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10 2004, Vol. 5, No. 8
Independent living programs across the country provide valuable services to help ease the transition into adulthood for youth in foster care. However, services designed to help tribal youth meet their unique cultural needs as they transition have traditionally been limited or nonexistent. In response to this gap in services, the University of Oklahoma National Resource Center for Youth Services (NRCYS) received a grant from the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in fiscal year 2000 to develop and evaluate a competency-based training curriculum to strengthen the intervention skills of tribal and public agency child welfare staff working with older tribal youth transitioning to adulthood.
Development of this curriculum was a collaborative effort led by the University of Oklahoma, NRCYS, including the National Indian Child Welfare Association, New Mexico Child Youth and Family Department, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, New Mexico Indian Child Welfare Association, tribal Elders, and tribal youth. Tribal involvement was critical in identifying the needs of older tribal youth and in overcoming anticipated challenges, such as the incompatibility of some independent living principles with traditional Native American values and practices. Tribal involvement included:
The resulting curriculum is based on a set of four core principles that emerged from the literature review and focus groups: youth development philosophy, collaboration, cultural competency, and lifelong connections. The interactive and experiential curriculum includes the following competencies:
To date, a total of 301 tribal and nontribal child welfare staff in Oklahoma and New Mexico have participated in trainings or train-the-trainer sessions. Evaluation results show the curriculum is effective in increasing worker competency in tested areas. NRCYS will continue to deliver the training upon request to individual tribes and at State, national, and tribal conferences and roundtables after the grant has ended. Staff completing the train-the-trainer sessions also have committed to providing two additional trainings each to help further disseminate the curriculum.
It is expected that other States and tribes will be able to adapt the curriculum, and that this process will encourage further collaboration between tribal and State child welfare agencies to more effectively serve tribal youth. The project's final report and the curriculum will be available on the NRCYS website (www.nrcys.ou.edu/NRCYD).
For more information, contact:
Peter Correia III, M.S.W., Director
National Resource Center for Youth Services
University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Schusterman Center
4502 E 41st Street
Building 4 West
Tulsa, OK 74135-2512
Phone: (918) 660-3700
Fax: (918) 660-3737
Note: This program was funded by the Children's Bureau, Grant #90-CT-0065. This article is part of a series highlighting successful Children's Bureau Discretionary Grant-funded projects around the country, emerging from official Children's Bureau site visits.
Related Item
A monograph on The John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, Tribal Approaches to Transition, is available on the NRCYS website at www.nrcys.ou.edu/PDFs/Monographs/TribalMonograph.pdf.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2122
The Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its report on findings from the initial Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) for 2001 to 2004. This is the first report that includes data from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding States' conformity with Federal standards for child welfare.
The CFSRs are a comprehensive monitoring process that incorporates three phases: (1) a self-assessment by each State of its child welfare system, (2) an onsite assessment of each State's child welfare system by HHS reviewers, and (3) development of a program improvement plan (PIP) by each State to address areas in need of improvement. The CFSRs set outcome goals for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families, as well as for systemic factors related to child welfare agency operations. Each State is assessed against these outcomes by measuring performance on 45 indicators.
This latest report on the CFSRs includes information on State-level analyses and case-level analyses. State-level data show how many States were in substantial conformity with the outcomes and indicators, common challenges faced by the States, and relationships between systemic factors and outcomes for safety, permanency, and well-being. Case-level analyses provide information on cases involving children in foster care and in-home cases reviewed across all States. Analyses also examined key characteristics of these cases (e.g., age of child, race, caseworker visits), as well as the relationships between these characteristics and outcomes and indicators.
Major findings from this latest round of CFSR reports show that:
Currently, most States are in various stages of developing or implementing their PIPs; as of October 1 four States have been determined to have successfully completed the PIP implementation process. When PIP implementation is complete, States will participate in a second round of reviews to measure their progress.
