Download or read book How Can State Law Support School Continuity and Success for Students in Foster Care written by First Focus and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brief is authored by The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education, a collaboration between the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Education Law Center (PA), and Juvenile Law Center. The federal Fostering Connections Act of 2008 and the McKinney-Vento Act both provide education stability for children in foster care, especially children "awaiting foster care placement." Many state laws address improving education opportunities for children in care. Some expand the number of children entitled to McKinney-Vento protections by defining which children in care meet the definition of "awaiting foster care placement." Some states imbed the Fostering Connections and McKinney-Vento requirements relating to school stability and seamless transitions in their state laws. Other states expand upon these federal protections. This brief examines what states are already doing to ensure the educational needs of children in care are met and makes recommendations on how states can improve their laws.

Download or read book Hearing on the Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book School Stability written by Kourtney Bernard-Rance and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children in New Jersey's foster care system are more likely to remain in their home school when they enter foster care, thanks to a law passed in 2010, giving these fragile children improved educational stability. The law allows children to remain in their "school of origin" when they are placed in foster care, even if the foster home is in a different town. Prior to 2010, New Jersey's school residency laws prohibited that from happening. The intent was to minimize the disruption foster children experience, giving them the continuity of remaining in a familiar school with friends, teachers and other school staff they know. Foster youth, in general, struggle more in school than other children. Having educational stability can help improve their academic success. Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) conducted a survey of child welfare stakeholders to learn how the implementation of the law was affecting children. The survey found that most respondents believed that the law has helped reduce school disruptions for children in placement and has benefitted children's academic performance, physical and mental health, and relations with friends. The foster home's distance from the child's original school was the most common reason cited why children changed schools. Most survey respondents reported that the process for deciding whether a child should remain in the home school was working fairly well. However, they did identify ongoing issues, including difficulty arranging transportation and communications issues. This brief report summarizes the findings from the study and provides key recommendations for the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) and family courts.

Download or read book The School s Role in Supporting Students in Foster Care to Complete School written by Christina M. Casillas and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: School administrators and district leaders are charged with improving educational achievement for all students. At the sdecondary level, this includes increasing the number of students who graduate with a high school diploma. Students in foster care are even less likely than the general high school population to graduate from high school. This study examines the high school educational experience of adults formerly placed in foster care in addition to the school's perceptions of their role in supporting high school students in care. The research questions guiding this study were: How do adults emanipated from foster care perceive their educational experience and to what do they attribute their performance? How do high school personnel perceive students in foster care? How are school support systems utilized to ensure that students in foster care graduate from high school? Interviews with three adults emanicapted from foster care as well as three high school staff were conducted to gather firsthand accounts of the school experience. Data analysis employed the constant comparison method of grounded theory. Students formerly in foster care attributed their school success to their self-motivation to get a diploma, the need to right past wrongs, the pressure of looming adulthood and supports provided by the school. The school staff indicated that treating students equally, communicating with group homes and providing counseling supports and vocational training contributed to the academic success of students living in foster care. A key finding in the interviews with school staff members is their lack of knowledge regarding the laws and policies created to address the educational rights of students in foster care. Identifying the factors that contribute to a student-in-care's educational achievement will assist stakeholders in creating the necessary assistance to support these youth to complete high school.

Download or read book Child Welfare for the Twenty first Century written by Gerald P. Mallon and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2014-09-09 with total page 771 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), which became law in 1997, elicited a major shift in federal policy and thinking toward child welfare, emphasizing children's safety, permanency, and well-being over preserving biological ties at all costs. The first edition of this volume mapped the field of child welfare after ASFA's passage, detailing the practices, policies, programs, and research affected by the legislation's new attitude toward care. This second edition highlights the continuously changing child welfare climate in the U.S., including content on the Fostering Connections Act of 2008. The authors have updated the text throughout, drawing from real-world case examples and data obtained from the national Child and Family Services Reviews and emerging empirically based practices. They have also added chapters addressing child welfare workforce issues, supervision, and research and evaluation. The volume is divided into four sections—child and adolescent well-being, child and adolescent safety, permanency for children and adolescents, and systemic issues within services, policies, and programs. Recognized scholars, practitioners, and policy makers discuss meaningful engagement with families, particularly Latino families; health care for children and youth, including mental health care; effective practices with LGBT youth and their families; placement stability; foster parent recruitment and retention; and the challenges of working with immigrant children, youth, and families.

Download or read book Education in Out of Home Care written by Patricia McNamara and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-08 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book draws together for the first time some of the most important international policy practice and research relating to education in out-of-home care. It addresses the knowledge gap around how good learning experiences can enrich and add enjoyment to the lives of children and young people as they grow and develop. Through its ecological-development lens it focuses sharply on the experience of learning from early childhood to tertiary education. It offers empirical insights and best practices examples of learning and caregiving contexts with children and young people in formal learning settings, at home and in the community. This book is highly relevant for education and training programs in pedagogy, psychology, social work, youth work, residential care, foster care and kinship care along with early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education courses.

