept. 12-13, 2006.
Sanchez, Reina M. Youth Perspectives on Permanency, California Youth Connection, California Permanency for Youth, 2004.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Youth Transitions Finance Project
The Youth Transitions Resource Center provides resources on how to develop and sustain supports and services for youth transitioning out of foster care.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Previous articles, current news and proposed legislation
1. Sibling visitation:I have written about foster care and the pain of sibling separation and Hawaii's Project Visitation. Foster care youth in Iowa have lobbied state legislators to mandate sibling visitation, because this issue is so vitally important.
Recently, the Indiana Senate unanimously passed a bill to support sibling visitation. The battle is not won, however... the bill now moves to the Indiana House of Representatives for consideration.
2. Psychotropic medication:A new proposal by the Oregon Department of Human Services could affect over 2000 Oregon children who receive psychiatric medications are taking multiple prescriptions with little or no state scrutiny.
It has been alleged that the high rate of prescriptions for psychotropic drugs for children in the foster care system is motivated by financial gains by the pharmaceutical industry.
It is unconscionable that the use of these drugs is not monitored and, in fact, group homes have financial incentive to drug the children in their care.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Campaign for Youth
The Campaign for Youth is an alliance of organizations working together to increase resources for disconnected youth.
They are inviting education and youth-focused organizations to sign on in support of its Strategy Memo, and to collaborate in order to engage the next administration in reconnecting youth.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Mentoring and Foster Care
January is National Mentoring Month, and my top priority in 2008 is linking teenagers in foster care with mentors.
Resiliency research consistently identifies the presence of a supportive and caring adult in the lives of children and youth who succeed despite adversity and hardship (Osterling and Hines, 2006).
Yet, for the 520,000 children in the United States foster care system, one key challenge they face is the lack of a consistent, caring adult in their lives. For children in foster care, grown-ups move in and out of their lives as they transition from home to home.
Every year, 20,000 teenagers “age out” of the foster care system and are left to fend for themselves. During this transition period, they are at risk for homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, substance abuse, unemployment and criminal behavior.
A mentor can play a crucial role in preparing a young person for this jarring transition. Research indicates that mentoring programs for teenagers in the foster care system represent a preventative strategy to prevent negative outcomes as they emancipate from the foster care system and transition into young adulthood.
Mentors buffer foster care youth from negative outcomes by providing a supportive and trusting relationship, serving as a role model and assisting foster care youth in acquiring independent living skills (Osterling and Hines, 2006).
Mentoring programs are also cost-effective, because they address a fundamental need for many foster youth and do not depend on extensive resources. Therefore, they represent a practical approach to prevention and intervention with this population.
Successful Models of Mentoring Foster Care Children:
1. Advocates to Successful Transition to Independence program (ASTI) was a program run by a community-based nonprofit agency, conducted in two phases over two years. The study found that mentoring helps prevent negative outcomes as young people emancipate from the foster care system and transition into young adulthood. After twelve months of participation in a mentoring program, foster care youth exhibited improved social skills, a higher level of trust in adults, and self-esteem enhancement (Rhodes, 1999).
2. Mentoring USA was the first mentoring program in the United States to specifically address the needs of young people in foster care.
3. AFC (Adoption and Foster Care) Mentoring is a program in Boston, Massachusetts that provides both one-on-one and group mentoring for young people in foster care. Some of their mentors are alumni of the foster care system.
4. In My Shoes is a non-profit, peer-mentoring organization in Arizona that pairs foster care alumni with foster care youth. It was founded by my friend Christa Drake in July 2003, with the purpose of assisting 16 and 17-year-olds in the foster care system as they prepare for their transition to adulthood.
5. Fostering Healthy Connections Through Peer Mentoring was initiated by Child Welfare League of America, supported by FosterClub and piloted in Louisville, Kentucky. The program trains former foster youth to mentor current foster youth.
It is currently being implemented in Franklin County, Ohio by PCSAO, with the support of the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America.
6. The Orphan Foundation of America moderates an e-mentoring group, which is funded by a three-year grant that they received from the Northrop Grumman Foundation.
References
Britner, Preston A., Fabrico E. Balcazar, Elaine A. Blechman, Lynn Blinn-Pike, and Simon Larose.(2006). "Mentoring Special Populations." Journal of Community Psychology 34:6, p. 747-763.
Clayden Jasmine and Mike Stein (2005). Mentoring Young People Leaving Care: ‘Someone for Me.’ Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
“Peer-to-peer shows success in Louisville pilot.” (2007). Children’s Voice 16:3, p. 35.
Osterling, Kathy L. and Alice M. Hines. (2006). “Mentoring Adolescent Foster Youth: Promoting Resilience During Developmental Transitions.” Child and Family Social Work 11:2, p. 42-253.
Rhodes, Jean E., Wendy L. Haight and Ernestine Briggs. (1991). “The Influence of Mentoring on the Peer Relationships of Foster Youth in Relative and Nonrelative Care. Journal of Research on Adolescence 9:2,185-201.
Resiliency research consistently identifies the presence of a supportive and caring adult in the lives of children and youth who succeed despite adversity and hardship (Osterling and Hines, 2006).
Yet, for the 520,000 children in the United States foster care system, one key challenge they face is the lack of a consistent, caring adult in their lives. For children in foster care, grown-ups move in and out of their lives as they transition from home to home.
Every year, 20,000 teenagers “age out” of the foster care system and are left to fend for themselves. During this transition period, they are at risk for homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, substance abuse, unemployment and criminal behavior.
A mentor can play a crucial role in preparing a young person for this jarring transition. Research indicates that mentoring programs for teenagers in the foster care system represent a preventative strategy to prevent negative outcomes as they emancipate from the foster care system and transition into young adulthood.
Mentors buffer foster care youth from negative outcomes by providing a supportive and trusting relationship, serving as a role model and assisting foster care youth in acquiring independent living skills (Osterling and Hines, 2006).
Mentoring programs are also cost-effective, because they address a fundamental need for many foster youth and do not depend on extensive resources. Therefore, they represent a practical approach to prevention and intervention with this population.
Successful Models of Mentoring Foster Care Children:
1. Advocates to Successful Transition to Independence program (ASTI) was a program run by a community-based nonprofit agency, conducted in two phases over two years. The study found that mentoring helps prevent negative outcomes as young people emancipate from the foster care system and transition into young adulthood. After twelve months of participation in a mentoring program, foster care youth exhibited improved social skills, a higher level of trust in adults, and self-esteem enhancement (Rhodes, 1999).
2. Mentoring USA was the first mentoring program in the United States to specifically address the needs of young people in foster care.
