Hurry up! — Top 10 holiday gifts for foster kids « I Was A Foster Kid
December 22, 2010
There are lists for everything during the holidays…the top 10 gifts for nerds, the top 10 gifts for people who like to travel, the top 10 gifts for xxxx….. But i haven’t seen a top 10 gifts for foster children, so I feel that my job is to make one:
Ready?
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TOP 10 HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR FOSTER CHILDREN
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1. FAMILY. For foster kids who are not going back to the bioparents, a FOREVER FAMILY. A family that will make a commitment, to adopt them if they want, make them part of the family, provide safety and stability and love. For foster kids going back “home” -- bioparents that shape up and get their act together so that the children are raised in safety, stability, love, and don’t return to foster care.
2. MENTOR. Every child in foster care NEEDS and should have a mentor. One who spends time with the child listening, having fun, helping, …something like a big brother/big sister. Studies have shown that mentors make a difference in the outcome of at-risk youth!
3. CASA. Every child should have a CASA that takes the job seriously and cares about the child. CASAs should see the child at the minimum weekly. CASAs are the voice for the child…and to be the best voice, you need to know the child. Good CASAs help everyone. Where I grew up, less than 6% of foster kids had CASAs… that is not acceptable.
4. TEACHERS. Only 54% of aged-out foster kids graduate from highschool. Teachers can change that. Teachers that show interest, provide extra help, encourage, and “teach” are needed for all foster youth. Foster kids that move schools lose 3-6 months in schooling…teachers can help make the difference between falling behind and staying on tract.
5. SERVICES AS NEED. Therapy, medical treatment, dental treatment, etc. NEEDS to be provided consistently and easily. There is no reason that foster youth need to wait months to see a doctor or never get braces. These are children and they need to be cared for.
6. DOGS. Yes, all foster children, unless known animal abusers, need a DOG. Some children learn attachment and trust and unconditional love and acceptance and relationships from dogs. (Heck, some ex-foster kids who are now young adults are learning that from dogs.) Some states do not allow foster homes to have dogs. This needs to end. Dogs are amazing and giving and loving. I was going to say cats too, but friends, lets be real….cats are well, very independent and give when they feel like it. I love my cat Harbor, but he loves me on his time. LOL
7. CLOTHES THAT FIT. I hated having clothes that were too small, shoes with holes or that hurt my feet, and clothes that looked like they were worn by 100 other foster kids. Comon’ — if you agree to foster a child, you agree to care for the child correctly. You don’t need to goto the Gap, but thrift shops can offer clothes that fit a child properly. One size does not fit all. Every kid is different!
8. FOOD BINS. Lots of foster kids are food hoarders and food hiders. Let them go to town with their own FOOD BIN that they keep in their room. Fill it with all kinds of foods that they love. If some items are perishable, spend time with the child going through the bin every couple days. NEVER remove food without the child being near. It is the child’s space and food safety net. If you have never been starving to where your stomach feels like it is eating itself or never known when your next meal will come, you may not understand the food bin concept. But it works!
9. PHOTOGRAPHS. Take photographs. Put them into a nice album. Keep extra copies. When a foster children become young adults, photos can offer glimpses into understanding their lives. Photos can hold memories. Photos can mark times that were happy. Photos can help make sense out of a mess of different experiences. Photos can act as transitional objects. Most adults have photos of themselves when they are kids, so photos can help an adult feel more connected, like “everyone else.”
10.
UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION, CARING,
EMPATHY, SAFETY, STABILITY, LOVE.
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Police: Man arrested for threatening to punch female investigator's teeth out -And with good cause I'm sure!
Police: Man arrested for threatening to punch female investigator's teeth out - Connecticut Post: "NORWALK -- A city man under investigation by the state Department of Children and Families was arrested Monday after he allegedly threatened to punch a female DCF worker in the mouth at a meeting at his children's school."
Muslim leaders demand probe of DYFS worker - Now their in deep DOO!
Muslim leaders demand probe of DYFS worker - NorthJersey.com: "Muslim community leaders Tuesday demanded an investigation of a caseworker for the state's Division of Youth and Family Services who they say insulted Muslims when he allegedly hurled racial and religious slurs at them at a local restaurant."
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
NCCPR Child Welfare Blog: Foster care in Los Angeles: Sunshine is good for children
NCCPR Child Welfare Blog: Foster care in Los Angeles: Sunshine is good for children
DCFS, SUPERVISORS, TIMES EDITORIAL AGREE ON OPEN COURTS, BUT TIMES NEWS SIDE IGNORES IT.
The Los Angeles Times editorial board has written another very good editorial on child welfare and, in the process, once again embarrassed Garrett Therolf, the embattled reporter for the beleaguered Times.
It seems that one of the last things Trish Ploehn did before she was removed from her job was reverse DCFS’ former opposition to opening court hearings in abuse and neglect cases to press and public. That’s something I’d first suggested to Plohen when we met nearly three years ago, long before the current controversy. The Board of Supervisors agreed and voted to ask the California Legislature to change state law to open these hearings.
The Legislature should listen.
Since 1980, well over a dozen states have opened court hearings in these kinds of cases, and not one has closed them again. That’s because all the fears of critics proved groundless – indeed in many states, one-time critics of openness now are among the biggest boosters of open courts.
