Greetings Permanency Champions,
Permanency Tip of the Week: Are they Prepared for Permanency?
The Roman philosopher Seneca is credited with saying “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” I think we can all agree that our Youth in out of home care are seriously deserving of some good luck in their lives! In our Permanency services, we are progressively doing better at providing our Youth with opportunities for Permanency; however, we need to focus even more attention and effort on the preparation part of the equation. To be prepared for their opportunities, our Youth are dependent on us to provide services that are trauma, grief and loss, attachment, permanency, and evidence-informed.
Permanency Success Story of the Week: Christian and Staci’s Journey to their Forever Family
Family Service and Children’s Aid (Michigan) – Christian and Staci made the decision long ago that they wanted to foster children. This was a desire they shared as a couple rooted in their faith. They became licensed as foster parents knowing that the goal of foster care is to reunify children in care with their birth family. They wanted to be a part of that process. They received the call about placement for twin boys. It didn’t take long for Christian and Staci to say yes…When it came time and the courts decided that the goal was changing from reunification to adoption they could take a deep breath. The boys really would be theirs and now they allowed themselves to enjoy and celebrate what they felt were always their sons. Christian and Staci went above and beyond to ensure that the boy’s needs were not only met but also exceeded. Christian and Staci have shown their sons’ unconditional love and support since day one.
Permanency Related Articles:
Understanding ICWA and Adoption
Child Welfare Information Gateway – The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 established a process that prioritizes the placement of American Indian children within their family or Tribal community. The law gives Tribes legal authority in child welfare cases in order to maintain important cultural ties. This month, Adoption Triad discusses the importance of understanding ICWA and its application to American Indian children and the adoption process.
Inherent in ICWA is the sovereignty and jurisdictional priority of the child’s Tribe in child welfare cases. Child welfare workers must follow ICWA when placing American Indian children in adoptive placements…1) Understand the ways in which Tribal customary adoption preserves a child’s cultural heritage while allowing for an adoptive placement in “ICWA Webinar #3 Tribal Customary Adoption” from the California Indian Legal Services; 2) Learn about the purpose and implementation of ICWA in Setting the Record Straight: The Indian Child Welfare Act (PDF – 447 KB) from the National Indian Child Welfare Association. This 2015 factsheet discusses the historical precedent and legal considerations associated with the implementation of ICWA; 3) Find information and resources to understand relevant considerations when fostering and adopting Native American children in Families for Native American Children by AdoptUSKids. #ICWA
More Than One in Five U.S. Kids Has Had Multiple Adverse Experiences
Kids Count Data Center – The term adverse childhood experiences refers to a number of potentially traumatic events, including episodes of sexual, physical or emotional abuse as well as exposure to hardships like parental divorce and parental incarceration. Such events can have negative and lasting effects on a child’s well-being and have been linked to increased risks of obesity, alcoholism, and depression, according to research…Data on adverse childhood experiences also vary by race and ethnicity. American Indian (37%) and African American (34%) children are significantly more likely to have multiple adverse experiences compared to their white (19%) and Asian (7%) peers, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health. #adversechildhoodexperiences
Former Foster Youth Share Findings of Survey on Preventing Removals from Families
Chronicle of Social Change – In early February, the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council hosted a webinar on its most recent policy focus on preventing unnecessary removal of children from their families. Three former foster youth – Dani Townsend, David Hall, and Nico’Lee Biddle – presented the group’s findings from their survey on the subject and recommendations that will be shared with federal stakeholders.
Hall shared a few highlights from the survey, which included responses from 200 current and former foster youth. Among them, 59 percent of respondents did not feel they were included in the investigation that led to their placement in foster care. Another 55 percent of respondents were not confident in their child welfare professional’s commitment to keeping their families together…The Council’s identified priorities on preventing unnecessary removal …Last year, the group hosted a similar webinar on homelessness among former foster youth, which is available on their website. Currently, the organization has another survey open to foster youth on accessing social capital for youth who experience foster care and will host another webinar in May. #chronicleofsc
Years After Juvenile Detention, Adults Struggle, Study Finds
Social Justice Solutions – Children who have been admitted to a juvenile detention center often struggle with a range of issues years after being detained, according to results from a study published in JAMA Pediatrics. The longitudinal study affords a rare look at how youth who experienced juvenile detention fared in terms of eight positive outcomes five and 12 years after detention…According to analysis, only 21.9 percent of males and 54.7 percent of females had attained positive outcomes in the eight domains. Of all groups surveyed, African Americans were the least likely to achieve positive outcomes in the years after detention…“To improve outcomes, pediatric healthcare professionals should recognize the importance of psychosocial health, partner with on-site psychosocial services in their practices, and facilitate access to services in the community,” the researchers wrote. #socialjusticesolutions, #juveniledetention
Simone Biles Extends Helping Hand to Other U.S. Foster Kids
CBS News – Just a week after disgraced USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to a staggering 40 to 175 years in prison, one of his most famous victims, Simone Biles, is choosing to look forward and stay positive about her upcoming projects. Biles is teaming up with nonprofit online school University of the People as a Global Ambassador to offer a special scholarship fund for U.S. foster children.
As a foster child herself, Biles says she understands what it means to have the odds stacked against you. “Once foster kids age out of the system, they often don’t have the opportunity to go to a regular university because of all the student fees,” Biles, the most decorated American gymnast of all time, told CBS News on Thursday. “Everyone deserves an opportunity. I was given one, and I want to make sure others get one too…”
Lately, Biles has been spending her time at Olympic training facilities and a TV film set, as her biography “Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance” is getting the Lifetime movie treatment… #simonebiles
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Take care and keep up the Permanency work – Our children, youth, young adults, families
and communities are depending on it!