3. AFC (Adoption and Foster Care) Mentoring is a program in Boston, Massachusetts that provides both one-on-one and group mentoring for young people in foster care. Some of their mentors are alumni of the foster care system.
4. In My Shoes is a non-profit, peer-mentoring organization in Arizona that pairs foster care alumni with foster care youth. It was founded by my friend Christa Drake in July 2003, with the purpose of assisting 16 and 17-year-olds in the foster care system as they prepare for their transition to adulthood.
5. Fostering Healthy Connections Through Peer Mentoring was initiated by Child Welfare League of America, supported by FosterClub and piloted in Louisville, Kentucky. The program trains former foster youth to mentor current foster youth.
It is currently being implemented in Franklin County, Ohio by PCSAO, with the support of the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America.
6. The Orphan Foundation of America moderates an e-mentoring group, which is funded by a three-year grant that they received from the Northrop Grumman Foundation.
References
Britner, Preston A., Fabrico E. Balcazar, Elaine A. Blechman, Lynn Blinn-Pike, and Simon Larose.(2006). "Mentoring Special Populations." Journal of Community Psychology 34:6, p. 747-763.
Clayden Jasmine and Mike Stein (2005). Mentoring Young People Leaving Care: ‘Someone for Me.’ Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
“Peer-to-peer shows success in Louisville pilot.” (2007). Children’s Voice 16:3, p. 35.
Osterling, Kathy L. and Alice M. Hines. (2006). “Mentoring Adolescent Foster Youth: Promoting Resilience During Developmental Transitions.” Child and Family Social Work 11:2, p. 42-253.
Rhodes, Jean E., Wendy L. Haight and Ernestine Briggs. (1991). “The Influence of Mentoring on the Peer Relationships of Foster Youth in Relative and Nonrelative Care. Journal of Research on Adolescence 9:2,185-201.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Tapping into the vision and passion of former foster children
It has been said that 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'
With that in mind, my husband and I created a video to illustrate what can be accomplished by empowering foster care alumni.
Please take the time to watch this video. If you are a MAC user, this link might work better for you, but might be a bit slow to initially load.
It is an opportunity to learn more about Foster Care Alumni of America, the Culture of Foster Care postcard project, and the recent Thanksgiving dinner at Capitol Hill.
As a former foster child, volunteering for Foster Care Alumni of America is my highest privilege. There are some things that money cannot buy -- and the honor of using your own personal experiences and those of other survivors to make a positive difference is one of them.
The experience is both healing and eye-opening. I used to think that the highest goal was to 'speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.' Now, I have learned that a better goal is to empower others to advocate, and to stand beside them in order to create a 'collective voice' which is more difficult to silence.
I created the video at the request of a conference facilitator who is considering me as a keynote presenter in 2008.
I am sharing it here, because it demonstrates what needs to happen throughout the United States, and across over the globe. We need to:
1. Dispel the stigma of foster care, and view survival behavior within its context, rather than pathologizing it.
2. Challenge survivors to view themselves not as victims, but as potential world-changers.
3. Listen to the voices of foster care youth and alumni and empower them to initiate change, since they are the 'consumers' of the foster care system.
4. Facilitate the development of foster care youth advisory boards and alumni peer support groups, recognizing that a permanent community can provide healing from a lifetime of broken connections.
5. Make child protection a priority. Thanks goes out to Megan Bayliss and all the authors and readers of Imaginif child protection became serious business.
With that in mind, my husband and I created a video to illustrate what can be accomplished by empowering foster care alumni.
Please take the time to watch this video. If you are a MAC user, this link might work better for you, but might be a bit slow to initially load.
It is an opportunity to learn more about Foster Care Alumni of America, the Culture of Foster Care postcard project, and the recent Thanksgiving dinner at Capitol Hill.
As a former foster child, volunteering for Foster Care Alumni of America is my highest privilege. There are some things that money cannot buy -- and the honor of using your own personal experiences and those of other survivors to make a positive difference is one of them.
The experience is both healing and eye-opening. I used to think that the highest goal was to 'speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.' Now, I have learned that a better goal is to empower others to advocate, and to stand beside them in order to create a 'collective voice' which is more difficult to silence.
I created the video at the request of a conference facilitator who is considering me as a keynote presenter in 2008.
I am sharing it here, because it demonstrates what needs to happen throughout the United States, and across over the globe. We need to:
1. Dispel the stigma of foster care, and view survival behavior within its context, rather than pathologizing it.
2. Challenge survivors to view themselves not as victims, but as potential world-changers.
3. Listen to the voices of foster care youth and alumni and empower them to initiate change, since they are the 'consumers' of the foster care system.
4. Facilitate the development of foster care youth advisory boards and alumni peer support groups, recognizing that a permanent community can provide healing from a lifetime of broken connections.
5. Make child protection a priority. Thanks goes out to Megan Bayliss and all the authors and readers of Imaginif child protection became serious business.
Monday, December 31, 2007
New Years Eve
I have been working all day to create a board game about the experience of aging out of foster care for an upcoming presentation.
Finally, I decided to take a break!
As I searched the Internet for foster care news, it was a happy surprise to me to find that I have been quoted on the website of the Kirpa Life Skills Training Center.
Finally, I decided to take a break!
As I searched the Internet for foster care news, it was a happy surprise to me to find that I have been quoted on the website of the Kirpa Life Skills Training Center.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Lisa and hubby at Winter Ball
Taking me to the Winter Ball was my husband's birthday present to me this year!
Helen Jones-Kelley at the Winter Ball
ODJFS Director Helen Jones-Kelley with Doris Edelmann of Montgomery County Children Services
Winter Ball
Voicing Independent Solutions in Our Neighborhoods youth advisory boardDuring my childhood, I participated in the same activities as my friends - but something happened when I entered the foster care system.
It was as if I were a different person. Suddenly, I became a “group home girl” and a “foster kid.” People treated me differently. They increased their restrictions and lowered their expectations.
Schools initially placed me in remedial classes, until records arrived to notify them that I was an Honors student.
While my oldest stepdaughter prepared for Homecoming this year, I looked through a photo album from my teenage years. It is filled with photographs of my friends from high school, all dressed up for dances that I was never allowed to attend.
Thankfully, there were staff members who advocated for me to participate in school activities, such as: Junior Miss, All-State Chorus tryouts, art competitions and school plays.
Not only did participation make me feel more “normal,” but it also impressed my college admissions counselor to allow me to start college when I was 16 years old.
It is the advocates in our lives who make a difference.
Thanks to the initiative of VISION youth advisory board and the support of Doris Edelmann and Stacia Burlingame, foster care youth in Ohio have their very own dance to attend. As a foster care alumna, it was my privilege to attend as well!
