KARA Signature Video (4 minute)
Public Service Announcement( 30 Second)
Every state is struggling to make life safe for traumatized state ward children. Here are their stories from October & November 2017;
KS: Nowhere Else to Go: Why Kids Are Sleeping in Child Welfare Offices (Commentary)
Governing – October 11, 2017
Every month, there are kids in Kansas forced to sleep on cots or couches in a foster care contractor’s office because they don’t have anywhere else to stay that night.
All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children
US: Senate Finds 86 Children Died In Care Of Giant For-Profit Foster Care Firm
BuzzFeed – October 18, 2017
At least 86 children died in a 10-year period while in the custody of a giant for-profit foster care company, according to an investigation by the US Senate Committee on Finance. In only 13 of those deaths did the company, The Mentor Network, conduct an internal investigation, the committee found.
Also: US Senate Report: An Examination of Foster Care in the United States and the Use of Privatization: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4111642/An-Examination-of-Foster-Care-in-the-United.pdf
AZ: Judge: All children in DCS care are now part of class-action lawsuit (Includes video)
Arizona Republic – October 03, 2017
A lawsuit that seeks improvements in Arizona’s foster-care system will apply to all Arizona children in the system, now as well as in the future, a federal judge has ruled.
KS: Over 70 children ‘missing’ from state foster care & no one’s stopping it
Free Thought Project – October 13, 2017
A shocking report out of Kansas highlights an extreme disconnect between government – the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), which oversees foster care in the state, and the private foster care contractors that the state utilizes to place foster children and oversee their direct placement within foster homes.
Also: Is There An ‘Epidemic Of Child Abduction’ In Kansas’s Foster Care System With 70 Missing Children?: http://www.business2community.com/us-news/epidemic-child-abduction-kansass-foster-care-system-70-missing-children-01936084#v5cIzX8r6xHAdUQo.97
OK: Baby’s case is still under investigation, but in the mean time, thousands of other children need emergency placement and adoptive parents
Oklahoman – September 27, 2017
“His story has so touched their hearts that they want to do something,” said Sheree Powell, Department of Human Services spokeswoman. “They want to get involved and help.” Finding a baby along the side of the highway is “highly unusual,” Powell said, “but children come into our care every single day on an emergency basis.”
Also: Oklahoma Watch: Reports of drug-exposed newborns surge: http://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/oklahoma-watch-reports-of-drug-exposed-newborns-surge/article_c43fc1f6-1aa8-56a6-9551-60362ef1531b.html
US: The Wabanaki people are taking back their narrative
Public Radio International – October 09, 2017
From boarding schools in the 1800s to foster care today, Native children have repeatedly been separated from their families. In Maine, the Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission formed in 2012 to trace the abuses experienced by Native children since the Indian Child Welfare Act was enacted in 1978.
http://kuow.org/post/wabanaki-people-are-taking-back-their-narrative
CA: A new approach to helping foster kids in trouble with the law (Includes audio)
KPCC – November 23, 2017
Loyola Law School is preparing to launch a pilot program to help so-called “crossover kids” in Los Angeles County – children who are in both the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The program will use multidisciplinary teams to steer the young people away from incarceration and towards a high school diploma.
https://www.scpr.org/news/2017/11/23/78060/a-new-approach-to-helping-foster-kids-in-trouble-w/
CA: At temporary L.A. County shelters, some foster kids just keep cycling through
Los Angeles Times – November 22, 2017
The girls are among 4,200 young people who have stayed in such a facility since March 2016. That is when L.A. County shut down its emergency “welcome centers,” where foster children with nowhere else to go could stay for a day or less, and opened three-day shelters run by private providers. Some kids are entering the foster system for the first time. For those, the 72-hour facilities generally serve as intended – a temporary stop on the way to a longer-term home.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-foster-youth-shelters-20171122-htmlstory.html
CA: In Wine Country, Child Welfare Responds to Wildfires
Chronicle of Social Change – November 22, 2017
The child welfare communities in Sonoma and Napa counties were not immune to the destruction. As the holiday season approached, efforts to stabilize foster care placements moved quickly. Solutions for the region’s transition-age youth have proven to be trickier to address.
FL: Making strides in child-welfare reforms (Commentary)
Orlando Sentinel – November 22, 2017
Florida took a big step forward this past legislative session by creating quality standards for foster care – for foster parents and group homes alike. These standards, which become part of state statutes in 2019, set expectations for some of the most critical elements of foster care, including positive living environments, proper monitoring and reporting systems, and adequate education and skills training for foster youth.
IN: House philanthropy focuses on foster home shortage
Tribune Star – November 22, 2017
In Indiana, nearly twice as many children are in the foster care system than there are available foster homes, according to the Indiana Department of Child Services. Currently, 150 children in Indiana are awaiting for foster care, House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said.
OR: New ‘Nest’ program attempting to combat Oregon DHS hoteling issue (Includes video)
KPTV – November 22, 2017
In what is being called a new style of foster care, a local nonprofit is partnering with the Oregon Department of Human Services to provide homes for kids in state care. The move follows a FOX 12 investigative report uncovering the state’s continued practice of housing foster kids in hotel rooms or state offices, and the program already seems to be making a difference in the placement crisis. Boys & Girls Aid officially launched the Nest program on November 1. Through the program, foster parents are recruited and trained to become skilled and prepared to take children with complex needs and behaviors.
http://www.kptv.com/story/36911519/new-nest-program-attempting-to-combat-oregon-dhs-hoteling-issue
OR: Oregon pays $750k to foster kids who were isolated in Spanish-speaking foster home
Oregonian – November 22, 2017
Paul said the brothers’ isolation was made even worse because child-protection workers with the Oregon Department of Human Services failed to regularly check on the boys. Department rules require workers to have at least one face-to-face interaction with each foster child every 30 days. But Paul said one of the boys didn’t have any in-person visits with a DHS caseworker in the entire eight months he lived in the home in 2012 and 2013.
http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2017/11/oregon_pays_750000_to_3_englis.html
TX: Local nonprofit receives grant to provide housing for youths aging out of foster care (Includes video)
KSAT 12 – November 23, 2017
Children in foster care face many challenges, and if they’re not reunited with their families or adopted by the time they turn 18, the road ahead doesn’t get any easier. One major challenge many young adults face when they age out of foster care is finding stable housing.
TX: Homeless youth slip through cracks of disjointed support system, new report says
Texas Tribune – November 22, 2017
Homeless youth in Texas are inadequately supported due to a spotty system of programs and resources, according to a new report released Wednesday. “It’s ridiculous that it took me four years to find out that I could get transitional living, counseling, housing,” Kemp said. Homeless youth in Texas like Kemp are inadequately supported due to a spotty system of programs and resources, according to a new report released Wednesday by Texas Appleseed and Texas Network of Youth Services.
Study: http://tnoys.org/wp-content/uploads/HY_Report_Final.pdf
AZ: State Agency Defies DEA, Okays Cannabis Extracts for Foster Parents
Phoenix New Times – November 20, 2017
A new rule on foster parenting released by the Arizona Department of Child Safety still discriminates against cannabis patients, but it defies federal authorities in approving cannabis extracts. The rule codifies a September decision about a possible foster-care license for a woman who treats her adopted 12-year-old son’s self-injuring behavior with cannabidiol (CBD).
CA: Foster Care Families Needed In Marin County
Mill Valley Patch – November 20, 2017
Marin County currently has 83 children in out-of-home care, also known as foster care, and nearly 45 percent of them are placed in homes outside of Marin. The Marin County Recruitment Collaborative, which includes specialists from Marin County Health and Human Services, seeks more local homes so it can bring those young people back to their own community.
https://patch.com/california/millvalley/s/gaeu0/foster-care-families-needed-marin-county
DC: Churches Unite to Care for Foster Children
Outreach Magazine – November 20, 2017
Launched in 2012, DC127-taken from James 1:27-both recruits and supports foster parents on their journey to help children in need and also works to prevent children from ever having to enter foster care.
IA: State seeks solution for foster care shortage
Sioux City Journal – November 19, 2017
Social workers would love to hear more families like the Staneks ask and answer that question. Across Iowa, and especially on the western side of the state, a shortage of foster families is leaving an increasing number of children waiting for foster care placement.
IA: Courts part of oversight in protecting children in Iowa’s foster care system
Cedar Rapids Gazette – November 18, 2017
From local to state to federal levels, the Iowa Department of Human Services has many eyes on the decisions it makes. One such oversight are the court
IN: Opioid crisis raising importance of adoption (Video)
WTHR – November 18, 2017
One of the rare times cameras are allowed to go inside Indiana courtrooms is for a very special reason.
https://www.wthr.com/article/opioid-crisis-raising-importance-of-adoption
KY: Opioid orphans: A crisis affecting the Kentucky’s foster care system (Includes video)
WHAS 11 – November 20, 2017
Five years ago, 6,000 children were in the state’s care. Today, there are more than 8,600. The increase due in large part by parents who have lost custody because of their addiction to opioids. The phrase ‘opioid orphans’ becoming an all too familiar and common reality.
KY: Still working out how to pay grandparents, others providing free foster care
Louisville Courier-Journal – November 20, 2017
Kentucky’s top social services official said Monday that the state is still working out how to pay some relatives, many of them grandparents, who have been providing free foster care to children removed from homes because of abuse or neglect.
NE: On track for a near-record year in number of foster kids adopted
World-Herald Bureau – November 19, 2017
Nebraska is on track to get a near-record number of foster children adopted into permanent families this year. With about six weeks left in the year, the total is approaching 545 adoptions, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
NY: Bill Aims to Prevent Adoptive Parents from Abusing Subsidy Program
Chronicle of Social Change – November 20, 2017
The State Senate is currently considering a bill that would permit child welfare agencies to halt payments to adoptive parents who stop caring for their children, and in some cases transfer those payments to adoptees like Booker.
VA: 80 to 90-percent of kids in foster care are adopted by foster parents (Video)
WSLS 10 – November 20, 2017
Traci Jones and Anna Koehle with the Virginia Department of Social Services talk about foster care and adoption. 80 to 90-percent of children in foster care are adopted by their foster parents in Virginia.
https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia-foster-care-adoption-process-explained-1
US: Foster Care Youths Leaving the System Before They Age Out, Study Finds
Youth Today – November 20, 2017
Youth in the foster care system are leaving before they age out of the system, a new report finds. Forty states offer at least some form of support for youths until their 21st birthday, yet nearly three-quarters of social service officials told researchers that their wards were overwhelmingly leaving the system when they turned 18, Child Trends says in a new report.
Also: Supporting Young People Transitioning from Foster Care: Findings from a National Survey: https://childtrends-ciw49tixgw5lbab.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SYPTFC-Findings-from-a-National-Survey-11.3.17.pdf
Information Gateway resource: Promising Practices in Transition to Adulthood and Independent Living Programs: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/independent/practices/
http://youthtoday.org/2017/11/foster-care-losing-youths-before-they-age-out-study-finds/
US: November is Adoption Awareness Month
Muskogee Phoenix – November 18, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. There are more than 600 children and youth in foster care in Oklahoma who are waiting for their forever families, a news release states.
Also: Multiple East Texas children find new loving families: http://www.easttexasmatters.com/news/local-news/multiple-east-texas-children-find-new-loving-families/859264812
Also: Four families grow larger on National Adoption Day: http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/four-families-grow-larger-on-national-adoption-day/article_4a853226-cb14-11e7-9698-63d9e89e9481.html
Also: Families offer hearts, homes on National Adoption Day: https://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/olympic-sports-usa-gymnastics-sexual-misconduct-1982/2017/11/18/id/826974/
Also: Mid-Missouri foster children in need of “forever” homes during National Adoption Month: http://bit.ly/2hHlEZa
VA: Foster families needed in Amherst County
Amherst New Era Progress – November 21, 2017
Amherst County Department of Social Services is reaching out to local community leaders in churches, schools, youth groups and counseling agencies for foster families.
US: ‘Our little missing link’: DL parents talk growing their families through foster-to-adopt option
Detroit Lakes Online – November 22, 2017
There are many pathways to parenthood: good, old-fashioned family planning, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy…but adoption takes the spotlight this month, Nov. being National Adoption Awareness Month. And, while the idea of adopting a child from another country may come to mind for many, there’s something to be said about the need for foster-to-adopt parents right here in Becker County.
TX: Tarrant County Adoption Day creates ‘forever families’: http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/law/tarrant-county-adoption-day-creates-forever-families/article_51580fd0-cfd6-11e7-8f66-8f7c979f0da0.html
NV: November is National Adoption Month: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/announcements/november-is-national-adoption-month/
VA: National Adoption Awareness Month hits home: http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/national-adoption-awareness-month-hits-home/article_5f3c5ede-cfaa-11e7-93ae-4711a4f62093.html
IL: Families participate in National Adoption Day: http://www.daily-times.com/story/news/local/farmington/2017/11/22/families-participate-national-adoption-day/887067001/
US: Southwest: Supreme Court Won’t Question Constitutionality of Indian Child Welfare Act
Chronicle of Social Change – November 22, 2017
The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition filed by the Goldwater Institute of Arizona to examine the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Passed in 1978, ICWA provides guidelines for the placement of Native American children in foster and adoptive homes and created some rights for tribes and families during the legal process.
Canada: Nova Scotia not looking to open up adoption records, minister says
News Summed Up – November 23, 2017
Nova Scotia’s community services minister says the province isn’t looking to open up adoption records, even as many other provinces ease access. I’m saying right now we have a lot of work underway and that’s what we are focusing on.”Prince Edward Island is holding public consultations on adoption records in the new year.
Singapore: Wilmar International : Launches Child Protection Policy for its Operations and Suppliers (Press release)
4-Traders – November 22, 2017
“Wilmar has absolutely zero tolerance for child labour under any circumstances. Over the last year, we have received feedback from many organisations, principally Unicef, that the bigger issue with children and the oil palm industry is about safeguarding children and their rights. We definitely agree with that and the CPP is conceived to ensure that we respect the rights and protect the welfare and wellbeing of children at all times. This is our commitment to the children living in our plantation community as well as those under the care of our suppliers and contractors,” said Ms Perpetua George, Wilmar’s Group Sustainability General Manager.
CA: L.A. Law School Wins $1 Million Grant to Help Crossover Youth
Chronicle of Social Change – November 21, 2017
A Los Angeles law school has been awarded $1 million to advocate for the needs of Los Angeles County “crossover youth,” youngsters caught up in both the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The Everychild Foundation is giving the money to the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy (CJLP) at Loyola Law School to launch the “Everychild Integrated Educational and Legal Advocacy Project.”
IN: House philanthropy focuses on foster home shortage
Herald Bulletin – November 21, 2017
In Indiana, nearly twice as many children are in the foster care system than there are available foster homes, according to the Indiana Department of Child Services. Currently, 150 children in Indiana are awaiting for foster care, House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said.
MD: Dozens of Baltimore kids march in support of $12M youth fund (Includes video)
Baltimore Sun – November 21, 2017
“I like the fact that we’re trying to flip the script with the distribution of the funds and attempt to identify the most needy,” Community activist Kim Trueheart said. “I’m concerned that we don’t have good data on our children and youth, such as the number of children in foster care, the number of children who are homeless and the number of children who live in public housing. I’m trying to define the most needy children.”
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/bs-md-ci-youth-fund-march-20171120-story.html
NV: I-Team: Questions raised after child dies in foster care (Includes video)
Las Vegas Now – November 21, 2017
A foster father accused of killing the boy he was supposed to be caring for calls it an accident. Craig Dickens says he became a foster parent to 1-year-old Daevon Branon-Banks after a short interview with Child Protective Services, or CPS, and a background check but no training. Four months later, he was accused of killing the child.
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/i-team-questions-raised-after-child-dies-in-foster-care/861700951
TX: Pure Religion set to build 100 beds for children in need before Thanksgiving
Tyler Morning Telegraph – November 21, 2017
Pure Religion helps provide beds for children who have been removed from their homes, in order to help keep them out of foster care. President Tony Black said Child Protective Services has two major requirements for approved extended family or friends: adequate space and bedding. “What we are really doing is a stopgap measure to keep kids out of foster care,” he said. “Most can accommodate, but they might not have the money to buy a bed.”
US: Grandparents: A Safety Net for Kids
Grand Magazine – November 21, 2017
Recently, the President declared the opioid epidemic a national crisis. This long-overdue step is critical. But to 2.6 million grandparents raising grandchildren across the country, it will be recognized as just that: one step.
http://www.grandmagazine.com/2017/11/grandparents-a-safety-net-for-kids/
US: Marquette, Upper Peninsula participate in National Adoption Month
Upper Michigan Source – November 21, 2017
There are more than 110,000 children up for adoption across the United States. Efforts like National Adoption Day are helping to match children to forever homes. “Last year through the National Adoption Day 65,000 kids were adopted,” said Marquette County Sheriff Greg Zyburt. “It’s a really important day for these kids.”
Also: Texas celebrates adoptions of 33 foster care children: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Texas-celebrates-adoptions-of-33-foster-care-12372956.php
Also: Five Genesee County children find ‘forever families’ on adoption day: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2017/11/five_genesee_county_children_f.html
Also: He’d been in foster care since age 9. ‘How many kids my age get adopted nowadays?’: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article185792908.html
Also: Children find permanent families at adoption event: http://www.aroundosceola.com/children-find-permanent-families-at-adoption-event/
Also: Three children find forever families on Adoption Day: http://www.ourmidland.com/news/police_and_courts/article/Three-children-find-forever-families-on-Adoption-12375354.php
Also: 6 children find new homes, families at adoption day: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/2017/11/21/6-children-find-permanent-homes-families-adoption-day/886049001/
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/content/news/Marquette-Upper-Peninsula-in-need-of-foster.html
US: The Truth About the Adoption Tax Credit Hype (Commentary)
Huffington Post – November 21, 2017
After all, for legislators, keeping – and every year increasing – the adoption tax credit which is touted to help people who could not otherwise afford adoption is akin to supporting apple pie. International adoptions continue to decline: it is a matter of nation after nation putting their foot down against the corruption created by the high demand and increasing price tags being paid for children. This is country after country seeing what is happening and responding appropriately with a renewed desire to do better for their own families and children in need. The decline in the mass commodification and export of children is to be applauded and supported, not bemoaned with disdain.
US: This Foster Mom’s Message Is Exactly What Struggling Foster Parents Need to Hear
PopSugar – November 21, 2017
A foster mom recently shared an encouraging and supportive message both to herself and for anyone struggling in the early stages of fostering a child. On Facebook, the blogger behind Foster the Family wrote, “If you were three days into a new placement, I would know what you needed to hear.”
https://www.popsugar.com/moms/Foster-Mom-Facebook-Post-About-Foster-Care-Struggles-44287565
US: Young and homeless in America: Survey says the problem is worsening
Redlands Daily Facts – November 21, 2017
More than 4 percent of adolescents and 10 percent of young adults nationwide were living on the street, in cars or shelters, or couch-surfing at some point in the last year, according to a sweeping study by the University of Chicago released last week. “We just haven’t had definitive numbers like this before,” said Shahera Hyatt, director of the California Homeless Youth Project, a state agency. “It’s fantastic to have this data, but the numbers are staggering. We as a country really have to face the truth about youth homelessness. I hope this report finally spurs us into action.”
United Kindgdom: Foster parent shortage in Scotland leads to one in five sibling groups being split up
Herald (Scottland) – November 22, 2017
A report published by the Care Inspectorate, Scotland’s social care watchdog, revealed that three in four councils reported instances where the number of children requiring a foster care placement was greater than the placements available. And the Care Inspectorate said more foster families are needed to support children in care.
CA: Politically Speaking: State of Foster Care in California (Video) (Commentary)
NBC San Diego – November 19, 2017
California is hoping to address questions like “Will there ever be enough support for kids who lack a good upbringing?” Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (R-77) discusses three bills recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown to address those issues.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/on-air/POLY-SPEAK-WEB-11_17_17_SEG1_San-Diego-458271253.html
CA: Afghan feminist who battled domestic violence now helps refugee families make it here
Modesto Bee – November 18, 2017
Since she came to Sacramento, Haidari – one of the few Afghan women here who knew English – championed women’s rights, warning men in her Arden Arcade apartment to stop hitting their wives or face jail. But like many immigrants, she didn’t know the system. Reinventing herself as “Moon Brave,” last August, she was hired as a family resources aid for the Yolo County Children’s Alliance’s West Sacramento Family Resource Center, where she helps new refugees navigate the complicated system that will allow them to build new lives here.
http://www.modbee.com/news/article185453648.html
CO: Opinion: Colorado needs more foster parents
Coloradoan – November 19, 2017
The Colorado Department of Human Services estimates that the state will need 1,200 new foster families in the next two years to help serve every child and teen in our foster care system.
CO: Urban Peak gives light, hope to “invisible” teens on the street
Denver Post – November 19, 2017
“It’s expensive to live here, even for full-employed people,” said Carlson, who holds a master’s degree in social work and formerly served as chief advancement officer for the Colorado Symphony. “It’s a different ballgame for kids who are still in school, or coming out of the foster care system, or who are dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues. There are so many complicating factors. But with how expensive it is to live here lately, it’s made it that much harder.”
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/11/19/season-to-share-urban-peak-denver/
IA: Social workers see growing foster care caseloads
Cedar Rapids Gazette – November 19, 2017
“I think (Iowa Department of Human Services workers) definitely are trying their best,” Steeples said. “I don’t think there’s anybody out there, and I haven’t had contact with anybody, who’s not really trying to do what’s best for kids.” But what Steeples and others interviewed for this series have said DHS child welfare system lacks a number of key things – enough foster parents to care for displaced children; enough social workers to support birth and foster parents; and enough resources to bring foster care up to top capacity for those it surrounds.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/iowa-social-workers-see-growing-caseloads-foster-care
KS: Editorial: Causes of our foster care crisis
Topeka Capital-Journal – November 19, 2017
The Child Welfare System Task Force held a meeting earlier this week, and lawmakers would do well to pay attention to the comments made by two Kansas judges in attendance. Taylor Wine is a magistrate judge for the state’s Fourth Judicial District, and he called attention to the lack of drug rehabilitation and mental health services in the state, as well as “enormous caseloads that prevent the attention these kids require.”
http://cjonline.com/opinion/editorials/2017-11-19/editorial-causes-our-foster-care-crisis
MT: Aging out of Montana’s foster care system (Includes video)
KXLF – November 17, 2017
According to data from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, 65 foster kids aged out just last year. Many are now in jail, on government assistance and even homeless. Suzanne Braun with Child and Family Services said a lack of foster parents and high caseloads for social workers keeps kids in limbo. “Best practice would be in the lower 20s, so our case workers are carrying double that,” said Braun.
http://www.kxlf.com/story/36867395/aging-out-of-montanas-foster-care-system
MT: More foster kids to receive support from Missoula schools
Missoulian – November 17, 2017
Children in foster care will now receive the same services as homeless students from Missoula County Public Schools. Trustees updated board policies this week to reflect new federal requirements that, for the first time, differentiate between students who are homeless or in foster care as well as the services each should receive.
Information Gateway resource: Collaboration With Schools: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/management/practice-improvement/collaboration/schools/
NY: Foster families keep getting child welfare payments despite broken adoptions
New York Daily News – November 20, 2017
The State Senate was considering a bill that would permit child welfare agencies to halt payments to adoptive parents who stop caring for their children, and in some cases transfer those payments to adoptees.
