Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - CFK Articles, Child Safety & Protection

“I knew I Had to Be a Better Parent” – True Stories of Local Supports

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:37:03 -0500

Here’s a personal glimpse at the importance of local programs for children and families, as three stressed-out parents share how they found help and education in support groups. The California-based Children’s Advocate reports.

KIDS COUNT 2008: A CFK Overview

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:47:35 -0500

To make positive change for kids, you need to know where things stand, what’s working and what needs to be improved. The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book offers both data and context for 10 indicators of child well-being—and drills down to a state and local level. This year’s essay offers a “roadmap for reform” in juvenile justice. CFK summer intern Maria Allen attended the June 2008 launch event in DC and has this overview.

CFK Top Article Pick: Telling Stories that Teach, and Heal

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:11:48 -0500

Teenagers in foster care often have stories to tell—but lack the tools to tell them. CFK looks at how the Center for Digital Storytelling has provided those tools to participants in their program, and helped create valuable teaching tools for those who work with teens in care.

Foster Care 2008: What We Know, Where We're Going (a Q&A with Experts)

Mon, 19 May 2008 10:23:06 -0500

(2008) May is Foster Care Month, and for the 20th anniversary celebration of the campaign, Connect for Kids spoke with Candice Douglass, communications director with Casey Family Programs, to get the latest on foster care and child well-being, and emerging trends we should all know about. We also got the scoop the Kinship Caregiver Support Act currently in Congress and an innovative approach to permanency for teens in a Q&A with Celeste Bodner, executive director of FosterClub, the national network for young people in foster care. Find out what’s new, what’s working, and how you can make a difference no matter how much time you’ve got to give.

A“Ticket to Work” for Transitioning Youth – and Those Working With Them

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:12:55 -0600

If you work with teens with disabilities, you’ll want to know about the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work (TTW) program. Its Youth Transition portion offers funds for organizations that help students receiving Social Security disability benefits find employment. Is it right for you? Melody Goodspeed, Youth Transition Specialist for TTW answers some common questions about the funding.

Getting Beyond the Foster Care System: What Works for Teens

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:47:19 -0600

Could you have made it entirely on your own at 18 or 21? Each year, roughly 25,000 young people “age out” of the foster care system, many without family or economic supports. Without connection to a caring adult and support to plan and prepare, these youth face steep challenges, including higher rates of unemployment, poor educational attainment, health issues, incarceration, and homelessness. But those are the problems, the statistics—what about the potential of these teens, and their desire to succeed? We spoke with Betsy Krebs, co-director of the New York City-based Youth Advocacy Center, about what works to help teens aging out of foster care succeed. There’s room for the whole community...

In Mississippi: A Sweeping Legal Victory for Kids

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:04:48 -0500

Mississippi plans a serious overhaul of its child welfare system to do more to protect the approximately 3,400 abused and neglected children in its care. Here's an overview of the details of this comprehensive reform plan, developed as a settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against the state by Children's Rights.

NY Times' "A History of Neglect" Series: a Major Contribution on Issues Affecting Minority-run Foster Care Agencies

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:07:31 -0600

In November 2007, the New York Times ran a three-part series on the struggles of minority-run foster care agencies in New York City that found "a trail of scandals and disappointments, as well as a new commitment to better caring for the city’s vulnerable black and Latino children." The online version includes reader commentary and questions for reporters and experts. Connect for Kids will join and track these online conversations for our readers.

Who's Doing What That Works: Readers' Choice Stories

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:27:12 -0500

October 2007—Our partner Child Advocacy 360 brings you "Readers' Choice Stories," in which readers vote with their eyes, clicks and emails on the best of Who's Doing What That Works.

“Stop the Silence” to End Child Sexual Abuse: a Small Nonprofit takes on a Big Issue

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:45:21 -0500

Seven years ago, a piece of paper on a desk started Pamela Pine on a quest to understand and spread the word about child sexual abuse. In this column, Pine shares how she turned her concern into a vibrant, dynamic nonprofit organization—with an annual international awareness-raising foot race in Washington, DC, every April.

A Fine Line: How to Teach Kids About Sexual Assault

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:26:15 -0500

There's good news on the rates of rape and sexual assault in the U.S.—a big decline in the rates of these crimes since the 1970s. Still, parents and other adults who care about children have a responsibility to educate kids about the dangers—and many of us feel inadequate to the task. Tamekia Reece took a look at some of the more effective programs in use to raise awareness appropriately and in ways that kids can understand.

Looking for Balance in Foster Care Views

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:45:54 -0500

When you learn that a teen is in foster care, what is your reaction? Empathy? Curiosity? Apprehension? News stories and popular media portrayals of young people involved with the child welfare system, paired with selective statistics about how this population is faring, can feed apprehension at the expense of a more positive view of the strength that can come from overcoming adversity. La Terra Cole, an intern with Connect For Kids, reflects on some recent "mainstream media" portrayals of foster care.

The Downside of Girl Power?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:10:22 -0500

By many measures, girls are on a roll. In terms of academic achievement, college attendance and completion, and the opportunities that are open to them, girls are poised for success. But some experts see worrying signs that girls are also facing new pressures—and responding with violent behavior usually associated with boys. Andrea Grazzini Walstrom takes a look at the issue.

Voices from the Other Side of Foster Care

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:41:52 -0500

The parents of children in the child welfare system are often vilified and rarely heard from. Youth Communication is working to change that, with a new magazine called Rise, written by and for such parents. Its mission is to help parents advocate for themselves and their children. In her story from issue #3, Philneia Timmons tells a tough story from a perspective that's too often missing from our view of foster care.

Standing Up for Separated Siblings

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:36:10 -0500

Entering foster care is traumatic for any child—even more so when siblings are separated. High school senior Kala Clark of Maine, who entered care at age 12, knows that only too well. And she's done something about it—successfully pushing for state legislation that establishes the right of siblings to spend time together when families are divided by child welfare authorities. She spoke with Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips.