You are currently browsing the archives for the Foster Care category.

Meta

Website Designed and Developed by: www.ArtisticDesignService.com

Archive for the ‘Foster Care’ Category

<< Older Entries

Foster Care Drifting Crisis

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 @ 08:06 PM
posted by: Becca

Perhaps the most memorable orphanage in pop culture influences society of today is from the Broadway musical and multiple movie remakes of Annie.  We, the viewers, are enraptured by Mrs. Hannigan, Punjab, Daddy Warbucks, the singing and dancing orphans, and of course, Annie.  We know there is a happy ending, so watching the sorrows and suffering of the children with a hard knock life is not unbearable.  Imagine, however, if the end of their stories were not set.  In reality, the “Annies” of the world do not often find their “Daddy Warbucks.”  Further still, their hard knock lives are not just the lyrics to a song.  It is, in some cases, an actuality. It is because of these realities that I, adoptive and foster mother of 16 inter-racial and special needs children and advocate for abused and neglected children, will take an inside look at the crisis in the foster care system regarding out-of-home child placement and the options available to the well being of these orphaned or abandoned children.

Interestingly, it was in 1881 that the first orphanage was founded. The Diskin Orphan’s Home was created due to the large amount of Russian orphans that, at that time, had recently immigrated to Jerusalem[1].  This, essentially, was the reason for the erections of many orphanages.  Due to the Jewish immigration of World War I, and the continuous death of those on the battlefield, the number of orphans grew.  And, due to the lack of scientific advancement during the 1920’s, cholera and typhus also contributed to the large numbers of orphaned children.

As a result of the orphaned growth, child welfare projects developed during that time; and due to the Palestine Orphan Committee, 12 orphanages, caseworkers and diagnoses for social disabilities, family-oriented dependant child care, developed model for the first children’s village, and the beginning of healthcare, education, and vocational training in orphanages grew.  The history of child welfare and the caseworkers needed for these institutions to function is important knowledge as well as the effects, both negative and positive, of these early child welfare developments and the effects the Palestine Orphans Committee had on the modern orphanage and childcare.

The ideas of child welfare and the Palestine Orphans Committee and some of the earliest and best-known orphanages sprang from immigration.  Of the institutions, Hutton Settlement, an orphanage on the National Register for Historical Preservation in the city of Spokane, Washington State, is of the Jacobethan revival style design, with a “Whitehouse and Price” feel to the four large house, 319 acre complex.  Here, Levi Hutton, founder of the settlement, is introduced.  His wife and children are discussed, as well as the influence the Hutton Settlement had on the Spokane, and on the Shriners.  The Complex showcased the region’s first underground power cables and telephone lines.  As restated on the Shriners website, “if one man could build and do for children what Mr. Hutton has done, what could 500,000 Shriners do?” was the figurative conception of the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children.

Noting a fast history of orphanages country wide is not my only intent; rather, laying out a theoretical and physical blueprint of various orphanages, the political histories of these orphanages, the educational abilities along with the statistics accrued by the facilities, and the moral obligation we have to the welfare of children, are the issues needing to be focused on today.  Reasonable options will to stop or at least effectively reduce the amount of children forgotten in the system and left to age out into an adult world they are hopefully prepared for.  Explanations of the various choices society will help support and reunite families both for the families and for the budget, as it costs to keep children in out-of-home services.

With all background information laid out, what then can we do to create a more stable environment for the more than 143 million orphaned children?  There are options available to get the over half a million children in the dead end programs out.  The fact remains that over 39% of white orphanage alum have 39% higher rate of college graduation than any other white American.  But, orphanages are expensive, due to the stigma that causes workers to have the mindset that other forms of childcare are more efficient and higher quality than other facilities.

As a foster and adoptive mother as well as a court advocate for the rights of neglected and abused children, I have first hand knowledge of the living environments in both foster homes and modern orphanages.  Some argue that orphanages send out more fully developed and prepared young adults.  Others say the one on one-ness of foster care is more effective for a healthy child.   I wish for all to have the opportunity to hear all sides of the same story, bringing my own personal thoughts into the equation.

[1] “Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin: The ‘Rav’ of Brisk.” http://www.hevratpinto.org/tzadikim_eng/142_rabbi_yehoshua_leib_diskin.html

About the Author

Karen Jean Matsko Hood is a Guardian ad Litem and Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer (CASA) for abused and neglected children in the juvenile court system, a women’s and children’s rights advocate, and foster children advocate. She runs For the Love of Children International, is partner with her husband in the James and Karen Hood Foundation, promotes literacy for adults and children, volunteers for the Social Justice Committee, has a pastoral ministry, is a member of her church choir, is a 4-H leader and volunteer, works in lay ministries, and is a Girl Scout and Campfire leader.

