{"response":{"docs":[{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2003-swinter","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2003","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2003"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2003"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2003"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2003-swinter"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2003-swinter"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"GA l-\\\u003c000 . p~ 1\u003e \\ pCI \n\\l d-Oo ~ / \\,.\\ 1N r \nin \n \nPart  \n \nring \nA NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA DHR FOSTER CARE UNIT \n \nPreparing Babies d h d \nFor A U 1t 00 \n \nDuring a child's first year, foster parents can greatly enhance the infant's future mental health, behavior and emotional well being. \n\"We know babies learn many things from the moment of birth,.and rapid braingrowth occurs from birth to age 5,\" explained Susan Bertonaschi, Children 1st program coordinator. \"Foster parents should know that an early secure, loving relationship with caregivers is a major contributor to a child's ~evel oping self-esteem and, later, with positive peer relationships, self-control, thinking and the ability to be flexible in problem-solving. Loving relationships set the foundation for adulthood.\" \nInteract With Babies \nBabies begin developing language skills by making babbling sounds, as well as by hearing language which they eventually begin imitating. Foster parents will bond with the baby and help language development by talking to the baby as much as possible during day-today routines, such as when diapering, taking the baby to the c~, and feeding. While talking, caregivers should make eye contact and imitate some sounds the baby makes. The more babies hear, the more they will imitate, and the more they will be able to use language later in life. \n\"Smiling at the baby, making eye contact and helping the baby be comfortable are some of the best things a foster parent can do for .an infant,\" emphasized Bertonaschi. \"All infants need to feel loved and wanted in order to grow up to have \n \npositive relationships with others. Many infants enter foster care from neglectful situations, so a foster parent might be the first person in that baby's life to really help her with these needs.\" \n \nBe Patient \n \nWhether from neglect or other factors such as premature birth or even prenatal drug exposure, infants entering foster care may be especially sensitive. Also these infants in their way are recovering from the grief and sense of loss that comes from being moved from their birth family or previous foster family. Foster parents need to be prepared to be patient, especially in the beginning as they help the infant grow accustomed to them and their home. A good place to start is to get a sense of a child's personal temperament. What is the infant's overall mood and behavior? How calm, intense or active is she? How does she respond to changes in routine? Is she upset by bright lights or loud noise? \n \nILove guides babies toward well-ad;usted adulthood. \n \n\"Foster parents can help a highly sensitive baby by keeping the environment calm, with lights dim and noise levels low,\" Bertonaschi described. \"You may find that soothing music calms her. You may need \n \n(Continued on page 3) \n \n Keeping Kids \nFrom Being \n \nWhy do some children who have been maltreated seem almost to seek situations where they will be further maltreated? How can foster parents help them escape this pattern of getting victimized and re-victimized? \nWhy Victims? \n\"When children come from families where they were maltreated, they get the maltreatment confusingly tangled with positive aspects of their family,\" explained Douglas Pratt, licensed clinical social worker with the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group. \"After entering foster care, some of them keep seeking what feels familiar for them, even if it's hurtful. For example, a boy whose father physically abused him might seek out the school bully. He's desperate to be loved, so his motivation is 'I'm going to keep pursuing this person, and, if I tolerate enough of his abuse, maybe he'll love me' - which was exactly what he had been doing with his abusive father. His definition of love includes abuse.\" \n \nEstablish Boundaries \nWhen children were victimized, their personal boundaries were violated, whether through sex, violence or other trauma. When caregivers establish some special household rules, children can regain a sense of boundaries and personal safety, as well as develop intuition for situations to avoid. \nPratt explained, \"In some homes, people sometimes dash undressed from bathroom to bedroom, but when a child who was sexually abused sees that, it can be confusing and upsetting - maybe reminding the child of the early stages leading to the abuse. Clear, consistent, strong household rules can help, such as no one leaves the bedroom or bathroom unless fully dressed or wearing a robe. When taking a bath or using the toilet, only one person should be in a bathroom, with the door shut. Undress only with the door shut. Knock on closed doors and wait to be invited in. Even if a bedroom door is open, ask permission before entering. Always keep the door open when visiting in someone's bedroom. Always ask permission to sit on someone's bed while he or she is in it. Never lie in a bed while someone is in it.\" \n \nKids can learn not to be victims, says Douglas \nPratt. \n \nWrestling or rough-housing among children or with caregivers can be innocent play, but can feel upsetting for a child who has been abused. A house rule could be whenever anyone says the other person is doing something that feels uncomfortable, the other person will immediately stop. Also caregivers should emphasize that if anybody in or out of the home does anything that feels \"yucky,\" the child should loudly say no, leave that place, then tell an adult about it. \n \nOpenness and Coaching \n \nSimilarly, children who were sexually abused might act in sexualized ways they learned from the abuse experience, thus attracting further sexual abuse from older children or adults. Also these children's histories can influence them to become like their former abusers - becoming bullies or people whose definition of love includes sex. \n\"Foster parents' guidance can help these children develop safer patterns,\" Pratt said. \"While we want to teach these kids to protect themselves, the highest priority is that the adult must take on a strong protecting role. These children lived in chaotic relationships where their adult models might have had few if any clear or sensible rules, so these kids might not know what's appropriate and inappropriate. All children need caregivers to establish protective rules, but these children have special needs for foster parents to do this.\" \n \n\"A rule should be children will tell a caregiver if anyone in the home violates their privacy, and caregivers then should discuss these violations with the one who might have violated privacy,\" Pratt described. \"If this continues happening, caregivers should hold a family meeting to emphasize and clarify house rules. They should also emphasize that children should immediately tell them or another adult if anyone in or out of the home asks them to play any sort of 'secret game' or do anything secret.\" \nPratt said coaching can help children protect themselves, \nnoting, \"Playing the What If? game can prepare kids so they \naren't taken off guard in the real world. The adult can ask the child to think about possible victimizing situations, like, 'What if some of the boys at school were pushing you around?' or, 'Suppose an adult offers to drive you home.' Then the caregiver can coach the child in thinking of appropriate, safe responses.\" \n \nBabies (Continuedfrompoge 11 \n \nTeaching Children Self-Control \n \nto slow down routines, like feeding and shifting from one activity to the next. It may help in the beginning to limit the number of people who handle her. If she comes from a neglectful situation, she won't be used to having a lot of people pick her up and handle her. For the first week, it might be best for just the foster parents to hold her, then maybe allowing older children in the home to start attaching with her. Just allow some time, and see how the baby reacts. Some cues that the infant wants to engage with you are she opens her eyes, turns her eyes to you, and reaches up. Signs that she's ready for less stimulation are turning her head away, beginning to hiccup or drool, or falling asleep. Soothing techniques such as talking softly, touching, rocking or walking the baby may help calm her.\" \nFeeding time is one of the best opportunities for bonding. Caregivers should not prop up the baby on her own with a bottle, but should hold her during feedings to provide the physical contact she needs to feel secure. This contact also allows the baby to feel the caregiver's heartbeat and breathing, which can help her regulate her own sucking, swallowing and breathing rhythms, as well as to help her feel calm.  \nPart \nI SS UE NUMBER 19 \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman \nEditorial Committee Members: Dianne Yearby and Doris Walker \nWriter/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie \nDesktop Design: Dara O'Neil \nDo you like this newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it could be better? Send your comments to: \nDianne Yearby DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18th Floor Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 404.657.3570 \n \nMany children in foster care (especially under age 12) have problems with self-control, including having diagnosed disorders. Foster parents can work with children's case managers and therapists to come up with strategies to help improve their self-control. For example, Michael (age 7) has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sensory integration disorder. With advice from Michael's therapist, his foster parents set out to help him gain more self-control. \nIdentifying target behavior: The foster parents begin by discussing the various areas where Michael needs better self-control. They realize Michael will only be confused if they try to change too much too quickly, so they narrow their focus to Michael's inappropriate behavior at the store, at parties and when they as caregivers set limits at home. \nPlanning ahead: The foster parents know Michael often becomes upset when he cannot purchase an item at the store, so they plan to begin giving him some money prior to entering the store. They tell him that if he does not spend the money, he can keep it. They also explain that if he acts up in the store by demanding more money, he will be removed from the store immediately. The parents know Michael becomes overwhelmed in busy stores, so they learn to take him to smaller stores, limit the length of shopping trips (since he has a very short attention span) and bring him to stores at off-peak hours. In the beginning, Michael sometimes has to be left home with a parent/babysitter when the other children go to the store. \nRehearsing: Michael begs to attend a classmate's birthday party, but he has a history of hitting other children. To prepare for the party, the parents ask Michael to role play or pretend that another child is teasing him. The parents can act as the other child, saying some typical teases and letting Michael practice coming up with even-tempered responses, then adding their own suggestions for things he might have said or done. The parents emphasize 1) one of them will remain at the party for Michael to come to for ideas, support or protection at any time and 2) they will leave with him immediately if he does not behave. \nPredicting problems: Michael acts out whenever he has to stop a fun activity to take a bath, do homework or clean his room. His parents learn to schedule Michael so he completes such tasks before they will permit a fun activity. \nPraising and supporting: The foster parents praise each successful step Michael makes toward improved self-control. \nChildren with self-control issues learn best from adults with whom they have a positive bond and feel trust, security and safety. Adults should learn to notice warning signs that a child is about to become stressed-out, and they need to be able to remove children from situations immediately without becoming angry or upset. As children begin to develop self-control skills, parents will be able to increase their privileges and activities. \n \n Preventing \nInjuries and Deaths \n \nThe leading killer of children in the United \n \ndren,\" Lindemer explained. \"Many beginning bik- \n \ndeadly mistakes, poisons should never be \n \nmay be confused about when to move growing \n \nStates is preventable injuries, killing more than all ers think a driveway or hill is great to zoom down \n \nremoved from their original containers and \n \nchildren from car seats to booster seats to safety \n \ndiseases combined. This year in the United States, into a street, which leads to many accidents.\" \n \nshould never be placed in a container associated belts. Helpful information about seats and their \n \nBicycle Helmet Safety Institute www.bhsi.org Georgia Poison Center 1.800.222.1222 \nCar seat info: \nSafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. www.carseat.org National Safe Kids Campaign www.safekids.org \nSeat-check event info: \n \nmore than 6,000 children will die and 120,000 will become permanently disabled due to preventable injuries. Foster parents can help increase children's safety. \n\"Caregivers should get in the habit of looking from a child's perspective,\" emphasized Kristen Lindemer, acting director of the Injury Prevention Section of the Georgia Division of Public Health. \"Get down on your hands and knees and think about what's in kids' reach, what could fall on \n \nChildren without helmets are 14 times more likely to die from a bike accident than children with helmets. Because they reduce the risk of head and brain injury by 85-88 percent, approved bicycle or multi-sport helmets are required by Georgia law for children under age 16 when riding bikes on public roads, sidewalks and bike paths. A bike helmet should fit properly: approximately two finger-tip widths above the eyebrow and level on the head, not tilting back to expose the forehead or tilting too far forward to cover the eyes. It should fit snugly, so if you move the helmet, the forehead's skin also moves. It should not be so tight as to feel uncomfortable. The chin strap should always be fastened. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute's website (www.bhsi.org) provides further information on bike helmets and their proper fit. \nPoison \n \nwith drinking, such as a soda bottle or milk jug. \nFire \n\"Most child deaths from fire occur in homes without smoke alarms during the cold-weather months of December through February,\" Lindemer said. \"It's important to have a working smoke alarm outside every bedroom and in the main living quarters. If a family tends to close their bedroom doors at night, they should also have an alarm inside their bedrooms. You can remember to change conventional batteries by replacing them when the time changes. More expensive smoke alarms come with longlife lithium batteries that last seven or more years. Many fires result from cooking, smoking and space heaters. Space heaters should be at least three feet away from anything flammable, like curtains or magazines.\" \nFamilies need an escape plan which they \n \ninstallation is available at the SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. website (www.carseat.org) and the National Safe Kids Campaign website (www.safekids.org), including lists of car seats that have been recalled for being defective and unsafe. Caregivers can also check under \"car seats\" on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety \nCommission website (http:/ /www.cpsc.gov I cgibin/ recalldb I prod.asp) for recalled car seats. \nLindemer advised, \"One of the best ways to make sure a seat is properly installed is to drive your car with the seat installed and with the child in the seat to a seat-checking event, where a certified technician will examine how you installed your seat and, if incorrectly installed, will coach you in proper installation. You can find out about free seat-inspection events in your area by calling Safe Kids of Georgia (404.929.8686) or the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (404.656.6996). Sometimes caregivers can receive free child safety seats by attending these events.\" \n \nSafe Kids of Georgia 404.929.8686 Governor's Office of Highway Safety 404.656.6996 \nCar seat recall info: \nU.S. Consumer Product \n \nSimple precautions can save children's lives, says Kristen Lindemer. \n \nApproximately 150,000 adults and children are poisoned annually in Georgia. More than 50 percent of reported poisonings are children age 6 and under. Poisonings are most common among ages 1 and 2. If caregivers suspect poisoning and the child is showing serious symptoms such as fainting and vomiting, they should call 911. If a situation is less clear, such as the child swallowed something like shampoo and caregivers are unsure whether it is poison and want guidance, \n \nrehearse so everyone knows what to do in case of a fire. Everyone should have two methods of leaving the home, so, if fire blocks one escape route, everyone is ready with an alternative route. No calls to 911 should be made inside a burning home; rather, everyone should focus on escaping, then calling 911 from a neighbor's house. Caregivers with several children should decide ahead of time who will get which children, so they can split up and work separately to save time dur- \n \nThough caregivers understandably look for ways to cut costs, they should not buy a child safety seat they do not know the history of, such as from a thrift shop. They should not use car seats given to them unless they can confirm the seat has never been in a crash or in any way damaged and likely to fail in a crash.  \n \nSafety Commission http://www.cpsc.gov/ cgi-bin/recalldb/ \n \nthem or start a fire or scald them, what's poisonous, what's small enough to swallow, what could suffocate or strangle or electrocute them, what \n \nthey can call the 24-hour Georgia Poison Center hotline number, which they should keep near their telephone: 1.800.222.1222. Caregivers also can call \n \ning a fire. While escaping, family should keep low below smoke, crawling on hands and knees and touching doors before opening them to test \n \nGraphic art provided by the Georgia Division of Public Health. \n \nprod.asp \n \nthey could fall from. Think about what they could to request a free booklet or visit the website \n \nwhether they are hot from fire on the other side. \n \ndrown in. Drowning is the second leading cause (www.georgiapoisoncenter.org) for information \n \nThe family should select a meeting point away \n \nof unintentional injuries among children age 14 \n \non such topics as identifying poison plants, treat- \n \nfrom the home where everyone can be accounted \n \nand under. Most drownings occur in residential swimming pools. Infants drown most often in \n \np ing insect bites and installing child safety locks on \ncabinets. \n \nfor, such as a mailbox or a tree that will not be in the way of a fire truck or in harm's way. \n \nbathtubs, toilets and buckets.\" \nBicycles \n \nPoisonings frequently occur around mealtimes, when children are hungry and caregivers are cooking and may be supervising children less \n \n.I.I Cars \nChild safety seats and safety belts can save \n \n\"Youngsters are unable to ride bikes safely \n \nclosely. Bright labels attract curious children, who \n \nlives, which is why they are required by law. \n \naround any traffic until they develop the abilities might mistake household cleaners for juice or a \n \nHowever, four out of five safety seats are incor- \n \n4 \n \nto gauge speed and distance of cars, which might be age 9 or 10, and could be older for other chil- \n \nsoda. They might mistake pills for candy. Poisons should be stored in cabinets with child-proof locks beyond children's reach and sight. To avoid \n \nrectly installed. Caregivers should carefully read instructions that come with the seat. Caregivers \n \n5 \n \n Tips for \nTeenage Healthcare \n \nHelping Children \nwith Oral Health \n \nTeenagers' health should be maintained while in foster care. What are some tips for foster parents and case managers? \n \nMonitoring \n \nCarol Miller, a \n \nDouglas County \n \n\"Whether in foster \n \nschool nurse, checks a teen's blood pressure. \n \ncare or not, all teenagers should have annual checkups with \n \na physician,\" said \n \nMalaika Hollinger, \n \nprevention specialist \n \nwith the Office of \n \nAdolescent Health \n \nand Youth \n \nDevelopment. \n \n\"Adolescence is a dra- \n \nmatic time for all \n \nyoung people, but \n \nespecially so when \n \nthey come from \n \nhomes where they \n \nwere maltreated. All \n \n- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ' children entering fos- \n \nter care are thoroughly assessed by professionals \n \n- including medical assessments - and DFCS \n \nmakes sure they receive needed services and sup- \n \nports. Because foster parents see kids daily, their \n \nrole is crucial in noticing changes or continued \n \nproblems with children's health.\" \n \nTeen Centers \n \nState Health Check Program 404.463.0183 \nHealth Department \nwww.ph.dhr.state. ga.us/regional \n \nTeenagers' emerging independence can be particularly challenging for caregivers, and foster parent groups can benefit from inviting the health educator from their local health department to speak on topics such as discouraging kids from smoking, using drugs, drinking or engaging in other high-risk behavior. Health departments also offer classes for youths and have information about other locally offered classes on these and other health-related issues. You can find your local health department's phone number in the phone book, by calling directory assistance or by logging onto www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/regional then clicking on your county. \n\"Many health departments have teen centers located in their building or nearby,\" noted \n \nCarolyn Aidman, director of Adolescent Health and Youth Development. \"If youths are sexually active, foster parents or case managers can bring them to a teen center to get a Baby Think It Over doll, which is a computerized doll a girl or boy keeps for 24 to 48 hours to get a sense of the responsibilities of parenting. The doll has a computer that shows how the youth treated the 'baby' during that time, such as whether the youth responded when the doll was crying. If the teen has been involved with drugs, there are Baby Think It Over dolls that act like babies born to a mother whO used crack cocaine - simulating these babies' nervousness and irritating cry.\" \nHealth Check \nHealth Check is a preventive program offered at all county health departments for children from birth to age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid or PeachCare. All children in foster care are eligible for Health Check services, such as receiving ageappropriate immunizations. Rather than treating illnesses, Health Check exams are \"well-child check-ups\" to make sure children and teens are developing appropriately for their ages. Once a youth is brought in, Health Check staff will continue scheduling appointments at recommended ages to check on his or her development in a variety of areas. At each visit, Health Check staff set up an appointment for the next recommended visit. \nThe exam is done by a nurse who spends as much time with the family as needed to understand the youth's physical or emotional issues affecting health. If any problems are suspected or identified, the nurse refers the youth to a physician, dentist or whatever specialist is necessary, locating providers who accept Medicaid. The nurse may be able to refer the youth to other public health programs that would be helpful to the youth. If a youth becomes sick between visits, the nurse will also help foster parents with referrals to a doctor. \nYou can find your local Health Check location by calling the State Health Check Program at 404.463.0183.  \n \nTeeth greatly affect children's self-esteem. Poor dental habits result in pain, expense and inconvenience throughout a lifetime. Children need foster parents' guidance for good oral hygiene, and case managers should ensure children visit dentists regularly. \n\"Around 50 percent of kids don't have dental problems, while 20-25 percent have 75-80 percent of the problems,\" noted Joseph Alderman, director of the Oral Health Section of the Georgia Division of Public Health. \"This major difference is due to whether kids have good dental routines. If children have good routines of brushing and flossing and good eating habits, they may only need to see a dentist once a year. Others need to go more often, such as every six months. A child's first dental appointment should be at age 1 for a screening, so the dentist can notice, for example, if caregivers need to alter bottle-feeding habits to better preserve the child's teeth.\" \nAlderman added, \"It's much better to take kids to the dentist to prevent problems, rather than wait until the child already has a tooth ache, which is both painful and expensive - many children with . poor dental health needing to be hospitalized and put under general anesthesia for their dental work, which is traumatic for the child and can cost Medicaid or Peachcare up to $8,000. Also if children only go to the dentist when they're in pain, they learn to fear and avoid dentists.\" \nBrushing and Flossing \nBrushing teeth at least twice a day and flossing at least once help prevent tooth decay and gum problems. \n\"Be sure children brush correctly, moving the toothbrush in a down-to-up motion on the lower teeth and up-to-down motion on the uppers, using a kind of massaging motion,\" Alderman advised. \"We tell kids to brush teeth in the direction the teeth grow and to brush both the teeth and gums, stimulating gums so they won't become diseased and recede. Get children a childsized toothbrush so they can reach the back teeth where space is tighter. Soft-bristled toothbrushes - usually nylon - don't cut the gums as much. Start them using an adult-sized toothbrush somewhere around age 12, depending on their mouth's \n \nsize.\" \nAlderman added, \"Flossing should begin at age 1. The adult needs to do it because kids usually don't have the dexterity to do it for themselves until the third or fourth grade. You only have to floss between the teeth that are in contact, so, in a young child, the main teeth to floss are the molars (the very back teeth). Until around the third grade, about age 8, kids need an adult at least to supervise their flossing.\" \nFlouride \nFor years, fluoride has been added to national water supplies, which has significantly improved the general population's dental health. However, the fluoride in tapwater combined with the fluoride in most toothpastes can be too much for young children, causing brown stains on teeth. For children under 2, caregivers should brush children's teeth only with water, without toothpaste. From ages 2 to 6, children should only use a pea-sized dab of toothpaste on their brush. After age 6, fluoride is healthy without side effects, both in water and toothpaste. In the 2000 census, Georgia was rated as the eighth best state in providing fluoride in water supplies; however, some rural counties do not fluoridate water, and well water has no fluoride, so caregivers in these situations should make sure their household's toothpaste contains fluoride. \nEating Habits \n\"Eating habits that are healthy for the body are also healthy for the teeth,\" Alderman remarked. \"Kids will usually eat what is available, so caregivers can help with oral health by serving healthy meals and keeping such snacks in the house as oranges, apples, bananas and carrots rather than candy bars and sugared cereal. It's important to limit sodas. Even sugarless sodas and diet soft drinks contain a lot of acid. \n \n6 \n \n(Continued on page 8) \n \n7 \n \n Foster Care \nGeo r g ia Dep ar t m en t of H uman Resources D ivisio n o f F am ily an d C h ild r en S erv ic es \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \n(Continued from page 7} \n \nSometimes I place a tooth in a soda to show kids how the tooth soon becomes rubbery. Caregivers sometimes need to settle for tradeoffs with kids. For instance, some children won't drink milk unless it's chocolate. The milk would be better for them without the chocolate, but they need milk, and chocolate milk is much better for them than sodas.\" \nAlderman added, \"What we call 'baby bottle decay' is caused when caregivers let babies sleep with a bottle. When children fall asleep, their saliva decreases, so their teeth are bathed in acids and sugars, even from something as normally healthy as formula - or fruit juice which is healthy but has natural sugars, or apple juice which is high in acids.\" \n \nAttitude \nBy encouraging positive attitudes toward dentists and oral hygiene, caregivers can have a lasting, beneficial impact on children's lives. \n\"If a child isn't behaving, some parents will threaten - maybe half jokingly - to take them to a dentist as punishment, but that's very counterproductive,\" Alderman stressed. \"If children ask us what to expect at the dentist's, we should tell the truth but without scaring them, explaining, 'You may sometimes feel a pinch. But not taking care of teeth eventually will cause you more discomfort than that. And we want you to have a nice smile.\"' \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-sfall","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Fall 2002","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. 