This year marked the third annual Winter Ball. The youth advisory board chose the colors, food, music and theme. ODJFS Director Helen Jones-Kelley came to show her support. There were approximately 180 youth and 20 adults in attendance. Participants voted for a Winter Ball king and queen.
My wish for the New Year is that, in 2008, youth advisory boards in each of Ohio’s 88 counties will be empowered to create and implement activities like this one!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tips on creating a chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America
2007 Thanksgiving dinner at the Capitol
Photo by Gediyon Kifle
As co-founder of the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America, I've been asked by many people how to start a chapter in their area...
Misty Stenslie, Deputy Director of FCAA national, is the best resource for starting a chapter in your area.
Please follow this link to find out more about FCAA chapter charter, policies and procedures.
The Ohio chapter is available as a resource to you as well...
Here are some things that have worked for us:
1. Get in touch with foster care youth:
- Seek out local foster care youth advisory boards
- Find out what matters to them
- Develop presentations to smooth their transition to adulthood
- Partner with child welfare professionals to improve services to young people in/from foster care
Foster care youth of today are the alumni of tomorrow. They have fresh insights and passion to offer! And we older alumni can use our experience and expertise to support their current and future success!
2. Find your allies, such as:
- Local/statewide foster parent organizations
- Local/statewide independent living coordinators
- Social work professors at local universities
- Support groups for kinship caregivers
Many people within the child welfare field long to make a more powerful impact when it comes to foster care. Attend their meetings and tell them who you are and what FCAA is all about. The people who care most about our mission will be drawn to you!
3. Read the news:
- Find out who is speaking out about foster care
- Find out which journalists are interested in writing about foster care issues
- Research the local radio stations for future promotion opportunities
When we present ourselves as being knowledgeable about what's going on locally, statewide and nationally regarding foster care, this builds our credibility with others.
4. Share your voice:
- At local, statewide and national conferences
- In op-eds and interviews
- During brainstorming sessions about independent living classes and aftercare
- In discussions about foster care policy
'Nothing about us without us' is FCAA's motto.
When 'experts' hold discussions about changing child welfare policies, procedures and/or legislation, we should be there. And when youth entrust us with issues that are important to them, we should be their champions in any arena in which they may not be present.
As we continue to share our voice, other alumni will come along and stand beside us. This will give power to our message, because we will be sharing collectively. Opportunities will arise for us to empower them to take center stage, while we sit in the audience and cheer them on!
5. Never give up:
- There will be disagreements
- Sometimes you will feel discouraged
- You won't see the outcome of your efforts right away
- "It is possible to move a mountain by carrying away small stones"
What we are involved in is a foster care movement. Like the civil rights movement or the women's rights movement.
Movements don't take a day or a week or a month or a year. They can take a lifetime. And it is worth it, because members of Foster Care Alumni of America are determined to leave a legacy!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Foster children are not "pound puppies"
Caption: This is NOT a foster child!
In Omaha, Nebraska, a nineteen-year-old boy walked into a mall with a semi-automatic assault rifle, and killed eight people before turning the gun on himself.
He was immediately christened "a lost puppy."
This is ridiculous.
He was immediately christened "a lost puppy."
This is ridiculous.
Robert Hawkins wasn't a puppy - or even more offensive "a pound puppy, he was a person.
Current and former foster children aren't pets - we are people:
1. We can't be sent away to kennels on holidays if group home staff or foster parents want to "just have friends over and have the place to myself."
2. We can't be kept on a leash, and as we enter into young adulthood, but rather should be allowed the freedom and support to build a positive circle of friends, often through involvement in sports or other school activities
3. And, unlike "dumb animals," we are responsible for our actions.
Current and former foster children aren't pets - we are people:
1. We can't be sent away to kennels on holidays if group home staff or foster parents want to "just have friends over and have the place to myself."
2. We can't be kept on a leash, and as we enter into young adulthood, but rather should be allowed the freedom and support to build a positive circle of friends, often through involvement in sports or other school activities
3. And, unlike "dumb animals," we are responsible for our actions.
“To be truly free, we have to be accountable, to be able to answer for ourselves and our decisions” (Alan W. Jones, SoulMaking).
Robert Hawkins made a terrible choice. It was wrong; it was misguided - and it was irrevocable.
And it was selfish. In his suicide note, he said, "Now I'll be famous."
This is the type of action that perpetuates the stigma of foster care. Despite the stereotype, not every former foster child winds up being some type of criminal.
Robert Hawkins made a terrible choice. It was wrong; it was misguided - and it was irrevocable.
And it was selfish. In his suicide note, he said, "Now I'll be famous."
This is the type of action that perpetuates the stigma of foster care. Despite the stereotype, not every former foster child winds up being some type of criminal.
Many of us grow up to build families. We provide for our children in a way that we were not provided for... protect them in a way that we were not protected. We work to learn new patterns of behavior so that we will not repeat the cycle of abuse.
Many of us strive to make a positive difference for the 'next generation' of foster children.
For example, during the week of Thanksgiving, members of Foster Care Alumni of America from all over the country met with Congressional representatives and then had a Thanksgiving dinner on the Capitol lawn, in order to propose positive changes to improve the foster care system.
Over 1000 media outlets were contacted about this event -- and the turnout was much less than I had expected.
In the meantime, there are countless articles about this tragedy.
It's saddens me that destructive behavior attracts more press coverage than proactive action.
For example, during the week of Thanksgiving, members of Foster Care Alumni of America from all over the country met with Congressional representatives and then had a Thanksgiving dinner on the Capitol lawn, in order to propose positive changes to improve the foster care system.
Over 1000 media outlets were contacted about this event -- and the turnout was much less than I had expected.
In the meantime, there are countless articles about this tragedy.
It's saddens me that destructive behavior attracts more press coverage than proactive action.
Transition From Foster Care to Adulthood Wiki
This Wiki provides information about state law and practice regarding the transition of young people from foster care to adulthood.
Promoting Youth Voice in Child Welfare Systems
The National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning has compiled several resources to assist child welfare professionals with promoting youth voice.
In addition, the National Resource Center for Youth Development Toolkit for Youth Involvement provides important information on how to prepare youth and adults to work in partnership to improve the nation's child welfare system.
National CASA Association
The National CASA Association knows that, in dependency courts, a child's health and safety should be the primary concern.
A recent audit conducted by the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General demonstrated that the involvement of a CASA volunteer can keep children from languishing in long-term foster care or reentering the child welfare system.
According to this audit:
- All or most of CASA volunteer recommendations are accepted in four out of five cases.
