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A Road Map for Learning: Improving Educational Outcomes in Foster Care A guide for everyone working towards successful educational outcomes for youth in foster care or out-of-home care. It provides a framework for collaboration across federal, state and local legal, educational and child welfare systems. The report defines 11 education objectives. 122 page + pdf file. The meat of the report is in pages 1-69. Sections 2 and 3 contain best practices and resource information and handouts and checklists. +++++++++++ Findings from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study This newly released study focused on the long-term effects of foster care on individuals who are now young adults, ages 20-33, in the areas of mental health, education and employment. The study reviewed 659 alumni of foster care, 479 of whom they interviewed. The study found that, within the past 12 months: More than half of study participants reported clinical levels of at least one of the following mental health problems: major depression, PTSD, social phobia, panic syndrome and drug dependence. The rate of PTSD among this group of former foster care children is twice as high as U.S. war veterans. Foster care alumni were more likely to receive GED diplomas than to graduate from traditional high schools. Frequent placement changes, often resulting in school transfers, are among the reasons children in foster care struggle to complete high school. Sixty-five percent of the alumni interviewed experienced seven or more placement changes while in care.
This link will take you to a downloadable pdf file of the study and to a two-page summary. The View from the Lifeboat – A columnist for the Seattle Times reports on her experiences in foster care and how she came to be one of the 20% of foster children in the study who finished school, earns a stable, livable income and is doing well in life. Promoting Educational Success for Young People in Foster Care - The National Foster Youth Advisory Council (NFYAC) presents a five-page plan for school success for children in foster care, with 10 recommendations. ++++++++++ One in Four Foster Children Suffer From Post-traumatic Stress A study of 659 Washington and Oregon foster care alumni shows that former foster children are twice as likely to suffer from PTSD as Iraq war veterans and adults who were in foster care struggle with mental health problems much more often than the general population. The study, released today (April 4, 2005), says that 25% of the study respondents have PTSD. National studies show that 12-13% of Iraq war veterans and 15% of Vietnam War veterans suffer from PTSD. Former foster children were twice as likely to be depressed (20%) as the general population (10%). They struggle with education, employment and money once they leave the system at age 18. A third of former foster children are at or below the poverty line, three times the national poverty rate. More than one in five foster care alumni were homeless sometime during the year after they left foster care.
++++++++++ Youth Who Run Away From Out-of-Home Care: Issue Brief Chapin Hall has conducted the largest study to date of this population, including analysis of government administrative data on more than 14,000 youths who ran away from out-of-home care in a 10 year period between 1993 and 2003. The report shows the likelihood that an individual youth would run away increased significantly starting in the late 1990s, and doubling by 2003, largely as a result of an increase in chronic runaway behavior. The report identifies a number of reasons why this group of kids runs. 6 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Listening to Parents: Overcoming Barriers to the Adoption of Children from Foster Care This report identifies a major reason why so many children have not found homes: The vast majority of potential parents who are recruited – well over 90% -- do not ultimately wind up adopting a child, not because they don‘t want to, but apparently because they decide not to deal with a system they perceive as too frustrating, bureaucratic and just plain unfriendly. The study lays out detailed recommendations for changing the system and improving children’s prospects of finding permanent, loving families. An executive summary (5 pages) and the full report are both available at the site as pdf files. ++++++++++ Family Ties, Through Prison Walls The number of children of incarcerated parents in the US has increased over 50% since 1991, to over 2 million. This article reports on the consequences of the incarceration of parent for the child and the parent and on programs to help maintain contact. In the Messages Project, parents, usually women, talk to their children on videotape, or may read their children stories or poems. ++++++++++ Substance Use and Need for Treatment in Foster Care Youth This brief (three-page) report looks at the need for and the receipt of substance abuse treatment among youths who have been in foster care. ++++++++++ The Orphan Foundation of America The OFA has served thousands of foster teens across the United States. From teaching youth how to balance a checkbook, write a resume, and apply for a first job, to testifying before Congress and state legislatures, OFA is a vocal champion for foster teens. ++++++++++ Infants, Toddlers and Child Welfare This is a Zero to Three Policy Center report and recommendations on infants entering the foster care in the United States. Infants are the fastest growing category of children entering foster care. They comprise the largest cohort of young children in care, and are more likely than older children to be abused and neglected and to stay in foster care longer. The report includes nine policy recommendations with detailed comments on each. 13 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Fostering Education As a group, foster kids test far behind their peers, are more likely to drop out, repeat grades, be in special-ed classes, and be suspended or expelled. Education has often been a low priority for child-welfare agencies, which have been more concerned with their children’s safety and finding them placement. Education, however, may be almost as a fundamental a goal, especially for older kids who are likely never to find a permanent home. ++++++++++ Foster Care (May take time to load.) From the Child Trends Databank, statistics and information on children in foster care: The number of children in foster care rose steadily through most of the 1990s, peaking in 1999 at 570,000, and declining since then to 523,000 in 2003. In 2002 nearly half (46%) of all foster children lived in family foster homes with non-relatives. Nearly a quarter (23%) lived in family foster homes with relatives. Nineteen percent of foster children lived in group homes or institutions. Five percent lived in pre-adoptive families. The rest lived in other types of facilities. A little over a third (36%) of children who exited foster care in 2002 lived in foster care for less than six months. 15% spent six to eleven months in care. 29% spent one to three years in care, and 19% spent more than three years in care.