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F~ \n1\u003e 1 \n~(, \nJr d..Oo';). o. \\ \\ \nKids and the Internet \nHelping Kids With Speec \n \nPart \n \n \n \n \n \nA OF DHR Fr ' REo NEWSLETTER THE GEORGIA \n \ne \n \nFoster Parents \nand School \n \nSchool and children's futures: they are tied more closely than many of us know, according to Sue Wilson, assistant professor of education at Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton. \n\"Many children who don't succeed in school have bleak futures,\" Wilson stressed. \"Eight out of 10 prison inmates lack high school diplomas. Unemployment rates are double for those who don't graduate from high school. Sixty percent of female dropouts have at least one child during their teenage years. If kids can't read by fourth grade, they'll likely become drop-outs. Each day 6,700 American students drop out of school. Children in foster care are at special risk because they've been confused by more trauma and instability than other kids. Foster parents' help and support are crucial.\" \nWilson recommended ways foster parents can help: \nBeing Realistic: \"Be positive, but also honest and realistic. You might say, 'Your illness interrupted your life for 10 months, so it will probably take at least that much time for you to catch up.' When children are old enough, you can help them feel more normal by saying things like, 'Anyone could have been in your situation, and, if they were, they'd be feeling just as challenged as you are now - it's not just you. But if you stick with what you're doing, hopefully the situation will improve bit by bit over time.\"' \n \nules and rules are not what they're used to. It's no secret when students are lagging behind - everyone in their class figures out they're in 'the low group.' That embarrassment can make them feel like giving up. Or they find undesirable ways to be 'special,' such as by misbehaving in class, which leads them to further failures and feeling bad. They need your help in strengthening their self-respect and self-discipline. When you work with them to follow rules and to learn better patterns and habits at home, they're more likely to learn to fit in at school, feel better about themselves, and keep up with the other kids. Simply encouraging regular school attendance is really important.\" \nOne-on-one time: \"Spend as much one-on-one time with children as you can. Even 10 to 15 minutes on a regular basis - hopefully daily is just like gold to kids. It really helps them feel worthwhile. If you have several kids, it's a lot at bedtime to spend 10 minutes with each one, but there are other ways, like rotating which of them is your helper in the kitchen-just so they're regularly alone with you.\" \n \nRespect and discipline: \"Kids in Talking: \"Simply talking a lot with foster care often come from homes in kids really helps. Teenagers will crisis and confusion, so school sched- often 'turn off' somewhat from \n \n(Continued on page 3) \n \nFoster parents are crucial to children's school success . \n \n Fostering Success \n1 n \n \nFoster parents can help children be successful in school. Shelby Welch, a Fitzgerald high school counselor, offered the following suggestions. \n \n     \"Most schools have open house before the \n \nschool year starts so parents and children find out what supplies kids need, and get \n \ncan tips \n \nmoneegtetnheeratellaychheor~s \n \nto be prepared. Schools announce times for open house in the \n \nnewspaper or send letters to parents' homes. You can also call \n \nthe school and ask. It sets up positive communication from the \n \nvery beginning of the school year when foster parents go to \n \nmeet the teacher, introduce themselves and emphasize they \n \nreally want to work together to help the child. Students who go \n \nto open house feel much more comfortable and confident from \n \nthe first day.\" \n \n    \"Kids feel prepared for school when they come the first day with their supplies. It doesn't have to be the finest of everything, but if theyre supposed to have three folders that have pockets, they have those folders. If you can't make it to open house to find out about needed supplies, teachers will tell chil' dren on the first day what they need. Get supplies immediately so they can have that feeling of, 'I'm ready. I can handle this.' \nShelby Welch (right) is a Fitzgerald high school counselor. \"Another thing you \ncan do before the school year even begins is to find out about the child's previous year's report card, school behavior and attendance. You can ask your case manager to help you obtain this information. Then you'll know more about areas where the child needs to improve, to help you work with the child better. Maybe sit down with the child and say, 'Let's look at last year's report card and see how you did, so we can talk about things to do to help you improve this year.' \" \n \n.   \"It helps focus the child's efforts if you sit down period1~all~ to set goals for improving in school. Especially because kids m care have been traumatized in one way or another, it won't work to say, 'We want you to improve in every area,' or, 'Let's go from making F's to making all X s.' That's just too much and sets up the child to fail. But if you set goals children can realistically achieve, they get to experience success, which inspires them to keep trying. It helps if you involve the child in choosing goals, maybe asking, 'Here are the academic subjects where you had the lowest grades last year. Which two would you like to set goals to improve in?' Notice you're limiting the c:hoice to'academi~ subjects,' so the child won't pick a subject like shop. If the child chooses math and science, perhaps you could say, 'You got D's in science and math last year. Let's set a goal of getting C's this term.' You can have the child write the goals in his or her notebook or post them on the refrigerator, as reminders. Continue regularly talking with the child about progress in achieving each goal, considering if the child needs to_do something different, such as you helping him or her more with homework. As the weeks go by, change goals according to whether the child is ready for a little more challenge or is ready to concentrate on other subjects.\" \n \n   \"You can really help by getting involved in homework. If the child has trouble reading, you can take turns - the ~ld ~ading ~ page out loud then you reading a page. If the child ts weak m math, you and the child can take turns doing problems, with you thinking out loud about your problems to model how to problem-solve. Many teachers send home 'homework sheets' so parents will know what homework children should be doing. If your child's teachers don't, you can ask them to write homework assignments down for the child to bring home to you to check. Be sure to praise kids whenever you can, to inspire them to keep trying.\" \n \n  \n \n     \"Student support teams (SSTs) are \n \nrequired by law in all public schools. SSTs come together to \n \nhelp students who are not being successful in school. SSTs are \n \nmade up of a counselor and the child's teachers. Law also \n \nrequires the parent/ caregiver be invited. At SST meetings, the \n \ngroup talks about the child's needs and considers supports and \n \nstrategies to help the child improve, such as getting the child \n \ntutoring or testing the child for learning disabilities. If you feel \n \nyour child needs such support and the school has not set up an \n \nSST for him or her, you can contact the school counselor and \n \nask that one be set up. The SST will be more successful if you \n \nattend meetings because you're an expert on the child and can \n \noffer the SST crucial information and input.\" \n \nschool (Continued from page 1) \n \nFoster Parents as School Detectives \n \nadults, but, especially for younger kids, talking and discussions help with language development. Early on, children need to hear and speak language so their brain connections develop like they're supposed to.\" \nNew things: \"Kids need to go to places they've never been and do new things. On TV, I saw how kids in a Savannah housing project had never seen the ocean, even though they'd lived for 12 years 20 miles from it. Such outings expand children's horizons.\" \nLibrary: \"Take kids to the library to get a library card. Have them look around the library and select some books they think look interesting, whether they're about dinosaurs or the seashore or whatever. It's fine if they begin by picking out picture books, just so they learn to enjoy books.\" \nEnjoyment: \"When disciplining kids, try not to deny them things that give them enjoyment. Kids need to be allowed to work on more than academics, and doing things they're interested in helps relieve stress. So if they like to dance, too many parents might say, 'You can't go to your dance classes until you do better at completing your homework.' Even though they aren't getting all their homework done, dance class may give them the sort of celebration they need to work on their homework.\"  \nPart \nISSUE NUMBER 18 \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman \nEditorial Committee Members: Kathleen Rinehart and Doris Walker \nWriter/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie \nWriter: Ellen Corrie \nDesktop Design: Dara O'Neil \nDo you like this newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it could be better? Send your comments to: \nJayne Bachman DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18-222 Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 404.657.3570 \n \nKids' behavior gives clues that may help you learn about problems in school. For example, James comes home from school angry every day, kicks at furniture, snaps at everybody, then storms off to his room. Jennie cries every morning when she has to get up for school. Lawrence gets stomach aches on school days but never on weekends. The same behavior may have many causes. Thus, parents can become school detectives to ferret out reasons for a child's challenging behaviors. How can you be a good school detective? \n \n. \n \nTiming: If a child recently entered foster care, \n \nexpen~nced trauma or moved to a new foster home, inappropriate school \n \nbehavior may result. Children need time to adjust to new settings. When \n \nadults m~ve ~o a new ~tate or suffer a major loss (divorce, death), they \n \nalso reqwre time to ad1ust before they function well in the workplace. \n \nSchool work may have to be on the back burner during a child's initial \n \nstages of adjustment. \n \nPatterns: Many problem behaviors in school are cyclical. One child may \nact up in the beginning of the year. Another may have a \"honeymoon \nphase\" behaving well every fall then exhibiting problem behaviors as the \nyear progresses. Noticing such patterns helps you and the school plan how to help. For example, if children become anxious when tested, they \nmay benefit from test-taking skills, relaxation exercises and extra time on \ntests. You may need to visit the classroom regularly to discover emo- \ntional I social problems, such as if your child is a target for teasing or peers exclude him or her. Many children who act up or act like class \nclowns are struggling with learning problems; they believe it is better to be thought \"silly\" than \"stupid.\" \n \nAttention: Some children struggle with serious problems with focus and attention and act up because they are bored or distracted. They may have days_when they _are focused and other days when they are lost. This pattern IS common m youngsters with attention issues, but teachers and parents often misinterpret the pattern as willful or purposeful. Children with attention issues need structure to feel anchored and secure. Therefore, make sure you have a \"homework hotline\" to learn about homework assignments from the school so you do not have to depend on the child to inform you. Review homework on a regular basis. Limit television, compute~ games and ~deo games to a total of one hour per day. Encouraging creative and outside play can help their focus. \n \nSociaVEmotional: Children with serious social/emotional problems in school rarely work up to their academic potential. Children usually do not know how to communicate about emotional and/ or social issues, like their relationships with teachers and other children. Every child entering foster care receives a psychological evaluation. You can ask your case m~n~ger for i:ms evaluation for clues and helpful information about your child s behavior. Let your case manager know if new concerns occur, which may be signs the evaluation needs updating. \n \n info sources \n \natYour Fingertips \n \nwww.doe.k12.ga.us: Web site for the Georgia Department of Education provides information about what children are expected to learn in classes in kindergarten through twelfth grade (click on \"GLC/QCC\"); special education regulations; standardized testing; and links to many useful sites. \nwww.glrs.org: 1he Georgia Learning Resource System web site offers information for parents and educators of students with disabilities on such topics as parents' rights related to special education, transitioning older children to work, available workshops, and state programs to help students with disabilities. \nwww.naspweb.org: National Association of School Psychologists site has fact sheets and information on topics such as children's reading, school testing, special education, and when schools retain a child in his/her current grade. \nwww.ncpie.org: Web site for National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education provides advice on building partnerships with the school and information on topics such as special education and legislative issues. \nwww.aboutschool.com: What students need to know at each grade level, homework help and using the Internet. \nwww.familyeducation.com: What students need to know at each grade level and activities to work . on at home to help them catch up; suggestions to help parents work with the school; advice such as how to handle behavior problems and screen movies which are appropriate for children to see. \nwww.ipl.org: Help for high school and college students with research and writing papers. \nwww.kidsdick.org: Information to help with homework and research in over 600 subjects. \nwww.middleweb.com: Links to useful sites for homework help for middle-schoolers. \n \nwww.standards.nctm.org: Information about what students should learn in math at each grade level and how caregivers can help them. \nwww.zen.org: Online dictionaries, encyclopedias, other references books, and links to many useful sites. \nwww.scholastic.com: Help with homework in all areas and advice on such things as getting children to do homework, how to meaure progress in school, and how to use after-school time. \nwww.afpag.org: Web site of Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia. \nwww.fostercare.net: Links to over 600 sites for foster parents, case managers and DFCS agencies. Provides advice, discussion groups, agency directories and state regulations. \nwww.fosterparenting.com: Information and online discussion groups about topics such as behavior and discipline problems; guidelines for foster parents based on state foster parent manuals; and information about magazines and books for foster parents and children in care. \nwww.fosterparentsupport.org: Web site of North Georgia Parent Support Group Foundation operates a clothing and equipment giveaway program, along with providing a speakers list and information for foster parents. \nwww.nfpainc.org: Web site for National Foster Parent Association provides discussions online and information about issues such as funding, Internet safety, respite care, and transitioning teens to independent living, as well as information about trainings and state and local foster parent organizations. \nwww.westworld.com/-barbara: An online support group for foster parents provides chat rooms led by experts in such areas as attachment disorders and building self-esteem in children; information and advice on a variety of topics, such as behavior problems and medical syndromes; and a national foster parent association directory and information on trainings throughout the country. \n \nKeeping Kids Safe \non the Internet \n \ninternet focus \n \nThe Internet is a powerful tool for children to use for school, as well as for general learning, communication and fun. However, children can find pornography and other inappropriate material there, and there is increasing concern about children gambling online. The Internet can provide dangerous people convenient access to vulnerable children. Adult supervision is necessary for children to use the Internet safely and appropriately. Here are some suggestions to help ensure children in your care are safe online. \nEducate yourself: To adequately supervise a child's use of the computer, you must be somewhat familiar with computers and the Internet. If you are not, find a family member or friend to help you. Talk to your case manager if you have concerns about a child's use of the computer. Contact the school counselor or school social worker for more ideas. The web site of the National Foster Parent Association has information about filters to block inappropriate material at \nwww.nfpainc.org I wwwSafety.html. Other useful \nweb sites are: \nw w w . s a fe k i d s .c o m \nwww.cyberangels.org \nwww.getnetwise.org \n \nwww.yahooligans.com (click on \"Parents' Guide\") \nHave rules: Both adults and children should think about and discuss appropriate use of the Internet and develop rules. Displaying the rules at the computer may help remind children of their importance. Following are examples of rules which should be included: never give  out identifying information (phone number, grade, school, number on sports jersey if the child is on a team, etc.); do not post pictures of yourself online; never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone met online; never respond to suggestive, obscene or harassing messages. For better supervision of \nthe child, the computer he I she \nuses should be located in an open part of the home w here the adults can easily notice what the child is doing, rather than, for example, behind the closed door of the child's bedroom.  \n \nWhat Immunizations \nDo Sixth-Graders Need? \n \nGeorgia law requires students to have proof of shot: some children may be immune because they \n \nimmunity to certain diseases. Foster parents with have had the disease, which can be documented \n \na sixth-grader in their care should obtain proof of by a doctor or the health department on the \n \nthe child's immunity to chickenpox (varicella) and immunization certificate. If there is any uncer- \n \nmeasles. \n \ntainty as to whether the child has had the disease \n \n\"Foster parents can take their sixth-graders to a  or the shot, the child should get the shot.\" \n \ndoctor or the health department to obtain proof of \n \nThere have been shortages of vaccines, so some \n \nimmunization for measles and chickenpox to give children going into the sixth grade may have been \n \nto their child's school to be placed in the child's \n \nallowed a temporary deferral for their immuniza- \n \npermanent school record,\" explained Ruth \n \ntion record, which indicates their caregivers tried \n \nGilmore, nurse consultant with the Immunization to get them shots but vaccine was not available. \n \nProgram of the Division of Public Health. \"This \n \nSupplies are back up to normal, so foster parents \n \ndocumentation indicates proof of immunization, now should be able to get children immunized.  \n \nrather than just if a child has had an immunization \n \nFor more info, call Georg ia Immun ization \n404.657.3158 \n5 \n \n Speech Problems: \nHow Can Foster Parents Help? \n \nSpeech impacts how kids learn and make \nfriends, says Leigh Kosater. \nBabies Can't Wait (Children with Special Needs): \n1.888.651 .8224 \nor Parent-to-Parent \n1.800.229.2038 \n6 \n \nChildren with speech problems may have trouble learning and making friends. Speech problems can include problems with language, being able to understand what is said, getting across their needs and ideas, and making the actual speech sounds. Leigh Kosater, a speech therapist in the Douglas County school system, has tips for foster parents to help children with speech problems. \n \nhimself saying cookie,\" explained Kosater. \"Saying 'No, say cookie' is confusing, since he thinks he's saying that. The best thing is just to say it correctly yourself, emphasizing the sound you want him to hear, and do it as often as possible. Say, 'Do you want a cookie? I'll get you a cookie. Here's the cookie. Does the cookie taste good?' It's awkward, but effective.\" \n \nEncourage Speaking \n \nRead Aloud and Talk \n\"Some children have problems just because they weren't talked and read to from birth,\" emphasized Kosater. \"Being talked and read to is how children learn to speak and use language, so doing lots of talking and reading now may solve the problem. Talk as much as possible to the child. Tell him what you're doing as you dress him ('Now we're putting on your shirt .. .')or while driving to an appointment ('Look- the light's red, so we have to stop . . .'). Nursery rhymes and games such as I Spy are great.\" \nHelp children expand on language they already have. When a 2-year-old says, \"See cow,\" you can say, \"I see the brown cow in the field.\" While reading aloud, ask questions about things in the book, such as, \"What color is the dog?\" and, \"What will happen next?\" \nModel - Don't Correct \n\"When a child says tookie for cookie, he hears \n \nA child who is capable of speech may continue to communicate only by pointing or grunting. Make sure the child has to use language. A common problem is an older child speaks for the younger child and gets things when the child points. You can praise the older child's good intentions but explain how important it is that the younger child learn to speak for herself. \n\"Meals are good opportunities to encourage a child to speak,\" Kosater noted. \"Serve her favorite food and don't give a helping until she asks for it or at least says the food's name. Giving choices is also effective. For example, if dinner's dessert is ice cream, ask if she wants ice cream or broccoli and wait until she says the word or comes the closest she can to it. Do this only if you know she's familiar with the words you're trying to get her to u s e .\" \nSeek Help \nTalk with the case manager if you think a child is having any speech difficulty. For an assessment for children under age 3, you can contact Parentto-Parent or Babies Can't Wait headquarters to locate your local Babies Can't Wait. You can call your local school board to find where to get an assessment for children older than 3. \n\"Communication of some kind is necessary for kids to learn and interact socially,\" stressed Kosater. \"If there's a problem, the sooner we get a handle on it, the more likely we can counteract learning and behavior problems. If a child has a problem which makes speech difficult or impossible, there are effective alternative communication systems. The person conducting the assessment will give recommendations if such a system is needed.\"  \n \nFinding a Dentist \nWho Accepts Medicaid \n \nMedicaid, dentists and children in foster care are coming together more readily in Georgia. Although children in care are eligible for Medicaid, many dentists for years have refused to take on new patients covered by Medicaid, which has frustrated case managers and foster parents. \n\"Now dentists are more willing to accept new patients covered by Medicaid because many of Medicaid's 'bugs' have been worked out,\" explained Joseph Alderman, director of the Oral Health Section of the Georgia Division of Public Health. \"In the past, dentists had to deal with a lot of red tape when filing with Medicaid, and Medicaid reimbursement was so low dentists usually lost money each time they provided services for Medicaid patients. A few years ago Georgia hit its low point, with only 259 dentists in the entire state willing to accept new patients with Medicaid coverage. Because of improvements with Medicaid, however, more than 1,200 dentists in Georgia now accept new Medicaid patients. However, many dentists still won't accept Medicaid or will only do minimal things like cleaning teeth but not more substantial work, such as oral surgery.\" \nLocating Dentists in Your Area \nCase managers and foster parents can call their local health department to locate dentists in their area who accept Medicaid. Health departments are listed in local telephone directories. The Georgia Division of Public Health web site also lists telephone numbers and addresses of all the state's public health departments (log onto http:/ / www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/ and click on \"Counties \u0026 Districts\"). \nAnother source is Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies of Georgia's toll-free \"powerline\" at 1.800.822.2539, whose case workers provide information about low-cost health care available throughout Georgia, including dentists who accept Medicaid. The powerline is also a useful source for general information about Medicaid. \nIn case these other sources fail, Alderman offered his own telephone number: 404.657.2575. Though the Georgia Dental Association's toll-free number (1.800.432.4357) cannot help locate Medicaid dentists, it is useful for locating dentists \n \nwho accept payment plans and patients with special needs. \n \nNo Medicaid Available? \n \nIf you \n \nlive in an area where no dentists \n \n~ \n \n \nare available who accept \n \n:.a.8..:.. 0 \n \nMedicaid, \n \nc: .Q \n \nchildren in foster care \n \na:~ \n(I) \n \nnonetheless \n \n- \n:\u003e... \n \nwill still have their \n \n-0 \nl:;: \n \ndental \n \ng \n \nneeds \n \nQ. \n.Q \n \naddressed. \n \n0 \nif \n \n\"When \n \nchildren \n \ncome into \n \nfoster care, they receive thorough medical evalua- \n \ntions, including assessing their dental needs,\" \n \ndescribed Doris Walker, manager of the state \n \nDFCS Foster Care Unit. \"While children are in \n \ncare, we go forward in addressing their dental \n \nneeds. We recognize there are areas of the state \n \nwhere finding a dentist who accepts Medicaid is \n \nvery difficult. If this is true in a child's county, the \n \ncase manager can send a note to us at the state \n \nFoster Care Unit explaining that a dentist who \n \naccepts Medicaid cannot be located. The case \n \nmanager should also include an estimate from a \n \nlocal dentist for the cost of doing the dental work \n \nthe child's evaluation indicates is needed. The \n \nFoster Care Unit has an account to pay for dental \n \nwork under these circumstances.\" \n \nWalker added, \"Also we can fund emergency treatment. Of course, we don't want a child to be in pain, so, for instance, if a child needs to have a painful tooth extracted, the procedure can be done, with the case manager sending us a statement that the child had immediate need of that dental care but the work wasn't covered by Medicaid, and we can fund such a treatment after the fact.\"  \n \nTo find your local health department: \nhttp:/ /www.ph.dhr. state.ga.us/ \nclick Counties \u0026 Districts \nHealthy Mothers, Healthy Babies of Georgia \n1.800.822.2539 \nJoseph Alderman \n404.657.2575 \nGeorgia Dental Association \n1.800.432.4357 \n7 \n \n Foster Care \nGeo r gia Department of Human Resources Di vision of Family and Children Services \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \nAvailable to Help Kids! \n \nFor fu rther information, call Alice-Marie Hutchinson at 404.657 .3455 \n \nMore funds are available this year to help children in foster care. \n\"Making sure kids are on the appropriate grade level for their ages is one of the most important things foster parents and case managers do,\" emphasized Doris Walker, manager of the state DFCS Foster Care Unit. \"Because of trauma and family confusion, lots of kids come into foster care either already behind in school or currently having a lapse. In the past, we've not always had the resources to be as helpful as we'd like in this, but this year we can offer more support through First Placement/Best Placement funding. This increased funding recognizes that, with what our foster kids have experienced, they and their foster parents need some extra help.\" \n \nAll children entering foster care receive assessments to help case managers know what services and supports each child will need. However, if you are a foster parent and see areas where a child in your care needs added support, let you case manager know about it. \n\"For example, this funding might be used to emoll a child in summer school, to help the child catch up academically,\" Walker described. \"During the school year, the child might need a tutor or school aide. Other services are available through crisis intervention and in-home services so aides can come into the foster home to work directly with the foster parent and the child to help the child deal with his or her behavior and school work.\"  \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-sspring","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Spring 2002","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2002"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2002"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Spring 2002"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-sspring"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-sspring"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"G P\\ \n\\.--\\ ra oo . ~d. \n?l \n~v \nd-OD ~ /Sf f1N'~ \n \nin this \n \nHow to Support Adoptions \nDeciding Whether to Adopt \nFamily Conferencing and You \nKeeping Your Child Healthy \n[' spring \n \nWhat Is Permanency? \n \nPermanency is a word often used by case managers, foster parents and generally within the child welfare field. But what does it mean according to DFCS policy? \nThe DFCS Social Serv ices Manual describes \"early permanency\" as \"the goal for all children in foster care; that is, every child will be provided with a continuous, lifetime relationship with the parent or, if that is not possible, with a parent substitute.\" \n\"A sense of belonging helps kids develop and mature,\" explained Linda Doster, program consultant with the state Foster Care Unit. \"DFCS's first preference is that they be reunited with their birth family. Parents need DFCS staff and foster parents to support them in the tough work of making changes so their children can return home. Meanwhile, even with loving foster parents, children can feel they're in between homes, and every month can feel like forever. DFCS policy follows federal and state law, which sets a time limit that if a family can't be safely reunified in 12 to 15 months, children need a different plan - to obtain the most secure, nurturing living arrangement available to them. They need a home they feel will continue.