A report and PowerPoint presentation on the CFSR findings are available on the Children's Bureau website at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwrp/results.htm. General information about the CFSRs can be found at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/index.htm#cfsr, while information on CFSR results for specific States can be found at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/index.htm#cfsr.
Related Item
Read about CFSR results for the first 17 States in the October 2002 issue of Children's Bureau Express in "Results of 2001 Child and Family Services Reviews Released."
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=877
The Children's Bureau's 2004 National Adoption Month website is now available, just in time to help adoption agencies, parent groups, and States plan their celebrations for National Adoption Month in November.
The website builds on the Collaboration to AdoptUSKids' national recruitment campaign, Answering the Call, as well as the adoption public service campaign launched this summer. (See Related Item, below.) Recruitment efforts are highlighted throughout the site to encourage America's families to "answer the call" to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of our nation's children.
Highlights of the 2004 National Adoption Month website include:
The Collaboration to AdoptUSKids and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, both services of the Children's Bureau, collaborated to create this year's National Adoption Month website.
Look for more information about National Adoption Month in the November issue of Children's Bureau Express.
Related Item
For more about the national recruitment campaign, see "National Campaign Urges Americans to Adopt" in the June 2004 issue of Children's Bureau Express.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=864
The summer issue of The Roundtable, the newsletter of the National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption, focuses on the availability and sustainability of adoption support and preservation services. A number of articles examine State programs that show promising results in their postadoption services:
This issue of The Roundtable can be downloaded at www.nrcadoption.org/resources/roundtable/V18N1.pdf.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2124
The summer newsletter of the National Resource Center for Youth Development (NRCYD) focuses on permanency for adolescents, examining such options as adoption and independent living. The articles include:
The NRCYD Update can be downloaded at www.nrcys.ou.edu/nrcyd/publications/yd%20update/ydusum04.pdf.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2125
Almost all American Indian tribes in the United States administer foster care and adoption assistance programs. While States are eligible to receive Title IV-E funding directly from the Federal government to implement these services, tribes are not. Many tribes are able to access these funds by entering into cooperative agreements with their States, which then provide pass-through funds to Title IV-E-eligible children under tribal jurisdiction. An article in the July/August 2004 issue of Child Welfare Journal, "Using Tribal/State Title IV-E Agreements to Help American Indian Tribes Access Foster Care and Adoption Funding," explores whether these agreements are effective in providing the funding tribes need to serve eligible Indian children.
By conducting telephone interviews and focus groups with tribal and State representatives in 15 States, researchers concluded that the agreements have been effective in helping tribes provide child welfare services. For tribes, these agreements have enabled them to increase the level of services provided to children, provide culturally sensitive services, and keep children with tribal members. State administrators feel that the agreements have been cost-effective, have helped States better comply with the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and have helped Indian children achieve permanency faster than they did in the past.
A content analysis of existing Title IV-E agreements, contracts, or grants, however, found a number of limitations, including:
The authors offer the following recommendations to make tribal/State agreements more effective:
This research was conducted under the sponsorship of the National Indian Children's Alliance. Reprints of the article can be requested from:
Gordon E. Limb, Ph.D.
Department of Social Work, Arizona State University West
4701 W. Thunderbird Rd.
Glendale, AZ 85306
Phone: (602) 543-6664
Email: gordon.limb@asu.edu
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Child Welfare News
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=866
The public has a more positive view of children than a decade ago, and they respond better to positive messages about helping children than negative ones, according to a recent report from the Ad Council. The Ad Council conducted telephone surveys with more than 1,000 adults to determine their opinions about children and childrearing. When the 2004 survey results were compared with those of a similar survey conducted in 1995, the Ad Council found major shifts in the public's view of children.
Not only did the 2004 results indicate that the public has a more positive view of children, but they also showed that most Americans now acknowledge the importance of community support in helping parents raise children. The increased optimism of the 2004 respondents is also reflected in the fact that 78 percent indicated they would like to help children in their community.
