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A child, who has been involved in the child welfare system and no longer has a family he can claim as his own, has written a personal ad for the local newspaper…
Our hearts go out to him. Unfortunately, we are not all able to adopt a child.
We are grateful to the many people in our juvenile court and child welfare arenas who have responded to this ad in some way:
Maybe as a foster parent, you have taken on the responsibility of another child who needs your individualized attention until a permanent placement can be found.
Maybe as a social worker, you, who have dedicated your life to one of service to vulnerable children, have gone the extra mile to help find him a forever home.
Maybe as a Judge or an attorney, you have spoken words of encouragement to him in the courtroom as he is nervous and afraid of what is going to happen to him.
Maybe as a CASA or FCRB Member, you have maintained a steadfast commitment to be his voice and a consistent presence in his life while he is waiting for his forever to begin.
Maybe as an adoptive parent, you have become the answer to his ad, and even purchased that swing set.
THANK YOU ALL FOR RESPONDING TO THIS AD EVERYDAY IN YOUR OWN WAY ~
IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
HAPPY NATIONAL ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH
From the Iowa Child Advocacy Board
 Those ‘Pesky’ Miles and Hours
Ever wonder why your local CASA or FCRB Coordinator insists on bugging you for your monthly hour and mileage donation? What could possibly be so important about reporting miles and hours?
Every year, the Child Advocacy Board is legislatively mandated to produce an Annual Report which summarizes the efforts of our programs along with the systemic needs of Iowa’s abused and neglected children. One highlight of the CAB annual report is totaling our volunteer contributions for the year. The time and vehicle expenses donated by our volunteers is extremely valuable to the citizens of Iowa at an estimated $50 per donated hour of time and 39 cents per mile driven. In FY2017, contributions from FCRB members totaled over $645,000, while CASA Advocate and Coach contributions totaled over $1,140,000. Around 100% of FCRB members report their monthly hours and miles, but only around 61% of CASA Advocates and Coaches report theirs regularly. As you can see, if all Advocates and Coaches reported their hours, the total CASA contribution would rise substantially.
Reporting your monthly contributions demonstrates your investment in the lives of Iowa’s children, along with the value of the CASA and FCRB programs in our state. You might also want to visit with your tax professional about your contributions to CAB programming as this could result in a deduction.
The next time you receive that pesky message from your local Coordinator asking for your donated hours and miles, you’ll know why it’s important. Thanks for your valuable contribution and thanks for all you do!
To view Child Advocacy Annual Reports, visit: https://childadvocacy.iowa.gov/annual-report
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For FCRB Members & CASA Advocates:
 Adoption and Permanency
Why do we care about permanency?
Anywhere from 23,000 to 26,000 youth age out of foster care each
year. These youth do not have permanency
in their life. National
statistics show that older youth stay in foster care longer than younger
children and are more likely to have case goals of emancipation and long-term
foster care. Additionally, youth who age out of the foster care system often
leave with few skills, minimal education, and inadequate preparation for living
as productive, independent adults.
On
average, for every young person who ages out, meaning they do not have
permanency when they left foster care, taxpayers and communities pay $300,000
in social costs over that person’s lifetime.
This equals to $7.8 billion in total costs. For more information use the link: https://www.nfyi.org/51-useful-aging-out-of-foster-care-statistics-social-race-media
If
the long-term costs of foster youth leaving the foster care system without
permanency isn’t enough of a reason to care about permanency, then consider
what was poignantly asked by former foster youth
Misty Stenslie to be considered by everyone in her article, The Privilege of Family, “What
privileges do you have?"
When you read through this list, consider this question,
“Which privileges are missing for the young people you know who are
transitioning from foster care?”
- I
have special items (blankets, stuffed animals, photo albums) from my childhood.
- When
my parents got upset at me, I never worried that they would ask me to leave
their home.
- I
grew up with family traditions and routines that I could generally count on and
that I can use in the family I create as an adult.
- I
know that no matter how old I get, I will always have a family who loves me and
whom I can count on in times of need. If I have children, they are
automatically included as members of my family.
- I
had someone to encourage me to go to college, help me fill out the FAFSA, and a
place to go during college breaks when the dorms were closed.
- I
had someone to walk me down the aisle at my wedding, to pass on family
heirlooms, to hold my hand when I needed it.
So,
when you consider the question, “Why do we care about permanency?” through the
lens of someone who sees these statements as being privileges, instead of typical
experiences, you might realize the importance of fighting for permanence for
foster youth.
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 What
is Permanency?
It means having positive, healthy, nurturing
relationships with adults who provide emotional, financial, moral, educational,
and other kinds of support as youth mature into adults. Ideally, permanency takes
the form of a relationship that has a legal component that provides a
parent-child relationship.