\" \nThe Five Options \nThe DFCS manual lists federal law's five options for permanency in federal law's order of preference. On a case-by-case basis, DFCS considers which of these five options best meets each child's interests. Topping the list are 1) reunifying children with birth family and 2) adoption, if safe reunification appears impossible within 12-15 months. When reunifi- \n \ncation with birth parents is not feasible, adoption can provide the child (both legally and psychologically) with a strong, lasting bond and connection. \nThe third permanency option is guardianship. Sometimes for a child who is unlikely to return home and for whom adoption is not feasible, the court appoints a guardian. Like adoption, guardianship is a legal agreement but is less binding legally. Doster noted, \"No more than two percent of Georgia's children in foster care are appointed guardians.\" \nMaximizing Wholeness \nThe fourth option is placing children permanently with relatives DFCS deems able to \"ensure the child's safety and well-being.\" When children have relationships with kin, they have the advantage of feeling continuity with their family history and roots. Thus, to bolster all five permanency options, the DFCS manual emphasizes the importance of DFCS staff and foster parents supporting children's positive connections with family members, even if those relationships will be very limited, such as a stepsister sending the child Christmas cards or a grandmother occasionally telephoning. \nThe fifth permanency option is more accurately described as a planned permanent living arrangement, since it provides the least permanency. Only after seriously considering and ruling out the other four permanency options, DFCS will select an arrangement for some children such as \"long-term foster care\" with a committed family or \"emancipation\" to prepare children for the transition to independent living. \n \nChildren need to feel they belong. \n \n Foster parents greatly influence children's futures, says Danny Stevens. \n2 \n \nAdo tions: \nFoster Parents Are rucial Teammates \n \nWhen a child in foster care is to be adopted, sometimes the foster parents choose to adopt. \n \nFoster Parent and Staff \n\\ \nthe child, writing down details like foods the child Ii Development Institutes! \nlikes and things that help when the child is angry \n \nHowever, when not adopting, what is their role in the adoption process and the child's long-term future? \"Foster parents are crucial teammates in helping adoptions be more successful,\" emphasized Danny Stevens, regional adoption coordinator supervisor in the Office of Adoptions in \n \nor sad. Such information can greatly speed the process of adoptive parents getting to know the child and helping the child feel at home. \nPhotos Help \n \nThe 2002 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes will offer practical skills and information. As always, fo ster parents and staff associated with DFCS, as well as private providers, are welcome. \n \nAthens. \n \n\"Photos can help adoptive parents connect \n \nFoster parents who attend will earn annual \n \nwith the child's past,\" said Stevens. \"Maybe the \n \nparent development training hours and will be \n \nchild mentions Uncle Joe, and the adoptive par- \n \nreimbursed for expenses. Institute registration \n \nents don't have any idea who that is. Uncle Joe \n \nbrochures will be mailed to foster parents. Foster \n \nmight not even be a real uncle, but is the foster \n \nparents are asked to coordinate their attendance \n \nfamily's neighbor who really took to the child and \n \nwith their local DFCS. If local DFCS agencies can- \n \nwhom the child likes a lot. If the foster family took \n \nnot answer a question about the Institutes (includ- \n \na picture of 'Uncle Joe' and wrote a note on back \n \ning questions about registration, lodging and \n \nexplaining who he is, the adoptive parents would \n \nworkshops), call l.800.227.3410; for questions \n \nknow about that meaningful part of the child's \n \nabout reimbursement, contact your county DFCS; \n \nw or ld. \" \n \nfor all other questions, call 404.657.3454. \n \nSharing Information \n \nPhotographs can help the child beyond the initial adjustment phase of adoption and even for years to come. When foster parents take pictures for an 11-year-old, perhaps for a scrap book or Life Book, they might not mean a lot at the time. \"But in years to come,\" Stevens noted, \"he or she might look at the pictures and think, 'I didn't stay very long with those people and don' t remember them very well, but look at how he has his hand on my shoulder, and look at how she's smiling at me, and look how I'm laughing. There were tough times back then, but it really looks like there was good, too. These people look like they really cared about \nm e.'\" \n \nCatch up with the Institute \nSavannah: .................................. June 28-29 Macon: .................................... August 9-10 Atlanta ................................ September 6-7 \nPartnerships  \nin \n \n\"By sharing information, foster parents can help children and adoptive parents adjust to each other,\" explained Stevens. \"For instance, the foster parents might throw birthday parties for all their children's birthdays. If the adoptive parents d on' t know that and don't usually throw parties, they might not sense the child could feel disappointed when his or her birthday comes and there's no party. Of course, the adoptive parents don' t need to copy all the foster family's customs, but knowing about them can help to be more sensitive to the child's thoughts and feelings.\" \nStevens recommends foster parents describe the child's typical day to ad optive p arents. Does the child get dressed for school before or after breakfast? Does the child bathe in the morning or evening? Foster parents can keep a journal about \n \nBuilding Continuity \nFoster and adoptive parents need to keep in mind children sometimes feel disloyal for caring about more than one set of parents. When foster parents find out about the child's adoptive family and talk enthusiastically about them with the child, the child feels permission to love these new parents. When the child hears foster and adoptive parents talk positively about one another, the child feels more supported by a network of people who care. When the child is adopted, foster parents might write their own address on stamped envelopes, to give with stationary to the child to encourage keeping in touch. Many foster and adoptive parents stay in touch . \n \nI SS UE NUMBrn 17 \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman \nEditorial Committee Members: Kathleen Rinehart and Doris Walker \nWriter/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie \nWriter: Ellen Corrie \nDesktop Design: Dara O' Neil \nDo you like this newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it could be better? Send your comments to: \nJayne Bachman DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18-222 Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 404.657. 3570 \n \nFrom Fostering to Adopting? \nOften parents foster a child who becomes available for adoption. You as a foster parent may be both attracted and uncertain about whether to adopt a child yourself. You should consider several key factors in making this tough decision. \nLove: Love can make the adoption decision easy or very hard. You may have learned to love a child and feel glad to adopt. Yet you can love a child and choose not to have a permanent relationship due to circumstances or your stage of life. When you let go of someone you love, you will need to grant yourself time to grieve. \nTime: Children do not simply fit into our lives. They require quality time and large quantities of time. Do you have the time to raise a child? Does this child require extra attention due to disabilities or other special needs? Can you imagine a lifetime commitment with this child? \nVisualizing: Prospective adoptive parents need to visualize a particular child as part of their family. Imagine family photographs over the years. Can you imagine this child as a teenager? How would he or she fit in with other family members and family dreams? \nBirth families: Adoptive children come with their past. Their genes connect them with their biological family. Many have memories from living with their birth parent(s) and siblings. When you adopt, you will be connected forever with a child's past. Adopted children will likely ask about their birth family, may want contact with them and may want to search for birth family members. Ask yourself if you are ready to honor the child's potential needs for connecting or maintaining connections with his or her past. \nCurrent family: Adoption will change everyone in your family. Birth order may be altered (the baby may no longer be the baby). Money will be shared with more children. Time will be re-organized. The decision to adopt is a decision not only for adults, but you should consult with both your children and the child you might adopt. You and a child you adopt will need to live in a network of family and community, so allow close extended family and good friends to express feelings and opinions. \nGuilt and pressure: Never adopt a child out of guilt or under pressure. The adoption decision is a major life moment for both parents and children. Not every child will fit in every family. This is a time to be assertive about saying no, or you can break many hearts. Do not accept a sibling group if you do not want a sibling group. Follow your heart and your gut. Adoptions should never be \"shotgun\" adoptions. \nAdoption is an awe-inspiring decision which should be made with deep reflection and consideration. Then if you adopt, you will know you made your decision with the best available information and a leap of faith and hope. You will begin a life-long journey of challenges and joys. \n \n Teaming for Children's Futures: \nam1 y on erenc1 ng \n \nSince 1999, family conferences have been part of DFCS standard procedure throughout Georgia. Family conferencing is a powerful approach to bring change to families and establish teamwork for children, engaging and supporting birth parents or other caregivers for years to come, beyond the time of DFCS involvement. Cobb County DFCS was an early leader in family conferencing in Georgia. \n \npletes and mails them all a standard form we've developed to announce the conference. The form asks them to call us with any questions they might have about the meeting. The case manager also talks to the family, describing how the conference works and answering questions, as well as encouraging them to invite any family or friends they'd like to come. We always invite each child's foster parents.\" \n \nClockwise fro m upper left: Patricia Dunton, Stephanie Boisiolie, Sabrina W atson \n \n\"We have a conference for every family with a child entering foster care in Cobb County,\" described Stephanie Boisjolie, case manager. \"We average four conferences a week, but the number can range from two to six. Each conference lasts about 90 minutes to two hours. We used to meet any day of the week but settled on Thursdays, to be easy for regular participants to remember - like people coming from other agencies - so they won't have to consult their calendars all the time. They'd just know Thursdays are always family-conference days here at DFCS.\" \nreparing for \nthe Meetin \n \nWhen a child enters foster care, the case manager tries to learn as much information as possible about the parents and people important to the family, including both professionals working with the family (such as a mental health counselor or a women's shelter staff member) and relatives or friends who might be close to or concerned about the family. \n \n\"We give the secretary the time, date and list of \n \n4 \n \npeople to invite,\" Boisjolie described. \"She com- \n \nThe family conference is a key step in developing the family's required 30-day case plan and is scheduled to occur within a few days of the 30day deadline, in part to allow time for completion of the family's required initial assessment, so the contractor coordinating the assessment will be able share pertinent information during the conference. \nThe conference provides an opportunity to bring family connections together who might form a supportive network for the child for years to come. Too often in the past, case managers worked individually with mothers, but Cobb DFCS has discovered how willing many fathers are to come to conferences when invited, even if living away from the mother and children. Recently, one child's maternal grandparents and a great aunt met each other for the first time in the DFCS lobby on their way to the conference. Bringing family members and friends together for the meeting often leads to productive brainstorming about other people who have been or might be important in the child's and parents' lives. \nPatricia Dunton, a volunteer on Cobb County citizen review panels, attends all conferences, noting, \"During the conferences, I often remind parents that the judge makes all final decisions, and everyone in the room is there to support the family in doing the things that will make the judge decide it's safe for their child to come home again. That helps parents see us as working with them, rather than in their minds being 'bad DFCS who took away my kids.' \" \nThe meeting begins with everyone introducing themselves. Then the facilitator (the child's foster care case manager) reviews the ground rules, in order to help encourage a mutually respectful, less \n \nemotionally charged atmosphere. The ground rules are posted on a bulletin board in large print, easily read from anywhere in the room. See the ground rules listed on this page. \n\"We emphasize the law's time limits, requiring the judge to make sure the child has a safe, permanent home within a year,\" explained Boisjolie. \"It's natural for parents to feel intimidated coming to this room full of people, and we explain the meeting is an opportunity for them to let us know about things they need help with for their children's sake, so we can all think together how to help them meet those needs. It can be empowering to parents to realize this whole room full of people is there to help them.\" \nBoisjolie continued, \"Next, we ask parents to describe in their own words the circumstances leading to their child going into foster care. The family's child protective services (CPS) investigator is sitting in the room with knowledge of how things happened, so parents usually don't exaggerate the facts to blame DFCS or put themselves in an unrealistically positive light. The CPS worker adds any pertinent information, then leaves the meeting. Sometimes parents see CPS investigators as adversaries, so when he or she leaves, parents usually relax some and look to the rest of us more as helpers.\" \nNext, the facilitator invites everyone (including the parents) to name the parents' then the children's strengths, which the facilitator lists on flip chart paper everyone can see. Often parents feel more relaxed and open after this positive recognition from the group. Next, everyone names the parents' then the children's needs. \nThe group then develops the family's case plan. DFCS may begin developing case plans prior to family conferences, based on information gathered during the investigation that clearly indicates family members need to do certain things for the child's safety, for example parents entering a substance abuse treatment program. However, the case plan is fully completed based on the group's discussion during the conference, tailoring case plans to each family's particular strengths and needs, unlike the \"one-size-fits-all\" case plans too often developed in the past when case managers lacked the help of so many people with know!- \n \nGROUND RULES \nBE RESPECTFUL TO ALL PARTICIPANTS DO NOT PLACE BLAME OR SHAME ONLY ONE PERSON SPEAKS AT A TIME EVERYONE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK \nIT IS OK TO DISAGREE SPEAK TO EACH OTHER, NOT ABOUT EACH OTHER EVERYTHING SAID IN THE FAMILY CONFERENCE IS CONFIDENTIAL \nedge of the family. \nA recorder takes minutes of the meeting. These and the case plan are later sent to the family and other attendees, along with everyone's name who attended so everyone can remember each other's names. \ns a Te \n\"Having the foster parent there really helps,\" remarked Sabrina Watson, social services supervisor. \"The birth parents hear them saying good things about the child and can ask them questions like, 'Is he sleeping at night? Is he eating? He really likes this kind of food.' The foster parent is there talking with them and making eye contact, so they get a first-hand sense that this person isn't replacing them, but is taking care of their child during this time. That peace of mind makes it easier for them to cooperate with us.\" \nWatson added, \"Occasionally, when family members have acted aggressively, maybe during the investigation, we'll take the precaution of having a security guard nearby if needed, maybe waiting outside the door. You might expect we'd encounter more conflict than we do, with some parents having histories of volatile behavior, such as in abuse cases. But usually if a family member becomes upset, we say we understand it's natural for parents to feel emotional while discussing their children. We stop the meeting for a few minutes, to let everyone get a Coke or have a smoke, or whatever. When we come back, everyone is usually much calmer and more focused. We always keep the meeting's tone respectful toward the famil y. \" \n5 \n \n Programs to eep Kids Healthy \n \nPreventative care boosts children's health \nState Health Check \n404.463.0183 1.800 .822 .2539 \nwww.health .state.ga.us \n6 \n \nTo help make sure children are as healthy as possible, the Georgia Division of Public Health offers many programs. You as a foster parent or case manager can use these programs with children in foster care. \nHealth Check \nHealth Check is a preventive program offered at all county health departments for children from birth to age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid or PeachCare. All children in foster care are eligible for Health Check services. It offers screenings for vision, hearing and dental beginning at age 3. Also children can be screened for tuberculosis and exposure to lead. Health Check also provides immunizations. \n\"Health Check exams are 'well-child checkups' to make sure a child is developing appropriately for his or her age, not to treat an illness,\" explained Gloria Chen, Health Check program manager. \"We provide appointments which are scheduled at recommended ages to check on development in a variety of areas, including growth, learning to talk, and becoming physically coordinated. At each visit, we set up an appointment for the next recommended visit. The exam is done by a nurse who spends as much time with the family as needed to understand the child's \n \nphysical or emotional issues - anything that affects the child's health. The nurse will give advice about whatever issues typically come up for a child of that age. For example, there are different health and safety concerns if a child is 2 versus a teenager.\" \nIf any problems are suspected or identified, the nurse refers the child to a physician, dentist or whatever specialist is necessary, locating providers who accept Medicaid. The nurse may be able to refer the child to other public health programs that would be helpful to the child. If a child becomes sick between visits, the nurse will also help you with referrals to a doctor. \nBecause children in foster care are more likely to change addresses, Health Check can be helpful in providing continuity because, with proper authorization, the child's records are easily transferred between county health departments. Thus, you especially might want to bring a child to Health Check if the child received check-ups at a health department prior to coming into foster care or is likely to be returned to a home where he or she will receive health care at a health department. Also you can continue to take the child to get wellchild check-ups at the health department while also working with a doctor or other program. \n\"One of the keys to a child's good health is this sort of preventive care,\" emphasized Barbara Wallace, team leader for Infant and Child Health Services in the Georgia Division of Public Health. She urges foster parents \"not to wait for symptoms to get health care for children. Many children in care are especially vulnerable to health problems because of their backgrounds of neglect and/ or abuse. The sooner problems are identified, the easier it is to treat them, and the less likely they will become bigger problems.\" \nChildren 1st \nAll children in foster care are also eligible for Children 1st, a program which screens children from birth to age 5 who are at risk of developing poor health or have developmental problems. If you have concerns a child may have health or developmental problems which are not being addressed, call the Children 1st state office \n \n(1.800.822.2539) or your local health department. They will put you in touch with your local Children 1st coordinator. Before calling, foster parents should discuss doing so with their case manager. \n\"Children 1st will have a nurse complete an assessment of the child in the home to determine what, if any, services are needed,\" explained Susan Bertonaschi, program coordinator for Children 1st and the state Program for Developmental Health. \"The in-home assessment can be helpful because going to a doctor's office may be one more stressful situation for a child who has just come into care. Based on the assessment, Children 1st refers children to community programs, doctors or other therapists. It also provides caregivers with information about any identified health problems.\" \n \nOther Programs \nPublic Health has many other programs which can be useful to foster parents and children. These include programs to provide health counseling to teens, reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and screen infants for inherited disorders. Other programs provide many services such as family training, medical services, and therapy to children with special needs. Foster parents can call their local health department to ask what programs the health department nurse would recommend for their child's particular needs. Nutritionists are available at every health department. While every program is not available in every county, most programs are located relatively nearby in each county's public health district. \n \nInitial Assessments  \n \nTwo years ago, Georgia's case managers were given a powerful tool with which to help at-risk families and children: initial assessments. For these assessments, a team of professionals gathers abund ant information about children who enter foster care and their families. Getting this information so early in working with a family gives case managers a major boost in understanding and planning how best to help them. \n\"The assessments give us information to know whkh services a child and family need,\" stated Margaret Dawe, Dekalb County DFCS social services case manager. \"We may find that not only the child but a parent has untreated mental health issues, so we know to help them get counseling and an evaluation for medication. The family's assessment helps me know what supports they need to meet their case plan's goals.\" \nThe assessment's information can lead to needed treatment and better ways of dealing with a child. For example, the assessment might reveal a ch ild's diabetes, which can greatly affect not only the child's health but behavior. The psychologist might advise that the child could need several hours to calm down before talking about a prob- \n \nlem. The child's caregivers could greatly benefit from such advice. \nAccording to state policy, DFCS agencies should complete a comprehensive child and family assessment within 30 days of a child's coming into care. This should include a medical exam for each child, a psychological exam for each child (or for children under age 6, an evaluation of their development), a general assessment of the family as a whole, as well as gathering each child's educational information. The assessment provides a rich source of information to help tailor a family's case plan to their particular strengths and needs. \nCounty DFCS offices contract with private professionals or agencies to do these assessments. Betty Wrights, Foster Care Unit consultant, noted there may be areas of the state that do not yet have enough providers with adequate training to complete the assessments and \"we're working now to provide further training because these assessments need to be done to better help the children and families DFCS serves.\" \n \nMargaret Dawe heavily relies on initial assessments. \n \n Foster Care \nGeorgi a Depa rtment of Human Resources D ivis ion of Fam ily and Ch ildren Ser v ices \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \nPRSRTSTD U.S. POSTAGE \nPAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 5823 \n \nGet Medicaid Card Quickly! \n \nTo contact Right from the Start Medicaid \n1.800. \n \nTo fax Medicaid card applications \n \n7 \n \n0 \n \nTo locate Medicaid providers \n \n\"Getting Medicaid cards should be a top priority when children enter foster care,\" emphasized Lorraine Ilugbo of the Right from the Start Medicaid Outreach Project (RSM). \"Just as we adults want to be covered by insurance in case we suddenly need treatment, children need to be covered.\" \n \nWithin 10 days after a child enters care, DFCS case managers should complete the brief, simple application for the \n \nchild's Medicaid coverage and fax it to RSM. RSM averages two days to process applications. If the case manager calls RSM because the child needs treatment that day, RSM will attempt to speed up the process and fax a temporary Medicaid card that day. Case managers can obtain Medicaid card applications at their DFCS office or by calling RSM at 1.800.809.7276. Prior to submitting the child's application, DFCS is responsible for closing each child out of all prior cases, if a separate case or cases had previously been opened and never closed for the child. \nMedicaid cards cover a range of treatment, including medical, mental health and dental services. Not all providers accept Medicaid; to locate providers in your area who do, call 1.800.822.2539. \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-ssummer","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Summer 2002","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2002"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2002"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Summer 2002"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-ssummer"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-ssummer"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"GA \nH'ODO. F~ \"? I \nFG \n~ ood- / $._,. \"\"'V\"'I r \nin this \nTraining: AFPAGor Institute? \n \nPartnerships . 1n \n \ng \n \nA NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA OHR FOSTER CARE UNIT \n \nPreserving amily Ties \n \nFoster Parents and Families \nCase Managers and Families \nA Judge Offers Advice \nsummer \n \nChildren's connections with their family of origin: they matter so much. Children need foster parents and case managers to help preserve those connections, even when these children will never again live with a blood relative. \nFamily Provides Identity \n\"When DFCS has needed to terminate birth parents' parental rights, children too often have gone on to lose touch with blood relatives,\" described Doris Walker, manager of the state DFCS Foster Care Unit. /1As these children age into teenagers, they want to read their record and seek out family members - which makes sense because how would we feel without grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in our lives? We wouldn't have people we see resemble us and share characteristics with us. We wouldn't have anyone to talk to about shared family history, to help us better understand where we came from so we better understand our own identities. As we got older, we wouldn't have kin with whom to compare similar medical conditions or ask about family medical history. Without relatives, we'd feel like one of a kind in the world - an alien.\" \nA child might mention a relative to foster parents that the case manager has not yet learned of. When foster parents participate in visits between the children and family, they may hear of still other family members. Foster parents can help by sharing this information with the case manager, who can determine whether these family members will be safe to bring into the helping process. \n \nSafety Yes, Bias No \n\"The child's safety must never be compromised,\" Walker cautioned. \"On the other hand, we might meet the child's aunt, who isn't a safety risk but strikes us as a little odd. We need to remember a lot of us have our own aunts or cousins who might be a little 'different,' but we nonetheless think of them as part of our family. Though we might not feel especially close to them or spend a lot of time around them, sometimes we get things from being around them we can't get anywhere else - or we feel less alone in the world just knowing they're there.\" \nSuch relatives might not want or be able to take children in to live with them, but they could be uniquely valuable to a child simply by being links to family. Perhaps the child might occasionally have a day visit or dinner with them, or just an occasional phone call. They might represent the family at the child's graduation or send the child birthday and Christmas cards. They might provide support to birth parents (perhaps babysitting, driving the child to appointments or simply being there for parents to talk to), so the child will be more likely to be able to return home. \n \nFamily connections can help children in foster care and beyond. \n \n DFCS Institute or AFPAG: \nWhich \n \nis for You? \n \nSaying Goodbye \n \nEach year, foster parents must complete 15 hours of training to maintain their status as foster parents. Georgia offers two alternatives to assist parents in completing these hours: 1) the Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes provided by DFCS and 2) the training conference provided by the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia (AFPAG). Sometimes foster parents feel confused about the differences between these two training meetings, wondering, \"Which one is best for me?