Permanency Tip of the Week: Preparation / Processing of Family Engagements
In the family engagement process, there will be engagements that work out better than our wildest dreams and those that don’t work out. This might be due to the engagement being cancelled, being full of conflict / discord or because it did not live up to the expectations of either / both parties involved. Sometimes the fantasies and expectations that are attached to the engagement can end up setting it up for a less than ideal outcome. A good deal of our work needs to happen both on the front end to prepare everyone for the engagement and afterwards to process through the wide range of possible experiences, reactions and feelings.
Permanency Story of the Week: Soldier’s journey from child abuse victim to child welfare advocate
ANSBACH, Germany – Childhood abuse and trauma can haunt an individual long after childhood, and Sgt. Jamaal Cromer knows this better than most. Cromer, a nursing noncommissioned officer, who works in primary care at the Katterbach Army Health Clinic, was once a victim of child abuse, but now is a vocal advocate for child welfare…Cromer sees parenting as a constant struggle for self-improvement, a struggle for which the Army provides the tools to improve. “I care about my children and the type of people they are going to be, and I want them to help society in any way they choose — to be productive citizens. And I don’t want them to struggle, and I don’t want them to go through the same things I went through.”
Current Permanency related articles:
The Importance of Home Permanency for Foster Child Development
Trying to get a child to adapt to a new home setting that is away from his or her original family can be one of the most difficult parts of adoption or moving the child around in foster care. Having a sense of home is pivotal to a child’s development and how they will conduct themselves into adulthood. According to a Princeton Journal, “from a child’s perspective, the foster care experience can be emotionally traumatic, and it is associated with detrimental developmental outcomes and lower educational achievement.” The journal estimates that 30-80 percent of foster care youth exhibit emotional and behavioral problems as an effect of their foster care or pre-foster care experiences. Not only does a sense of home come from a physical house, but also the bonds the child makes via new family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, and other people in the local community that the child can draw support from, be it emotional or motivational. The Department of Social Services recognizes that a permanent home is a central source of love, protection, stability, and something we all need in our lives: a sense of belonging.
DoSomething.org and Disney/ABC Team Up For Foster Care Awareness
Young people in foster care often have to switch schools–in one study; young adults reported switching an average of eight times. Switching schools can be stressful for students and may lead to feelings of low self-esteem.
Safety and Stability for Foster Children: A Developmental Perspective
Children in foster care face a challenging journey through childhood. In addition to the troubling family circumstances that bring them into state care, they face additional difficulties within the child welfare system that may further compromise their healthy development. This article discusses the importance of safety and stability to healthy child development and reviews the research on the risks associated with maltreatment and the foster care experience.
“It’s like you’re going to a funeral every day,” living in foster care and never getting adopted
At any given time, there are thousands of youth in foster care, wishing to be adopted. But as they get closer to turning 18-years-old, their chances of adoption get slim; they run a high risk of never having a family to call their own. Fox 17 News spoke with a foster teen, and then a man who “aged out” of the system, or essentially forced into entering the world alone at 18-years-old without a family. They shared some of their stories of hope and hell, as they wished to have the one thing many of us may take for granted. Imagine what it would be like to live with the constant fear of rejection: living in a group home then watching your friends get adopted, as the beds around you slowly empty.
Orange County Superior Court program addresses at-risk boys’ needs
Boys Court is part of the Teen Court collaborative program, a unique partnership between the court and child welfare systems that provides intensive support for 90 of the county’s most at-risk youths.
Previous research has suggested that teens who have been victims of maltreatment may be more likely to practice a number of health-risk behaviors. However, a new study found that teens involved with the Child Welfare System had rates of most health-risk behaviors that were similar to those found in the general teen population.
National Foster Care Month Emphasizes Every Child Deserves a Family
Family Equality Council has announced its 2015 National Adoption Month Campaign to coincide with the re-introduction of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act in May. The initiative will draw attention to the policies and lack of protections that prevent youth in care from finding forever homes.