Permanency Tip of the Week: Celebrating Greatness in Permanency Work
We should continue to focus on ensuring that we measure the efficacy of our efforts to ensure that we are promoting the use of best practices and remain good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. However, we should put equal importance towards the celebration and promotion of the real-life stories that are impacted by our work. Too often in large systems of care, the importance and mere existence of the individual can be lost in the sea of data / information. Nowhere can this more clearly be seen than in the child welfare system. Let’s be sure to celebrate the greatness in our work through sharing these real life stories of the children and families who are forever changed by our Permanency work!
Permanency Story of the Week: “[I’m] not only making [my] own dream a reality, but helping others’ dreams as well.”
Growing up in the neighborhood, Jasmine dreamed of attending the University of Southern California. At age 11, her dream was deferred the day she received news that she would have to live with her grandmother. Although living with their grandmother, Jasmine was tasked with caring for her younger siblings. She washed their clothes, prepared their food, and worked to earn enough money for the essentials. When Jasmine was able to return to her mother’s home, Jasmine experienced extreme negativity and was eventually kicked out. From a friend’s house to sleeping in an alley, Jasmine finally found the courage to refer herself to a shelter. She was taken into care, moved a couple of times and finally found the stability she needed at the Los Angeles Youth Network (group home). It was there that she repaired her GPA, got involved in the community and reclaimed her desire to attend college by applying to United Friends of the Children’s (UFC) College Sponsorship Program.
Current Permanency related articles:
California Bureau of Children’s Justice
On Feb. 12, California Attorney General Kamala Harris held a press conference in Los Angeles to announce the creation of a “Bureau of Children’s Justice” with goals ranging from reducing truancy and combatting “childhood trauma” to improving the foster care and juvenile justice systems.
Health-risk behaviors in teens investigated by U.S. child welfare agencies
The aim of this study in Journal of Adolescent Health, published online on March 2, was to examine prevalence and correlates of health-risk behaviors in 12- to 17.5-year-olds investigated by child welfare and compare risk-taking over time and with a national school-based sample. The conclusion was that health-risk behaviors in this population of vulnerable teens are highly prevalent. Early efforts for screening and interventions should be part of routine child welfare services monitoring.
Fesia Davenport Takes Driver’s Seat in Office of Child Protection
The reforms enshrined in a Los Angeles County blue ribbon commission report may be one step closer to reality with the recent appointment of a new child protection leader for the county. Last month, former Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Fesia Davenport was tapped to serve as interim director of the newly formed Office of Child Protection (OCP).
In this blog post, the authors described crossover youth and why we should be especially concerned about their well-being. The goal of their blog post is to describe an innovative intervention to correct the developmental trajectories of youth dually-involved with child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Dr. Dan Siegel to Present at the 2015 NACAC Conference
NACAC is pleased to announce that Dan Siegel, M.D., of the Mindsight Institute will present a full-day pre-conference session — “Mindsight and Healing Trauma” — on July 29 at the NACAC conference in Long Beach, California. Dr. Siegel will also be the keynote speaker on the first day of the conference, presenting “Families, Children, and Therapy from the Inside Out” on July 30. Detailed information about conference sessions and registration will be available in April. The conference runs from July 29 to August 1, 2015.
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) Seeks Angels in Adoption Nominees
Do you know someone dedicated to improving the life of a child through adoption or foster care? Now’s the time to nominate them as an Angel in Adoption!
Through CCAI’s Angels in Adoption Program, members of Congress and CCAI select an individual, couple, or organization who has made an extraordinary contribution on behalf of children in need of families. Past nominees are have included (but are not limited to) the following types of people entities: adoptive or foster parents, adoptees, nonprofit organizations, family court and juvenile judges, members of the media, social workers, business people, adoption advocates, former foster youth, advocacy groups, attorneys. The deadline for nominations is April 27.