\" \n\"Thirty years ago, DFCS worked with the then new AFPAGto launch its annual .,llriiL~llll meeting,\" described Betty Wrights, DFCS state program consultant. \"Since then it's grown and focused more on training. But as time went on, we all began to recognize no one location and time for training will work for all the state's thousands of foster parents. So six years ago, DFCS began offering the Institutes.\" \nAfter holding the AFPAG conference at various locations over the years, it has settled in the past half-dozen years into being held the last week in February at Jekyll Island. After experimenting with offering up to seven Institutes annually, DFCS has settled into offering three Institutes each year, at Savannah, Macon and Atlanta. \nA key difference between the two trainings is the AFPAG conference lasts two and a half days providing foster parents all 15 of their required annual parent development hours, while the DFCS Institutes last two days providing 12 of the required annual parent development hours. Foster parents attending the DFCS Institute will earn their remaining three parent development hours by attending training from another source, such as from their local DFCS agency. \nWrights explained, \"When originally planning the Institutes, several of the committee's DFCS staff and foster parents said it \n \nwould be good to have some training held locally, in part so each county's DFCS staff and foster parents could interact and get to know each other better. Also the AFPAG conference takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the planning committee decided having the Institute to be shorter would appeal to some foster parents who'd prefer not staying for a Sunday session but would rather leave Saturday evening to get back for church or just to get back home.\" \nAnother key difference is DFCS reimburses travel, hotel and registration expenses for 100 percent of foster parents who attend DFCS Institutes and up to 20 percent of foster parents from each county who choose to attend the AFPAG conference. \n\"Another difference between the trainings is their size,\" said Verdell Daniels, AFPAG president. \"The AFPAG conference is the largest foster parent conference in the United States. This year we had over 1,400 attendees at the conference, while the three DFCS Institutes range from 150 to 400 attendees each. Class sizes are usually larger at the AFPAG conference than at the Institute.\" \nWhile the DFCS Institutes provide attendees the convenience of training closer to home and becoming better acquainted with other parents and DFCS staff near home, the AFPAG conference offers an advantage to those foster parents interested in the broader organizational and political side of AFPAG. Beyond training, one motivation for foster parents who choose to journey from all across the state to the Jekyll Island conference is to meet and hear the ideas of AFPAG officers, other association members who might seek election, and representatives from the political arena such as Mrs. Roy Barnes (wife of Georgia's governor). \nAlthough all foster parents participate in 10 weeks of MAPP to help them understand fostering's challenges and to decide whether to foster, ongoing training is necessary to give them the skills they need for specific situations. \n\"Ongoing training for foster parents is crucial because the types of children coming into care are always changing, and we're constantly needing to adapt,\" emphasized Wrights. \"When I started out as a case manager, children entered care primarily because of neglect more than maltreatment. Since then, we've needed to adjust to better meet the needs of children who have been severely physically, sexually and emotionally abused or have had exposure to substance-abuse. We've moved into working more with children who are severely developmentally delayed or have multiple medical issues. Both foster parents and case managers need to continue learning to keep abreast of child welfare's ever-changing challenges.\" \n \nFoster Parent and Staff \nThe 2002 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes will offer practical skills and information. As always, foster parents and staff associated with DFCS, as well as private providers, are welcome. \nFoster parents who attend will earn annual parent development training hours and will be reimbursed for expenses. Institute registration brochures will be mailed to foster parents. Foster parents are asked to coordinate their attendance with their local DFCS. If local DFCS agencies cannot answer a question about the Institutes (including questions about registration, lodging and workshops), call l.800.227.3410; for questions about reimbursement, contact your county DFCS; for all other questions, call 404.657.3454. \nCatch up with the Institute \nMacon: .................................... August 9-10 \nAtlanta ................................ September 6-7 \nPartnerships . \nin \nISSUE NUMBER 18 \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman Editorial Committee Mem bers: Kathleen Rinehart and Doris Walker Writer/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie Writer: Ellen Corrie Desktop Design: Dara O' Neil Do you like th is newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it cou ld be better? Send your comments to: Jayne Bachman DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18-222 Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 404 .657 .3570 \n \nAs a foster parent, you know your job is to provide temporary care, but it is natural to feel grief when children leave your home. From their arrival, you must learn both to care for them while also preparing them and yourself for someday saying goodbye. For example, children placed in temporary care should not be asked to call foster parents Mom or Dad. Foster parents should not tell them they are just like all the other children in the family (whether biological, adopted or in long-term foster care) because this is not true. \nParting is especially hard when you fall in love with a child. The blessing of mutual love can feel like a curse when you have to say farewell to a child who is returning to kin or moving to adoption. Love is never lost or wasted, but it sure can hurt. Rather than making promises when saying goodbye (like ''I'll keep in touch,\" or, \"We'll call soon\"), it often can feel better just to share feelings. Silence, tears and hugs can be precious memories. Rushing to fill the loss of a loved child with another child can be a mistake, like a rebound remarriage after a divorce, and can be an unhealthy way to deal with grief and loss. Families need to learn to say no to case managers if not ready to foster again immediately after the loss of a cherished child. You can find strength through building yourself a support network (spouse, friends, foster parent groups) who understand the unique joys and pain of fostering. \nOther children will seem untouched or uncaring about your affection. This is often a protective shell to keep the pain of loss and abandonment from overwhelming their tender spirits. When saying goodbye with them, share your feelings and tell them you care, while understanding they may be unable to share intense feelings. You may want to share your thoughts in a letter, an audio tape, or videotape for the child to have for a future, private time. You may be ready to foster immediately after the departure of a child with whom you were not deeply attached or who lived with you briefly. \nWith other children's departure, you may feel relief. Some youths' challenging behavior would tax a saint. Others are so armored, it is almost impossible to build a connection. Others just may not fit with your style or family. When they leave, do not speak words of love or caring you do not feel, because children have sharp lie detectors. Be respectful and polite, as you might treat a relative with whom you have an uncomfortable relationship. After a challenging child's departure, some families need and deserve a respite from fostering, and they should talk frankly with their case manager about their family's level of exhaustion or need. Other foster families thrive on challenge. There is no one-size-fits-all foster plan. \nBeing a foster parent means saying goodbye from the time you say hello to each child who enters your home and heart. All hellos come with goodbyes embedded within. This is life. \n \n Foster Parents Can Strengthen \na y Ties \n \nWhen parents and children are separated, their bonds can weaken. Foster parents can greatly help children maintain or even strengthen bonds with their family of origin - not only with parents, but any member of the extended family from aunts to family friends. By doing so, foster parents build supports to help children for years beyond the time of DFCS's involvement with the family. How can foster parents do that? Annie Kelahan offers some concrete suggestions. \n \n\"It can \n \nmean so \n \nmuch \n \nwhen fos- \n \nter parents \n \nare \n \nactively \n \nsupportive \n \nof chil- \n \ndren's vis- \n \nits, phone \n \ncalls and \n \nexchanges \n \nof letters \n \nwith fam- \n \nily mem- \n \nbers,\" said \n \nKelahan, \n \nclinical \n \ndirector of \n \nCHRIS \n \nHomes. \n \n\"Foster \n \nparents \n \nChildren 's family bonds are crucial, says Annie Kelahan. \n \ncan ask rel- \n \natives for \n \nphotographs for the child, maybe letting the child \n \npick out some to display in his or her room. A \n \ngood way for foster parents to have together-time \n \nwith kids is to help them put together a 'Life \n \nBook' - a kind of scrapbook both to keep an ongo- \n \ning record of current happenings (like report \n \ncards, award certificates, pictures from camp) and \n \nto preserve family photographs and information.\" \n \nTriggering Positive Memories \n \nKelahan noted that if family videos are available, foster parents \"can create little celebrations\" \n4 \n \nby watching the videos with the child and asking about the people in the videos. If family videos are not available, foster parents might ask children if there was a particular movie their family all had watched together and liked; then foster parents can rent the movie and tell the child they want to enjoy watching it together, too. \n\"Things like that remind kids of happier times from the past,\" Kelahan described. \"Too often with kids in care, so many of the questions we ask about their family bring up painful or embarrassing memories - triggering unhappy feelings. But we can remind ourselves to ask questions that might trigger happier feelings. For instance, if we ask the child about things the child's family did for different holidays, the child might remember the bunny outfit her mom made for her when she was 3. Asking about family pets can lead to funny or comforting memories. This helps children celebrate good things about their families. We hope families can make changes so children can safely return home, so it's important to help parents and children maintain their bond. But even when children won't ever live with birth parents again, we don't want them to feel painfully cut off from their pasts.\" \nSharing the Little Things \nAlso foster parents can encourage more direct connections, such as by simply dropping a quick postcard to family members letting them know about something big or small in the child's life: \"Just wanted to let you know Johnny lost his last baby tooth yesterday,\" or, \"We signed Maria up for swimming lessons.\" The foster parent can ask the case manager for the mailing addresses of the family members who might most want such information, as well as family members or friends who have not had much previous involvement in the child's life but might be influenced to become more interested and supportive, even if only in small ways such as occasionally writing a few lines back to the child. Such small gestures can mean a lot to a child living apart from his or her family. \n\"Foster parents can write up an informal, fun 'newsletter' to mail to a few family members \n(See Strengthening, page 8) \n \nTips for Case Managers: \nng Family \n \nA crucial part of a case manager's job is to find family members who can and are willing to be supports for children in foster care, for which Betty Thomas offers practical tips. Thomas is a family therapist with Turning Point/New Directions for Families, a private agency which performs initial assessments for DFCS. \nAsk Questions: Thomas noted that whether they are overwhelmed or untrusting, families in crisis often do not volunteer information to case managers and may need patient prompting. A good place to begin is simply to ask, \"Is there anyone in your family who might be willing to help with your children?\" To jog their memory, a helpful prompt is, \"If your family had a wedding or funeral or reunion, who would be there?\" Some questions to ask the child are, \"When you' re upset, who helps you get back on track?\" and, \"Who are your favorite people?\" Children may know how to locate a parent or relative when others do not. Talking with as many relatives as possible is important because even if they are unwilling or unable to be a direct support for the child, they may know of another relative. Also Thomas tries to identify key people in the child's world (school, church, neighbors, etc.), asking them what family members the child has talked about and if they know their location. \nBe Sensitive: \"When case managers ask the child's immediate family for information, they should be sensitive to the family's emotional state and abilities,\" Thomas advised. \"They may be too embarrassed or confused to say they don't understand what you're asking for. They may be unable to read. Often I ask families to tell me names and locations of relatives and write it down myself. To make sure a form has been accurately completed, I read it out loud and ask if the information is correct. Case managers should take care to ask for information in a positive rather than an intimidating tone and manner.\" \nEmphasize the Child: Often families in crisis and their extended family become alienated from each other. Case managers can build cooperation by helping them to focus on the child's needs, emphasizing the child will feel more secure if placed with family, but, if a suitable family member is not found, the child may end up living with strangers. Thomas stated, \"To help soften old fam- \n \nily tensions, I tell parents that relatives often have a commitment that others don't, if we just give them a chance. Even though the parents and a par- \nticular relative may not be on good terms, the relative may be willing to put differences aside to help them get their child back, even if only to do something as simple as driving them to parenting classes required in their case plan.\" Use Family Conferences: Since 1999, family conferences have been a part of DFCS standard procedure throughout Georgia. For these meetings, case managers invite the child's and family's professional supports (counselors, physical therapists, etc.), as well as family members. Often at family conferences, relatives meet for the first time and, in talking together, remember additional family members. Thomas said, \"I've seen family conferences energize family members to get involved who otherwise wouldn't. At the conference, they find themselves among other professionals, relatives and friends there on behalf of this family and child. They can see the family in a different light, and many of them decide they want to help.\" \n \nLocating family members is critical, says Betty Thomas . \n5 \n \n Law requires DFCS to \nsearch for family members, says Judge \nKaren Baynes. \n6 \n \nCase Managers and Families: \ne s ers ective \n \nCase managers should search for family members of children in foster care, not only because doing so is good social work practice, but also it is the law. \n\"Federal law penalizes states when case managers are judged not to have made a diligent search to locate relatives who might be a suitable placement for each child,\" emphasized Karen Baynes, associate judge with the Fulton County juvenile court system. \"If such efforts are deemed not to have been made, the state could lose federal IV-E funding for that particular child the entire time that child is in care. In other words, the state would have to expend its own funds for the child which otherwise would have been reimbursed by the federal government.\" \n \nuntil a child is legally free for adoption, they naturally will begin bonding in a much deeper way with that child. However, if the case manager has not done a thorough search for and communicated with the child's family members, a family member might at that late stage learn of the child's situation and come forward demanding to adopt the child, not wanting the child to be adopted outside the family. Though the relatives would not automatically be permitted to adopt the child (DFCS would need to investigate and approve them as suitable), everyone's expectations in such cases are painfully overturned. Everyone involved is emotionally devastated, usually the child most of all. \nRemembering Fathers \n \n\"A problem I see too often is many case managers will search for relatives on the mother's side of the family but not the father's,\" Baynes stated. \"Sometimes case managers have written in the complaint that the child's father is 'unknown.' But in court, I'll ask the mother who the child's father is, and she can tell me his name, where he lives even his phone number. Granted, sometimes parents keep things from case managers, but I also get the feeling some case managers never really ask about fathers. I've been surprised that if we ask many of these mothers, they even know the father's Social Security number by heart, which can be useful information when doing Internet searches for the whereabouts of fathers.\" \n \nAvoiding Heartache \nBeyond questions of law, Baynes has seen firsthand the heartache that can result when case managers are not thorough in searching for children's relatives. For example, oftentimes children's cases reach the point at which the decision is made that parental rights will be terminated, and the foster parents agree to adopt. Even though the foster parents are aware they cannot formally adopt \n \nTo locate fathers whose whereabouts are unknown, case managers can gain valuable assistance from their local Office of Child Support Enforcement. Also the Department of Corrections will have records of anyone currently incarcerated throughout the state. Though an incarcerated father obviously would himself not be a suitable placement for a child, locating and talking to this father can lead the case manager to grandmothers, aunts and that whole side of the child's family who might offer the child a wide range of support, including a permanent home. Baynes noted that some DFCS agencies become so focused on searching for families who are willing and able to adopt children that they seem to forget permanent placement with a fit and willing relative is also in compliance with federal law. \n \nCase Managers HelpFatnilies \n \nNewly available services (called wraparound services) can provide additional support to case managers, to better serve some children and families who require a higher level of support than many local communities can normally offer. These new services are available through two programs. \nThe aim of First Placement/Best Placement (FP /BP) wraparound services is to reduce the length of time a child is infoster care and to ensure the success of whatever permanent living situation is found for the child. Merita Roberts, FP /BP program consultant, explained, \"Case managers are often unable to meet all their families' needs because of high case loads, and foster parents too often say, 'If I'd just had some more help, maybe I wouldn't have had to tell my case manager we couldn't keep that child in our home anymore.' These wraparound services are meant to give case managers and foster parents that extra help.\" \nThe case manager and other participants in the family's family conference and multi-disciplinary team meeting may decide \nthe child and family need any or all of the following FP I BP \nwraparound services: \nIntensive treatment services/case management services: These provide support for reunifying children with birth parents. FP /BP funds are available for DFCS to contract with private providers to administer services such as supervision of family visits and regular monitoring of the child and family. Intensive treatment services provide counseling in the home. Case management services provide such supports as helping a child to get tutoring or a parent to get drug treatment or employment. \n24-hour crisis intervention services: FP /BP funds are available for DFCS to contract with private providers to stabilize a family crisis which might result in a child's needing to be removed from a foster home or returned to foster care. \nSummer enrichment program: Children under 14 may be provided $36 per day for seven days or a total of $252 for the summer to pay for a summer activity. \n\"To be eligible for these services, a child must be in DFCS custody, including children in adoptive placement whose adoptions have not been finalized,\" explained Roberts. More complete information (including a list of providers, the areas of the state for which they are approved, and time and financial limits on services) can be found at www.gahsc.org. \n\"MATCH wraparound services are usually for children whose behavioral and emotional issues are so extreme they've \n \nbeen living in a residential facility,\" described Kathleen Rinehart, DFCS Treatment Services Unit program consultant. \"They may have made great progress in the facility, but leaving to return to the less structured 'real world' can be very challenging and scary. These new wraparound services are like a safety net, providing these children with the high level of support they need while they practice their newly learned life skills and attempt the transition into the world outside the facility. MATCH wraparound services are also available to try to prevent some children who have never been to a residential facility from needing to be placed in one.\" \n \nChildren who are already in a residential facility through the \n \nTwo new programs are helping DFCS better support children and families. \n \nMATCH program are eligible for these services. Because the \n \nservices are new, all areas of the state do not yet have approved \n \nproviders. \n \nA private agency will be paid by MATCH to work with the case manager and provide the wraparound services. The first step is for the wraparound-service provider and case manager to assist the family in identifying the child's team of people and agencies the child and family can look to for support and assistance, such as foster parents, extended family, church members, school staff. Thirty to 45 days before the child leaves a residential facility, the team will develop a plan for the child to have positive connections and experiences within the community. In addition to traditional services such as counseling, the plan may include such things as the child regularly attending a Boy's or Girl's Club or being assigned a behavioral aide.at or after school. \n \n\"But we mean wraparound to be more than just an assortment of various services,\" Rinehart emphasized. \"Rather, we mean to offer an ongoing process of support, providing the child and caregiving family whatever they need for the child to be able to continue living with the foster family or the birth family rather than in a facility. Or maybe extended family members would see how this process would give them the help they need so could decide they're able to bring a challenging child to live in their home.\" \n \n Foster Care \nGeorgia Department of Human Resources Division of Fam ily and Ch ildren Services \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \n(Continued from page 4 ) \n \nevery week or so,\" suggested Kelahan. \"On a regular piece of paper, they could write at the top 'JOHNNY'S NEWS,' then just write down a few blurbs like, 'Johnny got an A in PE. On Wednesday he went to the doctor for a check-up and is fine. This week he made a new friend at school named Pablo. Last night he did the dishes.' Writing quickly by hand is fine - in fact, that probably looks more friendly and personal to family members than doing something carefully on a computer, which could look cold. Foster parents could make a few photocopies to send, or the case manager might be willing to make and mail photocopies. Foster parents could also invite the family members to let them know things to include in the 'newsletter' for the child and other family members to know about, like, ' Grandpa got a new hearing aid.' In this way, foster parents help families come together around a child.\" \nKelahan added, \"Also foster parents can share \n \ninformation during visits or through quick, casual phone calls. If the fo ster parent tells birth parents, 'Jody's new favorite color is pink,' the birth parents might think to buy a pink toy to give Jody at their next visit, which could help Jody feel her parents aren't losing touch with her. The foster parents might take a snapshot of the child's bedroom to give the birth parents. The child's bedroom is the last thing she sees at night and the first thing she sees waking up, so being able to visualize this could help parents feel more a part of the child's life. Foster parents can also help birth parents continue to feel like parents by asking them for pointers, like the child's favorite foods and things that make the child feel comfortable, like blankets and stuffed animals.\" \nKelahan said when foster parents help in these ways, children will not only have better memories about their blood family, but also about their foster family. \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-swinter","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2002","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2002"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2002"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2002"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-swinter"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2002-swinter"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"in \nSuccess \nChildren an the Media \nResidentia \n \nPart  1n \nFr ' REO g A NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA DHR \nFrom a \nYouth's Perspective \n \nFoster parents and case managers can learn a lot by listening to children and youths, believes \"Brandy\" (as she will be called in this article). After Brandy's mother left, the teenager lived with an uncle supervised by DFCS. \nBrandy emphasized that case managers, however busy, always need to be sure they truly understand the child's situation. \nRelying on Case \nManagers \n\"My uncle thought I was hiding things from him, so he took my bedroom door off its hinges,\" Brandy recalled. \"Sure, he's related to me, but I was a 16-year-old girl living alone with her uncle with only a sheet I'd hung in my doorway. A few times the case m anager came but stayed in the kitchen the whole time, not looking around the house. Also she never talked to me alone, away from my uncle, and I didn't feel comfortable telling her about the door while my uncle was sitting there with us - I thought he'd get mad at me. Finally, after three months, when my uncle knew the case manager was coming, he put my door back on its hinges, so she never knew anything about it.\" \nBrandy was confused, as any child would be, by her mother's substance abuse issues and disappearances for days at a time. This confusion increased when her mother finally departed. Brandy explained she would have benefited from a case manager or caregiver helping her think about how to share \n \nher situation with others - what words to use, as well as when and to whom to talk. \nNeeding Adult Guidance \n\"I told some kids I thought I could trust about what was happening in my life,\" Brandy described. \"Also I had a teacher who meant well and was trying to mentor me, but even she told my secrets to other people. A lot of stuff got around school about me, some true and some not, and kids made fun of me. I learned how kids can really be cruel, and I wish someone would have coached me about how to talk about being in foster care.\" \nTension grew between Brandy and her uncle. The parents of one of Brandy's friends arranged with the uncle and DFCS to have Brandy in their home for weekends. During each week when Brandy was away, the mother let Brandy know she was in her thoughts by paging \"I love you\" to her several times a day. When Brandy turned 17, she moved into this new home. This girl who in the past had burned and cut herself in her unhappiness now says she has found a family where she belongs and is happy. \nKeeping Family \nConnections \n\"I'd pretty much decided to hate Mom for all that had happened,\" Brandy recounted. \"But my foster mom helped me see I'm never really going to hate my mom becau se she's my mom. We'd talk sometimes, and she'd say I may hate w hat my mom \n(Continued on page 3) \n \nDFCS staff and foster parents can learn a lot from the children in their ca re . \n \n Foster parents help by monitoring grades and guiding school progress . \n2 \n \nUsing Report Cards 10 Improve School Success \n \nYOU th 1 S {Continued from page 7) \n \nHelping Kids With Bad News \n \nWhen foster parents talk with children about report cards, children can learn about their strengths and need s at school, as well as plan how to improve in areas of need . January report cards are especially useful because ample time remains in the year to help the child \"get on track.