While it is impossible to guarantee absolutely that no child ever will be embarrassed by an open court hearing, this much we know: When the system is fully open and accountable, and everyone knows that, if they cut corners, someone may be watching, more children are likely to live long enough to blush. The former chief judge of New York’s highest court, Judith Kaye, who opened these hearings in New York put it best. Said Judge Kaye: “Sunshine is good for children.”
The reasons open courts are better for children are discussed in detail in our Due Process Agenda so I won’t elaborate on it here. I do have one question for the Times editorial board, though: How did you guys find out about this?
I ask because even though he’s spent months complaining about secrecy at DCFS (often with good reason) Garrett Therolf never bothered to report the agency’s reversal in its position or the Supervisors’ vote. To find out about it, you had to either have been notified directly by DCFS and/or the supervisors, or you had to read it at WitnessLA, which had the story three weeks ago, or you had to read the memo I sent to NCCPR’s list of reporters and advocates in Los Angeles that included a link to the WitnessLA story.
Presumably, Therolf didn’t report the story because he’s one of those with the most to lose if better reporters can walk into court at any time and see all sides of the story – particularly the sides Therolf keeps refusing to report. (Once again, I am applying the David Lauter standard – the Times Assistant Managing Editor has made clear it’s perfectly o.k. to “presume” whatever you want about someone with whom you disagree.)
The Times editorial argues that opening these hearings will help reporters find answers to questions like these:
Does DCFS remove too many children from their homes when there are allegations of abuse? Does it leave too many in the hands of abusive parents or reunite them too quickly?
In fact, what they will find is that the answer to both questions is: Yes.
Like most child welfare agencies, DCFS is arbitrary, capricious and cruel. It errs in all directions at once. Wrongful removal overloads caseworkers so they have less time to find children in real danger. That’s one reason the foster-care panic started by Therolf’s reporting, has made everything worse, something illustrated in the previous post to this Blog.
Posted by NATIONAL COALITION FOR CHILD PROTECTION REFORM
DCFS, SUPERVISORS, TIMES EDITORIAL AGREE ON OPEN COURTS, BUT TIMES NEWS SIDE IGNORES IT.
The Los Angeles Times editorial board has written another very good editorial on child welfare and, in the process, once again embarrassed Garrett Therolf, the embattled reporter for the beleaguered Times.
It seems that one of the last things Trish Ploehn did before she was removed from her job was reverse DCFS’ former opposition to opening court hearings in abuse and neglect cases to press and public. That’s something I’d first suggested to Plohen when we met nearly three years ago, long before the current controversy. The Board of Supervisors agreed and voted to ask the California Legislature to change state law to open these hearings.
The Legislature should listen.
Since 1980, well over a dozen states have opened court hearings in these kinds of cases, and not one has closed them again. That’s because all the fears of critics proved groundless – indeed in many states, one-time critics of openness now are among the biggest boosters of open courts.
While it is impossible to guarantee absolutely that no child ever will be embarrassed by an open court hearing, this much we know: When the system is fully open and accountable, and everyone knows that, if they cut corners, someone may be watching, more children are likely to live long enough to blush. The former chief judge of New York’s highest court, Judith Kaye, who opened these hearings in New York put it best. Said Judge Kaye: “Sunshine is good for children.”
The reasons open courts are better for children are discussed in detail in our Due Process Agenda so I won’t elaborate on it here. I do have one question for the Times editorial board, though: How did you guys find out about this?
I ask because even though he’s spent months complaining about secrecy at DCFS (often with good reason) Garrett Therolf never bothered to report the agency’s reversal in its position or the Supervisors’ vote. To find out about it, you had to either have been notified directly by DCFS and/or the supervisors, or you had to read it at WitnessLA, which had the story three weeks ago, or you had to read the memo I sent to NCCPR’s list of reporters and advocates in Los Angeles that included a link to the WitnessLA story.
Presumably, Therolf didn’t report the story because he’s one of those with the most to lose if better reporters can walk into court at any time and see all sides of the story – particularly the sides Therolf keeps refusing to report. (Once again, I am applying the David Lauter standard – the Times Assistant Managing Editor has made clear it’s perfectly o.k. to “presume” whatever you want about someone with whom you disagree.)
The Times editorial argues that opening these hearings will help reporters find answers to questions like these:
Does DCFS remove too many children from their homes when there are allegations of abuse? Does it leave too many in the hands of abusive parents or reunite them too quickly?
In fact, what they will find is that the answer to both questions is: Yes.
Like most child welfare agencies, DCFS is arbitrary, capricious and cruel. It errs in all directions at once. Wrongful removal overloads caseworkers so they have less time to find children in real danger. That’s one reason the foster-care panic started by Therolf’s reporting, has made everything worse, something illustrated in the previous post to this Blog.
Posted by NATIONAL COALITION FOR CHILD PROTECTION REFORM
TWO SENTENCED IN MAINE FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD AND FEDERAL BENEFITS FRAUD - TheCypressTimes
TWO SENTENCED IN MAINE FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD AND FEDERAL BENEFITS FRAUD - TheCypressTimes: "PORTLAND, ME - Ahmed Yusuf Guled, of Lewiston, Maine, and Dahabo Abdulle Osman of Portland, Maine, were sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for health care fraud offenses, federal benefits fraud, and theft of government funds, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II of the District of Maine. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other federal and state government agencies."
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