- When a CASA volunteer is assigned, a higher number of services are ordered for children and families.
- Children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to be adopted.
- A child with a CASA volunteer is as likely to be reunified with their birth parent as a child without a CASA volunteer.
- With a CASA volunteer, the likelihood that a chilld will reenter the child welfare system is consistently reduced by half.
A recent audit conducted by the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General demonstrated that the involvement of a CASA volunteer can keep children from languishing in long-term foster care or reentering the child welfare system.
According to this audit:
- All or most of CASA volunteer recommendations are accepted in four out of five cases.
- When a CASA volunteer is assigned, a higher number of services are ordered for children and families.
- Children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to be adopted.
- A child with a CASA volunteer is as likely to be reunified with their birth parent as a child without a CASA volunteer.
- With a CASA volunteer, the likelihood that a chilld will reenter the child welfare system is consistently reduced by half.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Congressional Foster Youth Internship Program
Every year, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute offers summer internship opportunities for talented college students who have spent their formative years in foster care.
Participants will intern at Capitol Hill. Their housing and travel expenses will be provided for by a stipend. Ongoing support will be provided, including an initial orientation, ongoing training and a mid-summer retreat.
Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 4, 2008, and sent to:
311 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 544-8501 Fax
For more information, please contact info@ccainstitute.org or call(202)544-8500.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
My husband's strange and mysterious world
I was sent home sick from work today…
Flushed and feverish, I found comfort in my husband’s arms.
He wrapped me up in the warmth of his cuddles until I fell into a deep and restful sleep.
I awoke to hear music at high volume. My husband, a talented musician and songwriter, was downstairs jamming his guitar full-blast along with recordings of his songs.
I lay in bed, listening to him strum his chords and sing his lyrics.
It just cracks me up that while I am out there saving the world, he is in our house, working from home, typing on his computer, playing WOW, and then picking up his guitar to create music that is out of this world.
This is the world that my husband has created. This is the oasis that I come home to every day...
Some of the songs he has written are about me...
Some of his songs were what made me fall in love with him in the first place...
There are so many reasons why I love this strange and wonderful man that I have married, and all the strange and wonderful things that he has brought into my life…
Including: His sitcoms, his technology, his Beatles obsession, his wry and astute commentary about life, his sarcasm and sometimes inappropriate humor, his strength, his razor-sharp intelligence, his sexy profile...
Here are the links to some of my favorite songs of his:
Apple Girl: (which he wrote for his daughters)
http://www.dicksonaudio.com/applegirl
Gunk: (which I think is his most polished and amazingly deep song)
http://www.nathansbrain.com/archives/2006/08/gunk.html
Have You Seen My Sunshine: (because I’m his ‘sunshine girl’)
http://www.nathansbrain.com/archives/2006/07/have_you_seen_m.html#comments
There are many others... but those are the ones that I am thinking of right now (probably because he just jammed all of them!)
For more silly songs of us, please see:
http://nofearinlove.com/songs/index.htm
I awoke to hear music at high volume. My husband, a talented musician and songwriter, was downstairs jamming his guitar full-blast along with recordings of his songs.
I lay in bed, listening to him strum his chords and sing his lyrics.
It just cracks me up that while I am out there saving the world, he is in our house, working from home, typing on his computer, playing WOW, and then picking up his guitar to create music that is out of this world.
This is the world that my husband has created. This is the oasis that I come home to every day...
Some of the songs he has written are about me...
Some of his songs were what made me fall in love with him in the first place...
There are so many reasons why I love this strange and wonderful man that I have married, and all the strange and wonderful things that he has brought into my life…
Including: His sitcoms, his technology, his Beatles obsession, his wry and astute commentary about life, his sarcasm and sometimes inappropriate humor, his strength, his razor-sharp intelligence, his sexy profile...
Here are the links to some of my favorite songs of his:
Apple Girl: (which he wrote for his daughters)
http://www.dicksonaudio.com/applegirl
Gunk: (which I think is his most polished and amazingly deep song)
http://www.nathansbrain.com/archives/2006/08/gunk.html
Have You Seen My Sunshine: (because I’m his ‘sunshine girl’)
http://www.nathansbrain.com/archives/2006/07/have_you_seen_m.html#comments
There are many others... but those are the ones that I am thinking of right now (probably because he just jammed all of them!)
For more silly songs of us, please see:
http://nofearinlove.com/songs/index.htm
Sunday, December 02, 2007
The past is not through with you
There is a powerful quote from the movie Magnolia: "You might be through with the past, but the past is not through with you..."
During my involvement in Foster Care Alumni of America, certain people and situations come up from time to time that remind me of my past...
When I first aged out of foster care, I started college.
During my involvement in Foster Care Alumni of America, certain people and situations come up from time to time that remind me of my past...
When I first aged out of foster care, I started college.
The year was 1989; I was sixteen years old. I had never been trained in independent living skills. I didn't know how to cook or budget or drive.
But, worst of all, I had no 'common sense.'
Common sense isn't born into most people. It is something that your mother or father teaches you.
Common sense isn't born into most people. It is something that your mother or father teaches you.
And so, lacking all common sense, during my second year in college when I was 17 years old, I had a roommate named "Janice" (not her real name). We knew each other from an earlier group home.
Janice was hard as nails on the outside, with a fragile and broken interior that it seemed like only I could see.
I tried to rescue her, but I couldn't save her from her worst enemy: herself.
I couldn't keep her from numbing out on sex and drugs, becoming a prisoner to both, stealing to feed her habit, eroding her own conscience -- and eventually stealing from me.
Six months later, when I was broke and homeless, and she had stolen my last $50, I realized that I had to cut ties with her. I had to find a way to survive, and get back on my feet again. I needed to finish college, earn a graduate degree, establish a career, and build a future for myself.
So, I finally left Janice to sink or swim for herself. But she didn't make it. She sank like a stone.
Janice was hard as nails on the outside, with a fragile and broken interior that it seemed like only I could see.
I tried to rescue her, but I couldn't save her from her worst enemy: herself.
I couldn't keep her from numbing out on sex and drugs, becoming a prisoner to both, stealing to feed her habit, eroding her own conscience -- and eventually stealing from me.
Six months later, when I was broke and homeless, and she had stolen my last $50, I realized that I had to cut ties with her. I had to find a way to survive, and get back on my feet again. I needed to finish college, earn a graduate degree, establish a career, and build a future for myself.
So, I finally left Janice to sink or swim for herself. But she didn't make it. She sank like a stone.
Her life is a cautionary tale: Janice became a stripper, had several children out of wedlock and was eventually murdered by one of her 'clients.' Her children were placed in foster care. Did I mention that Janice's mother had been a prostitute? And, so the cycle repeated all over again.
