Correction from last week:
The hyperlink for the Child Trends Family Finding Research Briefs was incorrect. This is the correct link to the NIPFC Family Finding Resources.
Current Permanency related articles:
“Permanency Ambivalence” and its Impact on Family Engagement
Kevin Campbell – NIPFC – Another common challenge to building a culture of shared decision-making and responsibility is ambivalence on the part of case planners about permanency for the youth themselves. I call this “Permanency Ambivalence.” This ambivalence can come from a place of real concern around whether the family can handle the behavior of and properly support the youth, or whether family involvement might disrupt a new placement where the youth is stable or the worker is hopeful that stabilization will happen.
Guardians Help Foster Youth Achieve College Dreams
Sandra Ramirez knows all too well that the deck is stacked against former foster children who dream of going to college. The 24-year-old senior at Cal State San Marcos is a rare success story in the foster care community, where fewer than 10 percent of former foster youth enroll in college and just 3 percent graduate. Her brains and determination can be credited for her achievements, but she has another ace in the hole — Promises2Kids’ Guardian Scholars program, which provides scholarships, one-on-one mentoring and networking opportunities for young adults after they leave the safety net of the foster care system.
Protective Factors Approaches in Child Welfare
Developed by the Child Welfare Information Gateway, this issue brief provides an overview of protective factors approaches to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The brief was designed to help policymakers, administrators, child welfare and related professionals, service providers, advocates, and other interested individuals understand the concepts of risk and protective factors in families and communities and learn ways in which building protective factors can help to lessen risks for child abuse and neglect. (February 2014)
Children’s Bureau Express (CBX) – Spotlight on Permanence for Youth
Of the approximately 400,000 children and youth in foster care in the United States, one-third are between the ages of 12 and 17. All young people—regardless of age—need and deserve permanent, loving families. No one is too old for permanency. This month, CBX highlight resources focused on achieving permanence for youth, including an issue brief with information on efforts to reunite children and families, funding available for reunification efforts, and promising practices for supporting reunification; a pilot program that aims to keep teenagers out of foster care and safely at home; and more.
Abused Children May Get Unique Form of PTSD
Child abuse scars not just the brain and body, but, according to the latest research, but may leave its mark on genes as well. The research, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that abused children who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may experience a biologically distinct form of the disorder from PTSD caused by other types of trauma later in life.
Covering Former Foster Youth Should Be Easy But …
Sometimes, it’s the simplest provision of a law that works the best – like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that allows young adults to stay on their parents’ health plan until 26. But youth leaving the foster care system as they transition to adulthood don’t have families to fall back on, so the ACA allows these young adults to retain Medicaid coverage until age 26. With no income or asset test, it should be a pretty straightforward process to determine eligibility for these youth, right? Well, maybe not. There are several reasons why this simple provision of the ACA may not be so simple.
Family Finding in the News – New York City
Over the holidays, New York Magazine published a compelling article about the power Family Finding as a new strategy that is having a strong positive impact in the lives of children and youth in New York City. This change in New York child welfare policy was largely made possible through Kevin Campbell’s continued work in New York City over the past several years.