OH: Opioid epidemic heightens need to bolster kinship care support in Ohio: J.D. Vance (Opinion)
Cleveland.com – November 19, 2017
The Annie E. Casey Foundation reported in 2012 that 2.7 million children in the United States are raised by relatives who aren’t their parents, which is approximately 3.6 percent of kids in the country.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/11/opioid_epidemic_heightens_need.html
OH: Abused, neglected children in care of Licking County soars above 500
Newark Advocate – November 17, 2017
The number of abused and neglected children in the county’s care has soared to more than 500, the Licking County Commissioners learned Thursday. Fisher requested an additional $750,000 from the commissioners to cover the costs of foster care and residential treatment for the remainder of the year
OK: Study: More Oklahoma grandparents raising children
Oklahoman – November 19, 2017
According to U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey, there are 2.5 million American families in which the grandparents are raising grandchildren, up from 2.4 million a decade ago. In Oklahoma, there are 88,443 families like the Dows, up from 75,586 ten years ago.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/article184817738.html
OK: Initiative to help foster children
Woodward News – November 17, 2017
“Each month in Oklahoma, there are over 700 siblings in state custody who are separated from one another while in foster care,” states the Legacy of Care website for the fundraising campaign of Circle of Care (legacy.circleofcare.org). The Legacy of Care campaign is to help alleviate this problem, one home at a time in Oklahoma, by building large single-family homes and club house/activity centers across the state.
OR: School employees were ostracized for reporting suspected child abuse, $1.8m suit says
Oregonian – November 17, 2017
Two Rainier School District employees who say they defied a district administrator’s orders to keep quiet about a 6-year-old student’s alleged abuse filed a $1.8 million lawsuit this week.
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/11/post_282.html
PA: Foster kid placed in West Philly ‘house of horrors’ wins $11M in lawsuit
Metro – November 20, 2017
Bezar said social workers missed signs of sexual abuse in his client, including bed-wetting, regression in speech and behavior, and a sexual “acting out” incident involving touching a boy. The jury ordered the $11 million verdict ($10 million compensatory and $1 million punitive damages) against Scott, who is not believed to have substantial assets, and Bethanna, which since 2015 has been a “community umbrella agency” (CUA) contracted by Philadelphia’ Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide foster care and other social services. In DHS’ recent public CUA “scorecard,” Bethanna, which is licensed by the state, received the worst score of all 10 CUAs: a grade of a “D,” and a ranking of 10th.
US: Let’s restart the adoption movement (Commentary)
American Enterprise Institute – November 18, 2017
Today the most common concerns about adoption have shifted from cultural worries to financial and logistical ones. According to the National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey, by 2013 the top two of eight potential concerns for those considering adoption were coping with paperwork and expense.
http://www.aei.org/publication/lets-restart-adoption-movement/
US: Four Million Young People Were Homeless Last Year. Four Million.
Mother Jones – November 17, 2017
Nearly 4.2 million kids and young adults without a parent or guardian are homeless across the United States over the course of a year. A new study from the University of Chicago revealed the startling statistic this week, focused specifically on homeless unaccompanied youth between ages 13 and 25-a population that until now has rarely been studied comprehensively.
Study: Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America: http://voicesofyouthcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ChapinHall_VoYC_NationalReport_Final.pdf
US: National Adoption Awareness Month 2017: Hearing and Honoring Adoptee Voices
Huffington Post – November 17, 2017
Everyone with a connection to, or interest in, adoption needs to hear these truths expressed by adoptees that have been up until recently discounted as being the voices of the malcontent, the angry.
Also: Families celebrate adoption day in CT (Includes video): http://www.wfsb.com/story/36880030/families-celebrate-adoption-day-in-ct
Also: Adoption day celebrates family: http://tdn.com/news/local/adoption-day-celebrates-family/article_7e33435d-72ef-5b39-b509-70ef1a3f11f0.html
Also: National Adoption Day connects 16 kids with “forever families” in Snohomish County: http://katu.com/news/local/national-adoption-day-connects-16-kids-with-forever-families-in-snohomish-county
Also: 8 children adopted in Randall County as part of National Adoption Month: http://amarillo.com/local-news/news/2017-11-17/8-children-adopted-randall-county-conjunction-national-adoption-day
Also: From the Assembly: Adoption Day event celebrates children and families who find forever homes: https://www.eaglenewsonline.com/news/2017/11/17/from-the-assembly-adoption-day-event-celebrates-children-and-families-who-find-forever-homes
Also: 40 children receive forever families as part of National Adoption Day: wsvn.com/news/local/40-children-receive-forever-families-as-part-of-national-adoption-day/
Also: Annual ‘adoption day’ bustling with activity at quiet courthouse: http://www.journal-news.com/news/annual-adoption-day-bustling-with-activity-quiet-courthouse/Q4l31gb3Q1SKgom5oKINdP/
US: Opinion: Adoption month’s worth celebrating
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – November 17, 2017
There’s a story behind every adoption. Adoptive parents are all led and motivated by so many different things. November is National Adoption Month and as an adoptive parent I could not let the month go by without sharing a little of my story. I’ve learned that sometimes all people need is to be encouraged by someone else’s story to make a difference in a life.
http://www.myajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-adoption-month-worth-celebrating/BpA1TMB7wOXuNpqFAA6iBI/
US: The Moments That Changed the Meaning of Adoption in the U.S.
Time – November 17, 2017
“The key shift is the Enlightenment, when children start to be viewed as individuals with rights and to whom we have obligations, whereas they used to be seen as a small creature you have to feed until they’re old enough to work,” says Peter Conn, author of Adoption: a Brief Social and Cultural History. “Really, the history of adoption is the history of children circulating among families probably in the same village and then later in the same city or the same state.”
http://time.com/5027647/national-adoption-day-history/
US: The Path Out of Foster Care Crisis Runs Through Family (Commentary)
Chronicle of Social Change – November 17, 2017
Multiple studies and experience in the United States, Canada and Australia have provided clear answers. Every child has, or can have, someone who cares deeply about them. Every human being has or had a father, and every parent has or had adults with whom they can build supportive relationships.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/child-welfare-2/path-foster-care-crisis-runs-family/28707
Canada: Indigenous services minister says Ottawa will participate in Innu foster care inquiry (Includes audio)
CBC Radio – November 17, 2017
Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott says her government will attend a provincial inquiry into the treatment of Innu children in the child protection system. The announcement comes a day after Innu Nation Grand Chief Gregory Rich said he was embarrassed because it appeared the federal government would not participate in the inquiry beyond a contribution of money and information.
Haiti: How traffickers exploit children in Haiti’s orphanages
CNN – November 20, 2017
There are at least 30,000 children living in orphanages in Haiti. It is a staggering number for a country of 10 million people, but perhaps even more shocking, most of them are not orphans. The government estimates 80 percent of the children living in orphanages have at least one living parent.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/20/health/haiti-orphanages/index.html
AZ: Website for Arizona foster families gets new look, content
Apache Junction/Gold Canyon Independent – November 17, 2017
The new content includes in-depth information about guardianship and adoption, connections to foster parent support groups and a calendar of events and training opportunities.
CA: Los Angeles foster children and those who care for them
UCLA News – November 16, 2017
The operation is not unique to Los Angeles but is a large-scale test of an idea that is gaining adherents – the notion that there are useful roles for both the private and public sectors in addressing the complexities of foster care. It is part of a national trend toward formalizing relationships between government and philanthropy, in hopes of funneling new resources to long-standing problems.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/los-angeles-foster-children-and-those-who-care-for-them
IN: New program aims to help get kids out of child welfare system and into stable homes (Includes video)
FOX 59 – November 16, 2017
Child Advocates, Inc. and the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society are teaming up to help young Hoosiers involved in Child In Need of Services (CHINS) cases get out of the system and into permanent, stable homes.
MS: OUR OPINION: Foster care initiative provides great opportunity
Daily Journal – November 17, 2017
As often happens with matters that involve bureaucratic systems, as well as sensitive information dealing with children, the amount of red tape involved for residents to become a foster family is significant.
MT: On Special Assignment: Aging out of Montana’s foster care system (Video)
KTVQ – November 16, 2017
Thousands of Montana children are in a limbo called foster care. It’s a system kids enter afraid and alone, where they often turn 18 without finding a permanent home.
http://www.ktvq.com/story/36865166/special-report-aging-out-of-montanas-foster-care-system
NY: Sex abuse victims to push again for child victims’ act
Associated Press – November 16, 2017
Advocates for a bill in New York that would loosen the statute of limitations for molestation are hoping the national attention on sexual misconduct gives their cause fresh momentum.
http://www.latimes.com/sns-bc-ny–child-sex-crimes-20171116-story.html
NY: Nonprofits Give ‘Disconnected’ Youths Another Chance
New York Times – November 06, 2017
“I always told myself I would graduate college and wouldn’t be a statistic in the foster care system,” said Jonathan, 26, who gave only his first name to protect his privacy. But at 21, he was homeless and jobless. “One day I Googled ‘help with foster kids aging out,'” Jonathan said, and he found Youth Villages, one of the national nonprofits aimed at stopping the downward spiral of people like him.
Also: ‘I Was Stuck for So Long’: How 4 ‘Disconnected’ Youths Got Help: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/business/nonprofits-help-young-people.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/business/disconnected-youths.html?_r=0
US: A State By State Guide to Foster Care Resources
Mothering – November 16, 2017
No matter the setting, foster children, families and organization needs all the help they can get as resources are often limited. Help comes in all forms – monetary donations, item donations, volunteering, and more.
Information Gateway resource: Resources for Foster Families: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/resources-foster-families/
http://www.mothering.com/articles/a-state-by-state-guide-to-foster-care-resources/
US: LGBT Parents Are Back at It Again (Commentary)
Huffington Post – November 16, 2017
It is six years later and RaiseAChild is now seeing a new trend. Our data now proves that the LGBT community is more open than ever to not only building, but also expanding families through fostering and adoption.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbt-parents-are-back-at-it-again_us_5a0dbc85e4b006a16baf1fb5
US: Critical gaps exist in services and supports for youth aging out of foster care
Child Trends – November 14, 2017
Child Trends conducted a national survey of state independent living coordinators (Survey on Services and Supports for Young People Transitioning from Foster Care). Survey findings, collected in 2016, are based on responses by Independent Living Coordinators from 47 of 52 states and territories contacted. They describe the array and availability of services and supports for youth and young adults who have experienced foster care, highlighting state trends and examples of innovation in six major service areas.
AZ: Fry’s helping foster care kids find jobs (Includes video)
abc 15 – November 15, 2017
Right now Fry’s Food employs 20 foster youth in 16 stores. Most are working on the front lines as courtesy clerks, but once they turn 18-years-old, they can apply for management and work their way up in the company. Fry’s Food is the third largest employer in Arizona, and the goal is to give these kids a foundation and a chance to make it on their own.
CA: 16 Santa Barbara County children adopted into new families during National Adoption Month event at Juvenile Court
Santa Maria Times – November 15, 2017
Partnering with County Child Welfare Services’ Our County Our Kids, the court celebrated with thousands of other families nationwide who welcomed their new children into their homes. Also in attendance were Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers, who helped be a voice for each child throughout their adoption process.
Information Gateway Resource: National Adoption Month 2017: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/
FL: Ground broken on new foster care campus in Sarasota
WWSB – November 15, 2017
“Nobody in the child welfare system is doing it the way we’re doing it. So we’re really looking at this, not only to heal our children locally, but to actually create a research enterprise so we effectively learn how to deliver trauma care to those who have been abused,” said Dennis McGillicuddy.
MS: ‘Rescue 100’ plan to expedite training for foster families in the works
Daily Journal – November 16, 2017
In time for November’s National Adoption Month, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services started talks this week to roll out its Rescue 100 plan to recruit personnel and streamline the foster system training process for families.
NC: No photos of foster kids allowed on social media, Pitt DSS board decides
Reflector – November 16, 2017
Pitt County foster parents can no longer include foster children in their social media postings. The county’s social services board on Tuesday unanimously approved a policy prohibiting families from posting images or narratives that describe identifying characteristics of foster children on social media.
OH: LCCS urges community members to adopt during National Adoption Awareness Month
WTOL – November 15, 2017
There is a greater need for adoptive parents now more than ever, and Lucas County Children Services is urging the community to consider growing their families during National Adoption Month. “I don’t think that people realize that the heroin epidemic has so many children behind it. So at some level, I think people understand that there is always a need for foster and adoptive parents. But we need them now more than ever,” said Donna Seed, manager of the placement department at Lucas County Children Services.
OK: November is Adoption Awareness Month (Press release)
Oklahoma Department of Human services – November 15, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. In Oklahoma, there are over 600 children and youth in foster care who are waiting for their forever families. “No child should have to grow up without a family,” said Tricia Howell, deputy director for foster care and adoptions.
PA: I-Team: Adoption programs through Catholic Social Services ending (Includes video)
WBRE/WYOU – November 15, 2017
It really comes down to money, or lack thereof, according to officials of the Diocese of Scranton. Parents the I-Team spoke with are stunned by the news and hope the Diocese will make an about face on their decision.
TX: Officer urges East Texans to consider adoption, foster care (Includes video)
KLTV – November 12, 2017
“It was national take a stand day. Take a stand for children through fostering or adoptive care. I wanted to challenge our congregation on making a difference on a child’s life through fostering or adoption,” he says.
http://www.kplctv.com/story/36825919/officer-urges-east-texans-to-consider-adoption-foster-care
VA: Testing first ‘Family Match’ program to increase adoptions (Includes video)
WSLS – November 16, 2017
Virginia is testing new technology that could match more children with families. It’s the first-ever program like this in the country. It’s called Family Match. Families enter their information into a database. Agencies also enter information about children who can be adopted. It’s similar to the same kind of data that dating websites use, matching like characteristics with like characteristics.
https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia-testing-first-family-match-program-to-increase-adoptions
US: HRC Releases Guide on Engaging Prospective Trans & Non-Binary Foster and Adoptive Parents (Press release)
Human Rights Campaign – November 15, 2017
Today, HRC Foundation released Promising Practices for Serving Transgender & Non-Binary Foster & Adoptive Parents, a groundbreaking new guide designed to help foster care and adoption agencies recruit, certify and support qualified transgender and non-binary adults to become resource parents for young people who need safe, welcoming homes.
Also: Promising Practices for Serving Transgender & Non-Binary Foster & Adoptive Parents: http://assets.hrc.org//files/assets/resources/HRC_ACAF_Promising_Practices_Serving_Transgender_Non-Binary_Parents.pdf?_ga=2.82257494.1788181987.1510845385-1026706714.1470139580
http://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-releases-guide-on-engaging-prospective-trans-non-binary-foster-and-adop
US: A Resource for Judges Who Handle ICWA Cases
Chronicle of Social Change – November 14, 2017
A new resource from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) aims to help judges uphold the rights of Native American children in juvenile court. The “Indian Child Welfare Act Judicial Benchbook” is designed to assist judges implement the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a series of guidelines on the cases of child abuse and neglect and adoption cases involving Native American children
Indian Child Welfare Act Judicial Benchbook: http://www.ncjfcj.org/ICWABenchbook
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/research-news/brief-helps-judges-better-handle-icwa-cases/28727
AZ: Foster family says state was unresponsive when called on for assistance (Includes video)
ABC 15 – November 14, 2017
ABC15 asked a DCS spokesperson why no one responded to Rabago’s cries for help. DCS officials sent us a statement outlining all the steps a foster family should follow, if they needed help. They included everything Rabago said she had already done.
KS: DCF: No link between welfare reform, rising foster care numbers; researchers say otherwise
Lawrence Journal-World – November 14, 2017
Kansas child welfare officials said Tuesday that they can find no link between the rising number of children in foster care and recently enacted laws that make it harder for people to qualify for welfare benefits. But two researchers at the University of Kansas who recently completed a national study say they have found evidence linking tough welfare reform laws like those enacted in Kansas with higher rates of child abuse and foster care placements.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/nov/14/dcf-no-link-between-welfare-reform-rising-foster-c/
KS: State removing more children from homes with drug abuse
Associated Press – November 14, 2017
Kansas is removing significantly more children from homes where a parent is abusing drugs than it did five years ago, particularly when a parent uses methamphetamines, the state’s child welfare agency reported Tuesday.
http://www.heraldonline.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article184586263.html
NJ: Union County Celebrates National Adoption Month (Press release)
Union County Communications Office – November 14, 2017
November is National Adoption Month and the Union County Surrogate’s Office is proud to celebrate “forever families” and seeks to raise awareness about the adoption process. “The Union County Surrogate’s Office is proud to assist our residents in the process of improving the lives and welfare of children through adoption,” said Union County Surrogate, James S. LaCorte. “Through adoption, a difference can be made one child at a time. Having a permanent family provides children with the critical legal and emotional support that all young people need.”
https://www.tapinto.net/articles/union-county-celebrates-national-adoption-month
TX: Study: The needs of homeless and runaway youth in Texas going unmet
San Antonio Express-News – November 15, 2017
The needs of homeless and runaway youth in Texas are not being adequately addressed in the Lone Star State, a study by two advocacy groups has found. The study, conducted by Texas Appleseed and Texas Network of Youth Service, which focus on social justice and children’s rights, examined the root causes of youth homelessness, the myriad negative consequences that flow from it and possible solutions.
Also: New Study Sheds Light on Challenges Facing State’s Homeless Youth: https://therivardreport.com/new-study-sheds-light-on-challenges-facing-states-homeless-youth/
Also: Texas’ homeless youth slip through cracks of disjointed support system, new report says: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/11/15/homeless-youth-slip-through-cracks-disjointed-support-system/
TX: New Foster Care Initiative Seeks to Help Broken System
Dallas Observer – November 14, 2017
At the University of Delaware, Dozier, a professor in the psychology department, had been working with adults with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but she wanted to find a better way to foster a relationship between the birth parent, the child and the foster parent. She began asking questions, trying to understand how children adapted from separation with the birth parent and being reunited in visitation and to help them learn how to deal with it.
UT: Audit: Kids at risk while child care providers appeal violations
Deseret News – November 14, 2017
Child care facilities accused of violating safety standards can operate as normal during their appeals process, a practice that is putting children at risk, a state audit released Tuesday concludes.
VA: Commentary: Help Children Awaiting Adoption
Connection Newspapers – November 14, 2017
Right here in Fairfax County, 34 children in each of fiscal years 2014 and 2015 and 15 children in fiscal year 2016 were adopted from foster care according to the Department of Family Services (DFS) 2016 Annual Report. Those children were fortunate – but they represented fewer than half of all children in foster care in Fairfax County with a goal of adoption during those periods. How can we increase the chances of finding permanency for some of our most vulnerable young people?
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/14/commentary-help-children-awaiting-adoption/
VA: Where the foster care system needs to improve to help kids (Includes video)
WTVR – November 14, 2017
During national adoption month, two Richmond-area organizations announced the results of a nationwide study into the challenges facing the foster care system. The survey, sponsored by Children’s Home Society of Virginia (CHSV) and the Better Housing Coalition, also examined areas of improvement in Virginia. Virginia has one of the highest rates of children aging out of the foster care system in the country, the survey found.
http://wtvr.com/2017/11/14/foster-care-study/
WA: Fostering change: the life-saving work of Friends of Youth
Woodinville Weekly – November 14, 2017
“There are too few foster parents and foster homes,” said Friends of Youth President and CEO Terry Pottmeyer. It’s true. The number of licensed foster homes in the state has slowly but steadily decreased, from about 6,000 homes in 2010 to less than 5,000 in 2015, according to data from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. Only 40 percent of foster homes remain licensed for more than three years.
US: Patchwork services fail youth aging out of foster care, national survey concludes
Richmond Times-Dispatch – November 14, 2017
The research, conducted by the national nonprofit Child Trends at the request of the Children’s Home Society of Virginia and the Better Housing Coalition, found increasing numbers of youth entering foster care across the country and spotty support for them across Virginia.
Also: The Possibilities Project: Supporting Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: http://chsva.org/possibilities-project/research-advocacy/
Also: Information Gateway resource: Support Services for Youth in Transition: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/independent/support/
http://en.protothema.gr/at-least-19000-refugee-and-migrant-minors-trapped-in-hotspots-in-greece/
Iceland: Foster Parent Court Case Could Be a First for Iceland
Iceland Review – November 14, 2017
Freyja Haraldsdóttir, former substitute MP for Bright Future, has filed a case against the Government Agency for Child Protection (Barnaverndarstofa or BVS) in response to their denial of her application to become a foster parent, mbl.is reports. Freyja, who is physically disabled, claims her application was not handled in the same way as those of non-disabled applicants, and the case is brought forth on those grounds.
http://icelandreview.com/news/2017/11/14/foster-parent-court-case-could-be-first-iceland
CA: Incoming LA Child Welfare Chief to Find High Demand, Too Few Foster Homes (Includes video)
Youth Today – November 13, 2017
DCFS serves more than 30,000 children each month, with more than half in out-of-home placement. This number is steadily rising each year while out-of-home resources are declining. According to the DCFS 2015-16 Biennial Report, the number of foster care resources, including family and group homes, has dropped by 52 percent from 2005 to 2015.
GA: Addiction and childhood: Opioid addiction pushing more kids into foster care
Daily Citizen News – November 11, 2017
The number of Georgia children in foster care has nearly doubled in just a few years, as more parents struggle with what is becoming an all-too familiar scenario. The state’s growing foster care rolls – made worse in recent years by increased dependence on powerful prescription painkillers – has put substantial strain on a system left struggling to keep up.
ME: Seven weeks after breach, state tells 2,100 foster parents that personal data went online
Portland Press Herald – November 13, 2017
The names, addresses and Social Security numbers of roughly 2,100 Mainers who receive foster care benefits were accidentally posted to a public website in September, the Maine Office of Information Technology said Monday.
Also: Thousands of Mainers affected by data breach updated (Includes video): http://wgme.com/news/local/thousands-of-mainers-affected-by-data-breach
MI: Stateline Midwest: Kresge, Kellogg Commit $50 Million To Early Childhood in Detroit
Chronicle of Social Change – November 13, 2017
Two major Michigan grantmakers announced a $50 million investment in a venture to improve the educational and health outcomes for young children in Detroit.
MN: Foster Care Provider Wants Exceptions for Fingerprinting Rule (Includes video)
KSTP – November 13, 2017
The Department of Human Services is now attempting to create a more accurate and uniform statewide background study system that would require children ages 13 to 17 to be fingerprinted before a foster home can be licensed.
ND: Heart Gallery connects kids in need of adoptive families
Fargo Forum – November 11, 2017
Nov. 18 is National Adoption Day – an effort to bring more attention and focus to adoption through the foster care system. This past week, I attended the North Dakota Heart Gallery Gala and Carnival at the Fargodome. The North Dakota Heart Gallery is a non-profit, privately funded organization that enlists professional photographers to capture portraits of foster children that showcase their sparkle and personalities.
NE: Adoptions of state wards continue in high numbers
KOLN – November 13, 2017
The number of children adopted from foster care in 2017 is expected to exceed last year’s number and continue more than 10 years of accelerated adoptions as the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) continues to emphasize permanent placement for foster children in the state’s care, according to DHHS CEO Courtney Phillips.
http://www.1011now.com/content/news/Adoptions-of-state-wards-continue-in-high-numbers-457278913.html
WS: Rise of opioid abuse is taking toll on foster care system in Wisconsin (Includes video)
CBS 58 – November 13, 2017
In Wisconsin, 75% of children whose parents are addicted to drugs are taken out of their homes.
http://www.cbs58.com/news/rise-of-opioid-abuse-is-taking-toll-on-foster-care-system-in-wisconsin
US: National Adoption Month: KVC Health Systems Celebrates 4,000 Children’s Adoptions (Press release)
KVC Health Systems – November 14, 2017
More than 110,000 U.S. children in foster care are awaiting for permanent, loving families. KVC Health Systems is marking National Adoption Month by celebrating the fact it has facilitated over 4,000 children’s adoptions in the nonprofit behavioral health and child welfare organization’s history
AR: Children’s Shelter Fighting Foster Care Statistics for 20 Years (Includes video)
KNWA – November 10, 2017
There are over five-thousand children in the foster care system in Arkansas — an all time high for the state. One children’s shelter in the River Valley is providing a temporary home for those kids who need it most. The Children’s Emergency Shelter achieved a milestone today. CES has devoted twenty years to giving children in Fort Smith a new shot at life.
