Permanency Tip of the Week: Seeking Safety and Permanency
In our pursuit of Permanency for our Youth, one of the barriers that need to be addressed is the cognitive and emotional discomforts that can be associated with both dealing with a history of trauma and reconnecting with family after being separated from them for so long / never being connected with them at all. For some of our Youth, they may turn to substance use as a way to cope with either or both of these issues. When this is the case, these issues need to be addressed in order to increase the potential for the full positive impact of Permanency to take hold. One evidence-based treatment model that addresses the dual challenges often present in our population – Substance Abuse and Trauma is Seeking Safety.
Permanency Story of the Week: Foster kids overcome obstacles, graduate high school
It was an emotional ceremony for 175 foster kids in Los Angeles, who overcame obstacles to mark a big milestone in their lives – they graduated high school and all of them are heading to college.
Current Permanency related articles:
Lynn Price – Reunification Hero – American Bar Association – Center on Children and the Law
June is National Reunification Month. Most celebrations are held on or near Father’s Day. Father’s Day is June 19, 2015. Events celebrate the important accomplishments of parents and the many professionals that support them in getting their children home safely. Reunification Heroes are parents, professionals and youth that have made heroic reunification efforts. We hope that these stories can celebrate these important individuals. We also hope these stories will bring positive attention to the successes of child welfare, promote quality practices and lead to constructive discussions about systemic needs.
Lynn grew up in the foster care system and founded Camp To Belong in 1995. The camp is constantly working toward its trademarked slogan to “Give Siblings Their Right to Reunite.” Camp To Belong is a unique social program that reunites brothers and sisters who live separately from each other in foster care, adoption, and other out-of-home care for a week at Camp To Belong sites around the United States and Australia. Every summer, hundreds of siblings are reunited at 11member camps and year-round sibling connection programs because of Lynn and her vision.
SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative Helps Children Recover and Thrive With New Campaign
Raising awareness about the impact of child traumatic stress and what parents and caregivers can do to help children recover and thrive is the focus of a new public education campaign launched today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI). The campaign, titled, “Helping Kids Recover and Thrive,” includes new public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish, as well as a website.
“Tough Love” Documentary Gives Insight into Birth Parents’ Struggles
Chronicle of Social Change – Director Stephanie Wang-Breal’s “Tough Love” follows the stories of two birth parents working to get their children back from the foster care system. The documentary’s subjects, Hasna “Hannah” Siddique and Patrick Brown, are seen struggling to get their children back from the foster care system, and much of the action is shot in Seattle’s Family Treatment Court, a realm where audio and visual recording privileges must be given by the court’s presiding judge. “Lots of parents are trying to get their kids home,” Wang-Breal said. The documentary covers an angle that she says many people don’t think about.
Six Things You Should Know About Growing up in Foster Care
Huffington Post – We all can help the 400,000 children in foster care and the 23,000 who will turn 18 and “age out” of foster care alone this year. But to do that, we need more people to understand foster children and the unique challenges they face. Here are six things foster children and youth want you to know.
Bill Introduced to Help Children in Foster Care with Educational Stability
U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have introduced a key bipartisan measure to help give children living in foster homes the best opportunity to get a good education. The legislation, called the Educational Stability of Foster Youth Act, would support students in the foster care system by strengthening connections between child welfare agencies and state and local education institutions. Often, schools may be the only familiar place for a child in foster care, and the Senators? measure will help make sure that those kids can go to school in a safe, stable environment.
New open-source program aims to help parents of children in foster care
Developed in collaboration with the Washington state Children’s Administration, the program, dubbed STRIVE, will be downloadable online at no cost and was created specifically for parents of children in foster care. The program’s initial 15 sessions focus on helping parents understand what to expect during visits, which can be emotional for them and for children. They provide instruction on interacting with children through playing and reading to them, as well as problem-solving, self-care, dealing with trauma and managing setbacks. Additionally, the center is developing a model for group classes, also designed for parents with children in foster care.