Permanency Tip of the Week: Importance of Permanency in Learning
When we look at the concept of learning, we most often go to the realm of education; however, in service of our Youth in foster care, we need to focus our attention on the learning that happens in the context of Permanent relationships. Our brains are wired to learn through repeated interactions with other human beings. Because many of our Youth have been exposed to significant neglect, in addition to other forms of abuse, they often are lacking in the area of healthy interpersonal learning. This is where Permanency is so critical for our Youth to learn how to begin to trust people again and thus open themselves up to a life filled with learning.
Permanency Story of the Week: Once Torn Apart, Five Siblings Reunite
When Tanisha Mays adopted baby Kamiah in 2012, she never expected to also add Kamiah’s four older siblings to her family, too. But thanks to the consistent support of the children’s CASA volunteer, Tanisha has adopted Kamiah’s sisters, 15-year-old twin girls, Keila and Kayla, and 10-year-old brother, Khalill, and is working to adopt the children’s other brother, 11-year-old K’San. “If it wasn’t for CASA, we wouldn’t be here,” Tanisha says. “This is a family that’s gone through so much heartache. Not anymore. Our tears are happy now.”
Current Permanency related articles:
It’s the year 2000 in Bucharest, Romania. Carrying computers, audio amplifiers and electroencephalography (EEG) equipment, University of Maryland neuroscientist Nathan Fox sets up a makeshift lab inside a children’s orphanage. Today, his team will measure the electrical charges inside the orphaned children’s brains and compare them to those of children with foster parents. Fox is one of several neuroscientists from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP) an American research program tracking the health of 136 orphan children over a period of twelve years. The BEIP will publish its 12-year follow-up data this spring.
“What we found that day was very traumatic,” Fox tells me. “No matter how much we turned up the amplifiers on our equipment, the signal that was coming out of the brains of the kids in institutions were very small compared to typically developing children of the same age living in the community.” The cause was not physical abuse in any conventional form. It wasn’t cuts, bruises or a blow to the head. Rather, it was the absence of consistent stimulation and response, kindness and warmth. In short, the cause was neglect.
Here is the website with resources and more information on the Attachment and Bio-behavioral Catch-up (ABC) / Infant Caregiver Project associated with this research.
White Paper Series on Well-Being
In 2012, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families published the information memorandum Promoting Social and Emotional Well-Being for Children and Youth Receiving Child Welfare Services. Building on this guidance, the Children’s Bureau published a series of white papers focused on integrating well-being into child welfare practice to effectively achieve safety and permanency for children and families.
Fewer child abuse and neglect victims for seventh consecutive year
The number of child abuse and maltreatment victims has dropped nationwide for the seventh consecutive year, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
Many Former Foster Youth Unaware of New Health Care Benefits
Young adults in every state who have aged out of the foster care system are now eligible for Medicaid under a new provision of the Affordable Care Act. Analysts believe that anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 young people who have aged out of foster care in New York state are eligible but have yet to be connected to coverage.
FREE Support Group for Teen Adoptees and Teen Foster Youth – Los Angeles, CA
A free open support group for Teen Adoptees and Teen Foster Youth with Adult Foster/Adoptee Mentors. Ages 13-19 • NO Parents allowed! Meets 1st Tuesday of every month from 6:00-7:30 pm at Olive Crest – 17800 Woodruff Ave., Suite A Bellflower, CA 90706. For more information – Contact: Jennifer Penner, LCSW – Jennifer-Penner@olivecrest.org or (562) 866-8956 ext. 6147
Watch Sasha’s moving story about sibling connections Sasha’s story provides a narrative about the importance of sibling connections and visiting. She also talks about success at school, connections with a supportive adult in her life, and post secondary education.
A Look at Disconnected Youth Involved in Child Welfare
New findings show that three years after a report of maltreatment, 15% of youth ages 16-24 were “disconnected” – not in school or employed. For more on the characteristics and risk factors for these youths… Explore our latest look at the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being.