Download or read book From Foster Care to Adulthood written by Emily Buss and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Young people who grow up in foster care face daunting odds when they "age out" of that system as adults. Many of them find themselves without a job and without a home. Before long, many are incarcerated, and others become parents before they are ready. Staying in school is fraught with obstacles, from unaffordable tuition, to episodic housing, to a lack of academic and emotional supports. Whatever their obstacles and opportunities, foster youth are far more likely than other young people to face those obstacles and opportunities alone...The University of Chicago Law School's Foster Care Project is dedicated to assisting advocates throughout the country to improve the experience of foster youth who are aging out of care...we have focused our attention on the law, asking: What changes in the law would benefit these youth? How can current law be best employed for their benefit? What can courts and lawyers do to assist youth to make a successful transition?...[Our] conclusion is that the legal process governing foster youths' transition should ensure that foster youths' lives mimic, as closely as possible, the experience of youth growing up in their own families. More specifically, we conclude that the court process can play a crucial role in replicating some important aspects of that experience."--p. [1].

Download or read book Improving the Child Welfare System written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Neuroscience for Social Work written by Holly C. Matto and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Print+CourseSmart

Download or read book When Working Together Works written by National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE. and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Center for Homeless Education and the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education present this brief to help educators and child welfare advocates work together to support the academic success of children and youth in out-of-home care. The brief offers practical, proven strategies for implementing two federal laws collaboratively: The McKinney-Vento Act, which applies to state and local educational agencies, and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, which applies to state and local child welfare agencies. Specifically, this brief will assist state and local agencies and staff in: (1) Laying a foundation for working together; (2) Agreeing on requirements and expectations; (3) Promoting school stability; and (4) Incorporating children fully in classes and school activities. [This paper was developed with Legal Center for Foster Care and Education.].

Download or read book Youth Transitioning from Foster Care written by Adrienne L. Fernandes and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly half of states have laws that explicitly permit the state child welfare system to continue providing foster care for children beyond the age of majority (usually no later than 19). However, the number of states that actually facilitate youth remaining in care beyond their 18th or 19th birthdays is significantly smaller. Over 20,000 young people have been emancipated from foster care annually from FY2002 through FY2006. While most young people have access to emotional and financial support systems throughout their early adult years, older youth in care and those who age out of care often face obstacles to developing independent living skills and building supports that ease the transition to adulthood. Older foster youth who return to their parents or guardians may continue to experience poor family dynamics or a lack of emotional and financial supports, and studies have shown that recently emancipated foster youth fare poorly relative to their counterparts in the general population on several outcome measures. Recognising the difficulties faced by older youth in care and youth emancipating from foster care, Congress created a new Independent Living initiative (P.L. 99-272)in 1986 to assist certain older foster youth as they enter adulthood. The legislation authorised mandatory funding to states under a new Section 477 of the Social Security Act. In 1999, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act (P.L. 106-169) replaced the Independent Living Program with the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) and doubled the total annual funds available to states from $70 million to $140 million. The law also expanded the population of youth eligible to receive independent living services - with no lower age limit - and gave states greater flexibility in designing independent living programs. Independent living services can refer to assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, training in daily living skills, and training in financial management, among other services. Amendments to the CFCIP in FY2002 (P.L. 107-133) authorised discretionary funding for states to provide education and training vouchers to eligible youth. Along with the CFCIP, federal child welfare law and other federal programs are intended to help older current youth in care and foster care alumni make the transition to adulthood. The federal foster care program has protections in place to ensure that older youth in care have a written case plan that addresses the programs and services that will assist in this transition, among other supports. Further, federal law authorises funding for states to provide workforce assistance and housing to older foster youth. Despite these efforts and the resilience displayed by current and former foster youth, policymakers and child welfare practitioners have suggested that at a minimum, young people need better support to build stronger connections with caring adults before leaving foster care and should have the option to remain in care upon reaching their 18th or 19th birthdays.

Download or read book A Silent and Significant Subgroup written by Michelle Lisa Lustig and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children and youth in foster care comprise a significant subgroup of low performing students in public schools today. The current climate of accountability has created the need for education and child welfare professionals to address the unique needs of students in foster care to increase academic achievement. Additionally, recent legislation in California, such as AB490 and AB 1808 modified the Education Code and Welfare and Institutions Code. These mandates include a requirement that the unique educational circumstances of foster children are addressed by child welfare, public education and the judiciary. This study explores strategies and interventions that may increase the academic achievement of students in foster care. The study compares academic outcomes for foster youth receiving tutoring services from three different programs. These findings speak to the impact of supplemental academic support services and the practical application of these services for this vulnerable population. The findings serve to inform public education, child welfare and Foster Youth Services programs throughout the State of California and across the United States.

Download or read book This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids written by Dannielle Owens-Reid and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2014-09-09 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written in an accessible Q&A format, here, finally, is the go-to resource for parents hoping to understand and communicate with their gay child. Through their LGBTQ-oriented site, the authors are uniquely experienced to answer parents' many questions and share insight and guidance on both emotional and practical topics. Filled with real-life experiences from gay kids and parents, this is the book gay kids want their parents to read.