Permanency
for youth in foster care should include a permanent legal connection to a
family, such as reuniting with birth parents, adoption, kinship care, or legal
guardianship. However, when these options are less likely, workers can help
youth pursue physical or relational permanency. Physical permanency is having a
home or a place to be; relational permanency is having a relationship or
connection with a caring adult (e.g., maternal and paternal kin, teachers, neighbors,
former foster parents). Such adults may
provide lifelong support that can help youth transition to adulthood, and they
may even become a legal permanent option. In such instances, formalizing the
permanent connection can help clarify what the youth can expect from the caring
adult.
What Strategies can increase the number
of youth who achieve permanence?
-
Involving
Youth in Permanency Planning: Involving youth in planning
for their own permanency outcomes can greatly facilitate the process.
-
Strengthening
Family Preservation and Reunification Services: Maintaining
children safely with their birth families remains the first priority for most
children and youth.
-
Offering
Guardianship and Subsidized Guardianship as Options: For youth who are reluctant to have legal ties
permanently severed with their birth parents, as would occur through adoption,
the option of guardianship may provide a legal and permanent family. Guardians,
who may be relatives or non-relatives, are given parental responsibility and
authority for the youth by a court. The Fostering Connections Act offers States
and Tribes a new option to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments
(GAP) under title IV-E on behalf of children who have been in foster care and
for whom a relative is taking legal guardianship.
-
Maintaining
Relationships With Kin: Maintaining relationships with kin can
provide important connections and supports for youth. It may take some effort
to locate relatives of youth and other adults important to them, but these
individuals may be very happy to be found, which can lead to positive outcomes
for the youth.
-
Recruiting
Foster and Adoptive Families for Youth: Not all youth have kin
available for permanency. For some youth, permanency efforts must shift to
foster parents and other non-relatives. Recruiting foster parents for youth
carries great potential for finding them permanent adoptive or guardianship
families.
-
Focusing
on Pre- and Postplacement Services: The provision of
appropriate and timely services may make the difference in whether permanency
outcomes are successful for youth.
-
Exploring
Relational Permanency: Although child welfare policies often
focus on legal permanency, some youth may feel that the establishment of
relational or emotional permanency is more important to them.
-
Strengthening
the Workforce to Support Enhanced Permanency: Staff who are
overburdened with caseloads are not able to provide optimum services to youth
and families.
-
Strengthening
Court Supports: The court process can be a catalyst to
achieving timely permanency outcomes for children and youth.
Despite
work being done in Iowa related to these strategies, the percentage of youth
who leave foster care without a permanent family remains high. Responding to
these issues, the Federal Government and many other States and local
jurisdictions are focusing on this population by implementing laws, policies,
and programs specifically designed to help youth establish permanent
connections. Many of these help youth build on relationships they have
established throughout their lives with kin, foster parents, teachers, social
workers, and others; other policies and programs help youth establish new
relationships that can lead to permanent family connections.
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What are the Barriers to Permanency for
Youth?
Youth
in foster care face a number of barriers to achieving permanency specific to
their situations. Recognizing these challenges may help child welfare workers and
CASA Advocates and FCRB Members seek solutions and make appropriate
recommendations that can facilitate permanent families and connections for
these youth.
· Policies
and attitudes may not reflect an emphasis on permanency for youth.
Some child welfare professionals may believe the myth that youth are
unadoptable. Although the provisions of
the Fostering Connections Act seek to change the approach toward permanency for
youth, there is still work to be done to address this barrier to permanency.
· Sequential
case planning and a focus on independent living services may be inadequate for
permanency. The continued use of sequential case
planning can slow the permanency process. When an agency waits until parental
rights have been terminated before considering alternative permanency plans,
the permanent family connection for a child or youth is delayed. In addition,
agencies may focus primarily on providing Independent Living services to youth,
believing that these services meet expectations for working towards permanency.
While Independent Living services are important in preparing youth for
adulthood, they are not sufficient to connect youth with permanent families or
other permanent connections.
· There
are not enough families recruited to foster and adopt youth.
Many agencies need to place a greater emphasis on identifying families who are
willing to provide homes for youth, including strengthening efforts to find,
engage, and support kin, including paternal kin, as permanent connections for
youth. There is often a lack of focused recruitment for this group; in
addition, youth who need families are often invisible to the community.
· Youth
initially may be resistant to permanency planning.
Many youth show initial or even long-term resistance to permanency planning
that involves the termination of their birth parents’ rights because they still
feel emotional ties to their families. They may fear embarking on a
relationship with a new family because of repeated past disappointments, or
they may not understand the long-term consequences of being without a family as
a young adult.