++++++++++ FYI: Fostering Independence The Foster Youth Independence Center in Milwaukee helps foster children transition to adulthood. It prepares foster children ages 15 to 18 to live independently. Working with kids before they leave their foster home, the Center hopes to prevent problems when they are out on their own. Housing is a major challenge. Rents are high and roommates with a healthy lifestyle are hard to find. ++++++++++ Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren AARP has a tidy web page for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. It includes tax tips, information about the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other breaks for grandparents in this role. Includes a list of states that offer their own earned income tax credit and other AARP resources. ++++++++++ Education Issue Brief – Improving Special Education for Children with Disabilities in Foster Care Children in foster care can suffer in all kinds of ways. Their success in school is no exception. As a result of experiences both prior to and during foster care, children are at high risk for educational failure. From this report: A recent Washington State study found that a youth’s foster care status alone is associated with a 7-8 percentile-point gap in standardized test scores. Overall, they score 16-20 points lower on standardized achievement tests than other children. 24 page pdf file. Educating Children in Foster Care - From the National Conference of State Legislatures, another article on the same topic. A brief overview with some background about the academic performance of children in foster care and a description of what researchers have identified as major systemic obstacles to their academic success. 10 pages. ++++++++++ Serving Foreign-born Foster Children: A Resource for Meeting the Special Needs of Refugee Youth and Children This publication addresses the special needs of refugee children in the foster care system. It provides resources as well as lessons learned from technical assistance efforts related to refugee child welfare and from the specialized refugee foster care system funded by the federal Office of Refugee Settlement. About 50 pages. Pdf file. A product of BRYCS, Building Refugee Youth & Children’s Services. Check the BRYCS web site for a host of information, publications, and resources related to refugee children. ++++++++++ FAQs on Foster Family Taxes -- Foster care payments may be exempt from income tax according to the IRS code. ++++++++++ National Foster Care Coalition NFCC is a coalition of national organizations and foster care alumni dedicated to raising public awareness, coordinating advocacy efforts and building alliances. Available as a pdf at the site: Frequently Asked Questions about the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Independence Program. ++++++++++ Improving Outcomes for Older Youth – what judges and attorneys need to know The National Resource Center for Youth Development and the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law jointly published this new publication for use by judges, attorneys, and youth advocates around the country. The volume is a comprehensive guide to federal legislation for youth in out-of-home care. It covers issues in housing, health, education, employment, undocumented youth, parenting youth, and tribal youth. 151 page pdf file or it can be purchased for $15. Details at the link above. ++++++++++ The Cost of Raising a Child Compared to Foster Care Maintenance Payments · The average cost of raising a nine-year-old child, excluding medical care, was $9,233 per year in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture · The average amount provided to foster parents to meet the needs of a nine-year-old child is $5,043 per year. This report from the National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning compares foster care payments in each state with the cost of raising a child in that state and finds, across the board, that foster care payments are less than the USDA cost-of-living figures. Kentucky looked at the USDA figures and adjusted its foster care maintenance payments to reflect those costs. ++++++++++ Head Start in Prison In Pontiac, Mich., children and teachers are brought into the county jail to participate in a rare Head Start program with their mothers, who are inmates. Besides education, the goal is to maintain the bond between mother and child and to give the moms an incentive to turn their lives around. Observers have noticed changes in both the children and their mothers since the program started. ++++++++++ Parents in Va. Relinquish Children to Foster Care to Get Mental Health Services A report commissioned by the Virginia General Assembly says that almost one of every four children in Virginia’s foster care system is there because parents want the child to have mental health treatment. The cost of treating children with schizophrenia, severe depression or bipolar disorder is so high that private insurers and HMOs don’t fully cover it. Parents are often ineligible for Medicaid. But if children are in foster care or special ed programs they can get needed services through the state. The State of Virginia estimates that 62,000 young people suffering from mental illness, behavioral disorders and emotional problems are not being served adequately by the commonwealth. ++++++++++ Children’s Voice Articles on Children of Incarcerated Parents These articles from the most recent issue of Children’s Voice, a magazine of the Child Welfare League of America, all on children of incarcerated