Permanency Tip of the Week: Increasing Awareness of Attachment Friendly Interactions
In order for our Youth to have the best chance of securing and sustaining Permanency, especially through Adoption, it is critical for them to increase their capacity to develop and master attachment friendly interaction skills. A key aspect of this development is the youth being able to self-monitor his / her own verbal and non-verbal actions and signals that are observable to others. We can help them by working with the child to describe what messages they think they are sending and compare those with what ourselves and others are receiving. This can be a two-way process in that the youth can practice interpreting signs and signals that we and others are sending to them. Activities like these are great role play / game opportunities and can be implemented in almost any social setting.
Permanency Story of the Week: Above All, Love and Persistence Reunite a Family
The story of 17-year-old Beth Ann is a testament of the importance of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids model.Separated from her siblings after she was placed into foster care in 2006, she moved around several times before she found her family and was reunited with her siblings and extended family…During the adoption process, Beth Ann had some confrontations with kids at school and self-esteem issues which affected her relationship with her foster family and eventually disrupted the adoption. She once again found herself moving from one foster home to another and decided she wanted nothing to do with adoption.
When the recruiter discussed adoption with Beth Ann’s aunt, she was ecstatic…Her aunt repeatedly told her, “I love you and I’m not giving up on you.” And for the first time, Beth Ann is able to find the peace of mind, security, commitment and love she needs to know that she is a part of a family. She, her aunt and her siblings officially became a family in February 2013.
Current Permanency Related Articles:
Former Foster Youth Leads California Ombudsperson Office
Chronicle of Social Change – At the end of March, Rochelle Trochtenberg began her new job as California’s new foster care ombudsperson, the first time a former foster youth has held the post. The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsman investigates and resolves complaints on behalf of foster youth. Operating under the auspices of the California Department of Social Services, the office is also charged with educating the state’s foster youth about their rights and how to report violations.
The position marks an inspiring arc for Trochtenberg. From painful days in care in Los Angeles County, Trochtenberg, 33, has made an impact as an advocate working on foster care, juvenile justice, homelessness, LGBT rights and mental health issues.
Answering Foster Care, Adoption Need Brings Rewards
Children in the foster care system face many difficult challenges. Often they do not have consistency, which can be so important to a child’s mental wellbeing and development. It is also difficult for a child who has been through many homes to feel a sense of love, security and acceptance. Becoming a foster parent or adoptive parent means an person can change the course of a child’s life, and while it can be difficult, the rewards are great, and there is no shortage of children in the United States who are in need of a temporary or permanent home.
The experience can be incredibly rewarding, not only because foster parents as well as adoptive parents have the deep and heartfelt knowledge that they have given of themselves to provide a better life for children in need, but also because they have the privilege of getting to know some incredible children with whom they otherwise would likely never have crossed paths.
As Mother’s Day approaches, you may be shopping for greeting cards. You can find a card for your mother, your grandmother, your mother-in-law or for that special woman who has been “like a mother” to you. What you can’t find is one for “the woman who gave birth to the child I am mothering.” Birth mothers (or, as some prefer to be called, first mothers) of adopted children are rarely acknowledged during ritual celebrations of motherhood.
My child has two moms — her first mother and me, her adoptive mother. Our child sees me every day and also has the great good fortune to see her first mother every few months…I am glad she has found community throughOn Your Feet Foundation of Northern California, an organization that supports birth/first mothers.
This Mother’s Day, I invite everyone to join me in remembering and celebrating all mothers, including those who have placed children in adoption.
Michele Rabkin is an adoptive parent who lives in Oakland and serves as a communications consultant for Pact, An Adoption Alliance.
Importance of Our Child Welfare Workforce
Infographic on why the Child Welfare Workforce is so important and why the work is so difficult
Chronicle of Social Change – Policies put into place in 2003-2004 promoted early intervention in such cases, but surveys and research since have illustrated that very few children have received access to these interventionist programs.
Upbring is a social services agency based in Texas whose mission is to empower communities to improve long-term outcomes for the state’s children. To this end, the agency has committed to funding research for a series of white papers from various research teams, a few of which we have posted in the past (see here, here, here andhere). The latest white paper released is a collaboration between Mini Moses, M.S.W. and Michelle Johnson-Motoyama, Ph.D. from the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, and Patrick Shannon, Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire Department of Social Work. Their work explores how to approach developmental needs of children ages 0 to 3 who have had contact with the U.S. child welfare system.
The Trajectory of a Traumatized Youth: A Three System Perspective
While many agencies are becoming trauma-informed and implementing the best practice of trauma screening, it is important to understand the entire trajectory a youth may travel into and within the systems as a result of trauma. Members of the RFK Dual Status Youth Practice Network have developed a comprehensive three-system graphic depicting the potential role trauma plays in bringing youth into the systems and moving them deeper into system involvement. Education, child welfare and juvenile justice each have a unique opportunity to interrupt this negative trajectory and create the best opportunities for successful outcomes.