The survey also tested the persuasiveness of various messages about helping children and found that messages that were the most effective with respondents:
The Ad Council also gathered advice from more than 30 experts in the fields of advertising, marketing, and communications regarding the use of advertising to make children a top priority among the public. Their recommendations included the following:
To read the full Ad Council report, "Turning Point: Engaging the Public on Behalf of Children" (funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the MetLife Foundation), go to the Ad Council website at www.adcouncil.org/pdf/commitment_children_turning_point_report.pdf.
Related Items
The Ad Council's findings are consistent with recent research commissioned by Prevent Child Abuse America, a summary of which can be found in the June 2004 issue of Children's Bureau Express in "Prevention Leaders Strategize to Reframe Child Abuse Messages."
The Ad Council recently partnered with the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families and the Collaboration to AdoptUSKids to develop a public education campaign, Answering the Call: A National Campaign to Encourage Adoption of Children from Foster Care. The campaign seeks to increase public awareness and encourage adoption of children from the public foster care system. Read more about the campaign in "National Campaign Urges Americans to Adopt" in the June 2004 issue of Children's Bureau Express or visit the Ad Council website at www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/adoption.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Child Welfare News
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=867
In a recent study involving a nationally representative sample of children ages 2 to 14 involved in the child welfare system, nearly one-half were found to have clinically significant emotional or behavioral problems. But far fewer children, only about one-quarter, received mental health treatment. Data for the study, published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, were obtained from the National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), a study that includes both children who remained at home and those who were removed from the home.
The study found that the greatest predictor of receiving mental health services was the level of clinical need, as determined by the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Those children with higher (more severe) CBCL scores were more likely to receive services in the 12 months prior to the interview than those with lower scores. Other predictors of mental health service utilization included:
According to the authors, these results speak to the need to overcome systemic barriers to providing mental health services to children in the child welfare system. The authors pointed to several specific needs, including more mental health needs assessments and referrals by child welfare workers, an enhanced ability of the public mental health system to address the unique needs of this population, parent-focused interventions, and stronger links between child welfare and mental health service systems.
The full article, "Mental Health Needs and Access to Mental Health Services by Youth Involved with Child Welfare: A National Survey," is available in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 43(8). Find information about the journal at www.jaacap.com.
Related Items
Another recently published article from the NSCAW research group examines how children in foster care, kinship care, and group home care feel about topics such as their current living situation and contact with their biological families. The article, "Children's Voices: The Perceptions of Children in Foster Care," is available in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 74(3). Information about the journal is available online at www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00029432.
Find more information about the NSCAW study in "Well-Being of Children in Foster Care" in the March 2004 issue of Children's Bureau Express.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Child Welfare News
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=865
More than ever, State child welfare agencies are focused on outcomes for the children and families they serve. Stakeholders across the board--government regulators, the media, and the public--want to know that public investments in child welfare are achieving measurable improvements in the lives of children and families. Through a paid subscription, the new Center for State Foster Care and Adoption Data (http://csfcad.chapinhall.org), a partnership of the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, offers State child welfare agencies a national database to help manage local programs and assess local agency performance and improvement over time.
The Center's database model, which uses State administrative data, was developed at Chapin Hall to bring member child welfare agencies cutting-edge information technology for performance measurement. Guided by an advisory board of State public child welfare administrators, the Center's database gives members the capacity to:
In addition to the longitudinal database, subscribing agencies receive technical assistance on installation and use of the database and access to multi-State data for benchmarking. Optional features include web tools for data mining and additional technical assistance in the strategic use of data for program evaluation, budgeting, policy analysis, and compliance reporting.
