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4203 Southpoint Blvd Jacksonville FL 32216 www.nilausa.org April
26, 2005 |
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NILA Update |
On April 13th, 60 Minutes aired a
report called An Unimaginable Crime, about a 21 year old mother who
is a former foster child. She is now
accused of killing her child. Visit
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/12/60II/main687562.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories to
read this heart-wrenching story. Then,
get involved! Write or contact those
people who can change the system for the better in every state. Let’s continue to advocate for appropriate care
so these tragedies don’t happen again!
I have a copy of the U.S. Congress Handbook,
which provides information on the 109th Congress. If you need contact
information, please e-mail me at mailto:salevy@nilausa.org or to get your own copy, contact uscongresshandbook.com.
YouthBuild Grants Available –
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
is offering grants for the YouthBuild program, designed to:
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Deadline:
June 21
Eligibility: Public and
private nonprofit organizations, including grassroots, community-based organizations,
and faith-based groups. Access full
grant announcement at https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html
*** Make sure you have NILAusa.org as a
resource on your agency’s website!!!
Isn’t the revamped
website great? What, you haven’t
been there yet? Well, make sure
you visit nilausa.org ! The member’s
only section will only be open to everyone for another month. Take advantage of the wonderful resources available
to members.
DON’T FORGET:
May is National Foster Care Month
It's a wonderful time
to recognize foster families and to get more people involved in foster care.
Visit http://www.caseyfamilyservices.org/cgi-bin/bin/poll.cgi?sec=child
to learn what you can do.
-7612 or visit us
information or to request a FREE product catalog1-800-226-7612 or visit us
online:
Please
help! If you have pictures, stories,
RESOURCES, or if you want your agency’s website on NILA’s website, please
contact me at mailto:salevy@nilausa.org
Special thanks to Connect For Kids
for the following report:
Congressional Briefing on Mental
Health Services and Former Foster Care Youth
CFK
reports from: Capitol Hill
Event: Congressional Briefing on Mental Health Services and
Former Foster Care Youth
Organized by: The Casey Family Programs, Harvard Medical
School and New America Foundation
Where/When: Washington, D.C., April 6, 2005
By Whitney
Robie
On April 6,
2005 Harvard Medical School and Casey Family Programs held a Congressional
briefing on mental health services and former foster care youth to release the Northwest
Foster Care Alumni Study.
Over 542,000
children and youth are in foster care on any given day in the United States. The
Northwest Foster Care Alumni 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 (54.4%) of study
participants reported clinical levels of at least one of the following mental
health problems: major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
social phobia, panic syndrome and drug dependence. Furthermore, one in five
alumni had suffered from three or more of these problems. One striking result
of the study is that the rate of PTSD among this group of former foster care
children is twice as high as U.S. war veterans.
Education is
another focus of the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study. The
researchers found that foster care alumni were more likely to receive GED
diplomas than to graduate from traditional high schools. While the GED is a
useful alternative for some young people who do not thrive in high school,
national research has found that GED recipients are less likely to continue
their education and receive a college degree than those who earn a high school
diploma. Not only is postsecondary education more common among high school
graduates, more opportunities and higher pay are also common benefits.
Frequent
placement changes, often resulting in school transfers, are among the reasons
that children in foster care often struggle to complete high school. Sixty-five
percent of the alumni interviewed experienced seven or more placement changes
while in care.
Ruth Massinga,
President and CEO of Casey Family Programs, said that "These findings are
a wake-up call for the nation to make foster care and the well-being of
hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable children a national
priority."
Two primary
goals for improving the prospects of children in care were emphasized at the
briefing:
- Providing permanent families
and connections: As Alfred Perez, foster care alumni and researcher for
the Northwest study, put it: "The first placement should be the last
placement."
- Fostering successful
transitions to adulthood: Children in care must receive life skills
training, health services and education before they age out of the system.
Please…PAY YOUR DUES!!!
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What’s Happening?
*Look for Growing Pains September 21st-24th
*Look for opportunities to advocate!
*Look for success stories!
*Look for other agencies, which could use NILA services!