For more information, you can contact the author at her office below:

Karen Jean Matsko Hood

507 N. Sullivan Rd. Suite LL-7

Spokane Valley, WA 99037 USA

Phone: (509) 924-3550 Fax: (509) 922-9949

karensblog.net

karenjeanmatskohood.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0 Comments

Foster Care Crisis in America’s Recession

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 @ 06:06 PM
posted by: Becca

The foster care crisis in America is three-fold.  There are not enough quality families in America to support the children who need them.  Further, children with emotional and behavioral issues in the system are on the rise, creating a need for additional families in this already deteriorating situation.  To make matters worse, the recession in our country is directly affecting both biological and foster families as well as provider reimbursements, frontline caseworkers and mental health.

According to Faith Bridge Foster Care, there are not enough families for the children who need them.  Researchers for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) agree.  Due to the economy today, many cases in the need for foster care are due to the homelessness, poverty and unemployment growing rapidly.  Experts believe the need for foster care will rise as the economy worsens.  “Child welfare workers,” The Foster Club says, “are already seeing a rise in reported child abuse and neglect cases, as much as twenty percent in some areas.”  Unfortunately some foster families are simply unprepared for the upheaval of their family.  It is, according to the Faith Bridge Foster Care Agency, because of frequent agency visits, phone calls, court dates, and “seemingly endless paperwork,” plus the shock that the system does not have the sufficient support they need, forty to sixty percent of foster families leave the system within a year.  Without foster families in the system, some children will grow to adulthood and be left to fend for themselves with little to no influence of family structure and minimum skills for employment without any support system to ever fall back upon.  This could begin a cycle of uneducated youth released into the world to create families that are more probable to end up in the foster system due to the lack of care, funds, structure and etc. the first time through.

Because foster children are separated from their biological families, and often times separated from their siblings, after several months there is detachment issues these children acquire.  The longer they are away from their biological families, the harder it is for foster children to rebuild any sort of relationship, whether with their families, or later in life.  Because of this, foster children can lash out in different types of behavioral problems.  According to the DHS Medication Management Work Group, three times as many foster children, as opposed to other children, end up on psychotropic drugs in low-income families.  This can make foster children even more destabilized due to the treatment of their stress symptom rather than the root of that stress.

In nearly every state the amount of money needed for foster care far outweighs the government’s reimbursement rate due to the economic crisis our country is in today.  Not only is there an issue with foster children needing better mental health facilities, treatment programs and etc, but the issue worsens because the foster care system often cuts the budget in three major areas: provider reimbursements, frontline caseworkers and mental health.  This being said, in the case of these budget cuts, there would be less training for group home staff and parental training.  With fewer caseworkers there would be the probability of foster children being in more hazardous situations and an increased risk of trauma to those children. According to CHOP, children are often placed in foster care by availability rather than a good match for foster children and their long-term needs.  Some child protective agencies are requested to send children to government recruited homes rather than professional agencies to save on money.  Unfortunately these homes are not necessarily held to a set standard to validate said homes are the best place for the individual needs of those children.  Further, with the already unstable environments of some foster children, plus the budget cuts of mental health programs such as help and crisis lines, an increase in foster children’ suicides, pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse may follow.

In nearly every state the amount of money needed for foster care far outweighs the government’s reimbursement rate due to the economic crisis our country is in today.  According to NPR radio in March of 2010, over 1,000 children die of abuse and neglect every year; and to further chill our society, states with big deficits are cutting child abuse prevention programs when those programs are what various communities need to cut down on the ever growing death, neglect and abuse rates (some due to the recession to begin with).  And although researcher Rob Green, on behalf of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, states that the recession may not be a conclusive reason for the rise in child abuse and neglect.  The findings in November of 2010 by the researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia conclude that the economic downturn often hits the most vulnerable children and families the hardest.  It takes years of post recession for families to come back to the pre recession income levels.  Lower income families obviously take even longer to bounce back.  CHOP also explains that public programs play an incredibly important role in the keeping the families influenced by the recession in a less stressed environment, blocking more trauma for the usually already traumatized children and families involved in foster care.  In short, the most vulnerable foster children, foster families and programs supporting them would get the short end of the stick for years to come.

About the Author

As a researcher, Karen Jean Matsko Hood places her focus on child abuse and neglect and drug abuse.  She also researches to find possible solutions to these growing social problems. Hood has incorporated the studies of findings of research and drug abuse in families in her writings.  Hood’s research topics include such diverse topics as education, attachment disorder, attachment disorder therapy and treatment, the foster care system, human development, parenting, adoption, health, and historical topics.  Hood uses her B.S. Degree in Natural Science along with her research training in her Ph.D. program to conduct research on various plants and animal topics including equine, canine, and botanical research.

