Dr. Greg Manning

A Professional Trainer, Keynote Speaker and Consultant

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Permanency in the News – Week of 3/26/18

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Greetings Permanency Champions,

Permanency Tip of the Week:  What Does It Mean to Feel Safe?

For many people, feeling safe is something much easier to sense internally than it is to describe how exactly it feels or what factors contribute to our level of safety.  In our role as supportive adults, we can help detect subtle changes in our Youth’s level of safety by identifying changes in several non-verbal forms of communication including, but not limited to: eye movement, body posture, voice tone and pace, muscle tension and breathing rate and depth.  When we detect any degree of change in these variables, we can take this opportunity to supportively and compassionately verbalize this observation to our Youth.  We can also offer our assistance in helping guide our Youth to feeling safer.  These steps can help build and/or strengthen our connection with the Youth and help them take one more step towards Permanency.

 

Permanency Success Story of the Week: You Never Outgrow the Need for Family

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – I always knew I would adopt one day. One day when I was older. One day when I was married. One day when my husband and I owned a home. One day when we had “X” amount of money in our savings. I knew I would adopt one day when I had my life “together”- whatever that meant. It’s funny how life works because August 22, 2017 became THAT day despite my relationship, housing and financial status.

I entered the child welfare profession seven years ago and have been an adoption recruiter for the past two years, which is by far my favorite job! In 2016, Zay was referred to our Wendy’s Wonderful Kid’s`\  program for adoption recruitment. I wasn’t yet the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, however as fate would have it, I excitedly transitioned to that role two months later, with Zay on my caseload.  Each time we were together he told me he didn’t want to be adopted. He had already been adopted once, and now, 10 years later, was in foster care. But one day…He finally looked at me and said, “Yeah, I think adoption would be the best thing for my future. Can you get me adopted?”  my heart leapt with excitement that we had such a break through, but I immediately felt sad knowing that many families don’t want to adopt a 17-year-old male…My heart broke thinking that this might be the path Zay would follow.

With only eight months before he turned 18, I had limited prospects for Zay and thoughts of adopting him myself began to creep in…12 days before his 18th birthday, we stood before the judge, surrounded by 40 of my closest friends, family and coworkers, and officially became a family.  To say our journey has been easy would be a lie. It’s been an adjustment for both of us as we learn to live as a family. I am adjusting to being accountable for someone else and he is adjusting to being held accountable. But with the love and support of everyone around us, we are becoming a family. I have always believed that you never outgrow the need for family, and each day I am reminded firsthand that it’s true.

Permanency Related Articles:

Friends of Children Launching Program to Help Young Adults Out of Foster Care

WWLP (MA) – The Friends of Children in Hadley is launching a nationwide program to help young adults who have aged out of foster care.  The nationwide program called FOCUS pairs those who have aged out of foster care with adults who provide resources for young men and women entering adulthood…At the age of 18, kids aren’t required to live with foster families. Each FOCUS youth participant is paired with a team of three volunteers who become their personal coaches and advisers as they navigate young adulthood…If you know a child eligible for this program or would like to volunteer, click here.

 

No More Missed Goodbyes: Promoting Greater Placement Stability for California Foster Youth

Chronicle Of Social Change  – On February 12, 200 California Youth Connection (CYC) members, allies and community members gathered to celebrate 30 years of the organization’s youth-led advocacy in California, and to continue the fight with a new bill to prevent unnecessary placement changes for foster youth in the state.

That day, the steps of California State Capitol in Sacramento resonated with the voices of current and former foster youth, who chanted “C’mon, c’mon, join the fight! Stability is our right!” and “CYC is here to stay! Moving forward every day!” … Every year, CYC gathers foster youth from across California for its Day at the Capitol Conference. The weekend-long conference features training around the legislative process that builds up to legislative visits with respective state assembly members and senators and a rally on Monday.  With this platform, foster youth have led systems-change efforts for years that resulted in the Foster Youth Bill of Rights, extended foster care and access to transitional housing through the age of 24, to name a few…

 

Together Facing the Challenge: Program Supports Foster Parents, Keeps Youth Connected to Biological Families

Chronicle of Social Change – Biological, foster and adoptive families often face many issues and challenges, and agencies work to support them. Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC) is an evidence-based training and coaching model developed to train agency staff working in foster care on the core elements embedded within this trauma-informed curriculum.

This train-the-trainer model was designed to support agency staff in their role as coach to their foster parents. The tools and strategies are designed to assist families in building therapeutic relationships, implementing pro-active treatment approaches, and promoting the importance of managing one’s own stress by taking time on a routine basis for self-care.  The TFTC team has worked with more than 50 agencies in over 20 states. We have had an opportunity to see issues that go beyond geographical boundaries, beyond rural versus urban, beyond private versus public agency.

 

Giving Foster Youth an Extended Family into Adulthood

San Diego Union Tribune – Diane Cox is the co-founder and development director of Just in Time for Foster Youth, a non-profit that provides services and support for youth 18 to 27 who are transitioning out of the foster care system. “I couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like for (my own children) to not have a safety net, guidance and encouragement. When I saw that many of the young people had subsidized housing but no furnishings, the answer seemed brilliantly simple,” she says. “I knew lots of real estate agents who could help us get donations of gently used furniture. Then, all we had to do was deliver it to the youth who needed it.

 

CWLA – Historic Increases for Children and Families in 2018 Federal Budget

We are pleased to have an opportunity to share some good news from Washington. There are important advancements in the proposed final federal budget for 2018. We will provide many more details in the coming days, but wanted to pass long some key good points now: 1) An historic increase in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) from $25 million to $85 million; 2) An increase in the Adoption and Kinship Incentive Fund to $75 million (increase of $37 million); 3)  A $40 million increase under Promoting Safe and Stable Families with $20 million to fund Kinship Navigator Programs and $20 million designated to supplement the current $20 million for Regional Partnership Grants (RPGs); 4) CHILD CARE! A truly historic increase in child care funding by $2.3 billion, increasing this fund to $5.2 billion.  In addition, a nearly $700 million increase in Head Start; 5) A $9 million increase for Family Violence Prevention of which $5 million is for tribal communities; 6) A $8.3 million increase for the Runaway and Homeless Youth program (currently at $101 million).

Sincerely,

Dr. Greg Manning