Greetings Permanency Champions,
Permanency Tip of the Week: Impact of Losing Permanency Again
A commonly held belief is that once we cross a bridge, it’s easier to cross it a 2nd time. Applying this belief to the practice of securing Permanency for our Youth in out of home care can be particularly challenging. Many of our Youth have already lost their original source of Permanency in terms of the family that they came into this world in and struggle to belief that they will ever find Permanency. For our Youth who have again lost Permanency while under our care, including removal from their parent(s) a 2nd time or an Adoption that disrupts, this ability to hope and believe in Permanency becomes even more difficult. In these unfortunate situations, we need to provide even more support to guide them through this return to the grief and loss process. This will help increase the chances that our Youth will be willing and able to partner with us in another attempt at crossing the bridge to lasting Permanency.
Permanency Success Story of the Week: Bill and Rosemary by Whitney Gilliard
Dr. John DeGarmo – Guest Blog by Whitney Gilliard – “When it is dark I will always crack the door so there is light. When you feel alone, I will show you a picture of your son and remind you that you will never be alone again. When you feel unloved, look at me and you’ll know without a doubt that you are loved. When you feel weak, I’ll show you a picture of the strongest people I have ever met- you. I was just thinking of how fantastic you are and wanted to tell you. Hope you are having a fabulous day sweetie.”- Love mom.
That was the text my foster mother, whom I now call mom, sent me one evening. I starred that that message long and hard and flashbacks came through of the times I was in foster care…My foster parents had to answer to questions that belonged to the people who placed me on this earth. They had to deal with pain that they didn’t create. They allowed their life to be messy because to them, I was worth it. After numerous times of not letting go, and not giving up on me. I found myself walking across the stage of my high school graduation, holding a diploma I would have never thought would be mine. A few years later, in the delivery room, there they stood holding my son as proud grandparents. The cycle of abuse and generations of pain have finally ended. All because a couple refused to give up on me…
Permanency Related Articles:
Children are in Need of Families, and You May Be the Perfect Fit
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – Child abuse is among the most difficult subjects imaginable to discuss. Just thinking about the abuse, maltreatment or neglect of children too young or too powerless to defend themselves can be emotionally wrenching. Older youth can become deeply troubled by the recognition that they were abandoned or maltreated simply because of who they are. The reality of child abuse forces us to confront the disturbing notion that the very adults charged with the safety and care of their children have done just the opposite…But these children don’t need to wait for some idealized notion of family – they simply need loving individuals in their lives who are willing to meet the challenges of parenting and to make a lifetime commitment to caring for and nurturing them. Families are as unique and diverse as the children in care and we should embrace, support and celebrate those who step forward to adopt.
If you are an individual or couple who has ever considered adoption, I encourage you to learn more about foster care adoption and whether you might make a good fit for a child’s needs. The rewards – for you and for a child in need of a loving home – will last a lifetime, and build a legacy of family for generations to come.
Grandparents Raising Grandkids Grapple with Retirement and College Costs at the Same Time
Washington Post – Among the thousands of families filling out financial aid applications and struggling to save for tuition, there are grandparents such as Bursch facing the same financial responsibilities but with limited resources. Their second run at parenting arrives as their earning potential winds down and retirement kicks in with a fixed income never meant to cover the cost of college. Every stitch of their clothing, all of their meals and day-to-day expenses have been her responsibility since 2003, when drug use by her daughter and son-in-law prompted the police to remove the children from their home.
Guiding Children to “Listen” to Their Bodies
Whole Child Initiative – Gabi Garcia – Helping children slow down and develop mindful awareness of what their bodies are telling them is a foundation for building self-regulation. What is self-regulation? Simply put, self-regulation is the process of monitoring and recognizing when stimulation is too much, and then doing something about it. However, this is not always a simple or straightforward process, and for children who have experienced trauma (and whose nervous system creates the sense that it needs to be on high alert), this becomes even more challenging.
Children may be doing something in response to stimulation, but it may not be helping them to get their actual needs met. A hungry child may be cranky or grumpy, a tired child may become squirmy and unfocused, a nervous child may feel their belly tighten or have shortness of breath. In some cases, children can become overwhelmed by the physical sensations they are experiencing without understanding what is happening or what to do.
States Turning to Evidence-Based Policymaking to Improve Outcomes for Children and Youth
The Pew Charitable Trust – Policymakers want to improve outcomes for children and youth but often struggle with how best to allocate limited resources. In recent years, many have turned to evidence-based policymaking—the systematic use of high-quality research in decision-making—to help address this challenge. Extensive analysis, for example, has demonstrated that some interventions achieve outcomes that benefit children and youth—such as reducing child abuse and juvenile recidivism rates. But policymakers need access to these findings to identify, fund and sustain these proven programs…
How can states better engage in evidence-based policymaking? To help other states expand their evidence-based policymaking over the long term, the Results First report identified several approaches that states, in addition to Ohio and Florida, have adopted.
First, states can increase their commitment to using evidence and data to guide decisions…Second, states can invest in strengthening the infrastructure needed to make their agencies’ data systems compatible and enable staff to conduct analyses that identify cost-effective programming…Finally, states can expand their staff capacity to identify and implement programs shown to be effective.
With the growing data on how to build a better future for children and youth, policymakers can expand their engagement in evidence-based policy-making by strategically investing in public programs proved to deliver strong returns on taxpayer dollars.
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Take care and keep up the Permanency work – Our children, youth, young adults, families and communities are depending on it!