Permanency Tip of the Week: Family History of Being a Family
When we identify a family as a possible source of Permanency for a Youth, one aspect that we should consider is the Family’s history of being a family. We can learn a lot about the potential for a successful placement when we take the time to learn about the family’s experience in welcoming new people into their family either through marriage, partnership, birth, foster or adoption. If there have been challenges, and what family hasn’t experienced a few, we can learn a lot about how they responded to and learned from these situations.
Permanency Story of the Week: From Foster Care to Yale: The Rodney J. Walker Story – A New Day One
Adopting Teens and Tweens Radio Forum – Guest: Rodney J. Walker, recently had his memoir published entitled“A New Day One: Trauma, Grace, and A Young Man’s Journey from Foster Care to Yale.” Rodney shares his incredible and inspiring story about growing up in foster care on Chicago’s south side and how he made his way to Morehouse College and Yale University. Rodney speaks to the importance of telling youth in care the truth about their histories and also about the important role mentors played in his life journey toward success.
Current Permanency Related Articles:
Emotional, Psychological Well-Being of Children in Foster Care
A new information packet from the National Center for Child Welfare Excellence (NCCWE) at the Silverman School of Social Work explores facts and statistics about the mental health concerns of children in foster care. These children may be particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges due to possible exposure to abuse and neglect, as well as the process of out-of-home care. The author notes that almost 48 percent of children in foster care were found to have “clinically significant” emotional or behavioral problems in a 2004 National Institute of Mental Health survey, and that more than 50 percent of children formerly in foster care cope with mental disorders as adults.
Foster Parents Are Making Our Nation Stronger
What’s the key to America’s future? While the answer may at first seem complex, it is really quite simple. One of the greatest ways we can strengthen our nation is by focusing on our next generation, helping our children achieve their God-given potential.
Without strong parents and mentors, we see too many promising lives fall short of realizing their dreams and purpose. Every time that happens, it’s not just a single, personal tragedy; it’s a national tragedy as well. While we often celebrate the wonderful teachers, doctors and mentors who help our youth, we must not forget the countless families who adopt or become foster parents. They are true angels who want to see the very best for our children, especially kids who have been abused or neglected and are helpless with nowhere else to turn.
Children and Traumatic Separation
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network published a fact sheet for professionals working with children who have experienced a separation from their caregiver, whether through death or due to other circumstances for varying amounts of time. The fact sheet explains that children can often experience traumatic stress as a result of separations depending on the circumstances surrounding the experience. Besides the trauma of a separation due to death, children may become separated from caregivers because of parental incarceration, immigration, parental deportation, parental military deployment, and termination of parental rights.
After Growing up in 16 Foster Homes, Lorenzo Mauldin Drafted by Jets
Lorenzo Mauldin hopes he can finally call a place home, something that the New York Jets’ third-round pick hasn’t had for much of his life. A tough-as-nails linebacker for the past four years at Louisville, Mauldin can point to a childhood that was anything but stable to explain his character and convictions in life. He has been told that he grew up in 16 foster homes in and around Atlanta but he truthfully can remember only 10 to 12 of them.
Research has shown that number one indicator of success for youth in foster care is a positive relationship with a caring adult. Mentoring programs for older youth in foster care and foster care alumni build connections that can support the transition into adulthood. This video demonstrates the importance of mentoring on not only vulnerable youth, but also the benefits on the mentors themselves. This short five-minute video can be used to build community awareness about the importance of the mentoring relationship and promote mentor/resource family recruitment efforts. A longer ten-minute video can be used as part of training for child welfare students and/or staff to promote the development of mentoring initiatives for foster youth.
Access to Opportunities for Transitioning Youth
The journey from adolescence to adulthood can be a challenging time for any young person. For older youth in foster care transitioning to independence, this journey can be especially difficult. Youth in care may lack the support networks and healthy relationships helpful during this time of transition, and many youth encounter barriers to accessing basic resources such as housing, health care, and post-secondary education and employment opportunities. The good news is that there are programs and policies that can help. A policy brief developed by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) presents several recommendations for State and Federal policymakers, service providers, researchers, and others.