Permanency Tip of the Week: I Thought I Already Had Permanency
When we begin the search for Permanency, we must be alert to the reality that in the minds and hearts of some of our Youth they firmly believe that they already have all the Permanency they need. This can be especially true when there are ongoing visits / contacts with family members. It is important that we validate, honor and normalize the Youth’s thoughts / feelings and engage them in a conversation about how their experience of Permanency could be expanded and strengthened by the addition of new connections. Through this ongoing conversation, we can learn a lot about the Youth and they can begin to build trust in us and in the Permanency process.
Permanency Success Story of the Week: Kimberly’s Family Finding Success
Children’s Home Society of North Carolina – Wonderful story of the positive changes in a young girl’s life when she was reconnected with a fictive kin member through family finding.
Permanency Related Articles:
Report Details U.S. Federal Funding of Child Welfare
Congressional Research Service recently released Child Welfare: An Overview of Federal Programs and Their Current Funding, which provides information on the amount and sources of federal funding for child welfare services. The report notes that, in recent years, Congress has appropriated between $7.6 billion and $8.7 billion annually in federal support dedicated to child welfare purposes. Of this almost all (97 percent) was paid to states, tribes, and territories.
Invest in Foster Children Today for a Better Tomorrow
Chronicle for Social Change – According to federal data, there are more than 427,000 in U.S. foster care and nearly 112,000 waiting to be adopted. Those of us committed to ensuring safety and security for these children are anxiously waiting to see what President-elect Donald Trump has to say about child welfare… As we start the New Year, the child welfare community has an opportunity to educate political leaders, especially those new to foster care and adoption, about the value of investing in children. We must remind legislators that, rather than considering a decrease to the current federal spending on children, legislators should spend more now to achieve positive outcomes and save money down the road.
Child Abuse, Neglect Data Released
Administration for Children and Families – The report shows an increase from Fiscal Year 2014 to 2015 in three key metrics: numbers of referrals to CPS agencies alleging maltreatment (4.7 percent), number of referrals that CPS agencies accepted for investigation or alternative response (3.4 percent), and number of children who were the subject of an investigation or alternative response (3.0 percent).
Fighting Sex Trafficking Is Harder Than It Seems
Governing – When a young teen named Anjelique ran away from her home near San Francisco last summer, her trauma didn’t end when police eventually found her. Instead, while her distraught mother and grandmother posted “missing child” fliers all over the East Bay area, police took Anjelique to an Alameda County social services assessment center in Hayward. Before police take troubled youths home, they often bring them there to receive counseling and services. But 12-year-old Anjelique only stayed one night. That’s because sex traffickers were using the assessment center as a recruitment base. Anjelique befriended another teenage girl in the center, who convinced her to leave. Together, they walked just a few minutes up the seedy commercial strip in Hayward to a budget motel. Once there, Anjelique was put to work.
Data Analysis Shows Challenges Facing Many Youth Who Age Out of Care
Administration for Children and Families – National Youth in Transition Database show many youth who age out of foster care face significant challenges, including increased risks of homelessness, early parenting, and lack of health insurance coverage. The findings highlight the need to ensure that every child leaves foster care to a permanent, loving family and that young people in foster care have the supports they need to ensure success after they leave care.
January Is National Mentoring Month
Children’s Bureau Express – National Mentoring Month highlights the positive impact mentoring has on the lives of young people by raising awareness of the various forms of mentorship; recruiting potential mentors, especially to areas where there is the most need; and engaging with corporations and constituencies to garner support for mentoring programs in their area. In honor of National Mentoring Month, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership released the 2017 Campaign Toolkit.
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- Take care and keep up the Permanency work – Our children, youth, young adults, families and communities are depending on it!