parents, are available to read online: ++++++++++ Nonprofit Becomes a National Model in Placing Foster Youth With Relatives This article from Youth Today profiles A Second Chance, a nonprofit agency that has helped Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to resolve a variety of problems common to child welfare agencies nationwide, and has become a national model for kinship care. It is believed to be the only nonprofit focusing exclusively on kinship care and facilitating that care from emergency placement to permanency. Sharon Toliver McDaniel’s organization operates with a staff of 155 and an annual budget of $12.7 million, half of which goes to kinship caregivers in the form of foster care payments. It served 1,382 children last year. In an interesting aside, the author of this article, Barbara White Stack, reports on juvenile court issues for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was raised by McDaniel, her cousin, who was also reared in kinship care. ++++++++++ Life After Foster Care Feature article in the Arizona Daily Star follows young teen as she exits foster care and enters the world at large. ++++++++++ Correction to Family Arrested: How to Survive the Incarceration of a Loved One The link I gave you last week to this book’s publisher is not correct. The book’s author, Ann Edenfield, sells the book directly through her publishing company. Click above to go to the web site and/or to purchase the book. Wings Ministry is a program run by Ann to help family members of inmates. The site also features Wings for L.I.F.E., a program that provides life-skills, education, training, and support for family members, caregivers of inmates and former inmates. ++++++++++ Family Arrested A Brevity reader recommends this book for those who need to know about the processes and issues families deal with when a loved one is sent to prison or is facing prison. She says the book explains the basics and gives the reader a good knowledge base. Robin said she read the book cover to cover and found it to be very informative. It is apparently the only one of its kind (at least that either of us knows about) and was written by Ann Edenfield, the founder of Wings Ministry, an organization that focuses on helping prisoners and their families, especially the children, to keep them in touch with family members who are incarcerated. The book is published by Americana Publishing at www.americanabooks.com. ++++++++++ Family Ties: Supporting Permanence for Children in Safe and Stable Foster Care With Relatives and Other Caregivers Children in long-term foster care can find safety, permanence and security with grandparents and other caregivers as an alternative to remaining in foster care. This new Pew Commission report supports a federally subsidized guardianship for children and families. 2002 federal data estimate that 19,250 children in long term relative foster care in the US are in permanency limbo where a court has determined that they cannot be safely returned to their parents nor is adoption an option. Some states have received waivers to spend federal funds on subsidized guardianship as an alternative to subsidized foster care. 12 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Moving Youth from Risk to Opportunity From the KIDS Count 2004 Data Book, a section on programs and models assisting youth in foster care, in the juvenile justice system, about teen parents and preventing teen pregnancy, academically at-risk youth, and publications. Links to all. ++++++++++ Fostering Frustration: How Foster Children are Caught up in Agency Roulette In a special report, the Chicago Daily Herald examines the movement of children in foster care from place to place, how it affects those children, and what can be done about it. In the last section of the report, Stopping the Moving, experts offer ways to stop shifting children. ++++++++++ Foster Youth with Disabilities Two monographs from Oregon Health & Science University, classified as “awareness documents for parents, professionals and youth,” examine the issues of foster youth with disabilities and in special education. Both are pdf files.  | Are We Ignoring Foster Youth With Disabilities? | | Transition Planning for Foster Youth with Disabilities: Are We Falling Short? |
++++++++++ National Resource Center for Youth Development Promising Practices Monographs Foster care legislation now requires greater accountability through outcome measures, standardized performance assessment systems, and a program evaluation. To meet the need for information about promising practices, state of the art approaches and program models, NRCYD published this series of monographs, all downloadable: | Tribal Approaches to Transition – Information for the practitioner who works with tribal youth. Intended to help agencies meet the FCIA requirement of “provided services to Indian youth on the same basis as other youth.” Examples of effective programs across the country. 32 pages. Pdf. | | Aftercare Services – State of the art aftercare programs and programs to facilitate self-sufficiency among youth leaving out of home settings. 30 effective aftercare programs mentioned in the report appear in an appendix with contact information. 42 pages. Pdf. | | The Transition Years – describes available services for older youth and current barriers to serving this population of foster care youth. Structured around the four principles NRCYD says are critical for the successful delivery of services for youth. 42 pages. Pdf. |
A fourth monograph, on collaboration, is due out shortly. |
Subject Library 