The Center is operated in collaboration with the Jordan Institute for Families at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Center for Social Services Research at the University of California at Berkeley. Technical assistance for subscribers is provided in coordination with APHSA and its affiliate, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators. Core funding for the Center comes from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. For more information about the Center, contact:
Pat Shapiro
American Public Human Services Association
810 First Street NE
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20002
Email: pshapiro@aphsa.org
Phone: (202) 682-0100
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Strategies and Tools for Practice
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=868
Replicating a proven program model can be one way to get a new program off to a good start. But how the model is implemented may be just as important as what model is used, according to a recent report by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
In its Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative, 9 programs (8 violence prevention and 1 drug prevention program) in 147 sites were examined in terms of the extent to which agencies had accomplished specific program objectives (e.g., serving the targeted population, hiring and training qualified staff). The results of this process evaluation identified several critical components of successful program implementation:
By focusing on these critical components, agencies can foster a positive experience for both staff and participants that results in higher quality implementation and more positive outcomes.
A copy of this report can be obtained from the OJJDP website at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=11719. More information on the Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative also is available on the OJJDP website at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=11721.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Strategies and Tools for Practice
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=869
Recognizing the impact of education on the lives and futures of children in foster care, the Vera Institute of Justice and the New York City Administration for Children's Services conducted a pilot project, Safe Start, to experiment with ways to help adults improve the school experience of children in foster care. Safe Start innovations were designed to address some of the typical educational difficulties of children in foster care, including poor attendance, poor academic performance, and greater incidence of behavior problems.
During the project's 3 years, Safe Start staff identified a number of barriers to optimal educational experiences for children in foster care:
In response, Safe Start found that increasing adult involvement in the education of children in foster care would help children overcome many of these obstacles. Two specific and relatively inexpensive recommendations were made:
As a result of the pilot project, the Vera Institute published a three-part packet to cover the themes of "Meeting the Challenges," "Adult Involvement," and "Enrollment and Transfers." Included in the packet are sample letters and forms to help in enrollment and release of records, as well as tip sheets for foster parents (in English and Spanish) regarding questions to ask at a parent-teacher conference and ways to help with homework.
The packet, Foster Children and Education: How You Can Create a Positive Education Experience for the Foster Child, can be downloaded from the Vera website at www.vera.org/publications/publications_5.asp?publication_id=241.
Related Item
Read more about the issue of education for children in foster care in "Overcoming Educational Barriers for Children in Foster Care" in the May 2004 issue of Children's Bureau Express.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Strategies and Tools for Practice
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=870
The Children Missing from Care Project has released a report on the current state of knowledge regarding missing children, causes, and possible solutions. "Children Missing from Care: An Issue Brief" reviews results from several American and British studies on the characteristics, prevalence, reasons, and responses to children missing from care.
The report notes that researchers distinguish among three groups of children: (1) those who run away, (2) those who are abducted, and (3) those who are lost to the child welfare system. Each of these groups has its own characteristics, and strategies to address the problem must be tailored to each group. The report also cites several programs that show promise for prevention, tracking, and response.
The Children Missing from Care Project is a collaboration between the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with the goal of providing guidance to law enforcement and child welfare agencies regarding children in foster care who are missing. The complete report can be downloaded from the CWLA site at www.cwla.org/programs/fostercare/childmiss.htm.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2117
The Washington State Institute for Public Policy has compiled information on early intervention programs for youth in Washington State to ascertain whether specific programs result in savings of taxpayer dollars. The Institute was directed by the State Legislature to identify and evaluate prevention and early intervention programs for youth that have specific outcomes in seven areas, including reductions in child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy. Their results have been released in a report, "Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth."
In estimating costs and benefits for the programs, researchers conducted extensive literature reviews and then constructed a benefit-cost model for each program to assign monetary values to changes in desired effects (such as a reduction in child abuse and neglect). Results are presented in a table that lists 61 programs, along with their benefits, costs, benefits per dollar of cost, and benefits minus costs. Of these, 37 showed a positive value for benefits minus costs, indicating that they have the potential to save taxpayer dollars. The Institute also developed several recommendations to address the issue of local program costs that result in savings at the State level, including reimbursement arrangements that give State funds to local programs.
The report can be downloaded at the Institute's website at www.wsipp.wa.gov/pub.asp?docid=04-07-3901.
