By Josefina on May 21, 2010
May is National Foster Care Month and for California’s 65,000 foster children and those who advocate on their behalf, it’s a month to raise awareness of both some progress made and the ongoing need for more improvement in the services we provide our foster youth as they start their adult lives. After a nearly unanimous vote of support out of the State Assembly, a bill I have co-authored with Assembly Member Jim Beall, Jr. of San Jose to support foster youth in California until they are 21 years old is now moving in the State Senate.
Posted in Foster Care Updates, State Foster Care Policy Updates | Tagged aging out, california, California State Assembly, foster care month, legislation
By Josefina on May 18, 2010
Jimmy Wayne recently took a break from his Meet Me Halfway solo-walk across America to speak before the California Senate. Jimmy was asked to take part in California’s kick-off event for National Foster Care Awareness Month in Sacramento where he spoke before the California Senate.
Posted in Foster Care Updates, State Foster Care Policy Updates | Tagged AB 12, advocacy, california, foster care, foster care month, homelessness
By Justin Slaughter on May 18, 2010
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) prepared these State Fact Sheets about Foster Care for the 2010 National Foster Care Month campaign.
Posted in Foster Care Library, Foster Care Updates | Tagged foster care data, foster care month, foster care research, research, resources
By Josefina on May 5, 2010
The NRCPFC prepared fact sheets about foster care for the National Foster Care Month campaign. For each state and the District of Columbia you can find the following information:
- Number of children in foster care
- Average age and number of children in care by age range
- Gender
- Race/ethnicity of children in out-of-home care and of the general population in the state
- Average length of stay in care
- Percentage of children reunified with parents or primary caretakers
- Number of licensed foster homes
- Percent of youth living with relatives
- Percent of children adopted by foster parents and by relatives
- Contact information to find out how to become a foster parent in that state.
Most data was supplied by the Children’s Bureau for Fiscal Year 2003. Some states have provided more current statistics from their own data systems.
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/fact-sheets.html
Posted in Foster Care Library, Foster Care Updates, State Foster Care Policy Updates | Tagged foster care data, foster care month, foster care research, foster care statistics, foster parents
By Josefina on May 5, 2010
All children — including the 463,000 American children and youth in foster care — deserve a safe, happy life. Young people in foster care especially need nurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them.
Each May, we salute the compassionate people who make a difference by serving as foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families.
But some children in foster care are less fortunate. Most communities across the country are urgently seeking more everyday people to help these youth overcome their troubled childhoods and realize their full potential. No matter what their age, every young person in foster care benefits from a meaningful connection to a caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in his or her life.
Take a closer look at the number and diversity of people who were once in foster care. It might surprise you. In fact, there are an estimated 12 million foster care alumni in the U.S. representing all walks of life. Behind this statistic are countless stories of children who grew up to be thriving adults while others struggled with life’s challenges all alone. The difference between triumph and tragedy will become very clear as you read about these foster care alumni. Success stories come about when someone takes the time to offer comfort, provide support, give advice, or simply share a milestone moment with a youngster enduring a difficult family situation.
Now is the time to get involved. No matter how much time you have to give, you have the power to do something positive that will Change a Lifetime for a young person in foster care.
Posted in Federal Foster Care Policy Updates, Foster Care Updates | Tagged child welfare, childhood, Education, foster care, foster care month, mental health
By Josefina on May 5, 2010
President Barack Obama kicked off National Foster Care Month by issuing a proclamation recognizing the promise and potential of youth in care. In his statement he highlighted some of the goals and accomplishments of his administration as they pertain to youth in care. The proclamation also celebrates the child welfare workforce and the foster parents who give so much to these youth. In addition to diligently working to implement the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, President Obama and his Administration provided more than $35 million in 2009 to the Adoption Incentives program in order to increase the number of children adopted from the foster care system, as well as funding for the IV-E adoption and foster care assistance program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The recent enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will ensure Medicaid coverage for former foster youth beginning in 2014. President Obama ended his statement with a call to celebrate the triumphs of children and youth in care, as well as the commitment to continue to work to remove barriers to permanency.
Posted in Federal Foster Care Policy Updates, Foster Care Updates | Tagged child welfare, foster care month, foster parents, obama
By Dana Mandolesi on March 29, 2010
National Foster Care Month is in May. You can include your National Foster Care Month event in the online Events Calendar by filling out the form on the National Foster Care Month website. Be sure to include contact information, as your event cannot be confirmed and posted without it.
http://www.fostercaremonth.org/EventsAndPromotions/Pages/EventSubmission.aspx
Posted in Upcoming Events | Tagged foster care month, may, national foster care month