\" \n \nthe teacher repeatedly explains things may need to record difficult classes and listen to the tape several times as a way to study. The school guidance counselor and teachers can help with other su gges tion s.\" \nEstablish Good Habits \n \nBe Positive \nWhen talking about low grades, parents should avoid using language that might discourage the child and lessen his or her enthusiasm for school. For example, referring to classes the child \"didn't do as well in\" sounds more positive than \"did badly in.\" \n\"Talking with a child about a report card is most helpful when parents set a positive, encouraging tone, first talking about classes the child did best in and asking what he or she liked about those classes,\" described Margaret Kelley, guidance counselor at Spencer Elementary in Tifton. \"This builds self-esteem and helps children recognize their own strengths.\" \nKelley added, \"These strengths may be useful in addressing a child's areas of need. For example, if the child does best in classes where the teacher wri tes on the board, this child probably learns best by seeing something rather than just hearing it explained, and the parent can encourage the child to take notes in all classes. Also anyone helping this child study might write things down or draw diagrams. A child who does best in classes where \n \nChildren are more likely to maintain a study plan which they are actively involved in developing. Ask the child to think of ideas to bring up the grade. You might suggest the child get extra help and ask the child to identify someone to help, such as the teacher or another child in the family. \nProblems with homework and studying contribute to low grades. To be well organized, every child should have a notebook for writing down all school assignments and checking them off after completing them . Children are often frustrated because they complete homework then cannot find it to turn in. This problem can be solved if their notebook has a pocket folder on each side, with one side for assignments the child is wor.Rfng on and one for completed assignments. \nSchedule and Check Homework \n\"The habit of coming home from school and doing homework before anything else will really pay off,\" said Kelley. \"Children often want to play before doing homework and, before you know it, it's dinner time. The longer they put if off, the more they dread it. If a child has finished homework at school, it is important parents ask to see it. This communicates the importance of homework and helps parents know if the child is doing homework properly.\" \nParents should make sure a child is not having problems paying attention in class. Often children have not developed habits to help them pay attention, such as looking at the teacher, taking notes and asking questions. They may need to sit closer to the teacher to keep their minds from wandering. The parent can suggest the child talk with the teacher about this, and, if low grades continue, the parent should get the teacher's advice.  \n \nhas done, but deep down inside I'm always going to want to love her because she's my mother, and that's just a natural feeling. That helped me with forgiveness, because I don't like hating anybody. I' m not very good with grudges.\" \nBrandy's birth mother continues to live near Brandy's foster home. Her birth mother continues to struggle with the issues that led to Brandy's needing to leave home, and the mother and daughter have only occasional contact, though Brandy's fos ter mother has emphasized Brandy can call her any time she wants. Brandy commented, \"For right now I need some space because I've got school and thinking about college. I know Mom is there if I need her, and she knows she can get in touch with me.\" \nBrandy h as received a college scholarship and is excited about studying physical therapy.  \nPar t ~OWd ring \nISS UE NU M BER 16 \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman \nEditorial Committee Members: Kathleen Rinehart and Doris Walker \nWriter/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie \nWriter: Ellen Corrie \nDesktop Design: Dara O'Neil \nDo you like this newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it could be better? Send your comments to: \nJayne Bachman DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18-222 Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta , GA 30303-3142 404.657.3570 \n \nSeptember ll's terrorism scared children. Inevitably in the future, newspapers and TV will report other horrifying events. Follow ing are some ways you can help your children during such times: \nTake your own \"emotional temperature\": When frightening events are reported on the news, it is appropriate to be open with your family if you feel upset. However, desperation can be contagious. It is OK to shed tears around children, but do not cry hysterically. It is OK to express you feel angry, but do not show rage, go into too much detail, or talk about vengeance. Talk to other adults, away from children, about your deep fears, anxieties and a broken heart. \nHelp life to move on: Difficult times can be opportunities to teach children how feelings change and how time heals. When an upsetting event occurs, have the child watch you mark a date on a calendar (one week or one month from the event). Tell the child (who will need to be at least 6 to understand dates) that on this date the family will have a special time such as a prayer or discussion about what happened. Explain to the child \nthat he I she will see everybody will probably feel different by then. \nMaintain routines: Children do best when they have a schedule. The anxious child needs to continue through his/her everyday schedule even if he/ she cries, wrings hands or complains. Though we want to comfort children, we do not want to teach them that trouble is an excuse to curl up and stay in our rooms. The upset child may not perform as well in \nschool for a brief time, but he I she still needs to go to school. \nTake action: Many children collected money after 9I11 to help other children. Others went to fire departments to thank firefighters for their sacrifices and heroism. Other families went to visit a mosque to prevent children from learning hatred or fear of a different group of people. \nAvoid re-traumatizing: Seeing horrible news events over and over can traumatize children. Shut off the TV rather than allowing upsetting news and images to continue repeating. If you want constant information, use a portable radio with headphones. Only watch the news together as a family. You may want to schedule time (maybe after dinner or before bath time) to talk about the event, rather than increasing anxiety with non-stop talk about the event. \nHelp with emotions: Remember, many children in foster care have had multiple losses and terrible traumas, so they may overreact or underreact to public tragedies. Watch and listen to your child to try to get a feel for \"where they are\" emotionally before giving them guidance. Remember your child is not you. You may feel anxious, but your child may not be \noverly upset. You might have the child draw a picture about what he I she feels about an event or feelings he I she thinks other children are feeling. \nThen talk together about the picture. \n \n Helping Children \nwith Obesity \n \nGuiding Children \nThrough the Media Maze \n \nI \ngiving guidance \n \n\"Childhood obesity is an epidemic,\" emphasized Frances Cook, director of the Georgia Division of Public Health Nutrition Section. \"Being overweight puts children's health at risk and can lower their self-esteem. Overweight children are more likely to become obese adults. Children need their caregivers to help them maintain a healthy weight.\" \n \nObese youths \n \nare at increased \n \nrisk for cardio- \n \nvascular dis- \n \nease, diabetes \n \nand some can- \n \ncers. In the \n \nUnited States, \n \none child in \n \nfive is over- \n \nweight. In a \n \nstudy of more \n \nthan 5,000 7- \n \nI Physical activity helps reduce childhood obesity. \n \nyear-olds in the Savannah school system, 19 percent of males and 13 percent of females were obese by currently accepted standards. Children in care especially might have \n \nissues related to eating which foster parents \n \nshould discuss with their case m anager, such as \n \novereating and hoarding food. \n \nFollowing are ways foster parents can prevent or reduce obesity for the children in their care. \n \nFor information on meal planning and diet, log onto \nwww.eatright.org \n4 \n \nPromote Healthy Diet \nChildren should have balanced meals and regular healthy diets containing fruits, vegetables and few fatty foods. \n\"Feed the child a serving of fruit instead of a doughnut,\" urged Todd Stormant, nutrition program consultant in the Georgia Division of Public Health. \"Children often want to eat the foods they see on TV, which tend to be fast foods, sugared breakfast cereals and high-calorie snacks. Although many children entering foster care come from situations where they never developed good eating habits, they aren' t very different in this from other kids: all children need parents to guide them in eating better. The problem can be largely solved when adults simply keep healthy - not unhealthy - food around the house. It's common \n \nsense that your kids are going to eat the food you buy. If you don't buy junkfood, there's no junkfood in the house for them to eat! \" \nMost children love fastfood restaurants, and many busy caregivers find them convenient. However, most fast food is unhealthy and promotes obesity, with excess fat in sauces, burgers and french fries. Many fast food chains attract customers with unhealthy offers such as \"super size\" soft drinks and all-you-can-drink deals. When busy schedules limit time for preparing meals at home, caregivers can remember many fastfood restaurants offer healthy alternatives, such as salads. \nIf you want to learn more about planning and preparing healthy meals, you can contact your local county extension service, listed in the government services section of the telephone directory. The extension service in many counties usually offers lunch-and-learn talks and informal classes in healthy diet and meal preparation. You can also find much valuable information by logging onto the American Dietetic Association's website (www.eatright.org). \nEncourage Activity \n\"Most days, children should get at least 20 minutes of physical activity sufficient to raise their heart rates,\" stated Cook. \"Instead, statistics show the typical child spends 21 hours per week watching TV, often while indulging in high-calorie snacks. Also children spend many hours playing \nvideo I computer games instead of getting exer- \ncise.\" \nTo promote physical activity, caregivers living in safe neighborhoods can encourage children to go outside and play active sports like soccer, basketball or tennis. Families can enjoy getting exercise together, for instance by hiking in a nearby park. Also caregivers can ask their case manager or school staff (such as the guidance counselor) about resources in their area offering physically active programs for children, such as the Boys \u0026 Girls Club or martial arts programs. Some schools offer after-school and extra-curricular activities for children. Caregivers can also learn about activities offered through their local parks and recreation department, listed in the government services section of the telephone directory.  \n \nMagazines, movies, CDs: mainstream society can be confus- what the child thought \n \ning for children. They need adult guidance in understanding \n \nabout the scene, especially \n \nhow to react. \n \nif the child's behavior \n \n\"By trying to fit in with peers or simply through curiosity, youths can sometimes encounter things they're not ready for emotionally, such as sex and violence in movies,\" explained \n \nchanges, such as becoming very quiet or unusually active. \n \nYolanda Graham, an Atlanta child and adolescent psychiatrist. \n \n\"While talking with the \n \n\"Maybe your child might see an adult TV channel at a friend's child, the parent should \n \nhouse, or the friend might share his father's adult magazine \n \nnotice the child's reactions,\" \n \nhe'd found hidden around the house. Unfortunately, many CDs Graham recommended. \"If \n \naimed for young people contain provocative language and \n \nthe child seems uncon- \n \ndescribe violent situations. Because many kids in foster care \n \ncerned, it could be OK to \n \nhave personally experienced abusive situations, they especially drop the subject. If the child \n \ncan need adult help in putting such things into perspective.\" \n \nshuts down, not wanting to \n \nStart Conversations \n \ntalk but seeming uneasy, the child might need some time \n \nParents should not be afraid to talk with children who have been exposed, for instance, to nudity or violence in media. Such talks usually work best when the adult is calm and easygoing because children become anxious when they sense the adult is anxious. \n\"Parents shouldn't make something bigger than it is,\" advised Graham. \"For example, if the child sings a song with offensive words, the parent should keep in mind such songs appear on many CDs and such words are in common use among the child's peers. Instead of showing anger or shaming the child, the parent can use the situation as an opportunity to help the child think about preferable ways of acting. The parent \n \nbefore talking some more. \n \nThat's OK. Some parents \n \nplan long speeches they \n \nbelieve will really help the \n \nchild, but many times that \n \ndoesn't fit what the child feels OK with. Not everything needs to be said in one sitting. Often it's best \n \nIKids need adult help with today's media bombardment, says Yolanda Graham. \n \nto start simple, let the child \n \nhave time to think, then return to the topic later when the child \n \nmight ask a question or the time just feels right. It can be an \n \nongoing conversation over time.\" \n \ncan start by getting a feel for the child's reaction, maybe saying something general like, 'Tha t song uses the word bitch to talk \n \nProvide Perspective \n \nabout women. What do you think about that?' Further questions can guide the child's thinking, like, 'Do you know what the dictionary meaning of that word is?' and, 'What would you think if someone called your mother or sister that word? If you wouldn't like that, then don't you think other people might feel the same way if you use that word?' \" \n \nParents might help children maintain perspective by occasionally emphasizing there can be a big difference between real life and entertainment. Just as the Coyote can die 100 times in the Roadrunner cartoons, a lot happens in movies and songs that are fun to watch or listen to but are just entertaining fantasies. While a hero in a movie might seduce numerous women \n \nNotice Children's Reactions \n \nand out-fight all opponents, attempting similar behavior in real life is simply inappropriate and will quickly lead to embarrass- \n \nr \n \nA helpful practice is for parents to screen movies, watching ment or getting hurt. \n \nl them prior to allowing the child to watch, to decide if the movie \n \n\"Parents should gear discussions and explanations not so \n \nis appropriate. Also parents need to monitor what children \n \nmuch to the child's age, but to his or her level of development \n \nview on TV and the Internet. However, few parents can guard and maturity,\" Graham noted. \"If you're fostering a 15-year-old \n \nagainst everything, and inevitably the child will encounter sen- who was sexually abused when 5, the child is not emotionally a \n \nsitive material. For example, in the case of a child with a history 15-year-old. Especially in talking about the child's feelings, the \n \nof being sexually abused, the parent should be alert that the \n \nparent would likely need to talk as though to a younger \n \nchild's confusion and unresolved issues might be revived by a child.\"  \n \nsexual scene or nudity in a movie. The parent might simply ask \n \n5 \n \n New Teamwork to Help Children: \nGeorgia's Residential Treatment Project \n \nGeorgia's Residential Treatment Project: \n \nFoster parents, case managers and others will be working together in new ways because Georgia's MATCH Program (Multi-Agency Team for Children) is changing to help children with some of the most severe needs. These are the children foster families are unable to handle because of their extreme emotional issues and behavior. They have been confused by traumas, such as sexual abuse, physical abuse and substance abuse. Too often, they suffer years of disconnection, moving from one foster family to another whom they never see again. They enter residential treatment centers funded through MATCH where they live full-time with other children receiving therapeutic treatment, sometimes remaining for long periods of time. These centers are usually away from children's home communities, and, too often, children staying there become cut off from their pasts, losing connections to people who previously had been in their lives. \n \nskills to help these children. Often in the past, children would never again see the foster family they left to enter a residential treatment center. Yet even though the foster family had been unable to continue living with a child's challenging behavior, they often continued to feel concern, hoping the best for the child. In the past, these children seldom knew such people were remembering them with such positive hopes. \n\"Families can reconnect with these children in a range of possible ways, according to what they're comfortable with,\" Kelahan explained. \"Some foster parents might be willing to have the child move back in with them when discharged from the residential treatment center, thus providing a sense of continuity the child would miss if going instead to yet one more unfamiliar setting. Even foster parents with limited time can make a big difference simply by sending the child birthday and Christmas cards. Even such small gestures make the child think, 'Wow, someone remembered my birthday,' or, 'Someone told the staff my favorite food is chicken pot pie.' To these children, such things are huge.\" \n \nBuilding Teams for Children \n \nA year ago, a new project funded through the Annie E. Casey Foundation began changing how things are and will be done throughout Georgia to better help these children return sooner and more successfully to mainstream society. The project's training coordinator, Annie Kelahan, explained people statewide are being trained to think in new ways and to be a part of new teams to help these children. \nRelationships Heal \n\"Most of us had the advantage of family and other people who nurtured and helped us through childhood into adulthood,\" described Kelahan. \"Sometimes they had a major influence on our lives even if we never lived with them and didn't see them very often. But young people usually don't have that advantage by the time they enter residential treatment centers. We're working to change that so these young people can feel and be connected in supportive relationships.\" \nThus, foster parents and case managers will be among those invited to become teammates pooling their varied strengths and \n6 \n \nAlong with foster parents and case managers, the child's team would include others who were, are or might be important cmmections for the child, including professionals such as mental health workers and therapists. Hopefully, the team would also include members of the child's birth family and more informal coru1ections, such as a neighbor or coach who for a while had significance in the child's life. \n\"Discovering people from the child's past leads to finding out about still more people,\" Kelahan said. \"I don't know how many times it's been believed a child had absolutely no family, then, as we bring together the child's team, a former foster parent or teacher might say, 'I just remembered he has an aunt who lives just down the road,' or, 'He has a 30-year-old stepsister who told me the other day she sometimes wonders how he's doing.' Such people might be willing to be very involved as team members, such as by coming to formal meetings at the DFCS agency, while others might feel more comfortable with other roles, such as being a 'phone resource,' so when the child makes an A, he has someone to call up to brag about how well he's doing. This approach works best when team members have the flexibility to offer what they're best at doing in a way they're comfortable with.\" \nDia1me Sacks, manager of the DFCS Treatment Services Unit, emphasized the MATCH Program statewide will be moving in the directions described in this article, increasing teamwork to support children in treatment facilities and increasing outreach to families and communities.  \n \nChildren being isolated from people from their pasts: this has too often been a painful reality faced by children in residential treatment facilities. \"Alonso\" (as he will be called in this article) is one child helped by a new approach in Georgia (see Page 6's article for more background) of reconnecting these children with family, former foster parents, and other concerned people. \nAlonso's angry, destructive behavior and emotional issues were too extreme for his foster families. He had been in care for five years, three of which he had spent living full-time in residential care centers making little or no progress. His mother, struggling with alcoholism, had voluntarily given up parental rights, and no family member kept contact with him. He was 14 when Athol Burns, a Putnam County case manager, began working with him. \nIsolation Causes Pain \n\"Here was this isolated, withdrawn, angry teenager who had been through a lot of therapists and case managers,\" Bums recalled. \"The treatment center used a system to reward him for maintaining good behavior, but he'd behave until he got the reward then go right back to how he was before. While I was working with him, he was making no progress there and was transferred to another facility.\" \nBurns's supervisor assigned her to be Alonso's \"visiting resource,\" driving the 90 miles each month to check on his situation and simply to spend time with him, to provide some of the human contact children need in order to adjust and reenter mainsteam society. Burns noted, \"I tend to get along with kids, and soon we had a pretty good relationship. I'd take him away from the center to lunch or to do something fun like go to a flea market shopping for baseball cards, which he collects.\" \nThough Burns provided two years of such nurturing while Alonso continued receiving intensive treatment in the center, the teenager sank into depression, wanting to sleep all day and sometimes acting out until needing physical restraint. Finally, a member of Alonso's professional team arranged a large meeting to reconsider how to help him. The meeting included numerous professionals who had worked with him over the years. \nReconnecting With Family \n\"At the meeting, a MATCH consultant emphasized we should find some of his family members,\" Burns recalled. \"I remember wondering why we'd never thought to try that - it was so obvious! I'd previously tracked down one of Alonso's former foster parents he'd mentioned a few times, and she'd started visiting him, which had been helping his spirits. But with his being in treatment facilities for so long without contact \n \nfrom his biological family, I guess I'd just assumed there wasn't any family out there for him.\" \nFamily Can Help Heal \nBurns described, \"I couldn't find Alonso's father, who'd moved away. But Eatonton is a small community, and I located his grandmother and an aunt. They said they hadn't known where he was but had him on their minds, wanting to see him. I took an aunt, sister, niece and nephew to visit him at the center. Years before, he'd claimed his sister had sexually abused him, but that day he admitted he'd lied. That was pretty traumatic for them. But it was a nice day out, and we all walked around the lake. Soon his sister and he were reminiscing about some funny things, and it was good to see him laugh. He hadn't seen any family in six years.\" \nResponding well to new, calming medication, Alonso met other family members whom the 17-year-old now visits in their homes for weekends and holidays. Wanting to be closer to family, he was transferred to a less restrictive facility nearer home where he lives in a cottage with 10 youths and is allowed to come and go as he wishes, as long as he informs the staff. He successfully reentered public school, from which he graduates this year. He sometimes visits his former foster parent who lives nearby. He wants to earn money and is trying to find a job, maybe bagging groceries. \n\"He loves visiting an aunt, uncle and cousin who live in the country,\" Burns said. \"They have a four-wheeler he loves to drive. He just appears happier. He gets along well with the other kids in his cottage. He's not having problems in school. With the right medication and reconnecting with family, he's just totally different. He looks forward to the future, which I never saw him do before.\" \n \n Foster Care \nGe org ia D e partm ent of H uma n Re s o urc es D ivision of Fami ly an d Childr en Ser v ic es \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \nPRSRTSTD U.S. POSTAGE \nPAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 5823 \n \nMillicent Houston is the state /LP manager. \n \nIf you foster a youth between the ages 14-21, he or she is eligible for a range of opportunities through the Independent Living Program (ILP). ILP funds activities to help youths be more successful in school, such as tutoring or evening classes. It also funds activities and supplies to help youths develop socially, such as cheerleader and band uniforms or club fees. \n\"ILP has always served youths ages 16-21, but now we're also serving 14- and 15-year-olds,\" explained Millicent Houston, state ILP manager. \"Also we're now able to fund somewhat more broadly, so we can pay for some additional things to help youths that we couldn't in the past. Foster parents should get to know their local ILP coordinator to learn about opportunities for youths in their region which they might not otherwise find out about.\" \nHouston added, \"While ILP can fund needed supports to youths' educations, such as tutoring in a student's weak areas, ILP can also provide funding to help youths' social develop- \n \nment. Too many kids in foster care tend to isolate themselves, so their lives are more normalized if they can participate in some activities with costs not covered by the per diem allowance, like team uniforms and sports camps. Or, for instance, if the foster parent really thinks the child has a talent in art, funds might be available for art supplies. The ILP coordinator also might be able to tell you about free activities in your area, such as swimming classes and support groups. ILP also funds assessments which can reveal such things as learning disabilities which might be holding a youth back in school but which the right supports could help.\" \nFor youths to be eligible for these funds, case managers are required to refer 14-year-olds to their county ILP coordinator. Because case managers are busy with large case loads and might overlook a child's birthday, Houston urges foster parents to remind the case manager to refer a child turning 14 to the ILP coordinator.  \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2001-ssummer","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Summer 2001","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2001"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2001"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Summer 2001"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2001-ssummer"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2001-ssummer"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"GA \n \nPartnerships H'Ceo . ,:-~ \n \n1' I pu \n \n \n \nd-ool / Sv1M(\"\"IPI \n \n1n \n \ng \n \nin this \nPreparing for the School Year \n \nObtaining \n \nA NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA DHR FOSTER CARE UNIT \nore Sup \nfor Children \n \nSome Tips for Supervision \nGetting Needed Respite Care \nNot Punishing Kids Physically \nsummer \n \nThe basic foster care rate only stretches so far. In counties throughout Georgia, DFCS agencies and foster parents successfully partner in persuading their communities to give children extra help. You can, too. \n\"It's hard for foster parents to afford everything kids need, like school clothes and supplies, field trips and band instruments,\" emphasized Bob Pollock, DFCS field director of 11 counties in middle Georgia. \"In high school, kids' needs are neverending - rings, sports equipment, prom gowns and tuxes.\" \nPollock offered the following suggestions for how foster parents and DFCS can band together in involving communities: \nApproach your county and city commissions, civic and other clubs, and other local organizations: \"Every county is different. Think about what resources are in your county, such as a college or military base. You can contact anything from the Exchange Club to a bicycling club, then help them think about ways they might help. A department store might donate school supplies. A high school club might do a car wash to raise money. The Bass Club might agree to take kids fishing.\" \nPlan ahead and be specific: \"You can't go to a city commission or business and just say kids need funds. Before they'll consider contributing support, they need to have a clear picture of how their contributions will be used. That means you \n \nneed to do some planning before contacting people, to decide what the top priorities are for your community's kids. Write them down to give to people to review and think about.\" \nBe persistent and persuade: \"They probably get lots of requests for support, so don't expect just to ask and receive. County commissions are flooded with requests for everything from paving roads to economic development. You'll probably need to go back several times before \nthey might say yes. Be polite, but sell your idea, not just state it. For instance, look for comparisons, maybe by talking to the DFCS agencies in nearby counties. Then you can say, 'County X does this for their kids, but we don't.' Say how many children in your county are in foster care, and courteously emphasize these are not DFCS children but are our community's children and need our support.