Also: Local Non-Profit Aims To Help Foster Care Crisis (Video): http://5newsonline.com/2017/11/12/local-non-profit-aims-to-help-foster-care-crisis/
AZ: State’s foster care boards don’t look like their communities. Here’s why that matters (Includes video)
Arizona Republic – November 12, 2017
In an attempt to ensure fair treatment for kids taken from their parents, Arizona lawmakers decades ago mandated that Foster Care Review Boards – which help decide the fates of children in foster care – mirror the races, ethnicities and income levels of the communities they serve. They don’t. Though children of color represent about 60 percent of kids in out-of-home care, Foster Care Review Boards are overwhelmingly white.
CA: Funding loss threatens Saint John’s program for homeless women, children
Sacramento Bee – November 12, 2017
Saint John’s Program For Real Change, which shelters and mentors homeless women and children in Sacramento, celebrated its successes this past month with a ceremony attended by Congresswoman Doris Matsui, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and other luminaries. But even as politicians and graduates of the program spoke of its longevity and track record, the nonprofit organization was facing a crisis. Sacramento County was making changes in its funding of transitional housing for homeless people, and Saint John’s had been cut off.
Information Gateway resource: Housing & Child Welfare: State and Local Examples: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/service-array/housing/childwelfare/examples/
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/homeless/article184161511.html
CA: Understanding how California serves its homeless children: a quick guide
EdSource – November 12, 2017
As California’s housing shortage intensifies, the number of homeless children is expected to climb. Since 2014, the number of homeless youth in California has jumped 20 percent, to more than 202,329, and accounts for nearly 4 percent of the overall public school population. Homeless children are enrolled in nearly every district in the state, according to the California Homeless Youth Project. An EdSource special project explored the issue in detail, and includes a map showing the number of homeless students in California schools.
GA: Addiction & Childhood: Opioid addiction pushing more kids into foster care
Valdosta Daily News – November 12, 2017
The number of Georgia children in foster care has nearly doubled in just a few years, as more parents struggle with what is becoming an all-too familiar scenario. The state’s growing foster care rolls – made worse in recent years by increased dependence on powerful prescription painkillers – has put substantial strain on a system left struggling to keep up.
IA: Issues of poverty create disparities in Iowa’s child welfare system
Cedar Rapids Gazette – November 12, 2017
Of the more than 50,000 reports of alleged abuse against a child in the state of Iowa received by the Department of Human Services in 2016 – in or outside the foster care system – only 6,368 cases were confirmed. Sixty-five percent of these cases were categorized as denial of critical care, one of 11 legislatively driven definitions of abuse that need to be met to accept a case into the department’s child welfare system.
Also: Unknowns of temporarily caring for children in foster care means Iowa’s foster parents feel ‘every emotion’: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/unknowns-of-temporarily-caring-foster-children-20171112
IN: Editorial: Don’t turn a blind eye to youth homelessness
Herald Bulletin – November 12, 2017
It’s tough enough being an average school kid. Just imagine if you were a kid without a home. That’s the reality for about 350 children in Madison County, according to the Indiana Youth Institute.
NC: Group hopes to decrease number of foster kids during National Adoption Month
WNCT – November 13, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness month. The “Children’s Home Society of North Carolina” is trying to help reduce the number of foster kids in our state. The number one goal for the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina is raising awareness on the need for adoption and fostering.
NC: Foster kids get moved around. This could help some older kids find families (Includes video)
Raleigh News & Observer – November 10, 2017
Hundreds of foster children get moved from home to home, and some never get adopted. The disruptions can have ruinous consequences. Now an effort to find adoptive families for older foster children is expanding with the help of a private grant.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article183983316.html
NY: De Blasio’s family-based homeless solution off to a rocky start
New York Post – November 10, 2017
Nearly a year after the city launched a holiday-season program to pay relatives or friends to take in the homeless, just 31 families have qualified and moved out of shelters, The Post has learned. City officials said 117 families applied for the program as of Oct. 10 from an initial pool of roughly 5,000 that had been living in shelters for at least 90 days.
http://nypost.com/2017/11/10/de-blasios-family-based-homeless-solution-off-to-a-rocky-start/
OH: Plan introduced for permanent overflow for homeless women and children in Cleveland (Includes video)
WOIO – November 10, 2017
Cuyahoga County leaders are expected to announce a plan to help homeless mothers and their children. Per Richard Trickel, CEO of The City Mission, the county is budgeting for permanent overflow and a caseworker that will be dedicated to helping these women. Many believe, it’s past time for city and county leaders to step up and help the homeless.
TX: Have love to share? Consider becoming a foster parent
El Paso Times – November 10, 2017
Officials with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said there is a constant need for safe homes where foster parents can care for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
WI: Helping foster children, local nonprofit raising funds for temporary home
Racine Journal Times – November 12, 2017
“The Faith, Hope & Love Home for Children is a way to provide love and support, even if only for a short time,” Mark said. “That tells these kids that they matter.” Racine County is facing a major foster home shortage, according to Kerry Milkie, youth and family manager for Racine County Human Services. There are currently 360 children in foster care in Racine County and not nearly enough foster homes.
WI: DCF launches Twitter account
La Crosse Tribune – November 10, 2017
The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) recently expanded its communication channels to include a new Twitter account aimed at providing Wisconsin families, foster youth, agency partners, and interested citizens with timely information about DCF efforts to improve the economic and social well-being of Wisconsin’s children, youth and families.
WV: Foster, adoptive families desperately needed
Record Delta – November 10, 2017
The number of children who need forever homes in West Virginia has reached epidemic proportions, the executive director of the Upshur County Family Resource Network told the Upshur County Commission Thursday.
https://therecorddelta.com/article/foster-adoptive-families-desperately-needed
US: Advocates worry that attempt to remove adoption credit could resurface in GOP tax plan
Omaha World-Herald – November 13, 2017
A House GOP tax proposal initially eliminated the credit, although it was later restored just before the Ways and Means Committee approved the plan last week. The Senate plan released last week preserved the credit. Advocates, however, remain concerned that an attempt to remove the adoption credit could resurface.
Also: A plan to eliminate the adoption tax credit would be devastating: http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/wapo/a-plan-to-eliminate-the-adoption-tax-credit-would-be/article_f8ceac82-8bc3-50ec-b68a-120488ce592d.html
US: How to step up and promote adoption (Commentary)
New York Post – November 12, 2017
What’s more, it basically pays for itself. Defraying the cost of adoption is often the fiscally conservative move. As John McCormick wrote at The Weekly Standard, “The costs to taxpayers of keeping a child in foster care – health care, food, housing, social workers, and administrators – are far greater than the one-time tax credit adoptive families may receive.” After an outcry, Senate Republicans agree to keep the tax credit. But that shouldn’t be the end of the conversation. The unforced error can have a silver lining if it gets the political class talking all the ways the adoption process in the US can and should be improved.
http://nypost.com/2017/11/12/how-to-step-up-and-promote-adoption/
US: GOP Tax Plan: Adoption Back In, Foster Youth Jobs Bill Still At Risk
Chronicle of Social Change – November 10, 2017
As reported here last week, the Adoption Tax Credit was slated for repeal last week when the Republican tax plan was unveiled. After a flurry of lobbying from pro-adoption and pro-life groups, ATC is off the chopping block. The Improved Employment Outcomes for Foster Youth Act, H.R. 2060 and S. 885, would provide tax credits of up to $2,400 to employers who hire current and former foster youth between the ages of 18 and 27.
US: How Interracial Adoption Changes Your Perspective
Mothering – November 10, 2017
It’s Adoption Awareness Month, and often, adoptions in America are of children from other countries.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/how-interracial-adoption-changes-your-perspective/
US: Marriage Isn’t The Last Hurdle For LGBTQ Couples
Brides – November 10, 2017
When it comes to gay right’s issues, marriage has long been at the forefront. But for some couples, their main concern has been a very different fight-the ability to adopt.
https://www.brides.com/story/marriage-isnt-the-last-hurdle-for-lgbtq-couples
US: Tension Between State Department, Accreditor Over Intercountry Adoption
Chronicle of Social Change – November 10, 2017
The Council on Accreditation (COA), the lone firm handling accreditation for international adoption agencies, has announced that it will break its contract with State due to recent changes in regulations.
US: Grandparents Stepping Up for Kids in Opioid Crisis
Next Avenue – October 30, 2017
Last week, the President declared the opioid epidemic a national crisis. This long overdue step is critical. But to 2.6 million grandparents raising grandchildren across the country, it will be recognized as just that: one step.
http://www.nextavenue.org/grandparents-kids-opioid-crisis/
GA: Bloom receives award as Georgia’s Most Outstanding Foster Care Agency
Citizen – November 10, 2017
Founded in 1989, the organization’s main programs include a foster parent recruitment, training, and placement program, a monthly training program for foster parents, and a clothing resource center for foster children, called The Bloom Closet. Bloom recruits, trains and certifies foster families to care for foster youth, including those with significant therapeutic issues, medically fragile needs, pregnant or parenting foster teen girls and sibling groups.
http://thecitizen.com/2017/11/10/bloom-receives-award-georgias-outstanding-foster-care-agency/
IL: Kinship Care Works; Kinship Care Matters. If They Could See My Boys Now! (Commentary)
Chicago Now – November 09, 2017
Adoption is about legacy. As an African-American, kinship caregiving has always been part of our culture. It was often informal, without the involvement of caseworkers, and courts.
NE: State child welfare officials begin work to improve services after federal review finds shortfalls
Omaha World-Herald – November 09, 2017
Matt Wallen, director of children and family services for the Department of Health and Human Services, said preliminary feedback from the reviewers indicates that the state met federal standards on only one measure. Nebraska fell short on 17 other measures, including those related to family engagement, workforce development, safety planning, placement stability, and foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention.
US: House GOP Restores Adoption Tax Credit After Backlash
Weekly Standard – November 09, 2017
House Republicans reversed course Thursday on their plans to scrap the adoption tax credit. Kevin Brady, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, issued a statement that an amendment to the committee’s bill would restore the adoption credit and make other tweaks to the bill. The announcement came after news broke that the Senate GOP would keep the adoption tax credit in its tax reform bill.
Also: Adoption tax credit restored after conservative backlash: http://thehill.com/policy/finance/359662-adoption-tax-credit-restored-after-conservative-backlash
Also: House Republican Attempts to Repeal the Adoption Tax Credit Show Their Real Priorities in Tax Reform (Commentary): https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/news/2017/11/09/442623/house-republican-attempts-repeal-adoption-tax-credit-show-real-priorities-tax-reform/
Also: Adoption Tax Credit Saved by Both House and Senate: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/november/save-adoption-tax-credit-house-senate-gop-evangelicals.html
http://www.weeklystandard.com/house-gop-restores-adoption-tax-credit-after-backlash/article/2010410
CA: Life changer: The Dream Center, a one-stop shop for foster youth, finds a new, bigger home
Bakersfield Californian – November 08, 2017
Martin is thankful that the Dream Center, a one-stop shop for foster youth services run by the Kern County Network for Children, relocated last month from its 3,000-square foot downtown office to a space more than triple that size just down the street from the Greyhound Bus Station. That extra space means more services, including a place for Martin to do his laundry, search for a job and just hang out during the day. A place where people care about him.
FL: Opioid crisis taking toll on Florida children
News Service of Florida – November 08, 2017
More than 4,000 babies were born addicted to opioids in Florida last year, an increase of over 1,000 percent from a decade ago. Substance abuse played a role in two-thirds of the cases where children were removed from their homes within 30 days of birth last year.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/opioid-crisis-taking-toll-on-florida-children
KS: Lawmakers question impact of welfare reduction: Is it putting more kids in foster care?
Lawrence Journal-World – November 08, 2017
Some Kansas lawmakers began questioning the impact of welfare policy changes enacted under the Brownback administration after new numbers were released Wednesday from the Department for Children and Families showing an estimated 43,715 people have become ineligible for cash assistance under those policies.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/nov/08/lawmakers-question-impact-welfare-changes/
NY: Essay: Adoption bridges families, provides children a home
Post – November 09, 2017
Monroe County Family Court, now in its 54th year, has finalized more than 14,000 adoptions. Over the last 13 years, the court’s celebration of National Adoption Day has endeavored to raise our community’s awareness surrounding adoption. While adoption numbers nationwide have remained consistent since the late 1980s, there has been a shift, particularly in New York, increasing the number of children adopted from foster care.
http://www.monroecopost.com/news/20171109/essay-adoption-bridges-families-provides-children-home
OR: A Nonprofit Spent Millions of Public Dollars to House Native American Seniors and Foster Families. It’s Failing
Willamette Week – November 08, 2017
NAYA Generations currently doesn’t house a single foster family. The $11.5 million, 40-unit affordable housing complex called NAYA Generations was built with more than $10 million in public funds to address a systemic ill: More than 1 in 5 Native American children in Multnomah County lived in foster care, according to a 2011 study.
TX: Amarillo Angels making a difference for children in foster care (Includes video)
KFDA – November 08, 2017
Over 1,00 children are in foster care in the Panhandle, and one organization is working to provide these children with hope. Amarillo Angels says the love box isn’t meant to be Christmas every month. Instead, it gives children a mentor and self-esteem boost, so they can dream beyond the difficult circumstances they often experience.
TX: Thousands of children in foster care, as CPS celebrates National Adoption Awareness month (Includes video)
KFDM-TV – November 08, 2017
Child Protective Services gathered in Orange County on Wednesday to celebrate National Adoption Awareness month. Five children left the foster care system and were adopted by their forever families. Thousands of children remain in foster care each day, CPS spokesperson Shari Pulliam says there are, on average, 16,000 children in the system everyday.
US: Google developer explains the pain losing adoption credit will cause (Commentary
CNBC – November 08, 2017
As House Republicans mark up their tax overhaul, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, adoptive families are pushing back on their decision to do away with a critical tax credit. Brandon Jones, a developer at Google and adoptive father of two boys, shared in a series of tweets on Nov. 2 just how imporant the credit is to adoptive families.
Also: Adoption tax credit elimination plan pits Republicans against leaders: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/8/adoption-tax-credit-elimination-plan-pits-republic
Also: Louisiana’s Kennedy working with Senate Finance Committee to save adoption tax credit: http://baptistmessage.com/louisianas-kennedy-working-senate-finance-committee-save-adoption-tax-credit/
Also: Steven Curtis Chapman and Mary Beth Chapman: Adoption tax credit is vital: http://www.heraldtribune.com/opinion/20171108/steven-curtis-chapman-and-mary-beth-chapman-adoption-tax-credit-vital?rssfeed=true
Also: Republican tax plan would deal financial blow for families who adopt children: http://news.morningstar.com/all/market-watch/TDJNMW20171108732/republican-tax-plan-would-deal-financial-blow-for-families-who-adopt-children.aspx
US: The REAL Foster Care Housing Crisis (Commentary)
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform – November 02, 2017
Thousands of children are trapped in foster care because their parents don’t have adequate housing. That is The REAL Foster Care Housing Crisis.
Also: The Foster Care Housing Crisis: http://youthtoday.org/2017/11/the-foster-care-housing-crisis/
https://fostercareandhousing.blogspot.com/
CA: & OR: & WA: Stateline Pacific: Mandated Reporters, Youth Homelessness and a New Child Welfare Agency
Chronicle of Social Change – November 07, 2017
The Chronicle of Social Change’s rundown of child welfare and youth-related news from up and down the Pacific Coast.
Also: CA Report: State’s Homeless Youth: Averting Long-Term Crisis: http://shum.senate.ca.gov/sites/shum.senate.ca.gov/files/10-10-17_joint_informational_hearing_background_paper_0.pdf
Also: OR: Salem-Keizer staff told to report student sexual activity, including own kids (Includes video): http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/education/2017/10/31/oregon-mandated-reporter-salem-keizer-staff-told-report-student-sexual-activity-including-own-kids/798865001/
Also: WA: Child Welfare Now a Cabinet Level Agency in Washington State: https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news-2/child-welfare-now-cabinet-level-agency-washington/27543
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news-2/stateline-pacific/28635
GA: How to Adopt a Child in Georgia (Infographic)
Georgia.gov – November 07, 2017
Adoption is the social and legal process that gives adopted children the same rights as those born into the family. Check out our infographic for an overview of the process, or skip to the text version of this graphic. With the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, the process may be quicker than you think; from inquiry to finalization, adopting a child from the state typically takes only 4-10 months!
https://georgia.gov/blog/2017-11-07/how-adopt-child-georgia-infographic
IN: National Adoption Month highlights adoption need statewide (Includes video)
FOX 59 – November 08, 2017
Right now in Indiana, hundreds of kids are waiting to be adopted into their forever homes. National Adoption Awareness Month in November is meant to increase not only awareness of adoption but also the number of families who take that step.
http://fox59.com/2017/11/08/national-adoption-month-highlights-adoption-need-statewide/
MO: Discovering the roots, stigma surrounding American foster care
Hanniibal Courier-Post – November 07, 2017
Changing perceptions of orphans reflect fluctuating societal attitudes about caring for children who cannot take care of themselves. Catherine Rymph, an associate professor of history at MU, has written a book examining the modern history of foster care in the United States and the stigma associated with the system.
http://www.hannibal.net/news/20171107/discovering-roots-stigma-surrounding-american-foster-care
OH: November proclaimed as Adoption Recognition and Recruitment Month
People’s Defender – November 07, 2017
On Oct. 23, 2017, Adams County Children Services employees, board members, and special guests, Isaac and Jenna Wooten and son Dodge, met with the Adams County Commissioners to proclaim November as Adoption Recognition and Recruitment Month. The theme for National Adoption Recognition and Recruitment Month for November 2017 is “Teens Need Families, No Matter What.” This theme highlights the importance of identifying well-prepared and committed families for the thousands of teenagers in foster care.
TX: CASA celebrates National Adoption Month
Stephenville Empire-Tribune – November 07, 2017
November is National Adoption Month, and CASA CTA is working to inform the public of the urgent need for families to support vulnerable children in the foster care system. In 2016 in Texas, there were 6,999 children in the care of Child Protective Services (CPS) waiting for adoption. CASA CTA is spreading awareness this month, and challenging more members of the community to step up and be a part of the solution by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.
http://www.yourstephenvilletx.com/news/20171107/casa-celebrates-national-adoption-month?rssfeed=true
TX: First Lady Abbott Visits Child Advocates of Fort Bend
Houston Chronicle – November 07, 2017
Child Advocates of Fort Bend is unique in that they have a Children’s Advocacy Center and a CASA Program under one roof. “We started our CASA Program 26 years ago and added the Children’s Advocacy Center a few years later when we realized that there was a whole population of children who were not being served because they had not been removed from their homes.”
TX: Mistruths at the Capitol are hurting Texans (Opinion)
Corpus Christi Caller-Times – November 07, 2017
This year, Texas lawmakers passed a law allowing child-welfare providers that contract with the state to discriminate against LGBT families in foster care and adoption placements. The law’s supporters argued that the legislation would protect “religious freedom.” The reality is protections for that freedom already existed, carefully balancing the convictions of religiously affiliated child welfare service providers with the needs and beliefs of children they serve.
http://www.caller.com/story/opinion/forums/2017/11/07/mistruths-capitol-hurting-texans/842030001/
VA: Sex trafficking, and other dangers often pose a threat to children in the foster care system (Includes video)
WDBJ7 – November 08, 2017
Dr. John DeGarmo is the director of The Foster Care Institute. He’s on a national campaign to recruit 10- thousand new foster parents by 2020. DeGarmo says the nation’s opioid crisis is fueling the huge need for more foster homes. “More people are becoming addicted to these opioids. Where are the children going? More people are dying from this crisis. 60,000 may have died last year. Where do all of these children go?” says DeGarmo.
WI: The line of neglect: Foster Care in Pierce County
River Towns – November 07, 2017
“The biggest issue we see in this county is child welfare concerns due to methamphetamine,” Schmidt said. “Ninety percent, more than 90 percent, of the kids who are in out of home care or foster care, it’s because of parents who are abusing methamphetamine.”
http://www.rivertowns.net/lifestyle/health/4355234-line-neglect-foster-care-pierce-county
US: Adoption tax credit is critical – don’t cut it, says law’s original author
Catholic World Report – November 07, 2017
“The tax code should support families, and, in a specific way, adoptive families who generously seek to welcome children into their loving homes,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) in a Nov. 7 letter sent to Republican House leadership. “Every child deserves a loving family – and it is incumbent on us to assist those parents who seek to build their families through adoption.”
Also: 3 reasons the adoption tax credit shouldn’t be cut from the Republican tax plan (Commentary): https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/11/07/3-reasons-adoption-tax-credit-shouldnt-be-cut-republican-tax-plan
Also: Keep adoption tax credit (Commentary): https://www.thecompassnews.org/2017/11/keep-adoption-tax-credit/
Also: Adoption tax credit could be cut under proposed tax reform (Includes video): http://www.wbay.com/content/news/Adoption-tax-credit-could-be-cut-under-proposed-tax-reform-455944213.html
CA: Tears Flow As Some South Coast Kids Get New Shot At Life Through Adoption (Includes audio)
KCLU – November 06, 2017
Hundreds of kids are currently in foster care systems on the Central and South Coasts. Some of them may eventually be returned to their parents. But, others will not. Many of them will end up in foster care, and the fortunate ones will end up in new homes.
http://kclu.org/post/tears-flow-some-south-coast-kids-get-new-shot-life-through-adoption#stream/0
CO: State needs 1,200 more foster parents in the next two years
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel – November 05, 2017
With just 2,070 certified foster homes right now, Colorado is woefully short of foster families who are ready and willing to help. On any given day, 14 kids in our state enter foster care because their parents need time to learn new skills and become the parents on whom their children can depend. The need for foster families has grown steadily during the last three years.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opinion/articles/colorado-needs-1200-more-foster-parents-in-the-nex
CT: DCF reaching out to same-sex couples as adoptive parents
Connecticut Mirror – November 06, 2017
Connecticut’s governor and its commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, who played a role in legalizing gay marriage as a state Supreme Court justice in 2008, marked Adoption Awareness Month on Monday by highlighting the state’s outreach to same-sex couples as potential adoptive parents of children in foster care.
Also: November announced as “Adoption Awareness Month” in Connecticut (Includes video): http://wtnh.com/2017/11/06/november-announced-as-adoption-awareness-month-in-connecticut/
Information Gateway resource: Working With LGBTQ Youth and Families: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/diverse-populations/lgbtq/
https://ctmirror.org/2017/11/06/dcf-reaching-out-to-same-sex-couples-as-adoptive-parents/
IA: State’s foster care system pushes to reunite children with their birthparents
Gazette – November 05, 2017
What foster parents do know – what nearly everyone they encounter in the foster care system, from the local trainer who teaches their certification courses to social workers to officials at the top of the department, emphasize over and over – is that they are not the state’s first choice as a permanent home for a foster child.
LA: Department of Family Services is looking for more foster parents
KNOE – November 04, 2017
The Monroe Department of Family Services is raising awareness during National Adoption Month.
MD: Young, LGBT and Living with Foster Parents (Audio)
WYPR – November 06, 2017
More than 4,600 children in Maryland live in out-of-home placements such as foster care, and studies show that LGBT youth tend to be overrepresented in the foster system.
http://wypr.org/post/young-lgbt-and-living-foster-parents
RI: Editorial: R.I. needs foster parents
Providence Journal – November 04, 2017
About 200 children in Rhode Island – left without a stable home – are in desperate need of foster families. That may not seem like a large number. But whether these children find families or not will have an enormous effect on their lives that could reverberate through our society.
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/20171104/editorial-ri-needs-foster-parents?rssfeed=true
US: Christian leaders decry plan to scrap adoption tax credit
Christian Times – November 07, 2017
Christian leaders are calling on Republican lawmakers to reconsider the plan to scrap the adoption tax credit, which eases the financial burden of families who have adopted children.