·
The court process may slow or hinder
efforts toward permanency. Even when agencies and workers are
focused on permanency for youth, their efforts can be hindered by court
processes that are slow or by judges who are reluctant to terminate parental
rights. Judges also may not be aware of the viability of finding adoptive
families for youth. Another barrier in some cases may be the lack of a good
working relationship between child welfare workers and courts and the lack of
youth’s voice being heard in court.
Child
Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Enhancing
permanency for youth in out-of-home care. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.
What can we do?
Helping youth think
about adoption and the importance of having lifelong
supportive relationships requires ongoing conversations and a
willingness to listen closely and carefully to what youth are telling you—
directly and indirectly—about their goals, concerns, questions, and dreams.
Conversations with youth should be authentic—not scripted—and responsive to how each youth wants
to engage. There
are many effective ways to
prompt these discussions and help youth explore the idea of adoption. The
questions below may be used as a starting
place or as topics to incorporate into your conversations with older youth.
Possible Questions
- What
do you want for your future? What dreams do you have for yourself?
- What
does permanency mean to you? What have you heard or do you believe about
adoption? Do you have concerns or questions about either?
- Do
you know anyone who has been adopted? If so, what do you think about their
experience? What questions does their experience raise for you?
- What
benefits do you think there would be to having more adults who love and care
about you as you become an adult and throughout your life?
- Are
there ways I can help you find out more about adoption and what permanency
could look like for you? Are there people you’d like to talk with about
adoption?
- Who
in your life – past or present – do you see as a support to you? Who do you
call to ask for advice? Who believes in you and loves you? Who would you call
at 2:00 AM if you were in trouble?
Child
Welfare Information Gateway, & AdoptUSKids. (2016). Talking
with older youth about adoption. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.
Read the full tip sheet
here: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/talking.pdf
Watch Videos:
What does Permanency
Mean? 6 Minute
Portraits
of Permanence: 14 minute video which
shares the story of several youth who achieved permanence and what it means to
them.
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As a Reminder: For more information, resources and related articles
on Adoption and Permanency, watch for
regular posts on our state Facebook page throughout the month of November. https://www.facebook.com/CASAIOWA/ |
For CASA Advocates: In-Service Training
Credit
If you would like to earn in-service credit about understanding the adoption process and how to advocate for permanency, please contact the
ICAB State Training Specialist at lesa.christianson@dia.iowa.gov and share your comments on the videos watched, on one of
the resources posted on our State Facebook page, and your plan on utilizing
this information to advocate more effectively for the best interests of the
children we serve.
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If you would like to formally learn more about understanding
the adoption process, ask your Local
Coordinator how you can participate in our Adoption
101 in-service training. |
 More Children Will Be Served in Iowa
CASA Volunteers Support and Encourage Others to “Speak
Up”
with Social Media
For each of you,
becoming a CASA Advocate happened in different ways. Your exposure to the
program may have been via newspaper article, a bulletin board poster, or news
segment during your local newscast; possibly another volunteer encouraged you
to check into this opportunity to change a child’s life in a real and
significant way.
CASA of Iowa is
currently active on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube with
@CASAIowa to increase awareness of the CASA program, increase the number of
advocates who serve “our” CASA kids, and educate others about child abuse and
neglect in Iowa.
The CASA Facebook page
is currently the social media most used by Iowa to promote CASA advocates,
community engagement and outreach. It shares training information, informative
videos and messages from children and advocates about our work, and child
welfare resources and articles. From September 29-October 26, 2017, our
Facebook page reached 5,237 people. This is a 645% increase compared to the
time frame of September 1-September 28, 2017. Our Facebook page “shares”
expanded our outreach and increased the number of “clicks” (people who actually
went to childadvocacy.iowa.gov or iamforthechildiowa.com and viewed our page)
by 208 individuals, a 447% increase. Post engagements (reactions to our posts,
such as like, commenting, sharing, etc.) was 668, which is a 326% increase.
The recent interest in
CASA on Facebook is GREAT!!! However, as long as there are children who need a
voice, we need to increase the number of potential advocates by continually
promoting our awesome CASA Program.
We need your help to
increase our reach within your community of “friends”. Everyone can do this by:
1.
Create a Facebook account or sign in to your active account.
2.
Search CASA of Iowa.
3. Like,
comment and share CASA of Iowa posts. This will appear on your newsfeed and be
shared with your “friends”. If your settings are public, it will increase the
audience who will see your support for CASA of Iowa.
4.
Encourage your “friends” to spread the word by liking, commenting and sharing
from your Facebook posts and letting them know how important this work is.
Their “friends” will share and this chain reaction will improve exposure to the
CASA program in multiple ways.
As members of the CASA
of Iowa community, it is very important to show support and encourage others to
support abused and neglected children in Iowa.
https://www.facebook.com/CASAIOWA/
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Iowa Child Advocacy Board
321 East 12th Street
4th Floor Lucas Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
childadvocacy@dia.iowa.gov
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