Hood resides in Greenacres, Washington, along with her husband, sixteen multi-racial and special needs children and foster children.  Her hobbies include cooking, baking, collecting various collectibles and antiques, photography, indoor and outdoor gardening, and the cultivation of unusual flowering plants and orchids.  She enjoys raising several specialty breeds of animals including Icelandic horses, bichon frises, cockapoos, Icelandic sheepdogs, and a few rescue cats.  Hood also enjoys bird-watching and finds all aspects of nature precious.  She demonstrates a passionate appreciation of the environment and a respect for all life.

For more information, you can contact the author at her office below:

Karen Jean Matsko Hood

507 N. Sullivan Rd. Suite LL-7

Spokane Valley, WA 99037 USA

Phone: (509) 924-3550 Fax: (509) 922-9949

karensblog.net

karenjeanmatskohood.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0 Comments

Attachment Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder in Spokane Valley

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 @ 04:06 PM
posted by: Becca

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a child is borne every 4.2 seconds.   Out of the nearly four million births in the United States each year, 1.25 million children are abused.  Of those, four children die daily from abuse and neglect.  Sixty one percent of those children are victims of educational, physical and emotional neglect.   Forty four percent are victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.  The numbers alone are alarming.  And further still, those who do physically survive their abuse and neglect suffer emotionally and mentally from childhood, through adolescence and even into adulthood.

Anxiety, depression, behavioral disorders; these diagnoses are only a few of the words used to try to explain the effects of cruelty exhibited in mistreated children.  And although there are many mental illnesses that are treated and kept under control with medicine and/or therapy, some illnesses are more severe than others.  Attachment Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder require some of the most aggressive treatments, and although with years of hard work from doctors, parents, and of course, children, there is no cure.  Thus, when a child with these diagnoses are thrown into the system, there can be both great healing and success or, in an unfortunate reality, they are only further damaged by the instability of multiple foster homes and care givers.  One would think that those responsible for the well –being of abused and neglected children would take every precaution to not aggravate their already unstable mental conditions.

What reason, then, could the court system have for allowing a child diagnosed with Attachment Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder to continually move from home to home?  Considering these two disorders are both incurable, the idea of bouncing unstable children from foster home to foster home is absurd.  According to research from a myriad of therapists including the Mayo clinic, children suffering from attachment disorder view the world very differently than others; usually, these children view those around them as unpredictable and unavailable.  Because their original parent was unavailable, abusive, and rejecting, they feel that all care providers are.  Further, according to The Family Attachment and Counseling Center, one of the best therapies available to these children is a long and nurturing relationship with a trusting care provider.  It then, goes without saying that moving children with Attachment and Reactive Attachment Disorder multiple times only further damages their psyche.

So what would happen to a child who is continuously moved, and in their mind only further rejected from another parent figure(s)?  According to the Mayo Clinic,

“…there[s] little research on signs and symptoms of reactive attachment disorder beyond early childhood. It may lead to controlling, aggressive or delinquent behaviors, trouble relating to peers, and other problems. While treatment can help children and adults cope with reactive Attachment Disorder, the changes that occur during early childhood are permanent and the disorder is a lifelong challenge.”

And the changes these children suffer are immense.  The complications they experience include delayed learning, poor self-esteem, delinquent or antisocial behavior, relationship problems, temper or anger problems, depression, anxiety, physical growth, severe eating problems and malnutrition, academic problems, drug and alcohol addiction, inappropriate sexual behavior, and unemployment or frequent job changes.

The fact is, those children diagnosed with these issues can live a normal life with the help of one stable environment, a constant parental figure and therapy both parent and child actively attend and practice.  Up to ninety-two percent of families who actively work through therapy show significant improvement.

About the Author

Karen Jean Matsko Hood is not only a well rounded and educated person, but a role model for those around her.  She is not only an adoptive and foster mother of sixteen children, but is also a teacher, writer, researcher, poet, and friend to both humanity and the environment.  Through her book readers from all walks of life will be touched and even inspired by the works Ms. Hood has chosen as her life’s path.  And as Ms. Hood invites you into her life and introduces you into her world, you will see how she is truly a legitimate source in the world of children’s rights, environmental preservation and motherhood.