Canada: ‘Living death’: Study suggests having kids in foster care bad for mothers
CBC News – November 04, 2017
A new study out of the University of Manitoba shows kids are not the only ones affected by the child welfare system – mothers of children who have been taken into foster care see a significant deterioration in their health and social situation after apprehension.
Also: Foster care damages the health of mothers: https://theconversation.com/foster-care-damages-the-health-of-mothers-85713
AZ: Ducey: DCS did not respond to U.S. Senate inquiry on foster care (Includes video)
Arizona Republic – November 05, 2017
But not to worry: Ducey’s office added “(W)e continue to work closely with our federal partners to share Arizona’s experiences and the process DCS uses to provide oversight of and ensure safeguards for children placed in foster care situations.”
IL: Georgette Braun: New foster care program offers lots of support for kids, parents in Rockford
Rockford Register Star – November 05, 2017
To break the cycle of foster care, to grandma, to hospital, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services placed the girl with Davis through a new therapeutic program offered by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. The girl, who is expected to return to her grandmother’s care within six months, has made “such a great turnaround,” Davis told me when I visited with her in her neat and organized home in late October. Davis is a parent of five children and has fostered other children over the past 15 years but not in such an intensive program as this one.
IN: Foster parents face long wait list for childcare funding (Includes video)
Fox 59 – November 03, 2017
There is an increasing need among children in Indiana who are removed from their homes and face uncertain futures. Some are even spending nights in Department of Child Services offices around the state as case workers try to find them more permanent placements.
http://fox59.com/2017/11/03/fosterparentsfacelongwaitlistforchildcarefunding/
IN: National Adoption Month: Some Indiana families are now a little bigger (Includes video)
WSBT – November 03, 2017
Some families are now a little bigger. In all, 32 judges across Indiana are taking part in National Adoption Month.
http://wsbt.com/news/local/national-adoption-month-some-indiana-families-are-now-a-little-bigger
MA: Agency Promotes Adoptions For Children Living In Foster Homes (Audio)
WAMC – November 03, 2017
Events are taking place in western Massachusetts as part of National Adoption Month. Advocates are trying to highlight the need for permanent homes for children who are in foster care.
http://wamc.org/post/agency-promotes-adoptions-children-living-foster-homes
MN: Despite high number of Minnesota adoptions, many still in foster care
Duluth News Tribune – November 05, 2017
About 20 years ago, social workers began encouraging foster families to use “concurrent planning,” making plans both for the child to return to a biological home and plans for the child to be adopted. Before that, most foster families didn’t plan on adopting. Some were even required to sign papers saying they wouldn’t adopt. “The idea that foster families cannot be adoption families has changed a lot,” Department of Human Services spokesman Jim Koppel said. “It is more common today. It’s not necessarily encouraged, but it’s not discouraged either. It’s an option.”
Also: Hundreds of Minnesota foster children still hoping to be adopted (Includes video): http://www.kttc.com/story/36769512/2017/11/05/hundreds-of-minnesota-foster-children-still-hoping-to-be-adopted
MO: Nearly all of Springfield’s homeless or at-risk youth engage in risky behaviors to be sheltered, report finds (Includes video)
Springfield News-Leader – November 05, 2017
Of the 90 homeless and at-risk youths who were surveyed earlier this year in Springfield, almost all of them – 93 percent – reported engaging in risky behavior to remain housed.
OH: Voters tapped as Ohio opioid crisis stretches foster care
Associated Press – November 05, 2017
Children service leaders say these kids also have more problems because of trauma they’ve experienced living in chaotic, drug-filled households. Children also are staying in foster care longer because it takes additional time for opioid addicts to kick the habit.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article182969231.html
SC: DSS hosts Adoption Party following mass adoption day (Includes video)
WCSC – November 03, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. The celebration follows a mass adoption day that took place Friday morning at the Charleston County Family Court. According to DSS, South Carolina has 566 children who are ready to adopt.
http://www.live5news.com/story/36760788/dss-hosts-adoption-party-following-mass-adoption-day
TX: Safe haven laws allow parents to drop infant at safe place with no questions asked (Includes video)
KVII – November 03, 2017
According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, safe haven laws are enacted as an incentive for mothers in crisis to safely relinquish their babies to designated locations. Captain David Kouba with the Amarillo Fire Department said the law allows for parents to drop their infant off, as long as they are 60-days-old or younger, while remaining anonymous.
WI: Drug epidemic leaving more children in need of foster homes (Includes video)
WEAU – November 03, 2017
The Department of Health and Human Services says the need for foster parents is rising and has been for the last three years. The reason for the growing need is the result of growing drug abuse issues and the impact it has on families. “There’s been an influx of availability and use of drugs that are fairly cheap and prevalent. Methamphetamine being in the lead and certainly the high incidents of prescribing of opioid prescription medications,” said Dave Rynders, Director of Health and Human Services for Buffalo County.
US: Facts About Adoption You Won’t Hear from Adoption Professionals (Commentary)
Huffington Post – November 05, 2017
Adoption agencies, whether for- or not-for-profit are business that have overhead and salaries to pay. Not-for-profit and non-profit are merely tax statuses. They meet those financial obligations and make their salaries by completing the transfer of children to those who pay tens of thousands of dollars per transaction. There is no national oversight of interstate adoptions within the U.S. nor any ethical code for agencies and practitioners.
US: Overseas adoptions plunge in Ohio, U.S.
Springfield News-Sun – November 05, 2017
When President Donald Trump’s administration in April withdrew proposed rules that international adoption agencies worried would price them out of doing their jobs, the agencies breathed a collective sigh of relief. But seven months later, it appears as if it’s harder than ever to adopt a child from overseas.
US: Conservatives hit GOP tax bill for nixing adoption credit
Hill – November 03, 2017
The House Republican tax bill is drawing fire from the right because of a provision that would completely eliminate a tax credit for adoptive parents. Religious groups, as well as House and Senate conservatives, say that by eliminating the credit, the proposal goes against the GOP’s “pro-life” platform.
Also: ‘That Credit is the Only Hope They Have’: Adoptive Parents, Faith Leaders Speak Out for Adoption Tax Credit (Commentary): http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2017/november/that-credit-is-the-only-hope-they-have-adoptive-parents-faith-leaders-speak-out-for-adoption-tax-credit
Also: Tax bill could make adopting more difficult (Includes video): http://newschannel9.com/news/local/tax-bill-could-make-adopting-more-difficult
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/358684-conservatives-hit-gop-tax-bill-for-nixing-adoption-credit
US: Greater support available now for military families seeking to adopt
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs – November 03, 2017
For more than 20 years, November has been designated as National Adoption Month to help raise awareness for thousands of youth in foster care who are waiting to be adopted into permanent families. In the past, military families faced challenges with adoption. Today, organizations such as Military One Source, provide substantial support to military families in the adoption process.
Information Gateway resource: Working With Military Families as They Pursue Adoption: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/militarybulletin.pdf
CA: USC college fair reaches out to foster youth
Los Angeles WAVE – November 02, 2017
Getting into a university can be a daunting task for many students. For foster youth, that challenge can be a bit steeper. Helping make that process easier is the United Friends of the Children working in partnership with USC’s Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. The two entities came together to put on the 18th annual College Within Reach Fair Oct. 28 that catered to foster care youths throughout Los Angeles County.
http://wavenewspapers.com/usc-college-fair-reaches-foster-youth/
IN: It affects us all: Foster care kids lose out on learning (Includes video)
ABC 57 – November 03, 2017
“The main requirement (of the ‘Every Student Succeeds Act’) is that we should both be working together to meet the needs of every child. But, if we can get more foster parents on board then this whole conversation is moot,” says Gant.
http://www.abc57.com/news/it-affects-us-all-foster-care-kids-lose-out-on-learning
LA: Record 764 kids adopted out of foster care over past year in Louisiana (Includes video)
WAFB – November 02, 2017
Governor John Bel Edwards has declared November Adoption Awareness Month, noting that 764 kids in Louisiana’s foster care system were adopted into permanent homes in the past year. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), along with other community partners, is hosting several events throughout the state during the month to raise awareness about adoption and to celebrate a record-setting year.
MO: Greitens pledges more foster care, adoption bills in 2018
News Tribune – November 03, 2017
Gov. Eric Greitens promised Missouri’s foster care and adoption systems will remain priorities during next year’s legislative session. “We’re going to unveil and work with all of you to push an aggressive agenda,” Greitens told several hundred people Thursday at the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association’s ninth annual Forget Me Not Gala.
NC: Adoption Program Expands to Find Homes for Older Children (Press release)
Children’s Home Society of North Carolina – November 02, 2017
Coinciding with National Adoption Month, Children’s Home Society of North Carolina is announcing a significant expansion of a statewide program to find loving and permanent homes for older children languishing in foster care.
http://news.hospitality-1st.com/ChildrensHomeSociety-110217.html
NC: Guest Editorial: Fighting opioid epidemic requires funding, not rhetoric (Commentary)
StarNews of Wilmington – November 02, 2017
Now, just throwing dollars at a problem won’t necessarily solve it, as many folks are fond of saying. Yet it’s hard to say how we’ll make any headway unless we spend the money that is needed to pay for evidence-based interventions. As noted earlier in this space, southeastern North Carolina and the U.S. as a whole face a critical shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals who can help people trying to shake an addiction. It will take time to train them, and money to expand training programs.
http://www.wilsontimes.com/stories/fighting-opioid-epidemic-requires-funding-not-rhetoric,102485
OH: Cleveland Foundation Awards $3.7 Million to Area Nonprofits
Philanthropy News Digest – November 03, 2017
The Cleveland Foundation has announced grants totaling $3.7 million to nonprofit organizations serving residents of Cuyahoga, Lake, and Geauga counties. Grants awarded in support of social services include $60,000 to the Waiting Child Fund in support of a collaboration with the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and other community partners aimed at developing programs and best practices focused on improving the lives of LGBTQ youth in foster care
http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/cleveland-foundation-awards-3.7-million-to-area-nonprofits
OH: Children services levy increase would help record number of kids in foster care
WBNS – November 02, 2017
They are the orphans of the opiate epidemic. Children from families devastated by addiction. And their numbers are climbing at rates communities can’t match. Now in Licking County, voters are being asked to help.
OH: Negotiations for adoption aid frustrate Butler County officials
WHIO – November 02, 2017
Butler County will spend about $753,000 this year on subsidies for adoptive parents, and officials here say negotiating those contracts is one of the most frustrating things they do. The topic came up during the Children Services’ budget hearing and Commissioner Cindy Carpenter said she does not like the fact there are no set guidelines for these payments.
SC: November is National Adoption Month
Charleston Chronicle – November 02, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month, and the S.C. Department of Social Services is highlighting the opportunity to create a forever family for one of the state’s waiting children. There are 566 children legally available for adoption in South Carolina. That’s 566 young people who could make a couple a family, bring life into an empty home or become a big brother or sister.
https://www.charlestonchronicle.net/2017/11/02/november-is-national-adoption-month/
SD: Pennington County sees foster home shortage (Includes video)
News Center 1 – November 02, 2017
There are 92 families who are licensed for foster care and approved to adopting in Pennington County. But there are around 400 children in need of foster families. Because of a foster home shortage, many children must relocate, moving away from their homes, according to family development specialist Ann Lecy.
http://www.newscenter1.tv/story/36752389/pennington-county-sees-foster-home-shortage
TN: Leigh Anne Tuohy Is On A Mission To Help Children Get Adopted (Includes video)
Local Memphis – November 02, 2017
The month of November is National Adoption Awareness month, and Memphis’ own Leigh Anne Touhy from the movie “The Blind Side” is launching a social media campaign in hopes of getting at least 30 kids adopted this month. The Tuohy family took in former Ole Miss football player and NFL star Michael Oher when he was a teenager.
TN: Paws for Kids helps foster children cope with adjustments (Includes video)
WATE – November 02, 2017
Harmony Family Center’s paws for kids (pet assisted wellness and support) trains emotional support dogs for children adopted from foster care. Emotional support dogs provide therapeutic, physiological, and psychological benefits.
http://wate.com/2017/11/02/paws-for-kids-helps-foster-children-cope-with-adjustments/
TX: DFPS to highlight National Adoption Awareness Month with area events
Standard-Times – November 02, 2017
Thousands of children and teens in state care who are eligible for adoption are being brought into the spotlight once again for National Adoption Awareness Month. The Department of Family and Protective Services is hosting adoption events throughout Texas in an effort to attract more adoptive families.
Also: 44 Area Children Adopted As Awareness Campaign Is Feted In Austin: https://patch.com/texas/eastaustin/s/g9tgg/44-area-children-adopted-as-awareness-campaign-is-feted-in-austin
US: Attorneys General Should Stand Up for Native American Children (Opinion)
National Review – November 03, 2017
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s lawsuit on behalf of a couple seeking to adopt Andy, a two-year-old foster child whom they’ve raised almost from birth, may seem a bit unusual – it’s not the sort of thing in which an attorney general normally gets involved. But it’s a necessary and long-overdue step, thanks to a 40-year-old federal law that makes it virtually impossible to find adoptive homes for children of one particular race. That law is the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), and it creates a separate, less protective set of rules to govern cases involving children who fit the genetic profile of Native American.
US: After Adoption is Finalized, Transition to Becoming a Family Begins (Commentary)
Sentinel Source – November 02, 2017
Once an adoption is finalized, the lasting commitment to be a family extends not only until a child is grown and leaves the house, but for the rest of their lives. Because it is such a lasting relationship, adoptive parents should prepare by taking time to think through the transition period and how best to help a child arriving from adverse circumstances.
Information Gateway resource: Preventing Disruption/Dissolution: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/postplacement/stability/transitions/
US: GOP Tax Plan Would Eliminate Adoption Tax Credit
Chronicle of Social Change – November 02, 2017
he House Ways and Means Committee released details of the new Republican-led tax plan, makes two significant changes that would lessen the benefits available to adoptive parents. The first change is a complete elimination of the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), a one-time tax benefit available for parents who adopt from foster care, internationally and through private domestic adoptions. The other is a tax exclusion for employer adoption assistance. Here is a breakdown of the changes.
Also: Report: https://waysandmeansforms.house.gov/uploadedfiles/tax_cuts_and_jobs_act_section_by_section_hr1.pdf
US: Hurricanes Impact Kids in Foster Care, Foster Families (Commentary)
Chronicle of Social Change – November 02, 2017
Since August, America’s shores have been pummeled by Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey. Each has displaced thousands and wreaked havoc on some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas. Among those impacted are some of the most vulnerable citizens of this country – kids in foster care. Whether living in a residential treatment facility, foster home or kinship care, hundreds of children have experienced the immediate impacts of flooding, damaging winds and destruction of their homes, and the long-term impacts are yet to be known.
US: Projection: National Foster Care Numbers Continue to Rise in 2017
Chronicle of Social Change – November 02, 2017
Yesterday, The Chronicle of Social Change released a report on foster care capacity nationwide, which included a projection that the overall number of U.S. foster kids is continuing to go up. Based on a foster care totals from the 30 states that provided information, we project that the total number of children in foster care in 2017 is roughly 443,000, 3 percent more than the 2015 federal count, the last year such data was made available.
Also: Chronicle Report: At Least 25 States Have Lost Foster Care Capacity Since 2012: https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/child-welfare-2/chronicle-report-least-25-states-lost-foster-care-capacity-since-2012/28575
Also: AFCARS Report (estimates as of June 2016): https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport23.pdf
AR: Adoption Awareness Month event at Monroe City Hall
MyArkLaMiss.com – November 01, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. The particular focus is the adoption of children who are in foster care. Currently, there are more than 4000 children in the State of Louisiana who are in foster care. More than 600 of those children are in the Monroe region.
AZ: Supreme Court won’t hear Arizona case on custody fight over tribal kids
Cronkite News – November 01, 2017
The decision Monday lets stand lower court rulings that invoked the Indian Child Welfare Act, a 1978 federal law that aimed to keep the government from breaking up Native American families except under specific circumstances.
http://soaznewsx.com/supreme-court-wont-hear-arizona-case-on-custody-fight-over-tribal-kids/
AZ: Pinal County ranks high in foster care numbers
Pinal Central – October 31, 2017
Pinal County ranks third in the number of kids in foster care in Arizona, behind Maricopa and Pima County, according to Department of Child Safety reports. That number has been trending upward.
ID: Judah’s House aims to help foster kids who have “aged out” of system (Includes video)
KTVB – November 01, 2017
When foster kids turn 18 some of them feel like they have nowhere to go. In the last fiscal year, 62 of them “aged out” of the system in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has an independent living program to help with the transition out of foster care, but there’s a push for more options.
IN: Foster Families Needed For Children In Indiana (Includes audio)
Northeast Indiana Public Radio – November 01, 2017
The need for adoptive parents is growing in Indiana. The link between cases coming through the Department of Child Services and substance abuse disorders is direct. So far this year DCS has completed more than 1,8000 adoptions, up from a little more than 1,000 three years ago. This follows a sharp increase in the number of Hoosier children entering the foster system because parents are unable to care for them, often because of opioids.
http://wboi.org/post/foster-families-needed-children-indiana#stream/0
LA: DCFS Celebrates National Adoption Month in November
Louisiana Radio Network – November 02, 2017
So why the increase in adoptions? Catanzaro says it starts with better awareness of what is involved in adopting and some family members are making the decision to adopt their own kin. “I think we have more and more families that are stepping up to the plate to adopt our kids. I think we also have an increase in relative adoptions as well.” November is Adoption Awareness Month so the state will increase it’s efforts to help 140 children who are in need of a permanent home.
http://www.louisianaradionetwork.com/blogs/national-adoption-month-in-louisiana#.WfsIG3Zry70
MI: National Adoption Month: Local family adopts seven children through area organization (Includes video)
News 25 – November 01, 2017
Not every story has a happy ending, according to Beagle in Michigan there are about 2,600 children waiting to be adopted. 80 to a 100 of them are living in Genesee County alone. “We’re really trying to raise awareness to recruit foster parents and adoptive parents to provide a child with permanence and safety,” said Beagle
Information Gateway resource: National Adoption Month: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/ Also: Children celebrate with new forever families during Michigan Adoption Month: http://wwmt.com/news/local/children-celebrate-with-new-forever-families-during-michigan-adoption-month
MI: The opioid crisis hurts more children & babies (Includes video)
WXYZ – November 01, 2017
“It has been an exponential increase over the last few years,” said Dr. Melissa February, Neonatologist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. At Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit doctors say lately there is always a tiny newborn going through withdrawal. “They look uncomfortable. They are crying all the time,” said Dr. February. “They have seizures. They have tremors.”
http://www.wxyz.com/news/how-the-opioid-crisis-is-hurting-a-growing-number-of-children-babies
MO: Foster parents provide the gift of a home
Jefferson City News Tribune – November 01, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Attachment issues are one of the main challenges faced by families who care for children removed from familiar environments. The Jefferson City-based organization serves more than 1,400 foster children, 640 foster families and 400 adopted children in 13 counties. It provides education, advocacy, moral support and fills tangible needs.
http://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2017/nov/01/november-is-adopt-awareness-month/698089/
MT: Under threat of budget cuts, state agencies eliminate some health care services for foster kids (Includes video)
KPAX – October 31, 2017
DPHHS has cut funding for health care case management in Missoula, Cascade and Yellowstone counties. In Missoula, the Foster Child Health Program receives this funding. All foster care kids are fully-covered by medicaid. The program is a collaboration of between Providence Medical Center, Missoula City-County Health Department and Child and Family Services division of DPHHS. They received surprise notice on Friday that all funding from the state was ending, effective immediately.
ND: Adoption agents post signs on N.D. capitol lawn for National Adoption Month
KFYRTV – November 01, 2017
This month is all about raising awareness for the kids who want a place to call home. Adoption agents posted signs in the capitol lawn Wednesday representing all of the children awaiting adoption that are currently in foster care in North Dakota.
NY: Group aims to encourage foster parenting
New York Daily Star – November 01, 2017
“Give Hope a Home” is a campaign to educate and encourage adults to consider becoming foster parents. The campaign was launched this year by Albany’s Northern Rivers Family of Services, the parent organization to Northeast Parent and Child Society and Parsons Child and Family Center.
NY: Parents of infant who died in January frustrated with ACS (Includes video)
News 12 – October 31, 2017
The parents of a 3-month-old girl who died early this year are voicing their frustrations with the Administration for Children’s Services, or ACS. The parents claim that ACS is petitioning a family court judge to have their visitation rights with their son be completely removed. They also allege that Manuel is not being cared for properly in his foster homes and that he has been moved 15 different times since January.
http://bronx.news12.com/story/36732141/parents-of-infant-who-died-in-january-frustrated-with-acs
OH: ‘These are our kids:’ Children Services asks stakeholders where to focus efforts
Mansfield News Journal – October 31, 2017
“These are all of our kids. They belong to our community,” said Patty Harrelson, executive director of Children Services. “We wanted to get involvement from the community to focus on what we need to do next.” Tim Schaffner, executive director of Trumbull County Children Services, said the No. 1 complaint he hears from kids in foster care is having to tell their stories over and over. He added having to do so makes the kids feel devalued.
OH: Adoption – Breaking Down the Myths (Commentary) (Includes video)
Grand – October 31, 2017
The shroud of secrecy surrounding adoption seemed impenetrable. Yet, I proceeded to know in my core that while not every story has a happy ending, the truth is powerful and healing and, as an RN working in child psychiatry, that secrecy and denial are not considered healthy in any school of psychology. Why then were they expected to be the norm in our culture in adoption?
http://www.grandmagazine.com/2017/10/adoption-breaking-down-the-myths/
SC: State needs 1,300 more foster beds for children in state custody, new report shows
Charleston Post and Courier – November 01, 2017
The number of children in foster care in South Carolina grew substantially over the past five years, even as the number of available foster beds declined by more than 650, a new report shows. And this happened while the Department of Social Services launched an ambitious campaign last year called “Champions for Children” to recruit an additional 1,500 foster families.
Also: Report: The Foster Care Housing Crisis: https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/The-Foster-Care-Housing-Crisis-10-31.pdf
TX: Almost 4,000 children are waiting for adoption in Travis County
KXAN – November 01, 2017
About 30 children spent the night in a Child Protective Services office in Travis County because they didn’t have a place to go. Travis County Judge Darlene Byrne said many children are waiting up to two years to find a place with a family, and that the need for foster families is always present. As of Wednesday in Austin, 119 children were waiting for foster homes.
http://kxan.com/2017/11/01/almost-4000-children-are-waiting-for-adoption-in-travis-county/
TX: November Proclaimed National Adoption Awareness Month
RVGProud – November 01, 2017
More than 5,000 abused or neglected Texas children were adopted from state care last year. The need has not diminished for more families willing to provide safe and loving homes. Every day more children enter foster care in Texas. Some won’t be able to go home again and will need adoptive families to start new lives that are free from abuse or neglect. This November is National Adoption Awareness Month. There are adoption events across the state that spotlight the need for adoption and the many children waiting for a permanent family.
WA: Treehouse Appoints 12 Members to Young Professionals Board to Support Youth in Foster Care
Woodinville Weekly – October 31, 2017
Treehouse, a Seattle-based nonprofit which has dramatically increased graduation rates for youth in foster care, announces 12 new members to its Young Professionals Board (YPB). With the new roster also comes changes to the YPB’s Executive Leadership Team.
WV: Opioid epidemic puts major strain on foster care system (Includes video)
WVAlways – November 01, 2017
“There are cases where we can’t find an available foster home and the CPS workers divide the shift. And everyone is at the department and they’re doing their best to get the kids fun food and play games or watch movies,” said Pigot. “But these are kids that just left their home. That’s all they know, those are their parents for better or worse and they’re heartbroken. And it breaks your heart to watch them.”
http://www.wvalways.com/story/36741752/opioid-epidemic-puts-major-strain-on-foster-care-system
US: What society can learn from the Catholic Church regarding child protection
Catholic News Agency – November 02, 2017
The Church has put into place numerous policies and practices to protect children from sexual abuse, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Charter for Child and Youth Protection. The charter, implemented in 2002, obligates all compliant dioceses and eparchies to provide resources both for victims of abuse and resources for abuse prevention.