\" \nBe personal: \"To stand out from others requesting support, you need to do more than just send a letter. You need to make personal contact. Go to the commission meeting to speak, or find out who to talk to at a business and make an appointment to meet with them. Invite local elected officials and business leaders to your foster parent association meeting or banquet. They need to know who you are and what you stand for. If funds or other assistance is granted, be sure to follow up with thank you notes or go to a meeting to say thank you in person.\" \n \nCommunities often offer extra help, when asked. \n \n Preparing for \nthe ew School Year \n \nSummer is the time for parents to begin preparing children so the upcoming school year will be as successful as possible. Libby Bell, special education and preschool coordinator for Paulding County schools, offered the following tips on how to do this. \n \nBegin at Home \n \nEncourage reading: \"Reading is the best single thing parents can do to help a child academically,\" Bell said. \"Children who usually don't like to read may discover they enjoy reading books or maga- \nzines about their hobbies or interests.\" Within reason, Bell recommends letting them read anything they enjoy, so they develop an enthusiasm for reading that can turn into a general enthusiasm for school and learning. \n \nSet up a study area: Some children have school problems because they cannot organize themselves and settle down to concentrate on studying. Pick an area of your home that can be kept free from distractions while the child studies and where the child's books and supplies can be kept. Having their own calendars helps older children begin learning about scheduling. \n \nEncourage commu- \n \nnity activities: Local \n \nSummer is the time for foster parents to begin preparing for school. \n \npark departments, churches and libraries offer programs which \n \nare fun and educa- \n \ntional. A child's partici- \n \npation in group activities helps a foster parent \n \n2 \n \nnotice any problems the child has with social skills \n \nthat might keep the child from being successful in a classroom setting. \nPrepare for New School Settings \nTo help a child prepare for kindergarten, foster parents should talk with the child about what he or she will do at school. Visiting the school and meeting the teacher as early as possible may reduce a child's anxiety about going to \"big school.\" Bell recommended getting a copy of a blank kindergarten report card from their child's school or at the board of education. Showing this to the child will give an overview of what is expected in kindergarten. \n\"Fifth and eighth graders may act out because they're afraid of going to middle and high school,\" Bell pointed out. \"The summer before fifth and eighth grades is not too early to begin preparing students for those transitions. To reduce their fears of a new school, let them visit their future school building, talk to students who already go there and get an idea of what the schedule is like. That way they don't worry all year long about going to a strange, new school.\" \nPrepare for Middle School \nBell warned, \"The change from elementary to middle school is especially difficult. Middle schoolers change classes and have bigger homework loads. Teachers give much less help in organizing assignments. Foster parents can assess their child's organizational skills and ability to function independently by noticing how they handle some added responsibilities at home and by talking with them about how they'll keep up with assignments. If it's obvious the child will need extra help, they should talk to the teacher, counselor or principal before the school year starts and make sure there are some extra supports in place. If the year starts off well, children will feel less frustrated and will be more successful.\" \nPrepare for High School \nIf a high school student from outside the county comes into a foster parent's care during the summer, the parent should have transcripts evaluated by the school counselor so a class schedule \n \nTips for Supervising Kids \n \ncan be set up that will allow the child to get the credits he or she needs to graduate. Bell recommended, \"During the summer, call the local board of education to ask how best to get in touch with the school counselor or principal. Before the school year begins, if the right person to talk to isn't available, ask about his or her e-mail address, since some personnel check e-mail from home. If you can't connect with him or her during summer, make sure you have a name and number to call the first day of the school's pre-planning.\" \nFoster parents should talk about graduation with any high school student in their care. Ask if he or she has enough credits toward graduation, is preparing for the graduation test and knows what is required for admission to college or vocationaltechnical school. If he or she does not know the answers to these questions, discuss how to find out. As mentioned above, it may be possible to get in touch with school personnel over the summer. Colleges and vocational-technical schools are open during summer to discuss admissions requirements. \nPartnerships  \nIn \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman \nEditorial Committee Members: Kathleen Rinehart and Doris Walker \nWriter/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie \nWriter: Ellen Corrie \nDesktop Design: Dara O' Neil \nDo you like this newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it could be better? Send your comments to: \nJayne Bachman DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18-222 Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 404 .657.3570 \n \nMany foster parents wonder how much they should supervise children. Much about children's past histories is unknown when they enter care, which makes it difficult for foster parents to predict how a child might act in different unsupervised situations. Thus, to safely supervise, foster parents need to become educators, safety specialists, monitors and coaches. This may sound scary, but this article provides some common-sense tips. \nFollowing is a series of steps foster parents can adapt to fit many situations and different children's needs, developmental levels and prior histories. Suppose your 12year-old foster son, Mark, asks permission to ride his bicycle to his friend's house in the same subdivision. Mark is a great kid but has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mild mental retardation. Until now, you have not allowed him to bicycle unsupervised. How can you and your case manager decide if he is ready to safely navigate the neighborhood? \nStep 1: Decide what skills are necessary, especially for safety. For example, does Mark know how to stop and look both ways at intersections? Does he wear his helmet? \nStep 2: Practice necessary skills. An adult should follow Mark in a car or on bicycle when he practices riding around the neighborhood. \nStep 3: Roleplay possible challenges. For example, roleplay with Mark what he would do/say if a stranger asked for directions. \nStep 4: Have a safety plan. An adult should call when Mark arrives at their house and when Mark departs to return home. Every child in care should have an ID card with his/her name and the foster family's name, address and telephone number. \nStep 5: Allow a trial privilege. if Mark achieves the necessary skills and \nthe safety plan is in place, he should be permitted a trial privilege in which you set the rules and time limits, choose the route, and give him permission to go. \nAfter you and Mark have completed Steps 1-4, review his achievements. If Mark was successful, congratulate him on his new skills. If he failed a task or step, he needs to practice that skill until he has demonstrated his competency. Because Mark has attention and learning challenges, he may need to practice his new skills in small steps and repeat those steps many times. \nAs mentioned, these steps can be adapted for different children. For example, Mark's foster sister, Sarah, also wants to earn the privilege of riding her bike to her friend's house. Although she is 10 (two years younger than Mark), she has no developmental delays. She has asthma and multiple allergies, especially bees. The above five steps will be basically the same for her, though Sarah's foster parents may need to consult with her physician to explore her safety needs related to asthma and allergies. She may need to carry a bee sting kit and an inhaler. Parents at her friend's household will need to be made aware of her possible medical challenges and be taught emergency procedures. \n \n Respite \nis Necessary \n \nNot Using ical Punishment \n \nfocus on discipline \n \nFoster parents need respite care to renew themselves, \nsays Elizabeth Bryant. \n4 \n \nFoster families need \"respite care\" - in other words, someone else to look after their children for a while. Hopefully, they can find such help among their friends and family. Also DFCS has limited funding to pay for respite care. \nSometimes in foster homes the buildup of tension can lead to real problems, such as disruptions (when the family asks the case manager to take a child to a different foster family) or families feeling so frustrated they decide to stop fostering. A key reason for such tensions is sometimes foster families simply need just a little time apart from their children, to regroup and relax perhaps for a few hours, an afternoon or a day. \nFi nding O ngoing Res pite \nFoster families and case managers should not wait for such tensions to build to crises. Instead, foster families, with their case manager's help, should work on putting in place their own informal, ongoing system of respite care. For example, a foster parent's mother or trusted neighbor might be willing occasionally to babysit, or two foster families might agree to take turns having the \nother's children over for sleepovers or bringing each other's children along with their own for afternoons at the park. \nWhen a family needs respite care and has no one to help them out, DFCS has limited funds to pay for approved respite providers in their com- \n \nmunity. Also if foster parents know someone in their community whom they would like to have as a paid respite caregiver, they should talk with their case manager to begin the DFCS approval process, which includes a criminal background check to ensure children's safety. \n\"A good choice for a respite provider might be someone the foster parents already know, such as someone in the parents' neighborhood or church,\" explained Elizabeth Bryant, manager of the DFCS Placement and Resource Development Unit. \"Respite care will be more successful with someone the children know and who knows the foster parents' routines in dealing with the children's needs.\" \nSigns to Look For \nBryant emphasized, \"When foster families have trouble finding friends and family members to provide informal respite, case managers and the parents need to keep in touch so they can recognize when respite care is especially needed. Foster parents often give their case managers signals that their frustration is building.\" \nCase managers should be alert to recognize the following signs that a family is probably in special need of respite care: \n A foster parent makes no positive comments about a child and says things such as, \"I don't know anything else to do with this child.\" \n A child tends to be visibly out of control. \n A child is having a negative effect on the entire home; for example, the child requires so much of the parents' supervision, the other children are beginning to act out - the entire family seemingly becoming increasingly less orderly and more upset. \n A foster parent is tired all the time, has trouble keeping up with appointments, and the children are taking on more responsibility. \n\"Fostering isn't easy, and foster parents need to avoid getting overwhelmed,\" said Bryant. \"If parents don't know how to find respite, they should ask their case manager to help them think about options, including the availability of funds for paid respite.\" \n \nFoster parents must not use physical punish- \n \nAlso it is known physical punishment does not \n \nment for legal and practical reasons, according to produce long-lasting \n \nElizabeth Bryant, manager of the DFCS Placement changes in children's prob- \n \nl and Resource Development Unit. Foster parents are legally forbidden to use \n \nlem behaviors, Bryant emphasized, noting, \"Often these children have never \n \nphysical punishment by a legal agreement called a \"consent decree.\" This 1989 decree resulted from a law suit filed on behalf of a girl who was injured and fell into a coma while in foster care, eventu- \n \nbeen taught appropriate ways to meet their needs. In their family of origin, the only way they knew to get \n \nally dying. DFCS discipline policy should have been described during MAPP, where all foster par- \n \nattention from their birth family may have been to act \n \nents sign an awareness statement that they will \n \nout. If we tell them not to do \n \nnot use physical punishment. If this did not occur, they should contact their county DFCS director or \n \nthat anymore, we need to give them something with \n \ncase manager. \n \nwhich to replace that. These \n \nBeyond legal issues, physical punishment can children need foster parents \n \nbe traumatic for children in foster care, many of not only to help them know \n \nwhom were removed from their families because what type of behavior is not \n \nof physical abuse. Bryant urged foster parents to appropriate, but also what \n \nthink how their use of physical punishment \n \nis. Punishment doesn't teach \n \nwould seem to such a child, noting, \"These kids this, but discipline does. Forms of discipline such \n \nassume adults can't be trusted not to hurt them. as time-out or a reward system often don't pro- \n \nThey can even try to provoke a physical response duce quick results, but using such discipline \n \nfrom foster parents, testing them until they're sat- methods is how foster parents fulfill their roles as \n \nisfied these adults are different and can be \n \nhealers and teachers.\" \n \ntrusted.\" \n \nPhysical pun ishment does not dea f with the real causes of a child's behavior. \n \nNew Conference! \n \nWith Severe Needs \n \nTo learn more about helping children with severe emotional needs, foster parents and case managers are invited to a new conference on August 22-24 in Savannah. \"The First MATCH Family Reunion\" is sponsored by MATCH (MultiAgency Team for Children), a state program which provides residential treatment services for children with severe emotional disturbances. \n\"We're calling the conference a 'reunion' because we see everyone who works with kids as part of a family, whether or not they're directly connected with MATCH,\" explained Amy Hale, DFCS Treatment Services Unit program consultant. \"The conference will help us all learn how we can better serve kids and families.\" \nThe reunion will offer keynote addresses, as \n \nwell as morning and afternoon workshops on a wide variety of practical topics, including medications used to treat children; attention deficit and attachment disorders; developmental disorders; grief and loss; children's self-mutilation and suicide; substance abuse treatment; conflict resolution and mediation; and many others. Representatives from a range of state agencies and programs will explain their services and how to access them. \nThe registration fee ($95, $75 early bird) includes breakfasts and lunches. CEUs (continuing education units) will be available. Registration information will be available beginning June 30 through Care Solutions at 770.642.6722. \n \nFor more info, contact Care Solutions after June 30: \n770.642.6722 \nwww.caresolutions .com \n \n Summer afe \nTips! \n \nFoster parents should take summer safety pre- \ncautions. \nFor info about free metro-area YMCA swimming lessons, contact Christine Wilde \n \nSummer safety issues for children are important for foster parents to consider, emphasized Katherine Otto, statewide healthy child care coor- \ndinator with the Division of Public Health. \n \nmin Safe \n \n\"During the school year, children most days have a lot of adult supervision,\" Otto explained. \"But once school is out, parents need to take seriously that their kids have much more free time to do things that could be harmful to them. Too, summer has its special safety issues.\" \n \nEarly swimming lessons are crucial for safety. Metro YMCAs offer free swimming lessons to children in foster care. For further information, contact Christine Wilde at 404.267.5335. Also weekly or biweekly swimming lessons for approximately $50 are offered by 206 state parks. \nChildren should not swim if overheated, chilled, tired or immediately after eating. They should stay away from the water during storms. Before allowing children to dive, check to make sure the water is deep enough. Non-swimmers should stay in shallow water. Children under 8 should always have an adult with them, even at a pool with a trained lifeguard. Never let a child go \nin a pool where others swim if heI she has a fever \nor had one within 24 hours, green mucus, diarrhea or a suspicious illness. Babies should be in a swim diaper, covered with plastic pants with elastic around the legs and tummy. Children need to take a 10-15-minute break every hour to avoid fatigue \n \nthat can lead to drowning. IMPORTANT: Foster parents should ask their case managers for specific DFCS water safety policies. \nun \nOver one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S., with most people receiving the majority of their sun-exposure prior to age 20. Light-skinned people are particularly vulnerable, but anyone can get it. To protect children, have them wear sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 whenever they go outside. Since Georgia is so hot and humid, use waterproof/sweatproof sunscreen. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside and reapply it at least every two hours. Children under the age of six months should be kept out of the sun entirely. \nBites and stings, such as those of mosquitoes, ants and bees, can cause redness, itching and swelling. Apply ice packs to the bite area. To relieve itching, apply calamine lotion, and tell children not to scratch. Remove a stinger, if possible. If the child is faint or having trouble breathing, seek medical attention. Use insect repellant sparingly on older children and never on infants. Minimize the risk of bites and stings by having children wear shoes. \nSmall, reddish-brown ticks with white spots on their backs carry the potentially fatal Rocky Mountain spotted fever. When entering the woods or a grassy areas, keep clothing buttoned, tuck trouser legs inside boots, wear long sleeves and apply insect repellant to clothing. On camping trips, inspect the child for ticks at least twice a day, especially armpits and neck. Remove ticks with heavy oil, fingernail polish remover, gasoline or alcohol, allowing it to stand for a half hour then dislodging the tick with tweezers, washing the area and applying antiseptic. See a doctor if the following symptoms occur: loss of appetite or sick feeling one or two days after being bitten, headache, fever, rash, pain behind the eyes, eyes sensitive to light or joint and muscle pain. \n \n6 \n \nFrequently Asked Questions \n \nAbout \n \nare'' \n \nMany foster parents wonder if a child in their care is eligible for a \"level of care\" (LOC) special per diem (a financial allowance additional to the base rate provided for all children in foster care). Many foster parents know this extra funding is for children with extreme needs but are unsure about the details, which is why Gayle Whitney, DFCS Treatment Services Unit program consultant, answered the following frequently-asked-questions about LOC: \nHow difficult is \"difficult?\" \"Sometimes foster parents feel frustrated because they hear LOC special per diems are for 'difficult' children, and they know a child in their care is very demanding. Yet all children come into care from difficult situations of abuse or neglect and removal from their family. We know all our foster parents are working hard caring for much more demanding children than kids from more stable situations, and they do an incredible job. But Georgia's LOC funds are very limited and need to be used for those children throughout the state with the most extreme needs.\" \nWhen is a child eligible? \"To receive an LOC special per diem, the child has to be in DFCS custody in either a DFCS or private child-placing agency's foster home. The child has a diagnosed medical or emotional/behavioral problem for which he / she receives services - the child is medically fragile or severely emotionally disturbed. Foster parents may also be providing specialized care requiring training, such as using heart monitors or feeding tubes. The special per diem is usually approved for six months to a year and may be raised or lowered over time, depending on the child's changing needs.\" \nHow long does the process take? \"The county DFCS carries out and reviews the LOC application process then sends the application to the state DFCS in Atlanta. Once it's in Atlanta, we try to process the application as quickly as possible, but it takes up to 30 days. County DFCS agencies can request a child receive a temporary emergency LOC special per diem. For this, the county DFCS submits a memo to the state DFCS, and the turnaround is usually one to two days, and these emergency per diems are usually for 30 days while DFCS continues processing the LOC application. Such emergency per diems are \n \napproved based on the severity of the child's need and necessary services, such as if the child is discharged into foster care from a hospital or mental health facility with an acute medical or emotional/behavioral condition.\" \nHow can foster parents help? \"Foster parents sometimes feel frustrated the application process isn't faster. Case managers - especially new ones learning the process - will appreciate their patience and understanding that the process is time consuming. Also foster parents can do a lot to help with the application's documentation. Foster parents need, for example, to keep track of the number of appointments the child has and the time and distances involved. Parents in rural counties have to drive long distances, and parents in metro Atlanta can spend a lot of time in traffic. Do they spend 15 minutes twice a day assisting the child in doing exercises for physical therapy? Do they prepare a prescribed diet for the child? Are they following a psychiatrist's behavioral management plan? Ifthey document things like these in the LOC application, it helps the review committee understand the amount of effort the child's needs require.\" \n \nGeorgia's children with the most extreme needs receive LOC special per diems . \n7 \n \n Foster Care \nGeorgia Department of Human Resources D iv isi o n of Family and Ch ildren Ser v ices \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \nWhat the ew State Budge Means for You \n \nThe new budget supports Georgia's child welfare efforts, says Wilfred Hamm . \n \nThe increases in the state budget care per diem to an age-based grad- \n \nfor DFCS show that foster parents \n \nuated rate: $12.75 per day for infants \n \nand case managers are appreciated, to 5-year-olds; $13.50 for ages 6-12; \n \naccording to Wilfred Hamm, director $14.25 for ages 13-18; additionally \n \nof the DFCS Social Services Section, providing each high school graduate \n \ncommenting, \"This budget is evi- \n \nwith $200 for reimbursement of \n \ndence the Governor and legislature graduation expenses \n \nrealize the tremendous job they do. We should all be encouraged that the state wants to give us more of the tools we need to help children and \n \n $4.3 million to provide respite care for 1,600 foster families to prevent disruptions in foster placement \n \nI \n \nfamilies.\" \n \n $1.6 million to develop four per- \n \nThe budget includes the following (in rounded-off amounts): \n \nmanent training centers throughout the state \n \n $7 million to increase salaries for CPS and placement staff \n \nDecisions on how money will be divided among counties will be made by State DFCS Director Juanita \n \n $3.5 million to hire 70 additional Blount-Clark and a committee, \n \ncase managers and 30 supervisors \n \nbased on such factors as population \n \n $7.l million to increase the foster growth and county needs. \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2001-swinter","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2001","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2001"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2001"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2001"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2001-swinter"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2001-swinter"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"GA \nt\\0t'O.~~ \nf \\ F\" {.p 3--oll' I~ , ~.\\-er \nin \nContacting Legislator \nChildren \nGeorgia's Child Welfare \n \nPart   'J'~ g A DHR Fr NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA \n \nNew Ways \nof Helping Children \n \nThe ways foster parents and agencies work is changing because families, children and law have changed. \n\"The families and children we serve are different than they were even 10 years ago,\" said Jane Jones, Cobb County DFCS director. \"More people are becoming parents when they're very young, and more parents have serious problems with drugs and alcohol. We work with more children who have mental health needs or have serious medical conditions. Also new federal law requires us to find permanent living situations for children in foster care much more quickly - basically within a year. So to be successful, we're changing how we work doing more planning and working more intensively with families.\" \nImmediately Learning More \nTo increase speed and effectiveness in helping children, DFCS in the past year has adopted a policy of carrying out comprehensive assessments of all children entering foster care. This means DFCS agencies hire private agencies to obtain important information about each child (such as the child's school background, family and other significant relations, as well as the child's professional connections such as with medical specialists). Also the private agencies arrange for children to be evaluated medically and psychologically. Such information greatly aids foster care teams in knowing how best to help each child and family. \n\"In the past, the case manager was the main person who took \n \nresponsibility for helping at-risk families,\" said Linda Campo, Cobb County DFCS social services administrator. \"But one thing we've really come to see is the case manager can't do everything.\" \nThe Need for Teams \nLike other DFCS agencies throughout Georgia during the past year, Cobb County DFCS has been adjusting to a new way of doing things. Instead of the case manager thinking of himself or herself as a \"lone ranger\" in helping families, case managers are focusing on bringing teams together. These teams join in thinking of a plan by which a family might make needed changes, as well as supporting the family in making those changes. \n\"We find out who the important people are for the child and family and invite them to be part of the meeting to work with us and the family in putting together their 30day case plan,\" Campo explained. \"These meetings include the child's foster parents, professionals like the parents' or child's therapists, as well as the private agency's staff member who did the child's assessment. We'll invite grandparents or other family relations or neighbors who have been supportive to the parents or are important to the child. We've sometimes invited teachers or ministers. Really, we invite almost anybody we know who has information about or can be a support to the family.\" \nAt the meeting, these team members will help the family think about their strengths they can build on, as well as needed areas of change. \n{Continued on page 3) \n \nIA happy childhood is priceless . \n \n Contacting \nYour Legislator \n \nGeorganna Sinkfield State Capitol, Room 4 16 Atlanta, GA 30334 404.656.9210 \nGeneral Info and to Order a Free Booklet Listing Georgia Legislators: 404.656.5082 (House) 404.656.0028 (Senate) \nState Website: http://www.state.ga.us \n \nDoes Georgia's child welfare system need changes? If you think so, then express yourself! You might make a difference, according to Representative Georganna Sinkfield who chairs the Committee on Children and Youth, as well as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Development which is responsible for the DHR/DFCS budget. \nWho and how to contact: \"You can express your ideas to elected officials, such as your senator, representative, the lieutenant governor or the governor,\" said Sinkfield. \"You can telephone them or send them letters or e-mails.\" You can find out who your legislators are and their contact information by phoning the general information numbers or visiting the state website (see info in this page's margin). \n \nYou can make a difference, declares Representative Georganna Sinkfield. \n \nOpen meeting: \"People concerned about child welfare issues will want to know that every December the Human Development Subcommittee holds a hearing that's open to the public at the state capitol building in Atlanta,\" she explained. \"We'd love to have foster parents and child welfare staff come and bring up any issues they want. You can call my office to find out the date.\" \n \nInvite them: \"Also you can invite your legislator to your local community,\" said Sinkfield. \"A lot of legislators wouldn't think to go to a foster parent association meeting, but they'd probably be glad to come if the local group invited them. Then you'd have an excellent opportunity to inform him or her about your group's situation and needs.