It broke my heart to find out what had happened to her.
It was January 1996 when the story came out in the papers. I was in graduate school at the time. I was wracked by survivor guilt.
I blamed myself for not giving her another chance. And so I became the Lisa that I am today. The Lisa who always wants to give people in and from foster care one more chance...
Sometimes that means that I get taken advantage of. And so, as an adult, I have to force myself to set limits with other people. This can be the hardest lesson. The book Boundaries has been invaluable to me.
Because there is a person in my life right now who is hard as nails on the outside, but through that shell, I can see a fragile interior. I can see the many times she has been wounded. I can tell the outlines of the scars.
And yet, she has been taking advantage of me - and I have to confront the situation, both for myself and for this other person. It's not healthy for either one of us.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Walk A Mile
Walk a Mile has been pairing policymakers with teenagers in foster care since 1994.It's a one-month project to raise awareness about the challenges facing young people in foster care, wherein policymakers are paired with a young person living in foster care.
This program has been successfully implemented in 36 states, including Ohio.
Walk A Mile is currently looking for community organizations working with young people in foster care to coordinate 2008 projects. For more information, please e-mail patricia@walkamile.org
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Press Release from Hillary Clinton
Senator Clinton introduces legislation to provide
support for youth 'aging out' of foster care
For Immediate Release
Contact: Clinton Press Office 202-224-2243 or press_office@clinton.senate.gov
Washington, DC — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced legislation today to provide individual development accounts to youth ‘aging out’ of foster care. The Focusing Investments and Resources for a Safe Transition (FIRST) Act provides foster youth financial support for critical independent living needs as they set out to develop self-sufficient, goal-oriented lives beyond the child welfare system. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Mary Landrieu are original cosponsors of the legislation.
“The needs of foster youth do not end after they leave the foster care system, and neither should our commitment to assisting them become productive and independent adults,” Senator Clinton said. “This legislation will provide a bridge to adulthood for some of our most vulnerable young people. I will continue to advocate for them and for this bill.”
Research indicates that youths aging out of foster care fare worse than their counterparts in the general population on a variety of social, educational, and health indicators. These youths report significantly lower levels of education and are more likely to be unemployed or homeless. Research also shows that foster youth do not receive the life skills education they need in order to be independent after aging out of the child welfare system.
The FIRST Act addresses this problem by providing foster youths with savings accounts so they can have funds set aside specifically for overcoming obstacles to independent living. The accounts will contain a federal deposit on behalf of foster youth matched by public and private community partners. After transitioning from foster care and completing money management training, youths would be able to withdraw these savings to pay for necessities such as educational opportunities, vocational training, and housing – elements critical for achieving self-sufficiency.
The bill follows the lead of smaller scale programs in cities and states all over the country. A program currently being piloted in New York City, Youth Financial Empowerment, will provide 450 New York City foster youths with Individual Development Accounts, or IDAs. Similarly, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Passport program offers IDAs to foster youth in several cities.
For more than 30 years, Senator Clinton has been a champion of efforts to help children in foster care and those aging out of the foster care system. As First Lady of the United States, Senator Clinton led numerous efforts to increase awareness about and support for youth aging out of foster care, and to increase the number of children who are adopted out of foster care.
Senator Clinton worked towards passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which has more than doubled the number of children adopted out of foster care, and the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, which doubled funding for the Federal Independent Living Program and helps older foster care children earn a high school diploma, participate in vocational training or education, and learn daily living skills. The legislation also requires states to serve youth up to 21 years old, which enables more young people to obtain a college education and allows states to provide financial assistance to these youth as they learn skills to enter the workforce. Finally, the bill allows states to extend health insurance coverage under Medicaid for foster care youth to age 21.
In the Senate, Clinton has worked to further increase the number of adoptions out of foster care by providing additional incentives for adopting older children and those with special needs and increasing the Adoption Tax Credit. She also has introduced legislation with Senator Olympia Snowe that would support relative caregivers who often offer stable, loving homes to children who would otherwise be in foster care.
In 2002, the Senator introduced the Opportunity Passport Act, which, among other provisions, called for the establishment of IDAs for youth aging out of foster care. In July 2007, the Senate passed the Higher Education Amendments of 2007 which included a measure championed by Senator Clinton to expand the definition of independent students to include youth in foster care, aging out of foster care or emancipated minors.
support for youth 'aging out' of foster care
For Immediate Release
Contact: Clinton Press Office 202-224-2243 or press_office@clinton.senate.gov
Washington, DC — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced legislation today to provide individual development accounts to youth ‘aging out’ of foster care. The Focusing Investments and Resources for a Safe Transition (FIRST) Act provides foster youth financial support for critical independent living needs as they set out to develop self-sufficient, goal-oriented lives beyond the child welfare system. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Mary Landrieu are original cosponsors of the legislation.
“The needs of foster youth do not end after they leave the foster care system, and neither should our commitment to assisting them become productive and independent adults,” Senator Clinton said. “This legislation will provide a bridge to adulthood for some of our most vulnerable young people. I will continue to advocate for them and for this bill.”
Research indicates that youths aging out of foster care fare worse than their counterparts in the general population on a variety of social, educational, and health indicators. These youths report significantly lower levels of education and are more likely to be unemployed or homeless. Research also shows that foster youth do not receive the life skills education they need in order to be independent after aging out of the child welfare system.
The FIRST Act addresses this problem by providing foster youths with savings accounts so they can have funds set aside specifically for overcoming obstacles to independent living. The accounts will contain a federal deposit on behalf of foster youth matched by public and private community partners. After transitioning from foster care and completing money management training, youths would be able to withdraw these savings to pay for necessities such as educational opportunities, vocational training, and housing – elements critical for achieving self-sufficiency.
The bill follows the lead of smaller scale programs in cities and states all over the country. A program currently being piloted in New York City, Youth Financial Empowerment, will provide 450 New York City foster youths with Individual Development Accounts, or IDAs. Similarly, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Passport program offers IDAs to foster youth in several cities.
For more than 30 years, Senator Clinton has been a champion of efforts to help children in foster care and those aging out of the foster care system. As First Lady of the United States, Senator Clinton led numerous efforts to increase awareness about and support for youth aging out of foster care, and to increase the number of children who are adopted out of foster care.
Senator Clinton worked towards passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which has more than doubled the number of children adopted out of foster care, and the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, which doubled funding for the Federal Independent Living Program and helps older foster care children earn a high school diploma, participate in vocational training or education, and learn daily living skills. The legislation also requires states to serve youth up to 21 years old, which enables more young people to obtain a college education and allows states to provide financial assistance to these youth as they learn skills to enter the workforce. Finally, the bill allows states to extend health insurance coverage under Medicaid for foster care youth to age 21.
