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Foster Care Resources
Foster Care Generally in Washington State
- Children's Alliance- http://www.childrensalliance.org/childfacts/fostercare.cfm (Children’s Alliance’s is an advocacy organization that works is to improve the well being of children by effecting positive changes in public policies, priorities, and programs. They also provide facts about children, including information about foster care.)
- Braam Oversight Panel - http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/braampanel/
- Braam Oversight Panel resulted form litigation regarding the foster care system in Washington. The panel has the responsibility to collaborate with Washington’s Dept. of Social and Health Services (http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/) and the plaintiffs to develop outcomes, benchmarks and action steps in six specific areas: stable placements, mental health services, foster parent training and support, unsafe or inappropriate placements, separation of siblings when placed in out-of-home care, services for adolescents.
- Casey Family Programs - http://www.casey.org/AboutCasey/
- Casey Family Programs’ mission is to provide and improve—and ultimately to prevent the need for—foster care. They do this by providng direct services, and promoting advances in child-welfare practice and policy.
- This website provides a lot of information about foster care issues and has a lot of info on racial and ethnic diversity, but doesn't seem to have anything on LGBT youth
- Also provides a host of links to other resources.
- DSHS – Children’s Administration – Resources for Foster Parents - http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/ca/fosterparents/
- Provides a monthly newsletter, crisis-line support lines for foster parents, and other resources for foster parents.
- Links to parenting resources and laws & rules
- Foster Care Alumni of America - Provides college scholarships and mentoring to low-income, high-potential students.
- College Success Foundation
- Independence for Foster Youth - Provides information on preparing for college, paying for college, jobs and housing.
- YMCA Transitional Housing -Provides youg adults who have experienced foster care or homelessness with resources and skills to move toward indepence.
- Foster Care Alumni - The mission of Foster Care Alumni of America is to connect the alumni community and to transform policy and practice, ensuring opportunity for people in and from foster care.Their vision is to ensure a high quality of life for those in and from foster care through the collective voice of alumni.
- Seattle P–I Series on Foster Care -This is an indepth series on the foster care system in Washington. Article headlines include:
- Foster care system becomes grim game of musical chairs
- Judges' dilemma: Lock up the kids or put them on the street
- Four sisters' story of abuse and neglect
- One girl's essay about The System: "Here we go again." Three sagas from the system -- none with truly happy ending
- What the P-I investigation found
- With fewer willing to take on the job, foster care is in continuing crisis
- Foster mothers care and love, despite frustrations
- For Wytia and Walter things have worked out despite some rough times
- Jailing of foster youths may lead to suit
- State's foster-care system to be put on trial
- A child of foster care, Sam's life is a painful journey in the system
- Foster care shortage spurs calls for review
- Foster care shortage opens hearts
- Foster care programs get boost
- Washington State Mentors - Promotes and supports quality mentoring, fostering positive youth development and academic success while increasing awareness of an participation in mentoring.
- American Bar Association Openingin Doors: Improving the Legal System's Approach to LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care Project - http://www.abanet.org/child/lgbtq.shtml
- The Opening Doors Project aims to:
- Increase the legal community’s awareness of LGBTQ youth in foster care and the unique issues they face, and
- Provide the legal community with advocacy tools to successfully represent these youth
- The ABA sight provides information on training, publications, resources, and research
- National Voice of Foster Parent Association - http://www.nfpainc.org/
- NFPA strives to support foster parents, and remains a consistently strong voice on behalf of all children.
- On the LGBT issues, NFPA has published the following position statements
- 118.05 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth
- Whereas, the basic mission of child welfare services is to safeguard children from harm and to act in their best interest, and
- Whereas, through the use of foster care, states provide a temporary safe haven for children whose parents are unable to care for them, and
- Whereas, recognizing that when children are moved from their homes and placed in foster care, their world is thrown off balance and they may experience feelings such as being scared, ashamed and nervous about the unknown, and
- Whereas, foster parents, group homes, youth shelters, and institutional residences help ease and restore balance to the child's world by comforting the child, determining needs, taking steps to meet those needs, providing support, and love, and
- Whereas, it is crucial that child welfare agencies develop plans to assure safe and proper care consistent with the child's best interest and special needs, it is also crucial that child welfare agencies establish standards, policies, and training programs to protect all foster children and youth including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, and
- Be it resolved that the National Foster Parent Association acknowledges gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are present in the foster care system and encourages and supports establishment of standards, policies, and training programs for foster care providers and professionals based on non-discrimination principles and sensitivity to the sexual orientation of all foster children and youth.
- 119.05 The John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program
- Whereas, the basic mission of child welfare services is to safeguard children from harm and to act in their best interest, and
- Whereas, through the use of foster care, states "provide a temporary safe haven for children whose parents are unable to care for them", and
- Whereas, recognizing that when children are moved from their homes and placed in foster care, their world is thrown off balance and they may experience feelings such as being scared, ashamed and nervous about the unknown, and
- Whereas, foster parents, group homes, youth shelters, and institutional residences help ease and restore balance to the child's world by comforting the child, determining needs, taking steps to meet those needs, providing support, and love, and
- Whereas, it is crucial that child welfare agencies develop plans to assure "safe and proper care" consistent with the "child's best interest and special needs", it is also crucial that child welfare agencies establish standards, policies, and training programs to protect all foster children and youth including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, and
- Be it resolved that the National Foster Parent Association acknowledges gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are present in the foster care system and encourages and supports establishment of standards, policies, and training programs for foster care providers and professionals based on non-discrimination principles and sensitivity to the sexual orientation of all foster children and youth.
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project - http://www.srlp.org/newsletter/v1n1/fostercare.html
- This link is to an article about a case were the court overturned a foster care dress code that did not allow trans youth to dress according to their
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Latest page update: made by jlmul
, May 7 2008, 7:33 PM EDT
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