\" \n \nPlan first: \"There are so many people telling us about their issues, it's important for you to think carefully about what you want to ask us to try to do,\" she advised. \"Before contacting an elected official, foster parents might talk together about what's most important to them as a group. Maybe when they meet in their foster parent associations, they can discuss what they see as their key problems. Then they can consider which ones they might be able to fix themselves and which ones would be most appropriate to present to their legislators.\" \nBe courteous and factual: \"In contacting a legislator, use the same courtesies you'd expect to be shown by someone who walked into your office or phoned you,\" Sinkfield counseled. \"Sometimes people have been worried or angry about a problem for years. Then when they talk to or write a legislator, they let out all their frustrations. They might vent or act angry at us instead of helping us understand their issue or suggesting ways we might help. Usually you don't win people over or influence them that way. We're just people, and sometimes we're overwhelmed just like anyone can be. But we ran for office because we want to help and to make a difference.\" \nPersist: \"The government has only so many resources and so many dollars to budget, so you may not get what you ask for the first time,\" Sinkfield cautioned, \"but it's the people who are persistent and have a real case who eventually win. Even we legislators don't get our bills passed all the time - I remember it took us five years to get the mammogram bill passed. When you read history, you'll find that most successful people never gave up because they cared enough to just keep plugging away at it. Eventually, if it's cream, it rises to the top!\" \nIn November at the Child Placement Conference in Savannah, Sinkfield received the first Annual Award for Public Service for her leadership and commitment to children and families. \n \n2 \n \nNew ways (Continued from page 7) \n \nThe Foster Child's Need for Birth Family \n \nHopefully several of these team members will also offer support to the family. Even if a team member agrees to do something as small as occasionally driving a parent without a car to work, such little boosts can add up to make big differences. Hopefully, some of these team members will continue being supportive to the family long after their involvement with DFCS has ended. \nJones noted, \"Most of our case managers are young women, which is typical in most county DFCS agencies. In the past, I think their natural tendency has too often been to deal mostly with a child's mother. But now these team meetings bring together in one room a family's whole system of people who might offer them support. So we can't help but meet that whole group, and they meet each other. That opens up a lot more positive options for these families .\" \nJones and Campo said changing from familiar work habits is challenging, especially at first. Yet they both agreed these new approaches greatly help in carrying out the law's requirement to reunite families or find other permanent living situations more swiftly for children, thus sparing them the trauma of drifting in the foster care system for years, as regularly occurred in the past. \nAs a foster parent, you might be asked to participate as a member at team meetings. Many foster parents have already been involved. You may learn more by calling your case manager or other foster parents who have participated. These new procedures will also be discussed at the 2001 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes. \nPar~roW~ri ng \nNewsletter Production Supervisor: Jayne Bachman \nEditorial Committee Members: Kathleen Rinehart and Doris Walker \nWriter/Editor/Publisher: Dan Corrie \nDo you like this newsletter? Do you have ideas for how it could be better? Send your comments to: \nJayne Bachman DFCS Foster Care Unit, 18-222 Two Peachtree St., NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 404.657.3570 \n \nWhen youths near adulthood and are aging out of foster care, they especially need your (their foster parents') understanding and patience. They might seem unusually distant, which might feel bad for you. Often, though, they distance themselves because you are so important to them, and they feel threatened and vulnerable to be leaving. This is a way of protecting themselves emotionally. \nAlso this is a time when many youths attempt reconnecting with their birth family, even if they have fallen out of touch with them for a long time and even if their past with them had been hurtful. You might feel emotionally confused by this, but, again, they need your support and understanding. \nEmotionally healthy youths have two major tasks: 1) to achieve a strong positive identity or sense of themselves and 2) to build intimate connections with others. These stages of development are challenging for youths in foster care. To have a positive identity, we need to know our history. We all need roots, and youths in foster care can feel desperate to reconnect with their past. Many have remained connected through visits with \ntheir parents and/or siblings. Many have siblings who remained with the \nbirth parents. Many remember living with their birth family. \nThey need us to understand their need to reach out to their beginnings. Many of us grew up with parents who had serious problems, yet we still love them and are often deeply connected and loyal to our \"sick and crazy families.\" Remembering this helps us show respect for troubled family members, in both words and attitude. The youth carries that family in his or her genes, memory and heart. \nWe can support youths by normalizing their wish to connect with their families of origin - in other words, acting with the youth as if we feel such wishes are normal and natural, which they are. Children do not \nbelong to fosterI adoptive families: we provide care, love, support and \nguidance, but not ownership. It helps the youth when you can be comfortable with accepting all positive and negative feelings the youth shares about birth family. \nMany youth need to reconnect with birth family in order to move forward. Some seek facts and information. Some connect with relatives who are more functional than their birth parents. Others return home for unhealthy reasons, perhaps having a traumatic bond with family. Remember the search is a journey belonging to your youth. Do not take it over. The foster parent's job is to be a sounding board, a listening ear and loving arms. Foster parents can be a safety net if the dreamed-of reunion results in rejection or dashed hopes. \nOur youths are moving toward their future. We need to give them roots and wings. We need to give them guidance, love and support. We cannot give them answers. We have been blessed with the gift of guiding them in youth. We can walk beside them into adulthood, but we cannot complete their journey. \n \n Whitfield County Pioneers the Way: \nGeorgia's New Child Welfare \n \nFoster parents and child welfare professionals throughout Georgia are currently learning to work in new ways (see this newsletter's front-page article). Whitfield County DFCS is pioneering these approaches which all counties will soon be routinely using. \n \nMeanwhile, these kids were too challenging for their foster families and moved from family to family, which is hard on both children and families.\" \nPartnering With Private Agencies \n \nDiane O'Brien (left) and Suzanne Baggett collaborate for families . \n \nKnowing Much More \nThe first major innovation in Georgia child welfare during the past year is that every child entering foster care now receives a comprehensive assessment. As described in this issue's front-page \n \nAs mentioned, local DFCS agencies contract with private agencies to carry out these comprehensive assessments. Using funding available for every child in care in Georgia, the Whitfield County DFCS contracts with ProFamily Associates. \nAs part of this fee, ProFamily Associates also brings together a group of professionals, family and other concerned individuals to serve as each family's foster care team. By contrast, some county DFCS agencies prefer their own staff to assemble this team, sometimes because a qualified private agency is not available in their community. \n \nBuilding Foster Care Teams \n \n\"For the meeting with the birth family, we \n \ninvite the child's caregivers - the foster parents \n \nor emergency shelter worker,\" explained Diane \n \nO'Brien, director of ProFamily Associates. \"We \n \ninvite the psychologists and physicians who eval- \n \nuated the child for the comprehensive assessment. \n \narticle, this means DFCS agencies hire private agencies to do an in-depth evaluation of each child entering foster care, including medical and psychological evaluations and gathering information about the family. \n \nWe might invite the child's teacher, school counselor or school social worker. We try to bring in any professionals in the family's lives, such as homestead clinicians or parent aides, as well as the CASA and panel coordinator for the juvenile court. We try to get anyone to come who has or \n \n\"In my 16 years with DFCS, I've never seen a might have the well being of the child and family \n \nprocess that gives us so much important informa- in mind, from kin to neighbors. We encourage the \n \ntion so quickly about children and families,\" \n \nbirth parents to invite anyone who will make \n \ndeclared Suzanne Baggett, Whitfield County \n \nthem feel more comfortable and supported at the \n \nDFCS social services supervisor. \"In the past, case meeting.\" \n \nmanagers just didn't have the time or training to find out nearly this much about families. For \n \nGetting Informed Opinions \n \nexample, these assessments diagnose children's \n \nneurological problems we probably wouldn't \n \nEveryone in this group knows some or all of \n \nhave recognized in the past - so we've been able the family members from a unique perspective. \n \nto move them quickly in their schools to having \n \nDuring the meeting, the meeting's leader (usually \n \neducational plans for their special needs. The \n \nO'Brien) invites each person to share his or her \n \nassessments also help us know much sooner when ideas about the family's 1) strengths upon which \n \nsome children need to be in residential treatment they might build to create a safer, more stable \n \n4 \n \nfacilities instead of with foster families. In the past home for the child and 2) their areas of needed \n \nwe would take much longer to figure that out. \n \nchange. The team's ideas serve as a basis for the \n \nbirth family's plan for what needs to change by \n \nwhen in order for the children to be able to return home. \nIf, for example, a doctor is too busy to come to the meeting, he or she might share thoughts over the speaker phone. Sometimes these meetings are held at mid-day so a busy psychologist can attend a meeting as a working lunch. Baggett noted, \"They care about this process and are willing to attend meetings without fee if we provide lunch. We pay for these lunches with mini-grant funds.\" \nIndividualizing Plans \nBy contrast, in the past, one DFCS case manager would meet with the birth parents - or even with only one of the birth parents - to work out such a plan. Case managers usually had limited knowledge of each birth family and were rushed \n \nwith large caseloads so, too often, their plans for many families would tend to look similar verging on being generic, one-size-fits-all plans. \n\"Every time I'm in one of these meetings, I'm so impressed with what a difference it makes,\" Baggett emphasized. \"With the information from the comprehensive assessment and with the team's input, we're able to tailor very detailed case plans for each family. It's impressive and persuasive hearing from such a range of people who are there on behalf of the birth family and their child, and I've seen some parents really come face to face with their issues in a way that empowers them to begin dealing with those issues. I've also seen parents become fully and realistically aware they're unable at that time in their lives to meet their children's needs. So we're better able to reach sound decisions faster.\" \n \nWith approximately 13,000 children in care and 3,500 foster parents, Georgia needs new foster parents. Current foster parents can greatly help in this, emphasized Linda Darter and Richard Dietz of the Center for the Support of Families. \nMany potential foster parents prefer talking first with a foster parent in their community or church before approaching a DFCS office, explained Darter and Dietz. Thus, foster parents can play a major role in strengthening our child welfare system. \nlips for recruiting foster parents: \nNotice opportunities. Most of us are drawn to other people with similar values and beliefs. At a church picnic or softball game, you might be standing next to someone who, like you, cares about children and helping. If you mention you foster, people will show if they want to know more. \nShare what fulfills you about fostering. This might include talking about the family-like feeling you have with other foster parents, being part of your foster parent association, or (while \n \nrespecting confidentiality - not mentioning names) some of your successes in helping children and families. \nBe factual. They will want a clear, realistic understanding of what day-to-day fostering is like, such as meeting challenges with children, interacting with DFCS, and finding mutual support with other foster parents. \nBecome a speaker. Contact your county DFCS or foster parent organization if you are willing to share your fostering experiences at PI'A meetings, at the Y, at churches or to be listed with the local speakers bureau. Your DFCS agency might be able to offer brochures and advice about what to say in your speeches. You could make a big difference! \n \nRichard Dietz and Linda Darter \n \n New Help_ \nfor Vulnerable Youths \n \nTips for Foster Parents: \n \nA little extra help can be crucial, says Wanda Taylor. \nFor further information, call: Gloria Choo 404.875.4551 \next. 275 \nor Wanda Taylor 912.847 .4545 \n6 \n \nA new project addresses dangers which have long threatened some of Georgia's most vulnerable youths. These youths have extreme emotional difficulties, mental illness and/ or retardation, whose behavior has been so severe they have been admitted to live in treatment facilities. \nTheir treatment is funded by MATCH (MultiAgency Team for Children). When they turn 18, however, most of them are no longer eligible for this funding and must move from the stable \n \nTo help these youths, DFCS recently began providing funds to two facilities: the Georgia Center for Youth (servicing the state's southern half) and Atlanta's Hillside Residential Treatment (servicing the state's northern half). Case managers from these facilities travel throughout the state to the youths' communities to help them adjust to living on their own. \n\"Our case managers stay in a youth's community for maybe two or three days to do what needs to be done at that time, then return as needed,\" Taylor explained. \"We have pretty intensive contact with them for the first month to 90 days. First we help them with immediate needs - food, shelter, clothing. Then we focus on life skills and job preparation, maybe coaching them in doing crucial things like filling out job applications or using a calendar to remember to go to mental health appointments for their medication. We help them connect with programs they're eligible for, like food stamps. We help them find recreational and community programs - church or civic groups or 12-step programs - so they'll fit in better and meet supportive friends. Many of them have limited or no family supports, and we help them build family connections where appropriate.\" \n \nBefore It's Too Late \n \nsupervision of their treatment facilities, even though many of them still are unprepared to be on their own. \nNowhere to Go \n\"Almost all youths find it hard adjusting to living on their own - challenges which can be far too much for these youths with their impairments,\" emphasized Wanda Taylor, project manager of the Georgia Center for Youth in Reynolds. \"When these youths leave state care, many of them have no place to go. Some move from place to place, their living situations too unstable for them to begin finding supportive friends or sorting out their lives. They're at risk of becoming homeless, vulnerable to drugs, prostitution, pregnancy and AIDS. They can be easy targets for unscrupulous people, who might talk them into doing criminal acts for a little food.\" \n \nIn the past, most adult health services have served older, chronically mentally ill adults. Few services have been available for young adults between the ages of 18 to 25. \n\"Trying to ensure these young people have a better start into adulthood costs Georgia's taxpayers so much less than to wait a few years then paying for the pregnancies, diseases and incarcerations in the criminal justice system,\" stated Gloria Choo, director of community programs at Hillside. \nYou Can Help \n\"There's a desperate need for people who'll allow these youths to stay in their homes,\" explained Taylor. \"Many of them receive Social Security which they can contribute toward rent and living costs. Others have jobs. At this critical time of transition, they could deeply benefit from living in the homes of patient, caring adults who could help in guiding them toward a more independent future.\" \n \nYouths can greatly benefit from their foster parents teaching them life skills, which can also be fun ways for the parents and youths to spend quality time together, according to Kathy Gass, program manager of Mentor Child and Adolescent Services in Atlanta. \n\"Foster parents can really enjoy doing learning activities with youths,\" Gass shared. \"While parents are teaching, they often find they're learning things they didn't know, like how to obtain a Social Security card. The process can be an adventure for both of them.\" \nGass offered teaching tips to foster parents. \n- -  \"We routinely do so many basic, everyday things that these kids need help learning about,\" Gass said. \"They might know very little about simple life skills that can make a major difference in whether other children want to be their friends or how effectively they make the transition into living on their own. They might know very little about how to act with good manners in public, maintain acceptable personal appearance and hygiene, eat healthily, keep house, avoid safety hazards, or have acceptable work habits so they won't get fired from a job. In choosing which skills to teach kids, foster parents can pay attention to what basic skills or even habits they themselves rely on from day to day.\" \n....__..... \"A good place to start is simply to ask youths if they've been wanting to know about anything,\" Gass recommended. \"For example, I find most kids are interested in learning about money management. Most will readily admit they don't know about things like starting a bank account, budgeting, or balancing a checkbook. Or they might need guidance with basics like telling the difference between luxuries and necessities.\" \n- \"It's important parents teach on the youth's level,\" Gass emphasized. \"If you focus on teaching kids skills they already have, they'll get bored and you'll lose them. If you start out over their heads, they'll feel discouraged. While teaching, you can keep checking with them, saying, 'Can you do this?' and, \n \n'Do you know anything about this?' Then, for example, if you're helping the youth learn about riding the bus, you'll know whether you need to start out with the basics, like letting them know how much the bus fare is, or whether you can start with more advanced things, like helping them learn to read maps of bus routes.\" \n  \"Kids can get bored or confused by too much talk,\" Gass explained. \"Sometimes they learn better by trying to do things themselves or by watching how you do things. As usual, start at their level. If the youth has some limitations and you're teaching about money management, you might start by showing different coins and coaching the youth in naming them. For higher-functioning kids, you might pretend they're a cashier and you're a customer buying things from them, so they can practice counting back the correct amount of change. If you're teaching youths about riding the bus, go with them on the bus instead of just talking about it.\" \n..._-LI'\"-... \"It's important not to cover too much ground too fast,\" Gass advised. \"It's important to break things down into steps for several reasons. First, that breaks learning into 'bite-size' pieces so the youth won't get confused. Also this gives kids little experiences of success along the way, which they need because a lot of them have self-esteem issues. If they begin a task and right away get overwhelmed, a lot of them will give up.\" \n...................\"\"\"'\"I:,,.. ....................... \"Give them lots of positive feedback and encouragement for what they learn or show they already know,\" Gass noted. \"If we focus only on what they don't know, they can easily get disheartened. Many kids in care would rather just not deal with something if they don't already know about it because they're afraid of making mistakes and looking foolish. But instead of saying they're scared, they'll say something like, 'I don't want to do this anymore.' It's a runaway instinct. That's why positive feedback is so important. Anytime you catch them doing something well, praise them on the spot.\" \n \nTeaching brings together kids and foster parents, says Kathy Gass. \nTo shop for videos and \nbooks full of learning \nideas: \n \n Foster Care \nGeorgia Department of Human Resources D ivisio n of Family and Children Services \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \nBULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE \nPAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 5823 \n \n- - ----- \n \n_, \n \nThe 2001 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes: \nJoining Together for Children \n \nJoining together for children in foster care: that is the purpose of the 2001 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes. Foster parents and staff associated with DFCS or private providers are all welcome. There are no limits to the number of foster parents and staff who can attend. As in past years, the Institute will offer a selection of sessions \n \nwith a practical focus that will help foster parents work with the children in their home. \nInstitutes will be held on Fridays and Saturdays at three different locations throughout the state. Foster parents who attend will earn annual parent development training hours and will be reimbursed for expenses. Staff will also be reimbursed for expenses. \n \nCatch u with the Institute \nMay 11-12 ........................ .Decatur Holiday Inn June 8-9 ............................ .Macon Centreplex September 28-29 .... .Savannah Hyatt Regency Riverwalk \n \nInstitute registration brochures will be mailed to foster parents by March. Foster parents and staff are asked to coordinate their attendance with \n \nI \n \ntheir local DFCS. If local DFCS agencies cannot \n \nanswer a question about the Institutes, call \n \n800.227.3410 for questions about attending the \n \nInstitute; for all other questions, call 404.657.3454. \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-sspring","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Spring 2000","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2000"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2000"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Spring 2000"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-sspring"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-sspring"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"~A \nH Soo ~?... \n'1' \\ \nFG \n~(J DO )'=-p (1AJvr{ \nin this \nThe Medical Side of Fostering \n \ng \nA NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA DHR FOSTER CARE UNIT \nLoving Babies \n10 Health \n \nChildren With FAS \nKids With Medical Conditions \nFrom Hospital to Foster Family \nspring BE FOSTER PARENTS \n \nWhere can babies go when they are discharged from the hospital but are too fragile for a normal foster home? Savannah's Open Arms Home provides them with a haven. \nThese infants suffer from lifethreatening problems such as prenatal drug and alcohol exposure, \nHIVI AIDS, premature delivery, \nchronic lung disease, heart problems, low birth weight and infections. Open Arms provides six infants with round-the-clock medical staff to operate the machines they need to survive and to administer medication. Also approximately 40 volunteers provide love. \n\"We feed them, change them, bathe them, take them out for walks and to doctors' appointments, and a lot of times we're playing with them and having fun with them,\" said Eloise Wardell, who has volunteered one afternoon a week for the nine years since the home opened. \"A lot of our babies come to us with drug addiction or fetal alcohol syndrome, and they need stimulation to get their minds active. Others need a lot of soothing. They're easily startled and can't tolerate loud noises, so they need to be held and soothed and rocked a lot to settle them. This helps them develop and mature.\" \nOpen Arms is a homey threebedroom bungalow with brightly colored murals painted on the walls, a living room with big toy boxes, and a back yard where infants can swing or sit in the sunshine. \n \n\"It's a wonderful feeling to be able to take care of them and give them the normalcy they deserve,\" Wardell described. \"We give them the chance at a good start in life. You can't help but learn to love those little guys. We've lost four over the years. It's almost like losing one of your own. I remember the last funeral when the minister asked for the immediate family to stand, and 40 volunteers and staff stood up. That baby had to be in the hospital for her last month, and one of our volunteers arranged for someone to be with her almost all that time. She was being held when she died.\" \nTo care for such infants, hospitals cost approximately $900 a day, and Open Arms costs $95 a day while also providing the loving nurturance which helps the infants heal faster. \n\"There are so many medically fragile children in Georgia who need a place like Open Arms,\" Wardell stated. \"There are many willing people out there who would really love to volunteer to help children who need this kind of care. We need more people around the state to take the initiative to start homes like this.\" \nOpen Arms is a joint project between Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, Memorial Health University Medical Center and Georgia DFCS. It is funded through donations, contributions and grants from individuals, businesses, government and charity organizations along with stipends from the state of Georgia. \n \nIEloise Wardell volunteers to care for medically fragile infants. \nFor further information write: Lutheran Ministries of Georgia Coastal Area Office 10 West 31st St. Savannah, GA 31401 \n \n How to Do the \nMedical Side of Fostering \n \nTheir child patients call the Gotliebs \"Dr. Ed\" and \"Dr. Jackie.\" These Stone Mountain pediatricians offer the following advice about the medical side of fostering children. \n \nare placed with foster families in their own county, so their previous doctor's office probably won't be very far away, though a lot of children entering foster care haven't received previous medical \n \ntalk with the physician. Dr. Ed said, ''We spend a lot of energy trying to guess abo~t kids, ':hen _we can simply ask them. Ask the child questions h~e, 'You're dragging-what's happening? Tell me m \n \nnasal congestion, fluid behind the eardrums and other reasons.\" Dr. Jackie added, \"A child may keep misbehaving at school, and the foster parent and teacher may assume he simply needs to be \n \nGe a \n \n1cal. \n \nAs soon as reasonably possible after children enter care, foster parents should take them for a wellness visit where they can be examined medically and developmentally. Dr. Jackie said, \"Most \n \n\\ .I ,., \n \n11:. \n \ncare.\" \nHave up-to-date medical information. \nWith the case plan, the case manager should provide foster parents with pertinent medical information about the child, including immunization information and copies of medical records relating to more serious health conditions. Foster parents should bring this inforrna:ion to each n~w medical provider who sees the child. Each physician's office can photocopy this information as needed, to keep on file. \nPrepare e Hd. \n \nyour words what's going on with you right now.'\" \nNotice paHerns. \nBecause parents spend more time with children than anyone else, they can notice patterns that could help a physician make a diagnosis. Dr. Ed noted, \"Some kids keep getting hurt- twisting their ankle, falling off the swing and so forth. Parents and the busy doctor might not notice this pattern, just seeing each injury as a separate . mishap. But this pattern might indicate the child has neurologic problems or is depressed or selfdestructive or has poor balance from an inner-ear condition or has attention deficit disorder or is reenacting their previous hornelife where someone often hurt them. Other kids have the pattern \n \ndisciplined. But maybe the child has a problem with auditory processing-can't understand a lot of what's being said. So the child finds himself in a classroom with a teacher saying a lot of what sounds like gibberish. It's easy to understand how that child would feel confused and restless and would start acting out. The average kid with an attention deficit disorder misses about 50 percent of what's presented in a classroom. When problems keep happening with a child, parents sometimes will need a professional's advice about what may really be going on and how best to help the child.\" \nDon't ex eel bad things. \nSometimes children corning into care have \n \n, \nEd and Jackie Gotlieb are pediatricians in Stone Mountain. \npediatricians and many health departments are able to do that. Family practitioners may or may not be able to do it, depending on what services their particular office provides.\" \nind a ~me  al ome.