In the Senate, Clinton has worked to further increase the number of adoptions out of foster care by providing additional incentives for adopting older children and those with special needs and increasing the Adoption Tax Credit. She also has introduced legislation with Senator Olympia Snowe that would support relative caregivers who often offer stable, loving homes to children who would otherwise be in foster care.
In 2002, the Senator introduced the Opportunity Passport Act, which, among other provisions, called for the establishment of IDAs for youth aging out of foster care. In July 2007, the Senate passed the Higher Education Amendments of 2007 which included a measure championed by Senator Clinton to expand the definition of independent students to include youth in foster care, aging out of foster care or emancipated minors.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Waiting for Adoption
As one of the featured writers for Rainbow Kids Voices of Adoption, I wanted to let my readers know about free tools available on their website.
A Place to Call Home Act
As we approach Thanksgiving, it is important to remember the 3 million young people in the United States who lack safe places to live.
The National Network for Youth is championing legislation to prevent and end youth homelessness.
They posted an action alert on the Youth Policy Action Center asking concerned adults to contact elected officials with the message that every young American needs a place to call home.
For more information on how to speak out for homeless youth, please visit Project Street and learn more about the "A Place to Call Home Act."
Foster Families Use Your Voice
Navigating the Maze: Foster Parenting and Life: Foster Families Use Your Voice
My thanks goes out to foster parents and child welfare professionals who recognize the capabilities and potential of children in your care -- and are courageous enough to fight for them to receive support and services.
Please tell me more about experiences in advocating for foster children:
1.) Examples of when it has been successful
2.) Roadblocks when it hasn't
3.) Techniques that you have found to be most effective
Your insights will be used in a 2008 conference to 'train the trainers' of every county foster parent and social worker in my state. The information that you share can be anonymous.
Looking forward to hearing from you...
My thanks goes out to foster parents and child welfare professionals who recognize the capabilities and potential of children in your care -- and are courageous enough to fight for them to receive support and services.
Please tell me more about experiences in advocating for foster children:
1.) Examples of when it has been successful
2.) Roadblocks when it hasn't
3.) Techniques that you have found to be most effective
Your insights will be used in a 2008 conference to 'train the trainers' of every county foster parent and social worker in my state. The information that you share can be anonymous.
Looking forward to hearing from you...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Miss Lisa Goes To Washington
During the week of Thanksgiving, members of Foster Care Alumni of America from all over the nation will visit 25 members of the US Congress and promote flexibility regarding child welfare finance.
The government served as our parents, and now we are coming home for the holidays.
- We represent the 115,000 foster children waiting to be adopted this Thanksgiving.
- We represent over 20,000 teenagers who age out of foster care every year and are left to fend for themselves.
- We represent siblings who have been separated and kinship care providers who are not given adequate support.
Flexible funding might make a positive difference by helping to prevent the need for foster care for some children, and moving others to safe, permanent families more quickly.
The way that the system is currently set up, states lose money if they decrease the number of children in foster care.
Ohio Senator Mike DeWine has said that with federal funds, “The government gets what it pays for…if the funds can only be used to place children in foster families, that’s how agencies will tackle the problem.”
The message that I personally want to send Congress is balanced and three-tiered.
1.) Prevent entry into foster care (if possible)
2.) Find permanent families (whenever possible)
3.) Provide after care and resources (no matter what)
Because the fact is that some families can heal and reunify - and others cannot. Some reunifications are successful, and others lead to reentry into the foster care system (often due to lack of aftercare). Some relatives provide safety and security - and others do not.
Some foster parents have a heart for teenagers - and others do not. Some agencies have a sufficient number of foster families willing to take teenagers - and others end up sending teens to residential placements and group homes because there is 'no room at the inn.'
But regardless of any precipitating factors, our 'parent' (the Government) has a responsibility to provide help to us after we age out of care.
After we 'emancipate.'
After we 'are terminated.'
After we are no longer in the custody of Children Services.
After we are 'not their problem,' we are still their responsibility.
Because my stepdaughters are my children forever. After they turn 18, and enter college, whenever they need help, I as the parent have a responsibility to them.
I know that, when I sit at the Thanksgiving table on Capital lawn in Washington D.C. looking at the two empty seats at the head of the table 'in loco parentis,' that is what I will be thinking of...
Our efforts are made possible due to our partnerships with the Kids are Waiting campaign, FosterClub, Casey Family Programs and Florida’s Children First.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Miracle Makers led to adversity
New York Times photographer Ozier Muhammed captured this moment after the young lady on the right was forced to wait nine years to be adopted by her foster mom (on right), due to ineptitude by the Miracle Makers foster care agency.
New York City paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to Miracle Makers foster care agency as per their contract to provide classes in independent living.
Yet when a 16-year-old client who was preparing to age out of foster care tried to enroll in one of those classes, she found out the truth: The independent living workshops did not exist. They had not been offered for over a year.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what was uncovered in the New York Times' investigation...
New York City officials had no reason to believe that Willie Wren, founder of Miracle Makers, was qualified to lead a foster care agency in the first place. He was a church deacon with no experience working in foster care.
Yet, in 1986, city officials approached Mr. Wren, telling him that they were flooded with abandoned children, due to drugs, AIDS homelessness and teenage pregnancy, and calling on him to help.
The staff and board members of Miracle Makers were equally unqualified. The board consisted of a pastor, a homemaker and a bank employee, none of whom had social work training or experience. Board members did not evaluate Mr. Wren’s performance, approve budgets or receive copies of financial statements.
The agency was staffed by family members of its founder; his wife, his niece, his sister and his sister-in-law. Additional staff members, recruited from the general public, reported lack of training.
How did Miracle Makers end up turning into a multi-million dollar agency?
For the most part, this was because its services were not subject to regulation. In 1991, the city’s foster care oversight committee was disbanded and replaced with cursory evaluations. While this might have saved the city money in the short-term, in the long-term this decision did nothing to safeguard the safety of children.
And so Miracle Makers continued to exist – and even expand.
The warning signs were evident:
1.) A letter from the State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in 2001, citing serious flaws in its housing program for the mentally handicapped
2.) The results of EQUIP(Evaluation and Quality Improvement Protocol system) revealed that Miracle Makers was in last place regarding foster care; the waiting time to reunify children or free them for adoption was longest and their program to prepare teenagers for the adult world rated a zero.
Miracle Makers continued to finish at or near the bottom for the next three years.
