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Course
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Policy and Practice in Child Welfare – 702.15 |
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| Child Welfare History |
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PA: Eileen Keller recently spoke about her family's history with the orphan trains
Pittsburg Morning Sun January 25, 2010
Between 1854 to 1929, orphan trains from New York transported over 300,000 destitute children from the city streets or orphan asylums to new homes in the Midwest. Many of them came to Kansas, including four who lived with J.K. and Sarah Hiebert, Hillsboro, grandparents of Eileen Keller, Pittsburg. She discussed the orphan trains and shared family stories recently for a meeting of the Red Hot Toppers, a local chapter of the Red Hat Society.
Timeline of Major Child Welfare Historical Event
Power Point on Child Welfare History
The Broken Cord
In his intensely personal, disturbing, and moving account of a father's struggle to come to grips with the devastating and yet preventable condition, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Dorris gives us vital information about a crisis demanding worldwide attention. Himself a Native American, anthropologist/novelist Dorris adopted an Indian child in 1971 who, after batteries of tests and transfer from school to school, was finally diagnosed as suffering from FAS. To understand fully his son's condition, Dorris was compelled to "systematically confront Native American history." Here he tells of infants born in the throes of delirium tremens, of social workers so frustrated that they frankly discuss the possibility of incarcerating drunken expectant mothers during pregnancy or of sterilizing repeat offenders. Dorris includes a wealth of scientific data, excellent treatments of alcohol's effects upon Native American culture and of the physiopathological aspects of FAS, and a very complete bibliography.
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| Child Welfare Legislation |
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Child Welfare Legislation
This PowerPoint was presented by Elizabeth Sharp, Program Specialist, Policy Division, Children's Bureau, on 10/4/10 at the 2010 Policy to Practice Dialogue Conference.
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| Well being Issues: Supporting and Preserving Families |
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Comprehensive Family Assessment Guidelines for Child Welfare
MEPA - Multi-Ethnic Placement Act
This video presentation is sponsored by the Policy Division of the Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, in coordination with the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption, a service of the Children’s Bureau.
This is a two part video presentation. Due to the large file sizes, you may need to wait until download is complete before navigating within the video.
Video Part One
(Approximately 30 minutes)
Faster Connections Click Here
Slower Connections Click Here
Video Part Two
(Approximately 15 minutes)
Faster Connections Click Here
Slower Connections Click Here
Click here to download the PowerPoint handout (PDF format)
Shattered Bonds: The Color Of Child Welfare Dorothy Robertshttp://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Bonds-Color-Child-Welfare/...Roberts, a law professor, offers a sharp, probing look at the alarming public policy that separates children from troubled low-income black families while making efforts to keep similarly troubled white families together. On the basis of 25 years of research on federal, state, and local welfare programs nationwide, Roberts reveals a system that fails to protect the interests of black children. The statistics are startling: black children make up half the foster-care population despite the fact that they constitute less than one-fifth of the nation's children. Roberts' case studies and interviews offer testimony to the human cost of racist assumptions by the middle-class social workers and judges in assessing what is best for children separated from their families. She recalls black parents whose every action is seen through the prism of race: assertion of rights is viewed as aggressiveness and lack of cooperation, whereas bureaucratic rules are strictly enforced, frustrating efforts to regain custody. Readers concerned with social policy will find this a troubling but informative review of America's child-welfare system.
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| Well Being Issues: Health, Mental Health Care and Educational Issues |
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Health Care Issues
Meeting the Health Care Needs of Children in Foster Care
This presentation focuses on some of the key components in developing strategies to address improving performance in meeting the health care needs of children in foster care. Presented 10/24/2005 at the Annual National Association of State Foster Care Managers meeting by Jan McCarthy, Director of Child Welfare Policy, National TA Center for Children's Mental Health at Georgetown University.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999: Enhancing Youth Access to Health Care
This article from the July-August 2000 Journal of Poverty Law and Policy discusses the option for states to extend Medicaid eligibility for young people who are under 21 and who on their 18th birthdays were in foster care under the custody of the state. In addition to implementing this option, states can take many steps through their child welfare agencies and Medicaid agencies to ensure that young people leaving foster care enroll in Medicaid and receive the services to which they are entitled.
Working Together: Health Services for Children in Foster Care
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services developed this manual with the assistance and advice of voluntary agencies and county departments of social services. The primary audiences are foster care caseworkers, supervisors, and persons responsible for the coordination of health services. It is not specifically designed for distribution to foster parents, child care workers, or health care practitioners. The policies, protocols, and legal footnotes are specific to New York State's locally administered, state supervised foster care system. However, it contains some more general information and serves as an excellent model
Mental Health Care
Mental Health Needs of Foster Children and Children At-Risk for Removal
This article from the Virginia Child Protection Newsletter focuses on the mental health needs of children entering foster care and children at risk of entering care. The article explores the range of mental health needs and ways to address those needs using evidence-based practices. The article discusses ways to work with children as well as methods for parent and foster parent training. (2009)
Listen to:
Educational Issues
Q&A: Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster Care
This resource from the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education is a “Question & Answer Factsheet” about the Blueprint for Change (a detailed framework that includes goals and benchmarks for children and youth that will help ensure their education success). It answers questions about the development of the Blueprint, its target audience, and how it should be used.