For more information, you can contact the author at her office below:

Karen Jean Matsko Hood

507 N. Sullivan Rd. Suite LL-7

Spokane Valley, WA 99037 USA

Phone: (509) 924-3550 Fax: (509) 922-9949

karensblog.net

karenjeanmatskohood.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0 Comments

May is National Foster Care Month!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 @ 12:05 PM
posted by: Sibella

Source: National Foster Parent Association

Presidential Proclamation
President Barak Obama issued a presidential proclamation designating May 2011 as National Foster Care Month. The proclamation begins,
“For nearly half a million youth in foster care across our country, the best path to success we can give them is the chance to experience a loving home where they can feel secure and thrive. During National Foster Care Month, we renew our commitment to ensuring a brighter future for foster youth, and we celebrate the selfless individuals who make a meaningful difference in their lives.” You can read the full proclamation here.

What can you do? Here are some ideas.

  • Go to the FosterCareMonth.org website and get some action ideas! See if there is an event in your area.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Tell them why the contribution of foster families should be celebrated.
  • Raise money for your local or state foster parent association by creating a Walk Me Home walk.
  • Help a foster child by becoming a mentor or a CASA.
  • Call, email or write your local social services or family services director – tell them that you are thankful that they do their best to protect our most vulnerable children.
  • Once a week this month, bring up the topic of foster care in a conversation with friends or co-workers.

Walk Me Home

Walk Me Home….to the place I belong is the signature fund-raising and awareness event for foster care in America. We know not everyone can be a foster parent, but Walk Me Home is a great way to support the over 424,000 children in foster care. This year thousands and thousands of walkers will participate in Walk Me Home events across the country, raising funds to support the life changing programs and activities of foster care associations throughout the United States.
Get your organization, family, or just yourself involved! Get more information at the Walk Me Home web page, and check out the cool music videos.

NFPA is proud to announce the Dave Thomas Foundation as the newest Walk Me Home sponsor.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
0 Comments

What next?

Thursday, November 18, 2010 @ 12:11 PM
posted by: Bipasha

Results of the 2010 election are in. Congratulations and recognition are due to everyone who took time to speak up, get involved, and get out the vote for kids. The voices we raise to protect kids always make a difference.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead in our work together to protect kids during these tough economic times.

Over 20 newly elected state lawmakers will join the ranks in Olympia in January. Every one of these new lawmakers presents an opportunity. Each one could be a champion for a policy or budget item that kids need. They need to hear from you.

If you live in a district with a newly elected lawmaker representing you, now is a great time to introduce yourself and let him or her know you are counting on their leadership to protect kids from cuts during these tough times. If you’re not sure if you have a new legislator you can check election results at the Secretary of State. Feel free to also contact Children’s Alliance Community Organizer Emijah Smith with questions.

As a result of the passage of Initiative 1053, a two-thirds vote will now be required to raise new revenue, or to close tax loopholes. Initiative 1107 also passed, rolling back a successful campaign last year to protect essential services by taxing non-essentials like soda and candy. The revenue helped protect critical programs like health care for kids from deep cuts. With the passage of these two initiatives, protecting kids just got harder.

The good news is that Initiatives 1100 and 1105 to privatize liquor stores both failed, protecting funds in the budget and low-income neighborhoods. Unfortunately I-1098, which would have raised revenue by enacting an income tax on high-earners, also failed to pass.

Regardless of how elections go, kids will continue to grow up. The laws and policies our leaders make will continue to chart the paths of kids’ lives. Children and families are already shouldering the burden of reductions in critical services. With the weight of the struggling economy bearing down, and falling heavier on children in low-income families and families of color, now is the time to stand strong for every child.

The policies you have helped win are paving a path to success and greater equity for kids in every corner of our state. Every child who eats a healthy school meal, who goes to the doctor for a check-up because of Apple Health for Kids, and who thrives with high quality early learning thanks to Working Connections Child Care is counting on advocates like me and you to fight to protect them.

We’ll fight hard to protect these successes and others. It will take you and thousands more to make it possible.

You can rely on Children’s Alliance to get you information and opportunities so that you can be the best advocate for kids you can. Your next opportunity is coming right up.

You are invited to join Children’s Alliance members and special guests Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and other state legislators at a Children’s Alliance event in Spokane on Monday, November 29th. This is an opportunity to learn more about what’s on the agenda for kids in the next legislative session, what you can do to protect kids, and ask questions of your lawmakers. Visit Children’s Alliance website to RSVP and learn more.

I hope you can join us on the 29th. Thank you for speaking up for kids.
Sincerely,
Jon
Jon Gould, Deputy Director
800.854.KIDS x19
P.S. We’d love your feedback on how we did sharing information with you about the elections. Please take 1 minute to complete this four question evaluation.

Tags: , ,
0 Comments
<< Older Entries
This site uses the  Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS)

This site uses the WP Chameleon WordPress plugin to rewrite articles