3.) An investigation of Miracle Makers uncovered: huge caseloads, lax hiring practices, poorly supervised staff, poorly trained supervisors, unqualified administrators and an ineffectual board.
4.) Miracle Makers bounced at least 280 checks, costing their agency thousands of dollars in overdraft fees (one month, the overdraft fees totaled $2,340). Apparently no one on staff was trained in basic bookkeeping principles and funds for various programs were intermingled.
5.) Miracle Makers claimed to have spent $2,399 on Palm Pilots for pre-kindergarten children. Yet, when questioned by the city’s Education Department about why these devices were considered appropriate for such young children, the agency claimed to have ‘lost’ the Palm Pilots.
My greatest concerns are for the children and teenagers being ‘served’ by this ineffectual agency, such as:
- Two children who weren’t given counseling after being sexually abused, because of staff turnover and a foster mother who kept missing appointments
- One girl who was forced to languish in the agency’s care for nine years before being adopted by her foster mother. Miracle Makers did not file the petition to terminate her abusive father’s rights. Nor did they respond when the court threatened the agency with arrest for not showing up at hearings.
- Miracle Makers lost the documents necessary to terminate parental rights for another child, and as a result, she is still in foster care. In another case, staff neglected to read the birth certificate, and wasted time and resources proceeding against a man who was not the biological father.
To read more, please visit my source:
Weiser, Benjamin. City slow to act as hope for foster children fails. New York Times, Nov. 6, 2007.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month
Postcard from www.fostercarealumni.org
November is National Adoption Awareness Month, reminding us all to be aware of the 114,000 children in the United States who are waiting to be connected with adoptive families.
This year's theme is Adopting Teenagers from Foster Care. Teens in the foster care system are statistically the least likely to be adopted - yet they need love and stability as much as children.
As a former foster child and current stepmom to two teenage girls, I can testify on many levels that the teenage years are challenging, and that providing emotional support and physically stability is vitally important.
How can you make the most out of National Adoption Awareness Month?
- Learn more about the Adoption Incentives Program and the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.
- Participate in Local Events.
- Contact your State Adoption Specialist.
Additional activity options are listed on the Adoption Month Calendar.
This year's theme is Adopting Teenagers from Foster Care. Teens in the foster care system are statistically the least likely to be adopted - yet they need love and stability as much as children.
As a former foster child and current stepmom to two teenage girls, I can testify on many levels that the teenage years are challenging, and that providing emotional support and physically stability is vitally important.
How can you make the most out of National Adoption Awareness Month?
- Learn more about the Adoption Incentives Program and the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.
- Participate in Local Events.
- Contact your State Adoption Specialist.
Additional activity options are listed on the Adoption Month Calendar.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Please support the Boxer Bill
Picture of Mark Kroner of Lighthouse Youth Services, who is one of my personal heroes!
For most young people, graduating from high school marks an important step forward in their life as young adults.
But for young people aging out of the foster care system, this transition can result in a step back into their abusive pasts.
With no support available, they have no other option than to return to their families - the same families from which they were originally removed due to abuse or neglect.
If the state is a parent, during the ‘young adult’ stage of life, this parent often goes AWOL, and young people emerging from the foster care system find themselves being abandoned once more.
Mark Kroner of Lighthouse Youth Services recently wrote Senator George Voinovich, urging him to consider co-sponsoring Senator Barbara Boxer’s legislative initiative, The Foster Care Continuing Opportunities Act, S1512.
The Boxer bill recommends extending the foster care system until age 21. Many other states have already done this, thereby taking better care of their older foster youth than we are in Ohio.
After running an Ohio Independent Living program for youth aging out of the foster care system for the past 21 years, Mark Kroner has worked with thousands of youth in this situation. He knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that these young people are not ready to take over full responsibility for themselves at age 18, as is the current reality in Ohio.
Statistically, half of young adults ages 18-24 in the general population in the United States live at home with their parents, according Children's Rights. And yet every year, 20,000 of the 542,000 children in foster care nationwide "age out" of foster care and are expected to transition successfully to the adult world.
Supporting foster youth until age 21 isn’t just ethical – it is also practical.
A 2005 report by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago found that young people who were allowed to remain in foster care beyond the age of 18 were 200 % more likely to be working toward completion of a high school diploma and 300% more likely to be in college. They were also more likely to be insured, have better mental health and far less likely to be victims or perpetrators of crime and violence.
As a former foster child, who aged out of foster care at age 16 without family support, I am fully in support of the following recommendations by Lighthouse Family Services:
1.) Young people aging out of foster care should be offered a continuum of child welfare living arrangement options, including scattered site apartments, supervised apartments, host homes, dormitories and subsidized housing.
2.) Recommendations regarding ongoing housing for youth in transition include:
* Local control of funding to decide what is best for its community
* State licensing of agencies to provide housing with Child Welfare System oversight of individual housing choices
* Flexible housing options: the creation of local housing continuums based on local realities
* Geographic flexibility: the ability for youth to live in neighborhoods of their choosing
* Second moves/chances to try again after an eviction or discharge from care
* The ability to return to a variety of living arrangements at any time until age 21
* The ability for youth to take over lease/remain in current living arrangement after discharge
* Realistic planning and expectations/individualized rules
* Collaboration with MH, MRDD, CD, Correctional systems
* Movement into Shelter Plus Care for people with MH issues
* A local transition planning committee who oversees the entire transition system and pushes for needed changes
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Four workshop activities at the fifth annual It's My Life conference
"Navigate Your Success As An Advocate:" Amanda Denara Johnson doesn't listen to negative self-talk!
The Ohio chapter of FCAA, Amanda Dunlap, Amanda Keller and I, were lucky because we presented our workshop, Overcoming Trauma and Achieving Intimacy, during the first session.
This meant that after our presentation was over, we were able to enjoy all the other wonderful workshops that IML had to offer!
Here are some workshop activities that I was very impressed by:
1.) In By Chance, Out By Choice
This activity shared portions of a play by Kamika Whetstone.
The actors (all foster care youth and alumni) acted out various roles of young people going through struggles, and adults in their lives who were either helping, harming or just observing them.
In the middle, they stopped -- and, let's face it, the play was so fabulous that I didn't want them to stop -- and broke the audience down into groups. One of the actors facilitated each group, as we tried to figure out what would happen to that character next.
What decisions would he or she make? Would this person survive? Thrive?
Then, they acted out the end of the play, and we were able to see if our guesses were right or not!
2.) Foster Youth and the Juvenile Justice System
In this workshop, we were introduced to:
- the background of the juvenile justice system
- the high rate of foster care youth and alums who get involved in it
- some of the reasons why young people might end up in the system
Among those reasons is the fact that some group home staff or foster parents over-rely on law enforcement in order to deal with normal adolescent behavior.