US: HRC Celebrates the Start of National Adoption Month
Human Rights Campaign – November 01, 2017
Today begins HRC’s annual celebration of National Adoption Month, a nationwide effort to bring awareness to the more than 400,000 children and youth waiting for a permanent family.
http://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-celebrates-the-start-of-national-adoption-month
US: The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Releases Indian Child Welfare Act Judicial Benchbook (Press release)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – October 31, 2017
Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978 to address the widespread practice of state entities removing American Indian and Alaskan Native children from their homes and families. Congressional findings memorialized in ICWA included “an alarmingly high percentage of Indian families are broken up by the removal, often unwarranted, of their children from them by non-tribal public and private agencies and that a high percentage of such children are placed in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes and institutions.” “In order to best serve the children and families of our community, we must develop and support collaboration between state and tribal court systems,” said Hon. Richard Blake, Hoopa Valley Tribe, president, National American Indian Court Judges Association.
Benchbook: http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/NCJFCJ_ICWA_Judicial_Benchbook_Final_Web.pdf
http://www.ncjfcj.org/ICWABenchbook
South Korea: Thousands of South Korean-Born Adoptees Have No Citizenship
Korea Bizwire – November 01, 2017
Ki, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who also sits on the Health and Welfare Committee, said, “A significant number of international adoptees ended up having no citizenship as South Korea in the past focused far too much on revoking their South Korean citizenship and not helping adoptees obtain citizenship in the country they were sent to.”
http://koreabizwire.com/thousands-of-south-korean-born-adoptees-have-no-citizenship/99786
United Kingdom: Victim of Abuse by Foster Parents Wins Landmark Compensation Case
Batchelors Solicitors – November 02, 2017
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has upheld a damages claim brought by a woman who was subjected to physical and sexual abuse whilst in foster care as a child. In what will be viewed as an extension of the concept of vicarious liability, the Court found that the local authority that had taken her into care bore indirect legal responsibility for the foster parents’ actions.
AK: For foster youth, sometimes the solution is saving each other (Includes audio)
Alaska Public Media – October 31, 2017
A 22-year-old doesn’t normally become a foster parent to teens, who can stay in foster care until they are 21. But sometimes that’s the best solution.
KS: Event planned to celebrate children, ‘forever families’ (Correction)
Salina Journal – October 30, 2017
The celebration is in conjunction with National Adoption Day, which will be Nov. 18. Of the nearly 400,000 children in foster care nationwide, more than 110,000 are awaiting adoption. National Adoption Day, traditionally scheduled on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, helps raise awareness about the need for adoptive parents and honors those who welcome a child. Saint Francis serves about 215 children who have no identified adoptive family.
http://www.salina.com/news/20171030/event-planned-to-celebrate-children-forever-families
NC: Lawmakers Press for Reform of NC’s Struggling Foster Care System
North Carolina Health News – October 31, 2017
As North Carolina’s opioid crisis deepens, a rising number of children are entering the foster care system as a result of their parents’ drug use. In 2016, about 38 percent of children came to foster care due to parental drug use, that’s up from 31 percent in 2013. The majority of kids in foster care still end up there as the result of some sort of neglect. But the second major cause is parental drug use.
https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2017/10/31/21496/
NC: State adoption program expands to find homes for older children
WCTI 12 – October 31, 2017
Children’s Home Society of North Carolina is announcing an expansion of a statewide program to find permanent homes for older children in foster care during National Adoption Month.
ND: Social Services financing reform, a two-year pilot program
Devils Lake Journal – October 31, 2017
Thanks to the valiant efforts of local legislators the financing of social services in North Dakota is undergoing evaluation and study during the present biennium. A statement by the North Dakota Association of Counties states, “Senate Bill 2206 will fund county social services statewide for the two-year pilot program for calendar years 2018 and 2019.
NH: State Rep. Sean Morrison resigns from Foster Care Oversight Committee
New Hampshire Union Leader – November 01, 2017
A state representative promoting a foster family bill of rights has resigned from a legislative committee appointed to investigate foster family issues, claiming the committee is too closely linked to the child protective service agency it should be investigating.
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20171101/NEWS0621/171109966&source=RSS
NY: Molinaro Focusing on Youth Success and Empowerment
Hudson Valley Press – November 01, 2017
In his 2018 Executive Budget, to be presented on October 31st, 2017, Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro will continue Dutchess County Government’s commitment to youth development and empowerment.
https://hudsonvalleypress.com/2017/11/01/molinaro-focusing-youth-success-empowerment/
VA: State foster care, adoption process explained
WSLS – November 01, 2017
“I was an adoptee in foster care in the Eastern region,” said Traci Jones, VDSS adoption program manager who has been through the foster care system.” That experience drives her as the Virginia Department of Social Services adoption program manager.
https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia-foster-care-adoption-process
WA: Kids in foster care trick-or-treat at CPS office (Includes video)
KING 5 – October 31, 2017
“We look forward to this every year,” said social worker Alison Mielke, who is an adoptive mother of two boys who were in foster care. She says letting social workers see some of the children they’ve helped is rewarding.
http://www.king5.com/news/local/olympia/kids-in-foster-care-trick-or-treat-at-cps-office/487793278
WI: ‘We’re dads, we’re people,’ says Milwaukee cop featured in viral photo with 2-year-old boy he rescued
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – October 31, 2017
A photo of a 2-year-old boy eating chicken McNuggets on the lap of a Milwaukee police officer had been shared thousands of times on social media by Tuesday. Officers Vin Paolo and Dan Resnick were called to a vacant, boarded-up home on N. 29th St. near W. Locust St. on Friday morning to assist child welfare workers who had received reports of a pregnant woman living inside, according to Milwaukee police.
WV: Youth crisis center opening in Parsons
Parsons Advocate – November 01, 2017
The Genesis Youth Crisis Center will open its third residential location in Parsons on January 1, 2018. The center is categorized as an emergency shelter for youth from 10 to 17 years old. There are two other locations in Clarksburg.
https://www.parsonsadvocate.com/youth-crisis-center-opening-parsons/
US: Barton Goldsmith: Fostering kids can change lives (Commentary)
Tribune News Service – November 01, 2017
Most kids in the system don’t get adopted. Some get taken in by relatives or return to one of their parents, but that’s the minority. Most get pushed from home to home until they “age out” and, if they have not been given proper guidance, are left to their own devices. Some lucky ones go to college, others join the military, and some even find jobs where they can support themselves. Then there are those who are not so lucky and have to turn to a life of living in the shadows to survive.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/news-services/article182012966.html
US: Teens Need Families, No Matter What (Commentary) (Includes audio)
US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families – November 01, 2017
For teens in foster care, the stakes get higher every year. Youth between 15 and 18 are often overlooked in foster care adoptions, so with each passing birthday, these young people are more likely to age out of care without finding a family. And without the encouragement, guidance, and support of family bonds, they are less likely to pursue education or career goals, and begin their adult life on firm footing. For the past two years, National Adoption Month has highlighted the need to find permanent families for this vulnerable age group. This year’s theme – Teens Need Families, No Matter What – goes a step further by emphasizing the importance of making youth adoptions successful.
Information Gateway Resource: National Adoption Month 2017 Site: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/
US: As Domestic Violence Awareness Month Comes To An End, We Need To Address Why So Many Survivors End Up Homeless – And How To End The Cycle (Commentary)
Bustle – October 31, 2017
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we’re shedding a light on the true story of homeless women across America. From the untold circumstances that brought it on, to the lack of trauma care given to them, the odds are stacked against these women. The topic: A look the cycle of domestic violence and homelessness for women – and what we can do to help.
US: Chronicle Report: At Least 25 States Have Lost Foster Care Capacity Since 2012
Chronicle of Social Change – October 31, 2017
The number of U.S. children in foster care has been on the rise since 2012, and most experts agree that the upward trend will continue. But what about the number of homes available to take these children? The Chronicle of Social Change, has recently completed a state-by-state research to determine whether this increase in foster youth has been met with a proportional increase in foster homes.
Also: Report: The Foster Care Housing Crisis: https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/The-Foster-Care-Housing-Crisis-10-31.pdf
US: Generations United Launches Multi-Year Initiative To Elevate Voices Of African American And Native American Grandfamilies (Press release)
Generations United – October 31, 2017
Generations United, in partnership with National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and A Second Chance, Inc., is launching a three-year initiative, GrAND Voices: Elevating and Strengthening African American and Native American Grandfamilies. The initiative will recruit and prepare family caregivers to join Generations United’s GrAND Voices network, a proven group of family caregiver advocates who educate, represent and testify on behalf of grandparents and other relatives raising children.
CA: Event planned to celebrate children, ‘forever families’
Salina Journal – October 30, 2017
The celebration is in conjunction with National Adoption Day, which will be Nov. 18. Of the nearly 400,000 children in foster care nationwide, more than 110,000 are awaiting adoption. National Adoption Day, traditionally scheduled on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, helps raise awareness about the need for adoptive parents and honors those who welcome a child. Saint Francis serves about 215 children who have no identified adoptive family.
http://www.salina.com/news/20171030/event-planned-to-celebrate-children-forever-families
FL: Guest Column: Florida’s foster care system is working well
Florida Times-Union – October 31, 2017
In Florida, more than a decade ago, lawmakers set out to create a dynamic system of care. The goal was to have greater accountability, oversight and innovations in services and protections for children built around – community need, community input and providing safeguards through community and state oversight and accountability. It’s important to note, the Florida model is not a “privatized” model, rather a community-based approach to providing foster care services that allows local business and community leaders to view these vulnerable children as their own and develop more innovative responses to protect our children and youth.
MS: Second appeal asks high court to block Mississippi LGBT law (Includes video)
Hattiesburg American – October 30, 2017
The Monday appeal comes from the Campaign for Southern Equality, 20 days after Mississippi’s law took effect. Legal experts say it’s the broadest religious-objections law enacted by any state since the nation’s high court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.
NH: Foster parents fight for rights in NH
Foster’s Daily Democrat – October 29, 2017
In the midst of a state Division of Children, Youth and Families overhaul, legislative efforts to establish a foster parent bill of rights have stirred conversations among agencies and the families they serve. In a final rewrite submitted to the state House of Representatives Friday, Rep. Sean Morrison, R-Epping, has penned a bill to delegate foster parents as a leading advocate for children in their care.
http://www.fosters.com/news/20171029/foster-parents-fight-for-rights-in-nh
NJ: Prosecutor creates safe place for child abuse victims
NJ.com – October 28, 2017
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office opened a Child Advocacy Center, where children believed to have been abused can be interviewed in a safe and child-friendly setting. The center, located on Cooper Street, is decorated throughout with art made by local school children, complete with brightly colored murals donning the hallway walls.
OH: Lorain County Children Services sued by former employee
Lorain Morning Journal – October 30, 2017
Lorain County Children Services is being sued by a former employee because of the circumstances that led to her firing, according to court filings. Tanas Wilcox filed the suit alleging she was fired for testifying in a lawsuit against Lorain County and reporting perceived wrongdoing in the agency.
OH: Summit County Children Services has full plate of events for National Adoption Awareness Month
Cleveland.com – October 30, 2017
Summit County Children Services is recognizing November as National Adoption Awareness Month as a means of drawing attention to the nearly 200 children in its permanent custody.
http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2017/10/summit_county_children_service_8.html
PA: Children’s Aid Society in celebrates National Adoption Month
Progress News – October 30, 2017
November was officially proclaimed National Adoption Month in 1990 to provide national awareness, to celebrate adoptive children and families, and to call the nation to action to ensure safety, permanency and well-being for every child. More specifically, it is meant to focus attention on the many children involved in the child welfare system who are waiting to be adopted.
PA: November is Adoption Awareness Month
Pocono Record – October 28, 2017
November is National Adoption Awareness Month, when adoptive families are honored and other families are invited to learn more about adoption. This is Monroe County’s fifth year observing Adoption Awareness Month.
http://www.poconorecord.com/news/20171028/november-is-adoption-awareness-month
WV: Youth Homelessness A Problem In Wheeling
Wheeling Intelligencer – October 31, 2017
“There are so many homeless children in our area that we don’t know about. Some of them get kicked out by their parents, while others don’t even have parents to go to,” Jackson said.
http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2017/10/youth-homelessness-a-problem-in-wheeling/
US: Head Start Prevents Foster Care? To Be Decided
Chronicle of Social Change – October 30, 2017
The jury is decidedly out on the academic track record of Head Start, the education-oriented pre-school program for low-income families invented in the 1960s and federally proliferated in the early 1980s. Critics will point to large impact studies that show early academic gains fade by third grade. Proponents will say that those gains would stick if the students ended up in better public schools. But Youth Services Insider had never seen Head Start mentioned as a possible preventer of foster care, until a recent study authored by Sacha Klein, Lauren Fries and Mary Emmons.
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/subscriber-content/head-start-foster-care-prevention-tbd/28557
AK: Opinion: The drug crisis is drafting Alaska grandparents to raise children
Alaska Dispatch News – October 27, 2017
OCS, Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services, doesn’t keep records on how many grandparents, and other relatives, are caring for children. It doesn’t have reason to track kids who are safe and living with family, said Director Christy Lawton.
http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/1743the_drug_crisis_is_drafting_alaska
IL: Child deaths spike after DCFS privatizes ‘intact family services’ (Includes video)
Chicago Tribune – October 23, 2017
And then 44-pound Verna became part of a growing pattern of similar fatalities: She was one of 15 Illinois children to die of abuse or neglect from 2012 through last year in homes receiving “intact family services” from organizations hired by DCFS, a Tribune investigation found.
IN: State in need of more foster parents, events planned for National Adoption Month (Includes video)
Fox 59 – October 27, 2017
Children around the state of Indiana are waiting for homes. Many of those kids face trauma after being removed from bad situations. But, there are not enough foster or adoptive parents to immediately fill the need. The Department of Child Services, along with other agencies it partners with, are preparing to put a spotlight on this issue during National Adoption Month starting November 1.
KS: State proposes work requirement in new version of Medicaid
Seymour Tribune – October 27, 2017
The KanCare 2.0 proposal also includes several pilot programs designed to improve care for individuals with disabilities, children in foster care and others.
http://www.tribtown.com/2017/10/27/us-kansas-medicaid-changes/
KS: Kinship Care backers plead for Kentucky to restore payments for relatives raising kids
Courier-Journal – October 26, 2017
Thursday, Williams and others in her situation watched as supporters made an impassioned plea to state lawmakers to restore a program known as Kinship Care that provides a monthly stipend to relatives who care for the growing number of children removed from parents because of abuse or neglect.
Also: State working out how to pay relatives who provide foster care under recent court decision: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2017/10/17/state-pays-relatives-for-foster-care/769146001/
MD: New program aims to help men who age out of foster care, delinquency programs find success
Frederick News-Post – October 27, 2017
The interactions required for his new job as a sales representative with Complete Document Solutions in Frederick have forced him out of his comfort zone. But it was that discomfort that made the job so valuable – the best part of his experience with Manasseh House, he said.
MS: Judge allows new route to challenge Mississippi LGBT law
Associated Press – October 27, 2017
A gay rights group is getting another chance to challenge a Mississippi law that lets government workers and private business people cite their own religious beliefs to refuse services to LGBT people.
OH: 19 children died after Ohio welfare agencies returned them to birth parents
WPXI – October 28, 2017
After a 2-year-old in Cincinnati was murdered just two months after being reunited with his parents in 2011, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine launched an exhaustive overhaul of Ohio’s child welfare system.
TX: Attorney general Ken Paxton sues feds, seeks to help family adopt Native American 2-year-old
Tyler Morning Telegraph – October 27, 2017
Paxton filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal district court arguing that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which dates back to 1978, is unconstitutional and should be struck down. The lawsuit is on behalf of a non-Native American foster family from Texas that wants to adopt a Native American boy.
VA: Grandparents forced to raise grandkids as opioid crisis worsens (Includes video)
WDBJ7 – October 27, 2017
Some grandparents are taking on a bigger role than just spoiling their grandkids, they’re becoming primary caregivers. Family therapy professionals call them Grandfamilies, formed by circumstances where biological parents can’t take care of their kids.
WA: No place for the children: A therapeutic group home closes while foster children sleep in hotels and offices (Commentary)
Child Welfare Watch – October 30, 2017
Nevertheless, group homes have been shuttered around the country. In Washington state, according to Investigate West, “stagnant reimbursement rates have forced many facilities that contract with the state to reduce capacity or shutter altogether.” The CEO of Navos, the mental health nonprofit running the Dykeman home, told KUOW that ending the contract for foster care was a source of great anguish to the leadership. But it was not financially sustainable. The nonprofit had been paying more than half the cost of running the home for years.
WA: Foster kids sleep in hotels and offices as 15 more beds disappear (Includes audio)
KUOW – October 27, 2017
Mental health care provider, Navos, was providing Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS), or round-the-clock care for foster kids with severe behavior problems and emotional needs, at the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center in Burien. Navos ended its contract with the state to provide the services at the end of September and extended it to the end of October.
http://kuow.org/post/foster-kids-sleep-hotels-and-offices-15-more-beds-disappear
International: Why #Adoptee Activists Are Reclaiming National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM 2017) #AdopteeRightsAwareness! (Commentary)
Huffington Post – October 29, 2017
It’s that time of year again, National Adoption Awareness Month, where you will hear emotive catch cries via glossy marketing campaigns in the mainstream media by lobbyists. You will see celebrities spruiking the word permanency which appears to be the new euphemism for adoption. You will hear dire accounts of children being shifted around foster care and how permanency (including adoption), will be the panacea. Further, and inexplicably, what you may not hear throughout this month is the voice of adult adoptee activists who speak about a range of issues.
AK: Meet the former foster children who went back and changed the system (Commentary) (Pt. 2 of 3)
Alaska Dispatch News – October 25, 2017
At 19, Metivier founded her own group to lobby for changes at OCS. The group, now called Facing Foster Care, obtained a court order for each foster child member to be allowed to speak to legislators. Then Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, got an attorney general’s review that overturned the OCS gag order.
Pt. 1: The drug crisis is drafting Alaska grandparents back to raising children again: https://www.adn.com/opinions/2017/10/23/the-drug-crisis-is-drafting-alaska-grandparents-back-to-raising-children-again/
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article180848696.html
CA: LA County explores longer-term funding for relatives caring for foster children
Antelope Valley Times – October 25, 2017
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to try and find a way to offer longer-term funding to relatives caring for foster children and awaiting state approvals under a new system. The county’s child welfare agency has pushed hard to find relatives to care for children removed from their parents’ homes after reports of abuse or neglect, aiming to minimize upset and maximize consistency for those kids.
CO: Foster care system in desperate need of foster homes (Includes video)
KRDO – October 25, 2017
According to the El Paso County Department of Human Services, the State of Colorado is in desperate need of foster care homes. “Probably the last five years we’ve really kind of been in a crisis in finding and keeping good foster homes,” Children, Youth and Family Services Deputy Director, Marian Percy said.
Also: More foster families need locally, statewide (Includes video): http://www.kjct8.com/content/news/Mesa-County-and-Colorado-need-more-foster-families-452906173.html
Also: Colorado desperately seeking foster parents: The state needs 1,200 more certified foster families to care for kids: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/25/colorado-foster-care-family-shortage/
Information Gateway resource: Recruitment Strategies and Tools: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/recruiting/recruitment-tools/
http://www.krdo.com/news/colorado-foster-care-system-in-desperate-need-of-foster-homes/645797887
CT: Justices Reaffirm Decision Curbing Child Welfare Agency’s Power to Vaccinate
Connecticut Law Tribune – October 24, 2017
For the second time since August, the state’s high court has ruled that the Department of Children and Families cannot vaccinate children in their custody without the parents approval.
IL: Child welfare agency to take back some cases
Seymour Tribune – October 25, 2017
The Illinois agency responsible for child welfare is taking back from contractors control of some high-risk cases after a newspaper investigation revealed a surge in child deaths since it privatized some services.
http://www.tribtown.com/2017/10/25/il-abuse-child-deaths-illinois-2/
IN: State of Indiana’s foster care system in crisis (Includes video)
WTVW – October 25, 2017
Everyone wants to belong, but for roughly 500 Tri-State children, after being placed in foster care, they have nowhere to go.
LA: Our Views: Work harder for children at risk
Advocate – October 19, 2017
If Louisiana is not alone, it is still far from a great distinction to have children spending nights at a social worker’s office, because there is no place for a child in state supervision to go.
NY: Grant Program Aims to Strengthen Families, Reduce Entries into Foster Care
Chronicle of Social Change – October 25, 2017
In a bid to maintain the pace of reforms that have seen New York City’s foster care population plummet, the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is seeking local nonprofit agencies to submit applications for its Community Partnership Program. The $11 million initiative is focused on child maltreatment prevention.
OH: Not protected: These 19 children died after welfare agencies returned them to their birth parents (Includes video)
Dayton Daily News – October 25, 2017
A months-long investigation by this news organization found Ohio’s system often fails to protect children, with some suffering painful deaths just weeks or even days after being reunited with their birth parents.
OK: DHS director: ‘Heaven help us’ if budget deal isn’t made (Includes video)
KOCO – October 25, 2017
Many of the recent budget cuts to state agencies keep Oklahoma’s most vulnerable in their homes and help their families maintain a normal life. Cuts to the Department of Human Services are coming, and director Ed Lake spoke about the $69 million in cuts coming to his department.
http://www.koco.com/article/dhs-director-heaven-help-us-if-budget-deal-isn-t-made/13095519
SD: Promoting foster care and adoption in Fall River County
Rapid City Journal – October 25, 2017
The need is great. There is currently the need for approximately 90 homes for foster care and yet there are only 60 in our region. Approximately 30 homes are needed. Foster care is needed for all age groups but there is a particular need for homes for teens and family groups.
TX: Dallas ISD considers proposal to help house homeless students
North Dallas Gazette – October 25, 2017
The Dallas ISD Trustee Board discussed a proposal to partner with the organization After8toEducate to house unsheltered students in the district at their board briefing Thursday, Oct. 12 and will vote on the measure this Thursday at the next board meeting. The district has received an estimate of more than 100 unsheltered students currently sleeping on park benches or in abandoned buildings who can’t go to homeless shelters, because they are not yet adults.
WI: Foster care system bogged down because of drug addiction (Includes video)
WBAY – October 25, 2017
Action 2 News first reported the creation of the Foster Care Task Force in July, after lawmakers saw the number of Wisconsin kids removed from their homes rise to 7,400 in 2016.
http://www.wbay.com/content/news/Foster-care-system-bogged-down-by–453174283.html
CA: LADCFS, Foster Youth Advocates Reach Landmark Settlement; Statewide Implications Predicted (Press release)
Advokids – October 24, 2017
On October 19, the Los Angeles Superior Court finalized a settlement in a milestone lawsuit filed by three former foster parents and Advokids, a Bay Area legal advocacy non-profit for California foster children. Filed in August 2014, the suit alleges that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (LADCSF) regularly failed to provide foster parents and relative caregivers with written notices of court hearings concerning children in their care, as required by law. This includes written notice and an opportunity to object and be heard when foster children are removed from their homes.
CO: Mesa County and Colorado need more foster families (Includes video)
KKCO/KJCT – October 24, 2017
The State of Colorado’s foster care system needs about a thousand new foster homes within the next two years.