Download or read book The Foster Care Label in Academic Settings written by Devin James Mc Guier and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Success in school is a key protective factor for youth in foster care. Communication and collaboration between schools, child welfare, and other service providers are crucial for promoting school success among foster youth. However, concerns that teachers may view youth in foster care negatively simply because of their foster care status create a barrier to communication and collaboration. Despite these concerns, to date virtually no quantitative research exists documenting the presence of bias toward foster youth in academic settings. This study used an experimental design to test whether informing elementary school teachers of hypothetical students foster care status resulted in biased expectations, attributions, and decision-making. This study also examined the effect of student race on teachers judgments and decisions, as well as the extent to which teacher well-being mitigated or enhanced effects of student foster care status and student race. Teachers (n = 179) reported lower academic expectations for students in foster care compared to their peers and were biased toward attributing foster youths academic and behavior problems to less internal, less controllable causes. Teachers were also more likely to attribute behavior problems to more stable causes and to recommend special education evaluations for students in foster care. Effects of student race were limited to a bias toward attributing academic and behavior problems to less internal causes, attributing academic problems to less controllable, less stable causes, and assignment of less harsh discipline responses for Black students compared to White students. There was some evidence that teacher well-being (most notably teacher sleep problems) moderated effects of student foster care status on teachers judgments and decisions such that poorer teacher well-being was associated with greater bias toward foster youth. Implications for policy and practice to support teachers in their interactions with students who are in foster care are discussed.

Download or read book Foster Care and Best Interests of the Child written by Sarah A. Font and published by Springer. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brief examines the U.S. foster care system and seeks to explain why the foster care system functions as it does and how it can be improved to serve the best interest of children. It defines and evaluates key challenges that undermine child safety and well-being in the current foster care system. Chapters highlight the competing values and priorities of the system as well as the pros and cons for the use of foster care. In addition, chapters assess whether the performance objectives in which states are evaluated by the federal government are sufficient to achieve positive health and well-being outcomes for children who experience foster care. Finally, it offers recommendations for improving the system and maximizing positive outcomes. Topics featured in this brief include: Legal aspects of removal and placement of children in foster care. The effectiveness of prior efforts to reform foster care. The regulation and quality of foster homes. Support for youth aging out of the foster care system. Racial and ethnic disparities in the foster care system. Foster Care and the Best Interests of the Child is a must-have resource for policy makers and related professionals, graduate students, and researchers in child and school psychology, family studies, public health, social work, law/criminal justice, and sociology.

Download or read book Youth Transitioning from Foster Care written by Congressional Research Service and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-10-08 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most young people have access to emotional and financial support systems throughout their early adult years, older youth in foster care and those who are emancipated from care often face obstacles to developing independent living skills and building supports that ease the transition to adulthood. Older foster youth who return to their parents or guardians may continue to experience poor family dynamics or a lack of emotional and financial supports, and studies have shown that recently emancipated foster youth fare poorly relative to their counterparts in the general population on several outcome measures. The federal government recognizes that older youth in foster care and those aging out are vulnerable to negative outcomes and may ultimately return to the care of the state as adults, either through the public welfare, criminal justice, or other systems. Under the federal foster care program, states may seek reimbursement for youth to remain in care up to the age of 21. In addition, the federal foster care program has certain protections for older youth. For example, states must annually obtain the credit report of each child in care who is age 16 or older (age 14 and older as of late 2015). States must also assist youth with developing what is known as a transition plan. The law requires that a youth's caseworker, and as appropriate, other representative(s) of the youth, assist and support him or her in developing the plan. The plan is to be directed by the youth, and is to include specific options on housing, health insurance, education, local opportunities for mentors, workforce supports, and employment services. Other protections will go into effect in late 2015 that will require states to ensure that youth age 14 and older are consulted about the development and revisions to their case plan and permanency plan, and that the case plan includes a document listing certain rights for these youth. Separately, the federal government provides funding for services to assist in the transition to adulthood through the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP). The law enables states to provide these services to youth who are likely to age out of foster care (with no lower age limit), and youth age 16 or older who left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption. Independent living services may include assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, career exploration, training in daily living skills, training in budgeting and financial management skills, and preventive health activities, among other services. The CFCIP requires that states ensure youth in independent living programs participate directly in designing their own program activities that prepare them for independent living, and further that they “accept personal responsibility for living up to their part of the program.” The Chafee Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program separately authorizes discretionary funding for education and training vouchers for eligible youth to cover their cost of postsecondary education (until age 23). A recent evaluation of independent living programs, such as those that provide mentoring and life skills, shows mixed results. One promising independent living program has social workers who oversee a small caseload and have regular, ongoing interactions with the youth. The youth in this program are more likely to attend college and stay enrolled than their peers not in the program. Along with the CFCIP, other federal programs are intended to help current and former youth in foster care make the transition to adulthood. Federal law authorizes funding for states and local jurisdictions to provide workforce support and housing to older foster youth and youth emancipating from care. Further, the law that established the CFCIP created an optional Medicaid eligibility pathway for youth who age out of foster care; this pathway is often called the “Chafee option.

Download or read book Federal Probation written by and published by . This book was released on 1964 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: