Greetings Permanency Champions,
Permanency Tip of the Week: Are We Both ‘All In’ on this Adoption?
Seeking Permanency through Adoption is a group effort whose workload must be shared by all who are involved. When a couple is seeking Adoption, it is important to assess both whose idea was it to start this journey and the level of commitment of the two people. One of the two might be more invested in Adoption than the other. If this is the case, it is critically important that some solid adoption competent couples counseling be provided to help the couple find a unified position in response to the Adoption. If this unified position is not created prior to the Adoption, the chances of the Adoption and/or the couple’s relationship being severely disrupted down the road increases significantly. This is an example of where prevention can go a long way in securing Permanency for everyone!
Permanency Success Story of the Week: It’s Our Normal: It’s How We Became A Family
30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days – Chicago Now – When we first brought home twins, family friends Liz and Keith (parents to triplets) shared this nugget of wisdom: now, you will see or meet multiples everywhere. Thus far, this has not been an exaggeration in the least…The same concept of “they’re everywhere” seems to apply to fellow families created by adoption, too. People whose lives have been shaped by adoption in some way are now suddenly crossing our paths in droves – friends from graduate school who adopted (and who, like us, are conspicuous adoptive parents) have given us advice, a work friend who is an adult adoptee has shared the wisdom of her experience.
We no longer live in a world where adoption is treated as some hush-hush family secret; in fact, openness is touted by professionals as best for all involved, removing some mystery. Entertainment news stories regularly feature celebrity adoptions…I know, in the deepest places in my heart, that I am their Mommy and that Daddy is Daddy; they know with whom they belong. Certainly, adoption isn’t uncommon, nor is it only discussed in hushed tones behind closed doors. For some curious strangers, is our normal simply not normal enough?
Permanency Related Articles:
Children’s Aid Society of Alabama – I worked at a residential facility for 2 ½ years engaging with young people in the foster care system, who felt forgotten by family and had little to no plans for the future. I often reflected on my own life, remembering how difficult it was for me as a teenager to navigate life, even with both my parents present; I couldn’t fathom how difficult it must be for the young people I provided services to. They would tell me, “no one cares about me, why should I care about myself.” I spent countless hours convincing young people that they mattered and were important. But, they need someone consistent in their lives telling them these things. That’s when I found something called “The Permanency Pact”. It’s a free tool created by Foster Club to encourage life-long connections between a foster youth and a supportive adult. It’s a sense of hope for a young person who may not have strong connections…
Click here to download the Permanency Pact created by Foster Club.
North Carolina Adoption Program Expands to Find Homes for Older Children
WCTI – News Channel 12 – Greensboro NC – Children’s Home Society of North Carolina is announcing an expansion of a statewide program to find permanent homes for older children in foster care during National Adoption Month. Children’s Home Society will also be providing the expanded child-focused recruitment program at no cost to county social services agencies across North Carolina. This is done in partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Social Services…
“Expanding the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program and using its child-focused recruitment model means more children like Nick will leave foster care faster and find safe, loving and permanent families,” Rebecca Starnes, Vice President of Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, said…””The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is driven by a single goal — finding a loving and permanent family for every child waiting to be adopted from foster care,” Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Foundation, said. “We have a successful and growing relationship with Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, who shares our core value of assuring a home for every child in need.”
Three Ways Funders Can Change Systems And Drive Impact
Forbes – Changing systems in our society is complex, difficult and overwhelming work that is practically impossible for a foundation to achieve on its own. There are a number of examples of movements that are pushing for systems change in various aspects of our society, including: The foster care system, which in recent years has seen the national conversation shift to reflect a growing interest in revamping the nation’s child welfare system to focus more on prevention and less on out-of-home placement. Casey Family Programs has been a lead funder in this effort…For more insight on how philanthropy and systems change interact with each other, download a free copy of the field scan, The Role of Philanthropy in Systems Change.
Chronicle Report: At Least 25 States Have Lost Foster Care Capacity Since 2012
Chronicle of Social Change – The number of U.S. children in foster care has been on the rise since 2012, and most experts agree that the upward trend will continue. But what about the number of homes available to take these children? The Chronicle of Social Change, has recently completed a state-by-state research to determine whether this increase in foster youth has been met with a proportional increase in foster homes…This report is strictly an attempt to gauge the trends in foster home capacity at a time when the number of foster youth in the country has increased. Two separate issues of greater importance that readers should consider: 1) States that have seen their capacity compromised by a rising number of foster youth would be smart to assess whether they could keep more youth safely at home. 2) Quality should not be compromised to address problems with quantity. The Senate Finance Committee recently released a report in which it expressed concern about state monitoring and quality control in foster care, particularly in regard to private providers.
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Take care and keep up the Permanency work – Our children, youth, young adults, families and communities are depending on it!