Also: Colorado recruiting more than 1k new foster parents to fill shortage: http://www.azfamily.com/story/36672194/colorado-recruiting-more-than-1k-new-foster-parents-to-fill-shortage
http://www.kjct8.com/content/news/Mesa-County-and-Colorado-need-more-foster-families-452906173.html
MN: New Initiative Seeks Solutions in Minnesota’s Child Welfare System (Includes video)
KSTP 5 – October 24, 2017
Thirteen Minnesota organizations, including AspireMN and St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development, pooled together to bring the Quality Parenting Initiative to Minnesota. It’s a movement aimed to increase the number of foster parents in communities and reduce the number of re-entries into the system.
http://kstp.com/news/new-initiative-seeks-solutions-in-minnesota-child-welfare-system/4645808/?cat=1
NY: HRC to Host Webinar on Youth Advocate’s Role in Finding Affirming Families for LGBTQ Foster Youth (Press release)
Human Rights Campaign – October 24, 2017
One challenge many agencies face is finding affirming, permanent families for older LGBTQ youth in foster care. That is why we’re hosting a new webinar, “The Role of Youth Advocates in Developing Affirming Families for LGBTQ Youth,” on Wednesday, October 25 at 1 p.m. ET. We’ll be showcasing New York City adoption agency, You Gotta Believe and its innovative model for engaging youth advocates in finding families for LGBTQ youth in care.
http://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-to-host-webinar-on-youth-advocates-role-in-finding-affirming-families-f
NY: What de Blasio’s ‘Paying the Homeless to Leave Town’ Program Is Really About (Commentary)
Village Voice – October 18, 2017
DHS acknowledges the problem. Roughly 40,000 people in families with children live in the shelters, a spokesperson says, and more than one-third of families “include a parent that is earning income but cannot make ends meet – underscoring the economic factors, namely rents rising far faster than wages or incomes, driving homelessness.” On that basis, the spokesperson adds, if even one family participates in the relocation program, “it is a successful tool for that family.”
TX: Foster care reform is critical (Opinion)
San Antonio Express-News – October 24, 2017
Experiences in Texas and other states that have attempted significant foster care reform show the state is at the beginning of a long, rocky implementation process. As reform bill co-sponsor Rep. James Frank (Wichita Falls) said, “Passing community-based care is just the start. Implementation is key. Results are what matter.” Meanwhile, emboldened by past success, the same critics who reversed reform in 2006 wait to use the first tragedy to claw back state control.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Foster-care-reform-is-critical-12303205.php
TX: Generation in Crisis: Taylor County needs more foster families (Includes video)
Big Country – October 24, 2017
More foster families are needed in Taylor County as a result of the amount of child protective services cases piling up.
VA: 30 Days of Hope: Finding homes for hundreds of children
WSLS – October 25, 2017
There are more than 800 children who are legally available to be adopted in Virginia. Many are older children who are in danger or aging out of the foster care system without a family to support them in their adult years. Others are sibling sets.
https://www.wsls.com/news/30-days-of-hope-contacting-connecting-hearts
US: A Classically Sad Tale of Adoption Pressuring Vulnerable Mothers-to-Be (Opinion)
Huffington Post – October 25, 2017
Adoption too often exploits expectant mothers – many of whom consider adoption because they have no familial and/or financial support. Women considering adoption are totally naïve and unaware of laws and what is acceptable procedure and what is not.
India: Sherin Mathews tragedy: Does India follow up on kids adopted by parents abroad? (Commentary)
News Minute – October 23, 2017
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) set up in 2003 under the Women and Child Development Ministry, is the statutory body that functions as a nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. It’s been more than a year since Sherin was adopted and taken away from India, what has CARA done to follow up on the child? Does CARA’s responsibilities end after an adoption is through and the child is flown out of the country?
Also: CARA’s International Adoption Guidelines: Adoption Procedure For Non-Resident Indian, Overseas Citizen Of India And Foreign Prospective Adoptive Parents: http://cara.nic.in/Parents/Guidelines_living_Abroad.html
Also: Body of Missing Texas Toddler Found: Father Arrested on $1 Million Bond, ‘Mother Under Investigation’, Say Police: http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/body-of-missing-texas-toddler-found-father-arrested-on-million/article_5efcf58c-b90c-11e7-a6b8-e3ef0b4c0e29.html
https://in.news.yahoo.com/sherin-mathews-tragedy-does-india-154554130.html
CA: Finding a way to help: New organization, Options Collaborative, aims to aid homeless, LGBTQ, others in Lompoc and Nipomo
Santa Marta Times – October 21, 2017
Those initial street-side conversations resulted in Options Collaborative, a project founded by Stuart through the Social Good Fund platform. Options Collaborative aims to leverage relationships with other organizations to bring a range of services to Lompoc and Nipomo – communities that Stuart felt were often overlooked – to aid people in need, whether they’re homeless, single parents, members of the LGBTQ community or people struggling with identity.
IL: Child deaths spike in Illinois after DCFS privatizes program
Associated Press – October 23, 2017
A newspaper investigation found 15 children died of abuse or neglect from 2012 to 2016 while their families received “intact family services” from organizations hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Information Gateway Resource: Child Abuse & Neglect Fatalities: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/fatalities/
Information Gateway Resource: Privatization: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/management/funding/fiscal-reform/privatization/
http://www.bnd.com/news/state/illinois/article180409076.html
Canada: Ending homelessness means targeting youth early: Researcher
Metro – October 22, 2017
Cities are still putting most of their resources into emergency response and moving people out of homelessness instead of preventing it in the first place, said Stephen Gaetz.
AR: Fort Smith Baptist Church Tackling Foster Care Crisis
KNWA – October 22, 2017
More than five hundred foster care children are without a home in Sebastian County. Arkansas Baptist in Fort Smith is now a privately licensed placement agency. The church has been caring for kids for more than a century — and hopes these new efforts will spark a change.
http://www.nwahomepage.com/news/fort-smith-baptist-church-tackling-foster-care-crisis/842559386
AZ: In Arizona, Foster Parents Can’t Hold Medical Marijuana Cards
Chronicle of Social Change – October 20, 2017
Rebecca Masterson wanted to become a licensed foster mom. Earlier this month, the Phoenix lawyer took in 16-year-old Johnny*, who she met while volunteering. Becoming licensed would help her pay for groceries, clothes and start a savings account for the teenager. But when Masterson applied to become Johnny’s foster mom, she was rejected by the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) for admitting to having a medical marijuana card.
CA: Social services director responds to opinion piece
Plumas County News – October 20, 2017
Children who come into the Child Welfare system do so because a parent or parents have created a living situation that is dangerous. Because no two child protective services cases are the same, drawing a conclusion from one or two cases really doesn’t do justice to the wonderful work that social workers, foster care providers and others do in the interest of trying to improve the lives of abused and neglected children.
Original Article: http://www.plumasnews.com/on-failing-all-our-children/
http://www.plumasnews.com/social-services-director-responds-opinion-piece/
IN: Transitional housing for young homeless in St. Joseph County
South Bend Tribune – October 20, 2017
Starting next month, young people ages 16 to 22 who are homeless or on the verge of it will be able to find refuge in a local apartment complex for up to 18 months. The nonprofit Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County will start the program with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to be used over the next five years.
KS: Contractor Adds Short-Term Housing For Foster Care Children
Salina Post – October 22, 2017
KVC Kansas, the foster care contractor for eastern Kansas, opened its first short-term crisis center in September in Hays. The crisis center is attached to KVC Wheatland Hospital, a children’s psychiatric facility. It can accommodate 20 children, with two beds to a room plus common spaces with TVs, couches and beanbag chairs.
http://salinapost.com/2017/10/22/kansas-contractor-adds-short-term-housing-for-foster-care-children/
KY: Obligation is to serving kids (Editorial)
News-Enterprise – October 22, 2017
It is sweet news for families fostering a related child under the care of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. A refusal by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal from the cabinet means 114 foster children currently under the care of extended family members across the 16-county Salt River Trail region that includes Hardin County will receive the same state benefits of their displaced peers in foster care.
ME: Bangor center for homeless youth getting federal aid
Associated Press – October 22, 2017
A nonprofit group in Bangor that serves homeless and at-risk youth will receive nearly $150,000 from the federal government. Maine Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent, say the money is coming to Shaw House from the Administration for Children and Families. They say the money will support the Shaw House’s Basic Center Program for homeless and runaway youth and their families.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bangor-center-for-homeless-youth-getting-federal-12297124.php
MO: Greitens announces reform for foster youth
Jefferson City News Tribune – October 20, 2017
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says the state no longer will make children in foster care pay a $15 fee to get copies of their birth certificates. Greitens in a Friday statement said the change is aimed at making it easier for teenagers in foster care to get records needed to apply for a driver’s license and jobs.
Also: Missouri waives birth certificate fees for foster care kids: http://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article180026796.html
Also: Foster care children to get birth certificate free of charge (Includes video): http://www.kfvs12.com/story/36646451/mo-foster-care-children-to-get-birth-certificate-free-of-charge
NY: ‘It’s like a tsunami’: Opioid epidemic pushing kids into Erie County foster system
Buffalo News – October 22, 2017
The opioid epidemic is not just killing hundreds of local residents – it’s leaving hundreds of Erie County children without a home or at risk of being removed from one. They are orphaned children and they are the children of drug-addicted parents no longer able to care for them. Erie County Family Court Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin has presided at thousands of child abuse and neglect cases since 2011. She can’t recall any cases related to opioid drug abuse four years ago, and only a handful three years ago.
http://buffalonews.com/2017/10/22/foster-care-crisis-erie-county-fueled-part-opioid-epidemic/
OH: Mahoning County Children Services desperately in need of foster parents (Includes video)
WKBN – October 22, 2017
“With the opiate epidemic, we are seeing an increase in children who are coming into care because of addiction issues with family members – we’re seeing more drug-exposed babies. So, there is a definite and great need, and right now we only have 41 licensed foster families for Mahoning County and we need about 30 to 35 more,” said Jennifer Kollar, Children Services’ public information officer.
http://wkbn.com/2017/10/22/mahoning-county-children-services-desperately-in-need-of-foster-parents/
WA: $600 for Overnight Foster Care? Time to Consider the alternatives (Commentary)
Fostering Reform – October 23, 2017
Washington State’s Children’s Administration (CA) is desperate. In order to avoid lodging abused and neglected children in hotel rooms or agency offices, it has increased to $600 per night the amount it is willing to pay foster parents to keep children in their homes for one night in emergency short-term situations, according to the independent news organization InvestigateWest.
https://fosteringreform.blogspot.com/2017/10/600-for-overnight-foster-care-time-to.html
US: Grandparents raising grandkids grapple with retirement and college costs at the same time
Washington Post – October 22, 2017
Among the thousands of families filling out financial aid applications and struggling to save for tuition, there are grandparents such as Bursch facing the same financial responsibilities but with limited resources. Their second run at parenting arrives as their earning potential winds down and retirement kicks in with a fixed income never meant to cover the cost of college. Every stitch of their clothing, all of their meals and day-to-day expenses have been her responsibility since 2003, when drug use by her daughter and son-in-law prompted the police to remove the children from their home.
US: Grandparents raising grandkids: 3 things to know before taking on the new role (Includes video)
Today – October 20, 2017
As the opioid epidemic continues more grandparents find themselves in the unexpected position of raising their grandchildren. It’s become so common that for every child in foster care, 20 are being raised by a family member. This generosity saves the nation about $4 billion a year, according to the nonprofit Generations United, but there are unique challenges that come with the joy of raising a grandchild.
https://www.today.com/health/grandparents-raising-grandchildren-3-things-know-t117329
US: Monday Lead Letter: Privatizing foster care has failed nationwide
Florida Times-Union – October 20, 2017
When Sens. Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden – the leading members of the U.S. Senate’s Finance Committee – released findings from a two-year investigation into foster care privatization, they did more than reveal “abuse, neglect and system failures at every level.”
Information Gateway Resource: Privatization: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/management/funding/fiscal-reform/privatization/
Also: Kids Are Dying in For-Profit Foster Care (Commentary): https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/kids-are-dying-in-for-profit-foster-care/
Also: Wyden And Hatch Push Bill To Make Foster Care System More Accountable: http://www.opb.org/news/article/foster-care-accountability-bill-oregon-ron-wyden/
FL: Opioid Crisis Forces Grandparents to Raise Their Grandkids (Includes video)
NBC News – October 20, 2017
As the opioid epidemic forces increasing numbers of children into foster care or otherwise out of their parents’ custody, grandparents like the Krietemeiers are stepping in. Those grandparents face the daunting task of caring for young, vulnerable children while navigating courtrooms and complex child welfare systems, often with little financial or social support – all while coping with their adult offspring’s addiction.
FL: Privatized foster care a failure in Florida (Commentary by H. Talenfeld, Florida’s Children First)
Miami Herald – October 20, 2017
When Sens. Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden, the chairman and ranking member respectively of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, released findings from a two-year investigation into foster care privatization, it did more than reveal “abuse, neglect and system failures at every level.” It confirmed what Floridians have known for years, though Florida did not respond to senators’ request for information. As implemented in Florida, privatized foster care is an experiment that has failed.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article179890486.html
US: International Adoptions Drop to New Low as Evangelical Funding Spikes
Christianity Today – October 19, 2017
Americans adopted 5,372 children in the year ending September 2016, down from a 35-year low the 12 months before. The number of foreign adoptions annually has fallen to less than a quarter of the totals during peak years over a decade ago, with 22,884 adoptions recorded in 2004.
Information Gateway resource: Intercountry Adoption: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/adopt-ethics/types/intercountry/
US: Senate Finance Investigation A Possible Precursor to Renewed Family First Push
Chronicle of Social Change – October 19, 2017
The ultimate indictment of this system is there is so little oversight that the government can’t even confirm the gaps that caring advocates tell us are getting worse. What’s even more outrageous is that efforts to fix flaws in the system have been held up by stonewalling in the United States Senate.
US: Senate Foster Care Bill Would Incentivize Kin, Monitor Private Providers and Child Fatalities
Chronicle of Social Change – October 19, 2017
Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill Wednesday that would incentivize kinship placements in foster care, establish national child welfare standards on worker caseloads, and require better assessment of both child fatalities and the performance of private providers.
MT: Foster families sought after number of kids in care doubles (Includes video)
KECI – October 18, 2017
There are over 4,000 kids in foster care in the state of Montana. That’s a huge jump from four years ago where there were fewer than 2,000.
US: From Interns to Influencers: Foster Youth Internship Program a Growing Force on Federal Policy
Chronicle of Social Change – October 18, 2017
The FYI Program’s report has emerged as a must-read child welfare policy document on Capitol Hill, and one of the few annual presentations of federal child welfare policy. Every year, members of Congress are pitched thousands of ideas from lobbyists, activists, advocates and ordinary citizens. Even among the best of those ideas, only a smaller circle of them are ever taken seriously. An even smaller group finds its way into proposed federal law. But the FYI report has fostered a consistent pipeline of ideas that have to be taken seriously because of their messengers: youth who lived the system, now educated in how the system works.
Also: CCAI Institute Foster Youth Internship Program Congressional Reports: http://www.ccainstitute.org/programs/view/foster-youth-internship-congressional-report
Also: 2017 Report: Unlocking Potential: The Strength of Our Stories as the Key to Child Welfare Reform: http://s3.amazonaws.com/ccai-website/2017_Foster_Youth_Internship_Program®_Report.pdf
US: Senate Finds 86 Children Died In Care Of Giant For-Profit Foster Care Firm
BuzzFeed – October 18, 2017
At least 86 children died in a 10-year period while in the custody of a giant for-profit foster care company, according to an investigation by the US Senate Committee on Finance. In only 13 of those deaths did the company, The Mentor Network, conduct an internal investigation, the committee found.
Also: US Senate Report: An Examination of Foster Care in the United States and the Use of Privatization: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4111642/An-Examination-of-Foster-Care-in-the-United.pdf
CO: Pueblo County needs foster parents, workers dispel myths on foster care (Includes video)
KOAA – October 17, 2017
Pueblo County Social Services wants to dispel some myths about foster care. County workers say there are several reasons why people don’t get involved in foster care and why they should. One myth about foster care is that you have to be married to be a foster parent. Another is that foster care costs money. A third myth is that foster kids are troublemakers.
KS: Editorial: State kids need more from their foster-care system
Wichita Eagle – October 17, 2017
The state’s foster-care system is competing for Kansans’ attention with a beleaguered prison system and an ongoing school-funding dilemma. It’s a competition in which the Kansas Department for Children and Families would rather not participate. All we’d like the agency to do is take care of our most neglected children – and that’s not happening like it should under secretary Phyllis Gilmore’s leadership.
http://www.kansas.com/opinion/editorials/article179299846.html
KS: Foster Care Crisis Centers to Open Across Kansas (Audio)
Kansas News Service – October 17, 2017
Amid revelations that children have been spending the night in agency offices, one of the two contractors managing cases in Kansas’s privatized foster care system is opening crisis centers across the state. From the Kansas News Service, Madeline Fox reports.
http://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/foster-care-crisis-center-open-across-kansas
KY: State working out how to pay relatives who provide foster care under recent court decision
Courier-Journal – October 17, 2017
Kentucky’s top human services official said Tuesday that the state will comply with a court order to pay relatives who provide free foster care the same as they do licensed foster families. But Vickie Yates Brown Glisson, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said the cabinet is still analyzing how to apply the court decision.
LA: New Safe Haven Set to Reduce Newborn Abandonment
KEDM – October 17, 2017
The state Department of Children and Family Services has posted an online mapping tool called Safe Haven Facility Locator in an effort to prevent newborn abandonment. Child Protective Services Program Manager Mona Michelli says a mother can visit louisianasafehaven.com to find a place where they can give up a child less than 60 days old.
http://kedm.org/post/new-safe-haven-set-reduce-newborn-abandonment#stream/0
ME: LGBTQ rights group seeks report on conditions at Long Creek juvenile facility
Portland Press Herald – October 17, 2017
One year after a transgender teenager used a bedsheet and hanged himself at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, a group that advocates for LGBTQ rights has filed a Freedom of Access Act request for a report on conditions at the state-run correctional facility for juvenile offenders. Boston-based GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, or GLAD, a nonprofit legal rights organization, filed the request Tuesday with the Maine Department of Corrections.
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/10/17/glad-seeks-report-on-conditions-at-long-creek/
OK: Family Speaks After Child Dies In Foster Care (Includes video)
News on 6 – October 17, 2017
“They took our baby to protect him from us and then failed miserably in protecting him themselves,” Matt said. “Sometimes we feel DHS oversteps their boundaries. Our kids were taken not because of any abuse directly to them,” he said. “We feel like should have gotten us family counseling as a family as a whole including the kids, instead of just ripping us apart.”
http://www.newson6.com/story/36620477/family-speaks-after-child-dies-in-foster-care
SC: Communities are better because of kinship caregivers (Commentary)
Greenville Online – October 16, 2017
South Carolina has more than 130,000 children who are either temporarily or permanently living with a family member or those defined as “fictive” kin. Kinship caregivers are one of our state’s greatest resources. They are grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, family friends, godparents and others who have a meaningful connection to the child that they are now caring for because the child cannot live with his or her parents.
US: Adoption Benefits Come in All Sizes (Press release)
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – October 17, 2017
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is excited to announce its 2017 Best Adoption Friendly Workplaces by size. Each year the Foundation ranks the nation’s employers that offer the best adoption benefits to their employees.
US: Amid decline in international adoptions to U.S., boys outnumber girls for the first time
True Viral News – October 17, 2017
The number of children from outside the U.S. adopted by Americans continued its steady decline in 2016, according to data from the U.S. Department of State. And for the first time on record, males outnumbered females among adoptees from abroad, a trend driven by changing adoption patterns in China.
Also: Report: Amid decline in international adoptions to U.S., boys outnumber girls for the first time: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/17/amid-decline-in-international-adoptions-to-u-s-boys-outnumber-girls-for-the-first-time/
US: Drug overdoses killed more Americans last year than the Vietnam War
CBS News – October 17, 2017
The opioid epidemic ravaging the United States is taking a grim and growing toll. The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 64,070 people died from drug overdoses in 2016. That’s a 21 percent increase over the year before. Approximately three-fourths of all drug overdose deaths are now caused by opioids – a class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers as well as heroin and potent synthetic versions like fentanyl. A new report from Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), an independent research organization that focuses on “critical issues in policing,” puts those numbers into context.
Also: Report: The Unprecedented Opioid Epidemic: As Overdoses Become a Leading Cause of Death, Police, Sherrifs, and Health Agencies Must Step Up Their Response: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/opioids2017.pdf
US: Hatch, Wyden Respond to Significant Need to Improve Government Oversight Following Foster Care Investigation (Press release)
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance – October 17, 2017
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today released a bipartisan report detailing their two-year investigation into foster care privatization and the increasing practice of states tasking private entities (for-profit and non-profit) with protecting our nation’s most vulnerable children. As a result of the investigation’s findings, Hatch and Wyden also introduced legislation, the Child Welfare Oversight and Accountability Act of 2017 (S. 1964), to address issues raised by the report.
Also: Report: An Examination of Foster Care in the United States and the Use of Privatization: https://www.finance.senate.gov/download/an-examination-of-foster-care-in-the-united-states-and-the-use-of-privatization
Also: Wyden And Hatch Push Bill To Make Foster Care System More Accountable: http://kuow.org/post/wyden-and-hatch-push-bill-make-foster-care-system-more-accountable
Also: Wyden Introduces Bipartisan Child Welfare Act to Improve Government Oversight of Foster Care: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-introduces-bipartisan-child-welfare-act-to-improve-government-oversight-of-foster-care
Also: Franken bill on child protection passes Senate; http://www.brainerddispatch.com/news/4345266-franken-bill-child-protection-passes-senate
CA: Confronting a crisis of homeless youth in California (Commentary)
San Francisco Chronicle – October 16, 2017
In California, we see the dramatic effects of youth homelessness – and our failure to address it – everywhere. We have the highest number of homeless youth in the country, with a minimum of 12,000 young people living on our streets, 80 percent of whom were unsheltered as of 2015.
MI: Home for abused teen girls looks to open in Port Huron
Times Herald – October 14, 2017
A local woman has plans to open a shelter in Port Huron for teen girls that have been sexually, physically or emotionally abused. Christina Gallina-Flood said she has worked in ministry for nearly 20 years and said she has witnessed many young girls struggling with nowhere to turn.
NC: Loving Those Left Behind: Caring for Older Kids in Foster Care
Edge Media Network – October 14, 2017
“In my experience foster and adoptive parents typically want to work with and/or adopt babies and younger children,” said Nakia Batts, an 18-year veteran of family services agencies. This leaves older children who, “instead of rising up to their potential, they usually respond by behaving down to the preconceived notions.”
OK: Matching foster kids with new homes
Pauls Valley Daily Democrat – October 14, 2017
Matching foster kids with the right home, here in Garvin County and across the state, is the goal of a nonprofit organization. Both Serena Randol and Amber Haley of DCCCA Tallgrass Family Services are now actively looking to recruit, train and support new foster families in this part of the world.
PA: Auditor general to meet with county caseworkers about state child welfare system
Tribune-Democrat – October 16, 2017
DePasquale’s scheduled visit at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness comes in the wake of a special report he released last month, saying the child welfare system is setting up children and the caseworkers that serve them for failure.
Report: http://www.paauditor.gov/Media/Default/Reports/RPT_CYS_091417_FINAL.pdf
PA: Children and Youth Services dilemma: ‘Do you take the child? Do you leave the child?’
Lebanon Daily News – October 12, 2017
“People see CYS in one of two ways,” Cathleen Palm, founder of The Center for Children’s Justice, said. “Either they see them rushing right into a home to take children out of the home with no due process or justification, and on the flip side people think, ‘We called and we called and they didn’t do anything.’ Sometimes you can have cases that are true on either end of that spectrum, but more often every time CYS is called they are called in on that middle ground where it’s not so black and white. Do you take the child? Do you leave the child?”
http://www.ldnews.com/story/news/2017/10/12/who-protects-children/754322001/
TX: State plans to hire private entity to manage foster care in Bexar County
San Antonio Express-News – October 16, 2017
Bexar County is set to be the third area statewide to get the new “community-based care” model, approved by the Legislature this year as a way to reform the embattled foster care system. In the new approach, state workers will continue investigating claims of abuse and neglect. But once children are removed from dangerous situations and put into foster care, the vendor would eventually take over, coordinating kids’ services, caseworker visits and court-related duties.