Young people who transfer from the foster care system to the juvenile justice system risk losing some of their educational funding and other benefits, depending on which state they are in...
After the preliminary discussion, we broke down into groups to play this powerful board game:
- Each member of the group had a role: foster care youth, group home staff, social worker and CASA.
- The rules were: The foster kid could not talk or roll the dice. Everyone else took turns rolling for them and moving their one token across the board. We could land on things like: "ran away," "got into a fight," or "disrupted adoption."
If we landed on a "Decision Point," then we all had to guess what what going on, and try to come up with the best placement decision -- but without any input from the foster child, because that person wasn't allowed to talk.
- At the end: The person who acted as the foster child was finally able to speak. She read from a piece of paper explaining all the reason behind her behavior.
Young people who transfer from the foster care system to the juvenile justice system risk losing some of their educational funding and other benefits, depending on which state they are in...
After the preliminary discussion, we broke down into groups to play this powerful board game:
- Each member of the group had a role: foster care youth, group home staff, social worker and CASA.
- The rules were: The foster kid could not talk or roll the dice. Everyone else took turns rolling for them and moving their one token across the board. We could land on things like: "ran away," "got into a fight," or "disrupted adoption."
If we landed on a "Decision Point," then we all had to guess what what going on, and try to come up with the best placement decision -- but without any input from the foster child, because that person wasn't allowed to talk.
- At the end: The person who acted as the foster child was finally able to speak. She read from a piece of paper explaining all the reason behind her behavior.
Every one of our assumptions about the "why" of her behavior turned out to be wrong!
This game is a powerful teaching tool that should be played at least once by all professionals in a foster child's life, in order to remind them about how impossible it is to make the right placement decisions for a child without his or her input.
3.) Biological Parents and College Students from Foster Care
The initial activity was to break people down into groups and give them puzzle pieces. But, each group soon realized that it would be impossible to complete the activity successfully, because the puzzle pieces didn't match the box -- or each other.
This was an effective way to demonstrate the difficulty that is sometimes experienced in reuniting with birth families after aging out of foster care.
One presenter shared that when she was in college, her bio-mom found out about the stipend and grants that she was receiving and started relying on her daughter to financially support her.
Finally, she had to say NO to her mom, and learn how to take care of herself. This was a painful decision for her, and she was brought to tears as she shared.
4.) Navigate Your Own Success As An Advocate
This workshop also relied on creative dramatics as a way to keep the audience engaged and get the audience involved.
The workshop leaders role-played both negative and positive "self-talk" by having one person lie down, and others surround her, speaking to her in voices of either encouragement or discouragement.
Then, they role-played two scenarios between a foster care youth and her (sixth) social worker. In the first one, the social worker hadn't read her file and didn't know her name -- and the foster care youth told her off.
In the second scenario, the social worker came better prepared, and the young person expressed the same concerns but in a nicer and more proactive way:
"This is what I want from you. This is what I need from you. You are my sixth social worker in ___ months, so it is hard for me to trust that you will live up to your promises, but for now I will give you the benefit of the doubt."
Then, two people from the audience came up. One person shared that, in real life, she had just been placed in a brand-new foster home, and neither she nor her new foster mom knew what the expectations were.
The other, a young man, was assigned the role of "foster dad" and the two of them negotiated the expectations together:
- What was her curfew?
- What about boys?
- What about having her friends over?
- etc.
All four of these workshops were creative and memorable.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
During the month of October, Wendy's will be selling Trick or Treat Gift Books as part of an annual fundraising effort to support the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, via the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
For just a dollar, each Wendy's Gift Book contains coupons for ten Junior Frosty's ($8.90 value). That's less than nine cents per coupon, which makes this a good deal for you -- and an opportunity to help some of the 513,000 children who are waiting for families within the United States foster care system.
One example of how funds are spent:
The North Carolina Children's Home Society received two Wendy's Wonderful Kids grants this year, each funding a staff position focused on finding permanent families for an identified group of children awaiting adoption.
As a result, 15 children were linked with adoptive homes.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Circle of Influence vs. Circle of Concern
I've always been a "save the world" kind of person.
As a child, from the first time I learned about history, all I could think of was the atrocities that had occurred, such as slavery, the Holocaust, poor treatment of Native Americans, etc. and how much I wished I could have been there to fight the evil and make a positive difference.
As an adult, I have focused my passions on one area: foster care. This seems to be the area wherein I can make the most impact, and for which my personal and professional experiences have prepared me.
Yet, even when narrowing your focus to just the foster care arena, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. A very dear friend of mine was brought to tears during the It's My Life conference, because she heard so many stories of pain in a row...
The best help that I have ever received in this area is from the book: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In this book, he talks about your "circle of influence" and "circle of concern."
Just speaking for me personally, my circle of concern is HUGE. I care about every person in and from foster care... and that is one big circle!
But, the secret is to be faithful within your circle of influence. Do the very best job you can with every opportunity that is offered you to make a positive difference in the child welfare system, and two things will happen:
1.) Your efforts will make a positive ripple effect that affects the larger circle
2.) Your circle of influence will widen
That's definitely what has happened with me.
My involvement in Foster Care Alumni of America has literally changed my life, because we represent a collective voice and collective effort. We are a national organization that is constantly changing, growing and making additional connections.
And I love being a part of this movement!
As a child, from the first time I learned about history, all I could think of was the atrocities that had occurred, such as slavery, the Holocaust, poor treatment of Native Americans, etc. and how much I wished I could have been there to fight the evil and make a positive difference.
As an adult, I have focused my passions on one area: foster care. This seems to be the area wherein I can make the most impact, and for which my personal and professional experiences have prepared me.
Yet, even when narrowing your focus to just the foster care arena, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. A very dear friend of mine was brought to tears during the It's My Life conference, because she heard so many stories of pain in a row...
The best help that I have ever received in this area is from the book: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In this book, he talks about your "circle of influence" and "circle of concern."
Just speaking for me personally, my circle of concern is HUGE. I care about every person in and from foster care... and that is one big circle!
But, the secret is to be faithful within your circle of influence. Do the very best job you can with every opportunity that is offered you to make a positive difference in the child welfare system, and two things will happen:
1.) Your efforts will make a positive ripple effect that affects the larger circle
2.) Your circle of influence will widen
That's definitely what has happened with me.
My involvement in Foster Care Alumni of America has literally changed my life, because we represent a collective voice and collective effort. We are a national organization that is constantly changing, growing and making additional connections.
And I love being a part of this movement!
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