Helping Former Foster Youth Graduate from College: Campus Support Programs in California and Washington State
Campus support programs provide financial, academic, and other types of supports to help former foster youth succeed in college. However, relatively little is known about the impact of these programs on college retention or graduation rates. This Chapin Hall study by Amy Dworsky and Alfred Perez lays the groundwork for an impact evaluation by examining program implementation from two different perspectives. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with the directors of 10 campus support programs in California and Washington State. The interviews covered a variety of domains, including the population served, referral sources and recruitment, the application process, the provision of services and supports, program staff, relationships with stakeholders, and data collection. In addition, participants from 8 of the 10 programs completed a web-based survey that asked about their perceptions of and experiences with the program. The survey included questions about students’ demographic characteristics, referral and recruitment, the application process, reasons for participating in the program, services and supports received, unmet needs, contact with staff, and recommendations for improvement. The report concludes with several recommendations for moving forward with a methodologically sound impact evaluation of campus support programs for former foster youth. (2009)
Listen to:
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| Safety Issues |
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Please read these resources:
Child Sexual Abuse
This manual is intended to address the needs of professionals who encounter child sexual abuse in the course of their work. It describes professional practices in sexual abuse and discusses “how to” address the problems of sexually abused children and their families. It is not designed for laypersons, and it makes an assumption that the reader has basic information about sexual abuse.
Professionals from a range of disciplines and with varying levels and types of training confront child sexual abuse in their work. This manual is designed to be useful to all of them. It should meet the needs of child protection workers, the front line staff mandated to investigate reports of child maltreatment. It should be valuable to mental health personnel: social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists,
who have responsibilities for reporting, diagnosing, and treating child sexual abuse.
The manual cannot substitute for the discipline-specific training of the professions. Moreover, the manual does not cover all aspects of child sexual abuse in depth. Issues regarding substantiation and case management are explored in greater depth than treatment techniques and research.
Tips for Parenting the Child Who Has Been Sexually Abused.
Robinson, Ron. 2011
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| Permanency Issues - Reunification |
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Please read these resources:
Visiting Resources From NRCPFC website
Visiting Curriculum
Introduction to Parent-Child Visits
Child Welfare Information Gateway and NRCPFC partnered to provide this free, self-guided online training on facilitating visits between parents and children involved with the child welfare system. The training promotes safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families by providing information to help child welfare professionals maintain family connections when children are in out-of-home care, enhance efforts toward family reunification, and improve outcomes for children and families. This training is based on workshops and materials developed by Rose Marie Wentz, NRCPFC Consultant. http://training.childwelfare.gov
Visiting Resources
Videos Demonstrate Caseworker Visits
Nine short videos on the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) website demonstrate best practices for caseworker visits with children and youth in foster care. The videos focus on the changing needs of children at different ages and in different settings. They include:
- Caseworker Visits: Overview
- Visits With Infants and Toddlers
- Visiting Elementary-Age Children
- Visits With Children Ages 10-12
- Visiting Youth Placed in Group Homes or Residential Facilities
- Preparing Foster Children for Visits With Birth Parents
- Caseworker Visits: Quality Visits
- Caseworker Visits: Building Stable Placements
- Caseworker Visits: Supporting Older Youth Transitioning to Independence
To access the videos online, visit the Minnesota DHS website (scroll down to "Training Videos"):
Please watch this webcast:
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| Adoption |
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Please read these resources:
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| Permanency: Out-of-Home Care; Kinship, Guardianship, APPLA |
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Please review these web-based resources:
Out of Home Care Services:
Guardianship:
These PowerPoint presentations wer e provided to participants:
Kinship Care:
APPLA
Kinship Adoption: Meeting the Unique Needs of a Growing Population.
ChildFocus. North American Council on Adoptable Children.
This issue brief draws attention to the unique needs of children who are adopted by their relatives. Specifically, it addresses the following questions: Why is kinship adoption on the rise? How does kinship adoption differ from other adoptions? What policies and practices can agencies consider to achieve successful kinship adoptions? (Author abstract)
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| Systemic Issues in Child Welfare |
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| NEWS STORIES IN CHILD WELFARE |
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$12 a day for a foster child?
Omaha World-Herald February 17, 2011
Esau was among several people who testified in support of a bill that would require the state to develop new payment rates for foster parents by July 1, 2012. Under Legislative Bill 199, the new rates would have to be enough to cover the basic needs of a foster child. The bill also would require that private agencies contracting with the state pay foster parents on a timely basis.