TX: How Abilene’s Hendrick Home for Children helps rebuild lives
Abilene Reporter-News – October 14, 2017
“I want all single moms to know that everybody has their story. With this program, it’s about rebuilding. It’s that solid ground,” Kilborn said.
VA: Roanoke Social Services working to educate public on foster care system (Includes video)
WDBJ7 – October 16, 2017
The South County library is one of several Roanoke libraries hosting Social Services to start a conversation about foster care. Local leaders want to give more people the chance to learn about the foster care system and how they can get involved.
India: Police chief wants all stations to adopt abandoned children
New Indian Express – October 17, 2017
The Kerala Police will soon chalk out a charity project proposal wherein all its stations adopt orphaned and abandoned children under a community policing scheme.
CA: Youths at county’s emergency shelter for children constantly go AWOL – and have for years (Includes video)
San Diego Union Tribune – October 15, 2017
“They’ve had this problem for a decade or more at least,” he said. “They are removing these kids because they claim the kids are not safe in the parents’ home. Yet they are letting the kids walk out of the facility with no supervision, no idea where they are going, and when they will come back.”
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/sd-me-polinsky-awol-20171011-story.html
CA: Women, children among spike in homeless coming to Rescue Mission (Includes video)
Record Searchlight – October 12, 2017
At the national level, one-night point-in-time counts tallied fewer homeless people than a year earlier, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While Shasta County followed that trend in this year’s count, HUD’s report on national trends from 2017 is due out next month. At the mission, Anderson and his team are putting finishing touches on the House of Hope, the women’s shelter with 80 beds and room for 35 more. The remodeled shelter should open next month.
GA: Opioid epidemic pushing more children into foster care
Brunswick News – October 14, 2017
The misuse of and addiction to opioids, including prescription pills, heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, has become a national crisis. More than 2 million Americans are estimated to suffer from substance abuse disorders involving opioid pain reliever addiction, according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse.
KS: Over 70 children ‘missing’ from state foster care & no one’s stopping it
Free Thought Project – October 13, 2017
A shocking report out of Kansas highlights an extreme disconnect between government – the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), which oversees foster care in the state, and the private foster care contractors that the state utilizes to place foster children and oversee their direct placement within foster homes.
Also: Is There An ‘Epidemic Of Child Abduction’ In Kansas’s Foster Care System With 70 Missing Children?: http://www.business2community.com/us-news/epidemic-child-abduction-kansass-foster-care-system-70-missing-children-01936084#v5cIzX8r6xHAdUQo.97
KS: State looks at alert system for missing foster children
Associated Press – October 13, 2017
A Kansas lawmaker is pushing for new procedures for responding when children in foster care go missing. Foster care contractors revealed this week that more than 70 foster children are currently missing in Kansas. The report was in response to question about the August disappearance of three sisters from a Tonganoxie foster home.
http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article178710216.html
MI: A Broken System: Fostering Abusive Dysfunction
Huffington Post – October 15, 2017
Examining many of the situations that often play out where Family Courts intersect with Child Protective Services (CPS) and Foster Care – finds people caught in situations that would make for the type of story found in episodes of the series The Twilight Zone.
ND: Couple sues Catholic Charities over adoption
Associated Press – October 13, 2017
A North Dakota couple is suing Catholic Charities for $6.5 million, alleging that the group didn’t allow them to adopt a girl because they were living together and hadn’t gotten married yet.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/nation-world/national/article178678641.html
NH: Legislature to examine NH foster care issues
New Hampshire Union Leader – October 15, 2017
A legislative committee has been appointed to examine foster care issues in New Hampshire, especially in the context of the state’s prolonged addiction crisis and problems within the Division for Children, Youth and Families.
NY: Grant to help Rexford foundation for children in foster care
Saratogian – October 15, 2017
A local charity that provides children in foster care with free, new, and next-to-new clothing has received a received a large financial grant to help with an increasing need. The Quest For Grace Foundation was established in 2005 by Rexford couple Dr. Louis Ianniello and his wife Michelle. The idea behind the Foundation was to help children in foster care and their foster families with many of the kids’ clothing needs. Michelle Ianniello is a Shenendehowa High School graduate and the Foundation’s director.
SC: New partnership gives youth aging out of foster care a fighting chance
Moultrie News – October 13, 2017
Carolina Youth Development Center, a nonprofit serving vulnerable children and families, is partnering with Cummins, Inc. to develop an independent living transitional home that addresses the needs of youth aging out of foster care.
Also: Carolina Youth Development Center to open transitional living house for former foster children: https://www.postandcourier.com/business/carolina-youth-development-center-to-open-transitional-living-house-for/article_c83f9c08-b073-11e7-9f4c-fbcdb9b80087.html
WV: CKVF awards more than $560K in grant funding for 16 WV programs
Charleston Gazette-Mail – October 15, 2017
Mission West Virginia received $36,035 in collaboration with Clay County schools for its program, The Bridge, which academically supports and mentors children in foster care.
US: ‘They Told Me They Knew What Was Best for Him’: Stories From Inside the Child Welfare System
Jezebel and Rise Magazine – October 13, 2017
In 1997, the Federal Government passed the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), requiring foster care agencies to initiate court proceedings to terminate parental rights in most cases when a child has been in foster care for 15 of the most recent 22 months. This timeline is especially short for incarcerated parents, putting them at increased risk of losing their children forever.
https://jezebel.com/they-told-me-they-knew-what-was-best-for-him-stories-f-1819371919
US: The ‘orphan’ I adopted from Uganda already had a family (Includes video)
CNN – October 13, 2017
It took a little over a year and a half to realize the things “our” child was telling us were not adding up to the stories told within the paperwork and provided to us by our adoption agency, European Adoption Consultants, Inc. (In December, the US State Department debarred the agency for three years, meaning it could no longer place children in homes. The State Department said it found “evidence of a pattern of serious, willful or grossly negligent failure to comply with the standards and of aggravating circumstances indicating that continued accreditation of EAC would not be in the best interests of the children and families concerned.”)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/opinions/adoption-uganda-opinion-davis/index.html
Canada: Number of foster homes plummets in Windsor-Essex
CBC News – October 16, 2017
Back in 2013, the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society (CAS) had 241 foster homes. As of Monday, which marks the start of Foster Parent Appreciation Week, that’s plummeted by 29 per cent, to 171 foster homes.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/number-foster-homes-plummets-windsor-100000779.html
United Kingdom: People in their 60s should be allowed to adopt kids aged five advises government child services boss
Daily Mail – October 14, 2017
Anthony Douglas, chief executive of Cafcass, the Government agency that represents children’s interests in family courts, said retirees should be encouraged to adopt to stem the huge rise of young people living in care. He said adoption services have been ‘too restrictive’ and urged them to take a ‘more creative’ approach to finding adoptive parents.
CA: New Initiative Focuses on Reproductive Health of L.A. Foster Youth (Press release)
National Center for Youth Law – October 12, 2017
Teen pregnancy rates are at historic lows in the United States – but not for all youth. While the overall rate is down, young women in the foster care system are far more likely to experience teen and unintended pregnancy and childbirth. Although California has an important network of laws in place to ensure access to contraception and reproductive health services, foster youth often face barriers to making their reproductive rights a reality.
https://youthlaw.org/publication/new-initiative-focuses-reproductive-health-l-foster-youth/
CA: One-Third of California Foster Youth Leave Transitional Housing Involuntarily, Report Finds
Chronicle of Social Change – October 12, 2017
More than a third of older foster youth in transitional housing placements in California were involuntarily removed, according to a new report. A John Burton Advocates for Youth report looks at how youth in California used the Transitional Housing Placement-Plus (THP-Plus) and THP-Plus Foster Care (THP+FC) programs during the 2016-2017 year and how they fared upon exiting, in addition to other data.
Also: Report: THP+FC & THP-Plus Annual Report 2016-2017: http://www.jbaforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2016-17-THPFC-THP-Plus-Annual-Report-2.pdf
IN: In Search Of Foster Homes (Includes video)
My Wabash Valley – October 11, 2017
According to the group, Child Welfare Information Gateway, in 20-15, there were an estimated 427 thousand children in foster care in the U.S. In Indiana, just three years ago there were 12 thousand Hoosier kids in need of a home. Now that number has increased to 28 thousand.
http://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/in-search-of-foster-homes/832281189
KS: For Kansas foster care task force, report of missing children latest concern
Kansas News Service – October 13, 2017
The news that about 70 children are missing from the Kansas foster care system is the latest in a string of concerns for lawmakers and child welfare advocates. Concern for the safety of children, heavy caseloads for social workers and a lack of coordination in the system prompted lawmakers earlier this year to form the Child Welfare Task Force, which heard about the missing children during a meeting Tuesday in Topeka.
KS: Access to residential psychiatric treatment for foster kids is on the decline
Topeka Capital-Journal – October 12, 2017
The state’s dwindling number of psychiatric facilities for children has advocates and legislators concerned foster kids that need serious mental health care aren’t getting it.
KS: Lawmaker wants Amber Alert-type system for missing foster children
Lawrence Journal-World – October 12, 2017
Democratic state lawmaker is calling on the Department for Children and Families to come up with new procedures for responding when children in the state’s privatized foster care system go missing. Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, said Thursday that she remains shocked at reports that more than 70 Kansas foster children are listed as missing, and she said there needs to be a system similar to an Amber Alert that would prompt an immediate search.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/oct/12/lawmaker-wants-new-protocols-missing-foster-care-c/
KY: ‘No place to put that baby.’ State takes more kids away from parents than it can handle
Lexington Herald-Leader – October 12, 2017
Nearly all of the state’s child-welfare caseworkers say their workload is unmanageable – on average, it’s twice the recommended standard – even as the state of Kentucky removes more children from their parents every year because of abuse and neglect, according to a report released Thursday.
http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article178547111.html
MI: ACLU Fights Faith-Based Child Placement Agencies (Commentary)
Aquila Report – October 13, 2017
When Michigan lawmakers began drafting the religious protection laws in 2013, faith-based groups made up about 25 percent of the state’s child welfare agencies. The same holds true in Texas. A loss of even half of those agencies would result in an immediate reduction in available foster families and the ability to recruit more, said Randy Daniels, vice president of Buckner Children and Family Services at Dallas-based Buckner International.
http://theaquilareport.com/aclu-fights-faith-based-child-placement-agencies/
MI: Methodist Children’s Home Society celebrating 100 years
Hometown Life (USA Today Network) – October 13, 2017
Founded in 1917, MCHS offers a comprehensive range of programs and services from its Redford facilities, including a 24-hour operating residential home and treatment facility for abused and neglected boys; foster care placement and adoption services for children throughout southeast Michigan; and transitional housing programs for young men who have aged out of the child welfare system. MCHS also provides critical therapies, educational services and life skills training for the children in its care.
MI: New study shows children in Head Start programs are 93% less likely to end up in foster care (Includes video)
WLNS – October 12, 2017
New research by Dr. Sacha Klein with Michigan State University shows an advantage for children in Head Start programs, who are also within the welfare system due to abuse or neglect. “Children who had experience in early head start program were 93% less likely to end up in foster care.”
MI: Judge Halts Order Granting Custody to Convicted Sex Offender
Associated Press – October 11, 2017
A judge on Tuesday put an order on hold that granted a convicted sex offender joint legal custody of a child born to a woman who said the man raped her, and she became pregnant, when she was 12. Sanilac County prosecutors said the case started when the now-21-year-old mother requested state assistance this summer for her 8-year-old son. As a condition of receiving that financial assistance, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services required her to cooperate with pursuing paternity and support for the child, prosecutors said.
MN: Foster care facility fined for pattern of safety violations
Mankato Free Press – October 12, 2017
A child foster care facility might close after the state put its license on probationary status for numerous violations, including children repeatedly going missing and not receiving their medication. The Minnesota Department of Human Services in late September levied two fines against REM Heartland, which operates dozens of group homes in south-central Minnesota.
MO: Foster Care Bill of Rights highlights importance of familial stability (Opinion)
Courier Tribune – October 12, 2017
Did you know there are more than 13,000 children in Missouri’s foster care system? While they may come from different backgrounds and have faced different challenges, they’ve all experienced the pain of being separated from their families. These children deserve to grow up in a safe, loving and nurturing home, and that’s exactly what foster care tries to provide while a child’s biological parents receive the help and services they need to regain custody.
ND: Fargo couple sues Catholic Charities for ‘marital discrimination’ after adoption falls through
Erie News Now – October 12, 2017
A Fargo couple is suing Catholic Charities for what they call “marital discrimination.” James and Tahnee Young decided this February they wanted to give their home and love to a teenager in the foster care system, but after finding their match their expectations took a turn for the worse.
TN: Opioid epidemic forcing Knox County grandparents to step back into parenting (Includes video)
WBIR – October 12, 2017
At the Knox County Juvenile Court, special care is taken to protect the tiniest Tennesseans. “We have close to 800 children in some kind of state custody right now. When I got on the bench we had 350 children in state custody. The entire increase is traced, unquestionably, to the opioid epidemic,” explained Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin. Those children represent a growing trend across Tennessee – grandparents taking on the role of caregivers for children due to drug abuse.
TX: Officials fear more victims after Texas foster parent arrest
Texas Tribune – October 12, 2017
Officials want to talk to dozens of girls placed in foster care with a San Antonio-area man after his arrest on charges that he sexually assaulted five former foster children.
http://www.tribtown.com/2017/10/12/tx-foster-parent-abuse-charges/
US: & Uganda: Kids for sale: ‘My mom was tricked’ (Including video)
CNN – October 12, 2017
The Davises shared their story exclusively with CNN, saying they believe that Ugandan children like Mata are being trafficked, with American families not knowing the real stories behind their adoptions. An investigation by CNN into this alleged trafficking scheme found that children are being taken from their homes in Uganda on the promise of better schooling, placed into orphanages even though they aren’t orphans, and sold for as much as $15,000 each to unsuspecting American families. CNN’s investigation discovered that multiple families were duped this way.
Also: Families in Crisis: When Foreign Adoption Goes Wrong (Historical article from 2004): https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/families-in-crisis-when-foreign-adoption-goes-wrong
Also: Information Gateway resource: Intercountry Adoption: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/adopt-ethics/types/intercountry/
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/health/uganda-adoptions-investigation-ac360/index.html
GA: This Life with Gracie: Church families opening homes to children caught in opioid crisis (Includes video)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – October 12, 2017
At any given time, FaithBridge has 165 children in its care. Of those, well over 40 percent are there because of the drug crisis, said Bob Bruder-Mattson, president and CEO of the child placement agency. “Last year, DFCS called seeking placement for almost 2,800 children,” he said. “We have 250 licensed foster families and we need more.”
KS: ‘This is not a secret:’ KVC speaks out on missing foster care children (Includes video)
KSHB – October 11, 2017
One of the companies that runs the state’s foster care system is speaking out after it was exposed that more than 70 foster children are missing. Kansas State Sen. Laura Kelly brought light to the issue during a child welfare task force meeting Tuesday.
Also: For Kansas Foster Care Task Force, Report Of Missing Children Latest Concern: http://kcur.org/post/kansas-foster-care-task-force-report-missing-children-latest-concern#stream/0
Also: Official says Kansas works to find missing foster kids (Includes video): http://www.kake.com/story/36566967/70-plus-children-missing-from-kansas-foster-care-system
Also: More Than 70 Kids Missing From Kansas’ Foster Care System: http://kmuw.org/post/more-70-kids-missing-kansas-foster-care-system
KY: Relatives to receive foster care payments: U.S. Supreme Court rejects Kentucky’s challenge of ruling
News-Enterprise – October 12, 2017
Kentucky must pay families who take in relatives as foster children – a move a local grandparent said was a long time coming. “It’s a victory for all those families and all those children,” said Norma Hatfield, an Elizabethtown grandparent and local advocate. “It’s righting a wrong. Kids should not be penalized for being placed with family.”
Also: State must start paying relatives for foster care after US Supreme Court refuses case: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2017/10/10/kentucky-must-pay-foster-care-relatives-after-supreme-court-refuses-case/751154001/
Also: Supreme Court refuses to hear Kentucky foster care case: http://www.heraldonline.com/news/business/article178212666.html
MD: Universities need to help foster kids get a degree (Commentary)
Diamondback (University of Maryland) – October 12, 2017
With this explosive growth in applicants coupled with an increasingly diverse applicant pool, policymakers and educators focus on making education more accessible to marginalized groups of young Americans. A particular marginalized group that continues to remain invisible, however, is the youth within America’s foster care system.
Also: America’s foster system hurts teenagers (Commentary): http://www.dbknews.com/2017/10/11/adoption-teenagers-foster-care-maryland/
http://www.dbknews.com/2017/10/12/foster-care-college-education-umd-adoption/
MI: Court should dismiss foster parent gun rights lawsuit, state says
Michigan Live – October 11, 2017
A federal court should dismiss a lawsuit brought by potential Michigan foster parents because they are not foster parents, have no standing and haven’t presented a ripe case, state attorneys argued in a filing last week. “Plaintiffs have not shown an injury that is concrete or particularized, or even actual or imminent,” reads the state’s filing in the U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/10/court_should_dismiss_foster_pa.html
OH: Marsh foster care/adoption area grows
Van Wert Independent – October 11, 2017
The foster care and adoption division at The Marsh Foundation continues to grow in order to meet the increasing number of children in care. Part of that growth is the hiring of a new consultant and licensing specialist: Breanna Zipfel, LSW.
http://www.thevwindependent.com/news/2017/10/marsh-foster-careadoption-program-grows/
RI: DCYF in the spotlight: Forum explores grim realities for R.I. kids in state custody (Includes video)
Providence Journal – October 11, 2017
Children in state care will only thrive when state agencies work together and community members step up, panelists at the Providence Journal’s Publick Occurrences forum stressed on Wednesday night. “This is a societal problem,” said Family Court Chief Judge Michael Forte. “People can’t expect one department with very limited resources to fix all of the social problems.” He added: “People have to come forward and become a part of the solution.”
Also: Forum explores DCYF problems; speakers include key players, those who grew up in foster care: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171011/forum-explores-dcyf-problems-speakers-include-key-players-those-who-grew-up-in-foster-care
Also: DCYF’s history of leadership: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171011/dcyfs-history-of-leadership
TX: Investigators digging deeper into allegations of foster parent sexually abusing kids (Includes video)
KSAT – October 11, 2017
“Some of them were troubled girls,” Brown said about the girls Briseno had access to. “People felt they didn’t have credibility when they would speak up. I know some of them had been threatened if they said anything.” Investigators have gone back to interview multiple women who were teens under his care years ago. Brown said the cases become personal when they hear about the allegations the victims make.
TX: Texas State University’s School of Social Work grant to help improve state foster care program
KGNB – October 10, 2017
The School of Social Work at Texas State University has been awarded a Title IV-E grant of nearly $2.9 million from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to enhance the skills of current and future Child Protective Services workers. This marks the 24th consecutive year the School of Social Work has received a Title IV-E grant from DFPS.
UT: 11-year-old girl explains her wild embrace after adoption news (Includes video)
KUTV – October 10, 2017
Sixth-grader Tannah Butterfield, who attends American Heritage School in South Jordan, says the viral video that has made hearts melt all over the world is “the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Well, on second thought, it’s the second best thing. The news that created the moment caught on security camera video at school — that’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
http://kutv.com/news/local/girl-11-explains-her-wild-embrace-caught-on-video
KS: 70 Foster Children In Kansas Go Missing In 2017, Sparking Safety Concerns (Includes video)
International Business Times – October 11, 2017
Concerns are being raised about the safety of state foster care system after reports emerged Tuesday that more than 70 children were missing from foster homes in Kansas.
http://www.ibtimes.com/70-foster-children-kansas-go-missing-2017-sparking-safety-concerns-2599809
KS: Nowhere Else to Go: Why Kids Are Sleeping in Child Welfare Offices (Commentary)
Governing – October 11, 2017
Every month, there are kids in Kansas forced to sleep on cots or couches in a foster care contractor’s office because they don’t have anywhere else to stay that night.
KY: State must start paying relatives for foster care after US Supreme Court refuses case
Louisville Courier-Journal – October 10, 2017
In a sweeping victory for the growing number of Kentucky relatives providing free foster care for children, Kentucky must begin paying them – many, grandparents struggling with the costs – the same as they do licensed foster families.
MN: New lawsuit targets custody battles in tribal courts (Includes video)
Fox 9 – October 10, 2017
A lawsuit filed Tuesday targets the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Scott County, organizations the plaintiffs allege are violating federal law by sending child custody cases to Indian tribal court without the consent of both parents.
http://www.fox9.com/news/tribal-custody-battles-are-subject-of-new-lawsuit
MS: US Supreme Court is asked to block Mississippi LGBT law
Associated Press – October 10, 2017
Advocates of same-sex marriage are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a new Mississippi law that lets government workers and business people cite their own religious objections to refuse services to LGBT people.
Also: HB 1523 being appealed to US Supreme Court – it’s been in effect for less than 1 day: http://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/article178089226.html
http://wnyt.com/news/us-supreme-court-is-asked-to-block-mississippi-lgbt-law/4630651/?cat=10104
NC: Observer Investigation: Deaths point to crisis in NC’s child welfare system
Fayetteville Observer – October 10, 2017
A Fayetteville Observer investigation found more than 120 children have died in the state within a year of their parents or caregivers being referred to a DSS agency. Some of those deaths, which go back nearly a decade, were from undetermined causes or accidents. But 31 of the children were killed – beaten to death, shot, drowned, smothered or poisoned by drugs.
OH: Opioid epidemic drives increased need for foster homes
Norwalk Reflector – October 10, 2017
“Strong efforts (are) made by JFS to place children in care with relatives or family members with the intent to unify them with their parents once (the) home is safe. Some parents receive and complete substance abuse treatment and fight for children to return home while others find it too difficult to battle their addiction to gain custody of their children,” Nolan said.
OR: & KY: States face off over adoption of 4-year-old girl in foster care
Oregonian – October 11, 2017
Oregon and Kentucky are locked in a dispute over which state will decide the fate of a 4-year-old girl from Klamath Falls, Laila Sloan.
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/10/oregon_and_kentucky_face_off_o.html
WA: Short-term foster care costs taxpayers millions
Crosscut – October 11, 2017
Faced with a severe, ongoing shortage of foster parents, the state Children’s Administration has grown desperate. To avoid placing children in hotels, it increasingly offers foster parents large sums to keep children from bedtime until breakfast, rather than pay three times as much to keep kids in hotels.
http://crosscut.com/2017/10/short-term-foster-care-costs-washington-state-taxpayers-millions/
Germany: First adoption by gay couple in Germany
Channel NewsAsia – October 10, 2017
Two men in Berlin became the first same-sex couple to adopt a child in Germany, a human rights association said Tuesday (Oct 10), cheering another “big step forward” for gay people.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/first-adoption-by-gay-couple-in-germany-9297148
KY: State senator again seeks return of Kinship Care
News-Enterprise – October 09, 2017
State Sen. Dennis Parrett is looking to once again try to re-establish Kinship Care, a program that provides financial assistance to relatives caring for a child who is not their own. Last week, he pre-filed a bill for the 2018 legislative session that would start the program. Children in the program would end up in foster care if not for their relatives taking them in. The bill, BR 247, directs that support services and case management services be provided to the kinship caregiver or the child.
MA: Foster families needed for children displaced by drug abuse
Cape Cod Times – October 09, 2017
Some of the youngest victims of the opioid drug abuse epidemic are children who need safe and nurturing homes. Social workers describe the need for more foster families as urgent and critical. Adults are needed to step up and take in growing numbers of children displaced in large part because of drug addiction.