Related Items
Read about another approach to cost analysis in "Calculating the Costs of Child Maltreatment" in the July/August 2001 issue of Children's Bureau Express.
More information on economic analysis of prevention programs is available on the website of the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/develop/making/index.cfm.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2118
Child welfare caseworkers with degrees in social work appear to have more positive experiences and be better prepared for their work than other child welfare caseworkers, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The NASW surveyed their members in the Child Welfare Specialty Practice Section about issues such as salaries, workload, and satisfaction with various aspects of the job. A total of 534 responded to the mail survey. Survey results were then compared to those from other surveys of all child welfare caseworkers, although no distinction was made between workers in public and private child welfare agencies.
In addition to survey responses about existing conditions, the report offers a number of recommendations for improvements in the field. Social workers' suggestions included more positive portrayals in the media, better funding, more emphasis on children's well-being, and better trained staff.
The NASW survey publication, "If You're Right for the Job, It's Best Job in the World," can be downloaded from the NASW website at www.naswdc.org/practice/children/NASWChildWelfareRpt062004.pdf.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2119
The Guide to Federal Funding Sources for the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and Other Youth Initiatives, a publication of the Finance Project, provides comprehensive information on sources of Federal funding for services, supports, and activities for vulnerable and disadvantaged youth. This resource was developed to assist youth-focused programs in maximizing Federal funding opportunities.
The Guide is divided into two sections:
Although the funding sources were identified for the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, which focuses on children aging out of foster care, the resources in this publication are more broad based and can support a variety of youth initiatives.
The publication can be accessed on the Finance Project website at www.financeprojectinfo.org/Publications/JCYOI%20Funding%20Guide.pdf.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2120
The deadline for the December 2004 funding cycle of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is November 5. The Foundation provides funding to U.S. and Canadian tax-exempt organizations that work to move children from foster care into adoptive homes. The Foundation is especially interested in addressing the permanency needs of children who are older, medically or emotionally challenged, or from an ethnic minority, or sibling groups who seek to be adopted together.
Preference is given to applications that:
The Foundation excludes certain kinds of requests, including individual adoption expenses, operating budgets, endowments or capital campaigns, adoption searches or reunions, scholarships, and special events. Go to the Foundation's website (www.davethomasfoundationforadoption.org) for more information about funding priorities, exclusions, and the application process.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2121
The Foster Parent College series offers interactive, multimedia training courses online and on DVD for adoptive, kinship, and foster parents.
In each course, Dr. Rick Delaney, a well-known psychologist and foster parenting expert, talks with parents about specific challenges many foster and adoptive parents face. Dramatizations of fictionalized cases are used to illustrate each point. Each course helps the viewer:
Courses available now include:
Titles coming soon include stealing, running away, self-harm, and reactive attachment disorder.
Each course is approximately 30 to 45 minutes long, but the interactive format allows parents to proceed at their own pace and review chapters at any time. Each course concludes with an interactive question and answer section. Parents then have an opportunity to earn 2 hours of foster parent training credit.
All courses are available on DVD for $15 for parent use, or online for $8 per course per person. Online accounts allow registered users to keep track of their progress in each course they have purchased and access discussion boards about the courses they have completed. Groups may purchase courses on DVDs or in bulk for online access.
Foster Parent College is produced by Northwest Media, Inc., through a grant from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Visit www.fosterparentcollege.com to watch free previews of each course, or call (800) 777-6636 for more information.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Training and Conferences
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=2123
Upcoming national conferences on adoption and child welfare through January 2005 include:
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
Further details about national and regional adoption and child welfare conferences can be found through the "Conference Calendar Search" feature on the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/conferences/index.cfm) and National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/conferences/index.cfm) websites.
Issue Date:
10 2004
Section: Training and Conferences
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=58&articleid=874
Child Welfare Information Gateway
www.childwelfare.gov
800.394.3366
Children's Bureau, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW, Eighth Floor
Washington, DC 20024
EMAIL: cb_express@childwelfare.gov