Bill giving adoption information in Neb. advances
Associated Press February 17, 2011
The bill (LB94) by Omaha Sen. Gwen Howard would provide the opportunity for those seeking to adopt a state ward to read the child's case file kept by the Department of Health and Human Services.
U.S.: A Families-First Approach to Foster Care
New York Times February 21, 2011
It’s difficult to change systems even when they are widely acknowledged to be broken. That’s the situation facing the nation’s foster care system.
AR: State Supreme Court strikes down adoption ban
Arkansas News Bureau April 7, 2011
A state law banning unmarried, cohabiting couples from adopting children or becoming foster parents is unconstitutional, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled unanimously today.
AZ: Arizona House approves bill on adoption preference
Associated Press April 7, 2011
A bill giving married couples what amounts to a tie-breaker preference for adoptions is near the finish line at the Arizona Legislature amid debate that centers on what's best for children.
FL: Equity funding will erode gains within top performing child welfare agencies
St. Petersburg Times April 8, 2011
New legislation in the Florida Senate calls for reducing funding for all community-based care lead agencies by 25 percent. That amount then would be used to create so-called equity for all lead agencies in the state contracted to provide child welfare, foster care and adoption services.
NY: When blame isn’t enough (Op-Ed by Olivia A. Golden)
New York Times April 7, 2011
I examined institutions like airlines and some hospitals that have reduced deaths and injuries. Through rigorous data analysis, they have developed systemic approaches to safety, focusing on clear communication, minimum-staffing requirements and “fail-safe” strategies to reduce the consequences of inevitable human error. Such strategies can be applied to protecting children.
Star-Telegram April 6, 2011
Just when there is reason to hope for improvements to the way Texas treats foster children, a lawsuit filed by a New York advocacy group threatens to throw a wrench into the works.
VA: Debate intensifies over gay adoption rules
Richmond Times-Dispatch April 7, 2011
Lobbying efforts are intensifying over a proposed regulatory change that would prohibit Virginia adoption agencies from discriminating based on sexual orientation.
US: Fewer Russian adoptions since mom sends son back
NPR April 7, 2011
Though adoptions have continued, they've been at a much slower pace. In 2010, there were roughly 1,000 Russian adoptions, more than a 30 percent drop from the previous year.
USA Today April 11, 2011
"An immense amount has changed in the last decade — intercountry adoption is plummeting, foster-care adoptions are soaring, a kid was 'returned' to Russia, the Haiti earthquake was an object lesson in how not to do adoptions, openness in infant adoptions really took hold, and on and on," say Pertman, whose work focuses on the overall adoptive family
The New American April 11, 2011
In the state high court’s unanimous opinion, Justice Robert Brown wrote that Act 1 was unfair in that it prohibited couples living in a sexual relationship outside of marriage from serving as caregivers for children in state care. “We hold that a fundamental right to privacy is at issue in this case and that, under the Arkansas Constitution, sexual cohabitors have the right to engage in private, consensual, noncommercial intimacy in the privacy of their homes,” wrote Brown. “We further hold that this right is jeopardized by Act 1, which precludes all sexual cohabitors, without exception, from eligibility for parenthood, whether by means of adoption or foster care.”
Marietta Times April 9, 2011
A large sign placed in a truck bed parked at the former Movie Gallery, on the corner of Pike and Greene streets, read "Hoping to Adopt" and their contact information. "It definitely caught my eye," said Kim Griffin, of Marietta, who passed it coming and going to work each day. "I wasn't sure what to make of it... (it was) definitely something I've not seen before."
Battle Creek Enquirer April 12, 2011
Michigan legislators now are considering a package of bills that would change the system so that uncontested adoption cases would be expedited and children could enjoy the permanency of an adoptive home sooner. Such changes are needed.
Howard News Service April 8, 2011
The siblings are at the heart of a Nebraska court battle that could establish a legal precedent on whether siblings have a right to live together if they become wards of the state.
RI: Bill would expand access to records
Providence Journal April 12, 2011
Adopted adults who want to see their original birth certificates will try again this year to press state lawmakers to change the Rhode Island law that keeps documents that identify their birth parents secret. A bill to provide adoptees with access to their original birth certificates when they turn 18 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon.
Nashville Public Radio April 7, 2011
It was a year ago this week that a small town nurse in Shelbyville put the international adoption world into an uproar. Fearful of her newly adopted son, she sent the 7-year-old back to Moscow on a one-way trip. Russian adoptions had already been on a steady decline. Russian officials threatened to suspend placements with U.S. families altogether. But the adoption pipeline was never completely shutoff.
NY: New bill would expand adoptees rights
The Queens Courier May 4, 2011
A2003, “The Bill of Adoptee Rights,” would enable adults who were adopted to obtain a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate. In addition, should there be a medical history form, the adoptee would have access to it.
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