PA: Former foster youth deserve assistance (Commentary)
Temple News – October 10, 2017
Temple is partnering up with the University of Pennsylvania Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research to make college more accessible to former foster care youth by granting free housing to them over academic breaks. This is an important act for Temple to counterbalance the struggles of disadvantaged young people. I am proud to attend a university that’s working toward this.
http://temple-news.com/opinion/former-foster-youth-deserve-assistance/
WA: Treehouse appoints 12 members to Young Professionals Board to support youth in foster care (Press release)
Treehouse – October 09, 2017
Treehouse, a Seattle-based nonprofit which has dramatically increased graduation rates for youth in foster care, today announces 12 new members to its Young Professionals Board (YPB). With the new roster also comes changes to the YPB’s Executive Leadership Team. Mathew Lane, formerly an Executive Chair, has been elected President. Currently a compliance manager at Wave, Lane earned a bachelor’s degree from Seattle University and a master’s degree from the University of Washington.
http://news.sys-con.com/node/4175235
US: Ex-foster Kids Must Stay Strong to Help Those Still in Care (Commentary)
Youth Today – October 09, 2017
In 2006, as a doctoral candidate researching juveniles, I found out about and joined a national organization called Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA), an organization of adults whose ages range from 18 to 80. Before discovering FCAA, I had no idea foster care advocacy and foster care alumni family existed. Who are they and what do they do? FCAA was established with the assistance of Casey Family Programs (CFP) and their national foster care alumni study. FCAA’s beginning slogan was “Connecting Today, Transforming Tomorrow.” So what does that mean? Two things: advocacy and family.
http://youthtoday.org/2017/10/ex-foster-kids-must-stay-strong-to-help-those-still-in-care/
US: Head Start May Protect Against Foster Care Placement
Newswise – October 09, 2017
Participating in Head Start may help prevent young children from being placed in foster care, finds a national study led by a Michigan State University researcher.
Study: Early care and education arrangements and young children’s risk of foster placement: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740917303195
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/682547/?sc=rsla
AZ: ASU Law’s immigration clinic prepares empathetic litigators
ASU Now – October 08, 2017
Evelyn Cruz is quick to point out that the clinic is a teaching and learning environment, not a legal service. Therefore, the clinic is there to help students become ethical and professional lawyers, not to maximize representation of clients. As such, the clinic picks only a handful of students each semester and handles a few select cases, mostly representing immigrant children in foster care.
CA: Santa Clara Supervisors Look to Create Programs for Homeless Youth
Edge Media Network – October 08, 2017
Following the presentation of a report showing 13,250 high school students in Santa Clara County are couch surfing or living on the streets, the Board of Supervisors last week voted 5-0 to create programs to tackle Silicon Valley’s growing homeless youth population.
Information Gateway resource: Services for Youth: Homeless and Runaway: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/youth/interventions/homeless-runaway/
FL: Death of 1-year-old boy under investigation, but DCF not releasing many details
Bradenton Herald – October 05, 2017
“The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Child Protective Investigations Division has an open child death investigation into this tragic case,” DCF spokeswoman Jessica Sims said. “MCSO is also handling the criminal investigation.” In Manatee County, the sheriff’s office’s Child Protective Investigations Division investigates all child welfare case for DCF.
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article177303316.html
IL: Runaway, kicked out, victims of sex trafficking. These teens are the ‘invisible homeless.’ (Includes video)
Belleville News-Democrat – October 05, 2017
Runaway teenagers often find themselves homeless, temporarily living with friends or falling victim to sex traffickers. They wander the streets by day, scraping together or stealing what they need to survive. At night, they “couch surf,” going from friend to friend for a place to sleep.
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article177238596.html
IN: A generation left behind: Northwest Indiana kids delayed, removed from the home because of the opioid epidemic
NWI Times – October 08, 2017
Children across the state, including areas in Northwest Indiana, are increasingly being placed in foster care, in part, experts say, to the opioid epidemic.
NC: Cumberland program will help kids aging out of foster care
Fayetteville Observer – October 05, 2017
The Cumberland County Department of Social Services and its partner organizations will use more than $800,000 in grant money to establish a program to improve the outcomes of youths who age out of foster care.
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20171005/cumberland-program-will-help-kids-aging-out-of-foster-care
NJ: Transportation Professionals Come Together to Support Bernice’s Place for Homeless Children
Tap Into – October 06, 2017
Transportation industry professionals joined forces elected officials and union representatives on Wednesday to support Bernice’s Place, the after school and summer program for homeless and near homeless children, supported by the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, at the Sixth Annual Transportation, Logistics & Distribution recognition breakfast.
NY: Da Vance invests $3.75 million to support youth aging out of foster care (Press release)
New York County District Attorney’s Office – October 05, 2017
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the investment of $3,750,000 to enhance and expand innovative programs for youth who are transitioning out of the foster care system. The three-year grants awarded to The Door and Graham Windham are expected to serve approximately 500 New Yorkers ages 16- to 24-years-old each year.
OH: Wayne County Children’s Services: Most foster homes are at capacity
Daily Record – October 05, 2017
“Wayne County has 62 licensed foster homes,” said Suzanne Greenberg, a recruiter for Wayne County Children’s Services. “Of the houses that we have available, the majority of them are at capacity.” Greenberg explained that there is a delicate balance between finding families and matching them up with children in need, especially those with siblings.
Also: Opiate epidemic impact on Wayne County Children Services is two-fold: http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/20171005/opiate-epidemic-impact-on-wayne-county-children-services-is-two-fold?rssfeed=true
OK: Former Oklahoma DHS Adoptive Parent of the Year gets prison time in child abuse case
Tulsa World – October 05, 2017
A former foster care parent and award-winning adoptive mother accused of child abuse was sentenced Wednesday and will serve about three years in prison, a prosecutor said.
http://newsok.com/article/5566914
OR: Children need advocates for safe homes
Daily Astorian – October 05, 2017
“Our middle-class, white-picket-fence instinct is, ‘Well, let’s just take that child and put her into a happy home, and everyone feels good,'” says Julia Mabry, executive director of Clatsop CASA Program. “But that’s not how it works,” Mabry says. “That is not in the child’s best interest. The child’s best interest is to help the parents be safe and sober so they can continue their attachment and continue to be raised by their parent, if that is at all possible.”
http://www.dailyastorian.com/CBG/opinions/20171005/children-need-advocates-for-safe-homes
PA: New after-school drop-in center for Scranton teens to open soon
Times-Tribune – October 09, 2017
According to a recent survey in 11 NEPA counties, there were 310 homeless teens in ninth through 12th grades, she said. Of those, 32 teens from Lackawanna County were homeless, she said. They may stay temporarily at friends’ homes, shelter near the Lackawanna River, sleep in cars or at relatives’ homes, or go into foster care. Such moves could displace the teens from their social networks, which could be detrimental to them.
United Kingdom: I am a worker says foster carer, as she launches employment rights claim
Times & Star – October 09, 2017
A foster carer is launching a claim over her employment rights in what could be a landmark legal case.
CA: Los Angeles County Launches “Just in Reach” Supportive Housing Program to Break Cycles of Homelessness and Reincarceration (Press release summary)
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation – October 05, 2017
Los Angeles County has launched Just in Reach (JIR), a new health-based housing program that will reduce jail recidivism and help end homelessness among people experiencing repeat jail stays. Over four years, JIR will place 300 homeless individuals who are currently in custody within the county jail and who have a mental health and/or substance-use disorder into permanent supportive housing.
Also: Press release: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171004006481/en/
FL: Delray Housing Authority Provides Homes For Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Delray Newspaper – October 04, 2017
Dorothy Ellington said she receives calls daily from people who need a place to live. As president and CEO of the Delray Beach Housing Authority, the calls are part of her job. Recently, she said the types of calls she noticed coming in were from a different kind of family, one where grandparents were finding themselves raising their grandchildren.
IN: Indiana Heart Gallery sharing pictures and stories about children in foster care in Indiana
WIMS – October 04, 2017
The Indiana Heart Gallery is a traveling photo exhibit featuring compelling portraits of children in need of adoptive families, and it is making a stop at the Norther Indiana Autism Expo in South Bend. The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) created the Heart Gallery in 2007 with the goal of sharing the beautiful professional portraits along with stories about children in foster care in Indiana. This initiative helps put a face on a sometimes invisible need and reminds families that adoption changes lives.
KS: Foster Care System Is Improving But Still Can’t Keep Up With Demand (Video)
Quad-City Times – October 04, 2017
Tonight in Kansas, children in foster care are in crisis. There are just not enough homes for all of them. “In the end,” Child Protective Services says, “the goal is always to reunite the child with the family.”
NC: Cumberland program will help kids aging out of foster care
Fayetville Observer – October 05, 2017
The Cumberland County Department of Social Services and its partner organizations will use more than $800,000 in grant money to establish a program to improve the outcomes of youths who age out of foster care.
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20171005/cumberland-program-will-help-kids-aging-out-of-foster-care
NY: ‘I’ve Always Been a Lioness When It Comes to My Children’: Stories From Inside the Child Welfare System (Opinion)
Jezebel and Rise Magazine – October 04, 2017
In collaboration with Rise magazine, Jezebel is publishing a series of articles written by parents affected by the child welfare system. This post, the third in the series, features narratives by LaQuana Chapelle and Lashonda Murray, two mothers who themselves grew up in foster care. In New York City, an estimated 25 to 40 percent of mothers with children in foster care grew up in the foster care system; nationwide, 51 percent of children in foster care end up returning home.
https://jezebel.com/ive-always-been-a-lioness-when-it-comes-to-my-children-1818992935
OH: Wayne County Children’s Services: Most foster homes are at capacity
Daily Record – October 05, 2017
Earlier this year, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced plans to institute a pilot program to help families impacted by parental opioid addiction. While DeWine’s pilot program only consists of 14 counties in the southern region of Ohio, his plea for families to become foster parents was heard throughout the state, especially in Wayne County.
CA: Lawsuit filed 2 years after foster child eats meth and dies (Includes video)
KTVU – October 04, 2017
The story of a three-year-old Oakland girl who died after ingesting methamphetamine twice in the same foster home is now coming to light two years after her death. A federal lawsuit was filed on Monday on behalf of her 7-year-old brother Jeremyah. His foster mother says he’s still coping with the loss of little sister Mariah.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/lawsuit-filed-2-years-after-foster-child-eats-meth-and-dies
NC: Person County Foster Care Staggers Under Weight of Substance Abuse
North Carolina Health News – October 05, 2017
The number of children in the Person County foster care system continues to rise, primarily due to substance abuse, county officials said this week. This spring, there were 82 children in the custody of Person County Department of Social Services, and 55 were displaced due to a caregiver’s drug or alcohol use.
https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2017/10/05/person-county-foster-care-substance-abuse/
ND: North Dakota Today: What Kind of Individual Can be a Foster Parent? (Video)
Valley News Live – October 04, 2017
If you’re looking to provide care for a child and make a difference in their life then you should consider becoming a foster parent.
http://www.valleynewslive.com/video/?vid=449439103&vid=449439103
OR: The good they do: Foster parents shepherd children through troubled system (Commentary)
Forest Grove News Times – October 04, 2017
The challenge for Oregon’s Department of Human Services and particularly its Child Welfare Division, which handles foster children, is to draw and support more foster parents – both “general” parents like the Raicharts, who are willing to love and care for any young strangers in need, and “child-specific” parents, who are related or known to the child or who take only certain ages or types of children. That might get easier now that the Oregon Legislature just pumped $130 million into Child Welfare this last session, bringing its funding up to $1.07 billion – the biggest funding jump in four years. In Washington County, where Child Welfare had a particularly turbulent 2016, it’s perfect timing. But will it be enough?
WV: Many challenges, but hope for state’s foster care system (Opinion)
Register-Herald – October 05, 2017
The situation in the State of West Virginia is rather dire. Just recently, Bill Crouch, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, reported to the legislature that West Virginia is experiencing nothing short of a child welfare crisis: We lead the nation in children removed from the home, and we are 48th in the nation when it comes to congregate care. To make things worse, children in the system are becoming younger and more traumatized. Not surprisingly, West Virginia falls short when it comes to foster care families, adoption options, child protective service staff and other resources.
IA: A teen who was locked up and beaten sues Iowa for bungling her child-welfare case (Includes video)
Des Moines Register – October 03, 2017
In a rare move, a 19-year-old abused in an Urbandale foster home for years has sued the state for negligence, saying she suffered physically and emotionally because the child welfare case was mishandled.
MA: State Generally Complied With State Requirements To Ensure Children Who Were Title IV-E Eligible and Residing in Foster Care Congregate Care Group Homes Received Required Medical Services (Press release)
Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – October 03, 2017
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (State agency) generally complied with applicable Federal and State regulations for ensuring that children who were Title IV-E eligible and residing in foster care congregate care group homes received medical services during calendar year 2015 as required pursuant to Title IV-E of the Act. ~~ Of the 75 case files we reviewed, 74 case files contained documentation to support that required services were received by the children in foster care. One case file did not contain documentation to support that the child in foster care received a 30-day comprehensive medical exam.
Also: Full report: Massachusetts Generally Complied With State Requirements To Ensure Children Who Were Title IV-E Eligible and Residing in Foster Care Congregate Care Group Homes Received Required Medical Services, September 14, 2017 (A-01-16-02501): https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region1/11602501.pdf
https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region1/11602501.asp
MN: Case Workers: Foster Care Provider Recruitment Reaches Critical Need Level (Includes video)
KSTP – October 03, 2017
AFSCME, the union representing child protection workers in the state’s biggest counties, testified that since the state started this overhaul in 2015 investigations have increased by 50 percent. The foster care population in Minnesota has risen 33 percent, and the number of maltreatment reports case workers are expected to study has increased by 72 percent.
OR: New initiative looking to help foster care crisis in Coos County (Includes video)
KCBY – October 04, 2017
While hundreds of children in Coos Count are in foster care, there is still a shortage of foster homes in the area. Because of this, an effort is being made to involve more people in the foster care crisis. “Every Child – Coos County” wants to mobilize the community to help with the current foster care crisis.
http://kcby.com/news/local/foster-care-crisis-growing-in-coos-county
PA: Lawsuit: York CYF placed boy in foster care with known pedophile
York Dispatch – October 03, 2017
The York County Office of Children, Youth and Families allegedly placed a boy in foster care with a convicted pedophile, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Rwanda: Inside Rwanda’s shocking orphanages marked for closure
INews – October 03, 2017
A British charity is backing the decision by Rwanda to shut the orphanages which sprang up after the 1994 genocide, as the country’s radical but controversial reforms continue. Five years ago, the Rwandan government decided to close them and start rehoming children with families – one aspect of a rapidly changing country led by President Paul Kagame, a Tutsi former guerrilla fighter whose rebel forces helped end the genocide. Though orphanages sprang up to alleviate a desperate situation, decades of research shows the detrimental impact of growing up in one. Often isolated and cut off from communities, children suffer a chronic lack of affection and proper adult care, which affects cognitive and socio-economic development.
https://inews.co.uk/explainers/iq/rwanda-orphanages-hope-homes-children-charity-campaign/
CA: Feds give CA poor reviews on tracking foster care
California Healthline – October 02, 2017
The federal government has given California bad marks on monitoring the well-being of children in foster care. State officials were slow to investigate complaints of abuse or neglect, failed to notify investigators of serious sexual abuse allegations and didn’t follow up to ensure cases were resolved, according to an audit released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
Audit: https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region9/91601000.pdf
http://capitolweekly.net/feds-ca-poor-reviews-tracking-foster-care/
CA: How USC researchers helped create a $31 million program for foster families
USC News – October 02, 2017
When the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program goes into effect in January, foster families in California will be receiving much-needed new financial assistance – and research by USC social work faculty played a part in getting that done.
CA: Schools face challenge bringing homeless children out of the shadows
EdSource – October 02, 2017
Homeless children are often invisible: They live in nearly every city and town in California, but are vastly undercounted in some areas and in a quarter of the state’s schools, not counted at all. According to the most recent data released by the California Department of Education, schools are getting better at identifying their homeless students, but more than 2,700 of the state’s nearly 10,500 schools still report zero. That means homeless students in those districts who have not been officially identified are not receiving specialized assistance, as required by state and federal law.
https://edsource.org/2017/homeless-count/588103
CA: San Joaquin County CASA program helps children in foster care
Lodi News-Sentinel – September 30, 2017
For San Joaquin County, which has about 1,500 children in foster care at any given time, the statistics are bleak. Enter the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, better known as CASA. The CASA program gives children who are removed from their homes a point of stability in their lives.
http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_29c7fc64-a5a6-11e7-86b0-d7e19f176c31.html
IL: SIUE East St. Louis Center expands Workforce Development to include foster youth
Illinois Business Journal – October 02, 2017
Twin brothers, enrolled in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s new program Building Futures, are among 16 adults who are excited to take advantage of educational opportunities, all while they are transitioning out of the Illinois foster care system.
IL: Racial disparities evident in child welfare system
Journal Star – September 30, 2017
The child welfare system holds the legal authority to make or break families. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is the center. Juvenile courts, state’s attorneys, attorneys for the children and attorneys for the parents are on one side; the social service agencies DCFS contracts with are on the other. The agencies place children in foster homes, provide families the services they need to regain their children, supervise visitations, and, if all else fails, place children in adoptive homes. When a child goes into foster care, parents are placed on probation in a sense.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/20170930/racial-disparities-evident-in-child-welfare-system
NJ: Parentally Speaking: Substance use hits close to home for grandparents (Commentary)
Wellspring Center for Prevention – October 02, 2017
Fact is that the number of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren is going up and increasingly it’s because their own kids are addicted to heroin or prescription drugs, or have died from an overdose.
OK: Federal inspectors criticize Oklahoma’s oversight of group foster care homes
Oklahoman – October 02, 2017
Cracked windows, holes in walls and celery so old that it had turned brown and begun to liquefy were among dozens of health and safety violations federal inspectors found when they visited Oklahoma’s group homes for foster children. Seventeen of Oklahoma’s 22 foster group homes were in violation of at least one state health and safety requirement, according to a newly released report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Also: US Inspector General’s 2017 report press release: https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region6/61607004.asp
Full report: Some Oklahoma Group Homes Did Not Always Comply With State Requirements: https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region6/61607004.pdf
http://newsok.com/article/5566283
OR: Boys & Girls Aid partners with Kinship House to improve mental health services
Oregonian – October 02, 2017
Kinship House is partnering with Boys & Girls Aid to provide onsite mental health services to children in Oregon’s foster care system. The partnership is designed to reduce the wait time for access to mental health counseling while improving the potential for children in foster care to find permanent, lifelong relationships.
http://www.oregonlive.com/boys-and-girls-aid/2017/10/boys_girls_aid_partners_with_k.html
PA: University assists former foster youth with housing
Temple News – October 03, 2017
Temple is looking to provide housing over academic breaks to students who recently transitioned out of the foster care system. In October, AIC employees and university officials will meet with about 50 students, who are former foster care youth, to determine their specific housing needs.
http://temple-news.com/lifestyle/university-assists-former-foster-youth-housing/
WI: Tonette Walker visits clinic that helps kids experiencing homelessness, foster care
Fox 47 – October 02, 2017
The Playing Field Child Care Center serves children six weeks to 5 years old who are experiencing homelessness or foster care. They help them deal with trauma and aggressive physical behavior. The center told the state’s first lady that kids learn how to problem solve, keep their composure and practice breathing techniques to combat anxiety.
US: Tenth Circuit: Social Workers Held to Have Qualified Immunity on Foster Child’s Special-Relationship Claims
Legal Connection – October 02, 2017
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Dahn v. Amedei on Monday, August 14, 2017. This case concerns an exception to the general rule that states are not liable for harm caused by private actors. This exception, called the special-relationship doctrine, makes a state or its agents liable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for failing to protect people from harm if they have deprived those people of liberty and made them completely dependent on the state for their basic needs. In this case, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decided whether the geographical reach of the special-relationship doctrine crosses state lines.
Decision: http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/16/16-1059.pdf
FL: Editorial: When in doubt, take the kid from abusive home
Tampa Bay Times – September 29, 2017
Take the kid. That is once again the lesson from another death in Florida that could have been avoided if child welfare workers would have erred on the side of caution rather than on keeping a dysfunctional family together. Instead, 8-month-old William Hendrickson IV is dead, his father is charged with his death and still another state investigation finds the system failed. Maybe this time the Florida Legislature will listen.
GA: How can we ease the foster care crisis in Georgia? (Commentary)
Ledger-Enquirer – September 29, 2017
With the departure of state child protection director Bobby Cagle for a similar position in Los Angeles, Georgia’s foster care system faces a crossroads. Indeed, Director Cagle has done an admirable job; second to none. As one who has been a foster and adoptive parent myself, Mr. Cagle’s leadership, passion, and drive have created positive changes in the state’s system. As one who consults and works with foster care agencies across the nation and world, I am confident that Los Angeles’ struggling foster care system will begin to turn around and begin to successfully face their challenges, under Mr. Cagle’s experience and leadership.
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article176219516.html
ID: Helping Kids Succeed
North American Precis Syndicate – September 30, 2017
For some kids, however, getting to graduation can be particularly difficult. For example, the average youth in foster care changes schools three times and loses four to six months of academic progress at each stop. Nationwide, only 50 percent of these youth graduate from high school. Without a diploma and a plan for their future, they experience disproportionately high rates of poverty, homelessness, incarceration, early parenting and substance abuse.
IL: Increase in children in foster care (Includes video)
WAND – September 29, 2017
CASA says it already has received 215 petitions to take children out of abusive or neglectful homes. Last year they recorded only 198 for the entire year.
http://www.wandtv.com/story/36488644/increase-in-children-in-foster-care
KS: 300 kids in need of permanent foster care in KS (Includes video)
KSHB – September 29, 2017
The number of foster children in Kansas continues to rise and at times it is becoming hard to even get a child in a long term home.
http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/growing-number-of-foster-children-sleeping-on-offices
MI: Lawsuit Challenges Adoption Agencies That Refuse to Work with Same-Sex Couples
Media – September 29, 2017
Now, a new lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Dumont v. Lyon, challenges the application of these “religious objection” laws. The complaint, filed in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, claims that Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services violated the Constitution by using taxpayer money to fund child placing agencies that use religious criteria to screen prospective foster and adoptive parents for children in the foster care system and turn away qualified families on the basis of sexual orientation.
TX: Local Foster Care Organizations Expand Services Beyond Adolescence
Rivard Report – October 02, 2017
Being a mother means that Zapata is reduced to organizations that accept mothers with children, an additional barrier in a situation where options are already limited. At any given time, about 28,000 children are wards of the state.
https://therivardreport.com/local-foster-care-organizations-expand-services-beyond-adolescence/
TX: CarePortal seeks to connect churches with at-risk children
Terrell Tribue – September 26, 2017
Tammy Pargoud is enrolling Kaufman County churches to be a part of CarePortal, which connects families in crisis with churches to help them with their challenges. Pargoud is regional manager for the Global Orphan Project, which operates the CarePortal.
http://www.terrelltribune.com/community/article_5d60f28a-a2d4-11e7-87f2-af0244f1e04b.html
WI: Foster care programs in La Crosse, ‘a system in crisis’
WIZM – October 01, 2017
A task force on foster care in Wisconsin heard La Crosse’s program is “a system in crisis.” Foster care services for kids and families might be more effective in Wisconsin if local communities could get more money to provide those services. Wisconsin budget allots just 10% of what county actually needs .
US: Gazette editorial: Help for foster kids? Focus on relationships
Charleston Gazette-Mail – October 01, 2017
The way to get more foster kids into school and jobs may be to look beyond reading and math tutoring and work harder on their relationship skills, says a new report from the Brookings Institute’s Center on Children and Families.
Report: Care and Connections Bridging Relational Gaps for Foster Youths: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/09-14-2017_fostercarereport2.pdf