\" \nChildren benefit from what the American Academy of Pediatrics calls a \"medical home,\" \n \nOrienting the child can help the child feel more relaxed and engaged in the process of getting medical help. Dr. Ed said, \"Before a medical appointment, parents can say, 'The doctor's going to check your body to make sure everything is OK. He'll look in your mouth, put a strap around your arm and listen to your heart. ' You can prepare younger kids by acting out these things with them.\" Dr. Jackie added, \"You can prepare kids for shots by saying, 'Sometimes we have to get shots and we don't like it very much, but it's over very quickly. If we hold still, it gets over even faster, and I'll give you a hug after!' It can sound less scary to say prickies and stickies instead of finger pricks and shots. Some of these kids haven't had immunizations, so they come to a new doctor the very first time and get three or four shots, which is scary. So you can help them to understand that 'sometimes there are things we don't like a lot, but we can handle it.' /1 \n \nof having a lot of different pains- headaches, belly aches, chest pains, leg pains. The parent may help the doctor's thinking by mentioning such patterns.\" \nAdiust if necessary. \nSome lifestyle adjustment may be necessary for children's medical needs. Dr. Ed said, \"For example, if a kid has seven ear infections, he's probably having repeated allergic reactions. The cause might be smoking in the household. The chances of ear infection are triple for children living in households with one smoker and six times as high in households with two smokers. The incidence of bronchitis for kids is 50 percent higher in households with smokers. In these cases, the children's health depends on adults quitting smoking, or at least smoking outside or away from the children.\" \n \nmedical issues related to their abuse or neglect, but falsely assuming a child has a certain problem can make matters worse. First, foster parents probably will always be \"walking on egg shells,\" worried about the child's supposed condition. Second, the child will probably sense the parents are thinking \"something is wrong\" with him or her, which may have an unsettling or even a negative influence on the child. Dr. Jackie said, \"Even if 30 percent of children in care have problems, that still leaves a vast majority who are healthy, normal kids who are simply corning from an unfortunate situation. We need to remember kids are extremely resilient. Often they deal with things much better than older people, and many of these kids are going to blossom as soon as they get into a safe environment.\" \n \nDon't assume. \n \nwhich is a consistent medical caregiver for the child's checkups and sick visits. Dr. Ed explained, \"Every time you take children to a clinic, they may have a different physician, so the child doesn't form a comfortable, trusting relationship with any one doctor. When a child goes to the same doctor over time, that doctor is more likely to notice changes and patterns with the child. Most kids \n \nHelp the chi d describe.the illness. \nMedical visits will be more effective when the physician has the best information. Before the visit, foster parents can coach the child in describing symptoms so the child will be better able to \n \nFoster parents should avoid making firm assumptions about children. Dr. Ed explained, \"You might feel frustrated that a child is being disobedient and willful by ignoring your voice. But it may be the child doesn't hear you well because he has a temporary or permanent hearing loss. Hearing can be affected by allergies, chronic \n \n2 \n \n3 \n \n Putting the Pieces Together: \nEv uating Children's Needs \n \nSome children in foster care have a range of issues. Some need help with physical or emotional difficulties. Others fall behind normal ages in developing skills and maturing. Others need help in all these areas. The first step in helping is to evaluate them. \n \nCathy Taylor and her husband, Mark, testify to how evaluations led to vast improvements for Jay. Jay entered their foster care four years ago, when he was 5. The Cherokee County couple recently finalized adopting him. \n \n\"When we first got Jay, he couldn't even run without falling down,\" Taylor recalled. \"We were told he didn't learn to walk until he \nwas older than 2 1I2 . \nHe talked in two-word sentences, and it was hard to understand him. In his behavior, he was like a fire cracker just ready to blow up at any minute.\" \n \nThe right services have dramatically helped Jay, says Cathy Taylor. \n \nThe Taylors' case manager arranged for Jay to be evaluated at Atlanta's Marcus Institute. \n \n\"The Marcus Institute gives you a whole list of therapists,\" Taylor explained. \"I called around and got on some waiting lists. A few weeks later, spaces opened up, and Jay started his therapies. Two years ago whenever he talked to strangers or would go to the doctor, I'd have to translate what he was saying. Speech therapy helped him so I don't have to do that anymore.\" \nRecognizing Needs \nAt first Jay's inability to make himself understood frustrated him, so he would act out. \n\"But the speech and other therapies help his self-confidence and self-esteem, so he's much better behaved now,\" Taylor noted. \"Physical therapy helps his gross motor skills. Some days he might just use the trapeze, and other days it might be the scooter board. His upper strength has built up so much. He doesn't suffer from muscle deterioration any more. At first he looked sickly and frail. Now he's still small, but he's solid muscle.\" \nAt first, Jay could not throw a ball, but physical therapy helped him improve enough to join baseball and soccer teams. \n\"Last year when Jay was 8, the doctor at the Marcus Institute said he was on the level of a 6year-old, so he fit in fine when he played soccer and baseball with 6-year-olds,\" Taylor said. \"He did soccer for one season at the YMCA. We tried it because he loves to run, and he's never tired. He got to where he was kicking the ball and controlling it. The soccer coach's son had disabilities, so he was good with Jay.\" \nTargeting to Heal \n \n\"We stayed there the whole day and went back several times,\" Taylor described. \"They did an MRI, EEG and EKG. Jay was seen by a developmental pediatrician, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a speech therapist.\" \nJay was diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, attention deficit hyperactive disorder and having developmental delays (functioning on the level of a 2-year-old, although he was 5 1/2). \n \nThe Taylors also signed Jay up for a season of baseball. \n\"He got to keep the game ball for three games by making runs,\" Taylor happily noted. \"Sometimes he would be having so much fun, he'd get over-stimulated and just lose it. We'd have to talk to him to calm him down, and sometimes we just had to take him home. We did that a few times, and everyone understood and accepted it. Playing sports is like him getting extra physical therapy, \n \n4 \n \nand playing with other kids builds up his selfconfidence.\" \nJay also receives occupational therapy to help develop fine-muscle control so he can better do such things as writing, coloring and using scissors. Improving in such skills also helps him better focus his attention, which helps him in following directions in school and in participating in games. \nThe Marcus Institute also diagnosed Jay as needing psychological counseling to help him deal with emotional issues related to previous maltreatment. \n\"Jay can't really talk about feelings going on inside him,\" Taylor described. \"He needs someone trained to help him let that out. I remember what a breakthrough his third play therapy session was. The psychologist's office has lots of toys in it, and Jay took toy handcuffs and handcuffed the stuffed animals and put them under the couch. That was \n \nhis safety. It was like he was putting the scary things in jail. He did that at every session for a few months. Then one day, he felt safe enough to turn them loose. I've never seen anything like it. It was just like lifting a blanket off him. Now whenever things are stressing him out, he handcuffs the stuffed animals and feels better.\" \nAll of Jay's therapists maintain contact with the Marcus Institute, and the Taylors continue to bring Jay there twice a year to monitor his progress. \n\"We've taken classes at the Marcus Institute and learned lots of tactics for dealing with Jay's behaviors,\" Taylor described. \"They also connected us with a support group for parents of children with fetal alcohol syndrome, where we've made friends we can call up to trade parenting tips. Jay really enjoys his life now. He loves camping and can sit and fish for hours. He still has deficiencies to overcome, but he's a real worker!\" \n \nGetting \n \nQuickly \n \n\"Without a Medicaid card, foster parents are hindered in getting a child medical help,\" emphasized Nell Gamble, DFCS policy consultant. \"Children in foster care need their Medicaid cards quickly.\" \nSometimes delay occurs when case managers postpone filing for Medicaid. For example, some case managers prefer to finish gathering all information needed for both IV-E eligibility and Medicaid, to complete both applications at the same time. But this leaves the child without a Medicaid card during this whole process, even though only minimal, easy-to-obtain information is needed for a Medicaid application. Applying for Medicaid should be on every case manager's checklist of first things to do when a child enters care. \nMost of Georgia's counties have smooth, fast systems for getting children their Medicaid cards. \n \nThis is especially true in smaller counties where DFCS case managers and Medicaid eligibility staff often have offices across the hall from each other, so they get to know each other personally and form responsive working relationships. \n\"The process can be less smooth especially in larger counties where DFCS staff and eligibility workers may be on different floors and don't know each other,\" explained Gamble. \"In these counties, administrators need to encourage a spirit of teamwork between DFCS staff and eligibility workers, to help them understand they share responsibility for ensuring the medical security of children in state custody.\" \nIt is important to remember that if Medicaid approval is delayed or if a child's necessary medical treatment is not covered by Medicaid, the treatment can be funded through DFCS under unusual medical expenses. \n \n Kids with F  \nWhat are they like? \n \nRaising Children With Serious Medical Conditions \n \nWhat is FAS? Some children are born with the condition called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), resulting from their mother drinking during pregnancy. FAS causes both mental and physical symptoms and disabilities. Many children with FAS enter foster care. \n \nFollowing are symptoms of FAS: \n \n Unusual facial features, including a thin upper lip, lowset ears and flattened mid-face. \n \n Low birthweight and continued small size. \n \n Minor medical problems such as infections, allergies and asthma. \n \n Feeding problems, \n \nsuch as difficulty \n \ngrasping a nipple in \n \n'ii \nm \n \ninfancy and later \ndecreased appetite \nand sicknessI \n \nqueasiness from \n \neating. \n \n Learning disorders at school age, with better performance in reading and language and poorer ability in math. \n \nFoster parents can make a huge difference for children with FAS, says Claire Coles. \n \n Mild mental retardation. \n Sleeping problems, such as having trouble going to sleep and sleeping restlessly. \n \n Judgment problems, such as failure to learn from experience or to develop logical approaches to problems. \n \nClaire Coles is a nationally recognized FAS expert, carrying out FAS research and clinical treatment for 20 years with Atlanta's Marcus Institute and the Emory University School of Medicine. \n \nFollowing are key things to keep in mind about FAS, according to Coles. \n \nThe odds are in the child's favor: \"When we know a birth mother's history of drinking, we may mistakenly believe the child will automatically have FAS,\" Coles explained. \"I certainly agree with the Surgeon General that women shouldn't drink during pregnancy, but it's important to understand FAS doesn't result from occasional drinking-the mother has to do a lot of heavy drinking. Even then, of the women diagnosed with severe alcohol problems who drink through pregnancy, only about 35 percent have children with FAS. Probably another 20 percent have children with some of the symptoms of FAS. So there's a fairly good chance that a mother who is an alcoholic may have a child who has no noticeable FAS symptoms.\" \nFoster parents can make a tremendous difference: \"Children with FAS can make huge progress in a good environment,\" Coles emphasized. \"The brain is very flexible, and development for any child- 'normal' or otherwise-is within a range. The average person under normal circumstances has an IQ of about 100, but that same person in a poor environment might have an IQ of 85 and in a very stimulating environment have an IQ of 115. In the same way, a child with FAS can make great strides with the support of foster parents and appropriate services. Though some will do better than others, some of these children go on to graduate from high school and college. Some who look very bad in infancy can do beautifully over time.\" \nDon't jump to conclusions that a child has FAS: \"It can hurt the child to assume he or she has FAS,\" Coles emphasized, \"because when we believe a child has a lower IQ or has physical problems because of FAS, we might influence that child to believe he or she has those limitations, whether it's true or not. With babies in their first six weeks who cry all the time, I've seen foster parents who assumed the baby was in withdrawal or was alcohol-exposed prenatally (during the pregnancy). But what's usually going on is the baby has colic, like all babies. With some older children, foster parents may know the mother drank and assume the child probably has some brain damage, which is proba~ly untrue.\" \n \n6 \n \nEvaluate the child: Coles said, \"If foster parents notice a child shows some symptoms of FAS, they should let their case manager know so \nf the child can receive a comprehensive evaluation \nl by medical professionals. This is the only way to know whether a child has FAS and to plan how to meet the particular child's needs.\" For an overview of evaluations see \"Evaluating Children's Needs\" on Page 4 of this newsletter. \nDon't stereotype: \"There are guidelines about what children with FAS are like and how to care for them, but we need to remember there is a lot of variety among these children,\" Coles said. \"The mother may have drunk during the first trimester and not after that. She may have drunk all the way through pregnancy. She may have drunk through the second and third trimester. Children will be affected differently by these different exposures. So it's very hard to say, 'Every child with FAS is like such and such.' Rather than trying to work with a child according to guidelines out of a book, it's best to work with the child where that particular child is.\" \nFAS may not be a child's only challenge: \"While a child will need help and support in dealing with FAS, it's important to remember the FAS may be only one of many things the child needs help with,\" Coles stated. \"Every child who comes into foster care is different and will have different needs. If we work with the child as if all his or her needs relate to FAS, we probably won't help the child very effectively. Children are more individual than that. For example, some of the child's behavior and symptoms may come from neglect, \nl maltreatment or some genetic problems which need to be addressed.\" \ni FAS Resources \nEmory Outreach (at various sites across Georgia): \n \nAtlanta Area FAS Support Group: \n \nor \n \n3 \n \nInternet Resources: \n \nMaternal Substance Abuse and Child Development \n \nNational Organization on FAS \n \nIf you ever fostered a child with a serious medical condition, perhaps you felt hesitant, guilty or overprotective when it came to disciplining the child. Take a moment to answer this question: Tamika (age 9) should not have to clean up her room because she has A) Diabetes, B) HIV, C) Sickle Cell Anemia or D) None of the above; Tamika has to clean her room. \nThe correct answer is D. To become competent, successful adults, all children need discipline and structure as much as empathy and love. Following are four tips for raising a child with a serious medical condition. \nRules, discipline and privileges will be different for different children: No parent treats every child the same way. If Joseph is mentally retarded, you should not feel guilty when the other children argue \"it's not fair\" when you help Joseph with his homework while they have to work independently. Latisha may have cerebral palsy and can only set one place at the table while the other children can set the entire table in the same period of time. \nGet information to know what you can and cannot expect from a child: You need to know about your child's medical status, treatment and prognosis (future progress of his/her condition). Consult with your child's health professionals about your child's needs. Join parent support groups (in person, by mail or via the internet) so you can network with other parents raising children with your child's medical condition. \nDon't be manipulated: Some children use their medical condition to manipulate caregivers. Some refuse to take their medicine. Some purposefully cause an asthma attack by exciting themselves. Others deliberately eat the wrong foods. For many children who repeatedly bring about medical crises, it is sometimes helpful to predict the behavior in advance. For example, the parent might say, \"Timmy, I know you're going to throw a fit when I tell you to clean up your room. Since every time you throw a fit you have an asthma attack, let's get your inhaler ready beforehand.\" Then tell Timmy to clean up his room. You will need to be prepared to rush a child to the emergency room if an asthma attack or other emergency occurs every time you set limits. Keep emergency supplies and medicine available. Of course, when a child is sick, you need to provide love and care, but, after the emergency, parents should return to the normal rules and expectations. Do not attempt this approach without the approval of the child's case manager and physician. \nUse your judgment: Twenty years ago, experts told parents that children with Down's syndrome should be institutionalized for life. The professionals were wrong! You need to be open to new ideas and approaches suggested by your case manager and other team members. However, because professionals sometimes disagree, you may need to use your own judgment about what is best for a particular child. Consult with your case manager if you have questions about appropriate discipline. \n \n From Hospital to Foster Family: \nPlanning the hild ischar e \n \nChildren are helped by a smooth transition from the hospital, says Kathy Sanocki. \n \nWhen a child is discharged from the hospital into foster care, planning and good communication are essential. Case managers and foster parents need to partner with hospital staff so the child will have a safe and smooth transition into foster care. \nFollowing are some key points to help with this transition. \nSometimes foster parents need special training: Kathy Sanocki from Lilburn has fostered medically fragile children for the past six years, so she is used to receiving special training for each child who is discharged into her care. Sanocki said, \"When I agree to foster a medically fragile child, the hospital staff teaches me how to do the things that child needs. Then when I bring the child home, nurses make home visits to make sure I know how to do everything the right way. They'll come as many times as needed until you feel comfortable doing the procedures on your own. For different children, I've been taught how to use different kinds of pumps, feeding tubes and \n \nIV lines and how to take care of where they connect to the child's body. I've learned how to do sterile procedures for changing dressings. I've learned CPR and how to recognize infections.\" \nDon't hesitate to call for help: \"I don't care how much you think you know when you walk out of that hospital with the child, that first week is going to be tough because you're going to have all kinds of questions,\" Sanocki emphasized. \"It really helps to call the nurses who cared for the child in the hospital because they've really gotten to know him-whether it's pretty normal for him to throw up a lot or to make funny noises while he sleeps. Some parents might hesitate to call because they think they should know everything, but if they have a question they need to call. Recently I called the doctor about a child who woke up a little congested, with a little cough and a slight temperature-in other words, pretty mild symptoms. The doctor said bring him in. The hospital admitted him because he had three different infections in his IV line. It's a good thing I called!\" \nThe written plan helps: \"The hospitals I've worked with give you good written instructions for each child's medications, diet and general care,\" Sanocki noted. \"The paperwork has the child's diagnosis and all the specialists' phone numbers. Most of the time, they've already scheduled the first follow-up appointment for you with each of the child's doctors. Of course, you can call if you need to change the appointment to fit your schedule. If the child has been working with a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist or some other therapist, the paperwork includes a written a report on the work each one of them has been doing with the child, so the child's new therapists will know where to start. They'll even connect you with a pediatrician, and I feel like it's good having a pediatrician associated with the hospital because they'll probably communicate well with each other.\" \nSometimes meetings help: Ann Hunter, who oversees discharge planning at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said, \"To plan for the child's discharge, sometimes we schedule a conference with key people involved in the child's care, including nurses, hospital social workers and the \n \n8 \n \nfoster parent. Sometimes doctors and the DFCS case manager attend. Everybody at the table talks about what we think the child's discharge needs are going to be and how to meet them; for example, will this child need an apnea monitor at home or aerosol treatments every six hours throughout the day?\" \nExplain the child is in foster care: \"We say discharge planning begins on admission into the hospital,\" explained Hunter. \"During admission, it helps if the foster parent or case manager tells us the child is in foster care. Sometimes a child in DFCS custody is placed with a relative, so the relative may feel like the child's guardian, when technically they're not. If a grandmother tells us she's the guardian when we need permission for surgery, legal problems arise. It gets complicated when we're admitting a child to the hospital, and foster parents say they're the child's \n \nparents, even though they feel that way. Dttring the child's stay until discharge, we need to know who to get permissions from. If the child is infoster care, DFCS is the legal guardian.\" \nProvide contact information: \"There are times when discharge planning is at a standstill because we can't reach the case manager,\" Hunter described. \"It helps with both the child's hospital stay and discharge if the foster parent or case manager gives us contact information. Case managers have huge caseloads and busy schedules, so it's not always possible for them to come to the hospital with parents. But case managers can really help by giving foster parents their card to give to us so we know where to call when we need to. Having the case manager's pager number is especially helpful. It also helps if the case manager can give us the names and phone numbers of people to call if he or she is unavailable.\" \n \nAccording to federal regulations, case managers should provide foster parents with the following medical information (when available and accessible) about a child entering their care: \nNames and addresses of the child's current health providers \nA record of the child's immunizations \nThe child's known medical problems \nThe child's medications \nAny other relevant health record information appropriate to share with the foster family \nCase managers should obtain as much of this information as possible by the time the child is placed with the foster family. Georgia policy states case managers should provide foster families with \n \nhospital and other \n \nmedical records for \n \nnewborn infants or \n \nvery young children. \n \nBeginning in February \n \n1999, DFCS began \n \nrequiring comprehen- \n \nsive child and family \n \nassessments for all chil- \n \ndren entering care, \nincluding gathering medical history. Foster \n \n~ \n_.,,,, \n \nparents and case man- \n \nagers can obtain this \n \ninformation at chil- \n \ndren's multi-disciplinary staffings in order to put \n \ntogether a better picture of the child's current and \n \npast medical and developmental needs. \n \n One Case Manager's Story: \nWhen a Child an't Be Saved \n \nMargaret Dawe poses with the file of \"Trinease,\" a 3year-old who died in care. \n10 \n \nMany DFCS staff are heroes because of their commitment. Perhaps this is most true when they continue working hard for those babies and children whose chances of survival are lowest. Many of us do not understand how challenging a case manager's work can be. \nMargaret Dawe, a Dekalb County case man~ger, usually has several medically fragile infants m her caseload. \"Trinease\" (as this article will call her) was one such infant whom Dawe watched over for the final year of her three-year life. \nTrinease was born without a brain, having only a brain stem. She was reported to the agency by a mechanic who noticed Trinease's parents (whom this article will call the \"Jordons\") loudly arguing at a bus stop near his garage. After the father set down a duffel bag, the two parents walked away in angry dispute. The mechanic noticed the abandoned duffel bag contained a baby. After several minutes, the Jordons returned for their baby; however, DFCS discovered the Jordons were struggling with substance abuse and were homeless and panhandling to support themselves. The initial case manager took Trinease into state custody, placing her with a foster mother who had been trained to care for medically fragile children. \n \nScarcity of Trained Foster Families \n\"Trinease stayed there almost two years,\" Dawe recalled. \"This foster mom bonded with her as if she were her own baby. Trinease grew stronger, even though doctors estimated she probably wouldn't live more than a year. But that foster mother was caring for three medically fragile children, which I think became too stressful for her, and she stopped fostering .\" \nDawe searched in vain for another foster family trained and willing to care for Trinease. When none were available, she began contacting nursing homes for children, all of which were filled to capacity. After an exhaustive search, Dawe finally connected with a nursing home two and a half hours away. The nursing home agreed to accept Trinease in a month's time. After additional searching, Dawe located an emergency foster home willing to take Trinease in for the intervening month. When the month passed, Dawe arranged for an ambulance to transport Trinease to the nursing home. \n\"By then the agency had lost touch with Trinease's parents,\" Dawe explained. \"It was hard to track them down because they were still without a home. But I wanted to include them every step of the way with Trinease. I finally found them and offered to arrange transportation for them to visit Trinease's nursing home. For the 10 months Trinease was there, they visited her four times. The staff at the nursing home were always nice to them. The Jordons were pleased Trinease was there.\" \nDuring those 10 months, Dawe made the fivehour round-trip four times to check on Trinease personally, also checking regularly by telephone with the nursing staff. \nPartnering With Medical \nProfessionals \nDawe recounted, \"During that time Trinease didn't have any unusual medical problems, until a Friday afternoon when a nurse called me. I'll never forget the weekend that followed. I learned Trinease had developed a sudden respiratory infection and her white blood cell count was rising \n \ndangerously. She'd been rushed to an acute care hospital in a neighboring city.\" \nDawe was able to contact Mrs. Jordon, who at that time was estranged from her husband. Ms. Jordon said she had her own car and would drive to the hospital. Dawe would later learn Ms. Jordon's car broke down on the outskirts of Atlanta and, instead of telephoning for help, she would set out on her own hitchhiking. That Friday evening and the following day, Dawe maintained contact with Trinease's nurses and the hospital chaplain, as well as trying to discover what had become of Mrs. Jordon. \n\"I was planning to drive to the hospital the next day,\" Dawe remembered, \"but at 8:40 p .m . on Saturday, the doctor called to let me know Trinease had passed away. At 10, the chaplain called, and we talked about how to locate Trinease's parents. At 11 :30, the hospital called me to let me know Ms. Jordon had been hitchhiking from Atlanta and had only just arrived. It was tragic because she was only a few hours too late. But she was able to hold her daughter.\" \nDawe arranged for Mrs. Jordon to take the bus back to Atlanta the following morning. At 10:30 p.m. that Sunday, Mrs. Jordon telephoned Dawe in a panic She said she had located her husband and they had bitterly argued about where Trinease would be buried. He had threatened to go to the hospital to claim the body. \n \nDawe stated, \"With children like Trinease, you know they're on borrowed time. I was able to get her parents back in her life for her last nine months. I think that was important. She was comfortable and well cared for, and we had her in the best place she could be. This system provided that for her. Her parents weren't able to.\" \nDawe's caseload averages 30 families, including 35 to 50 children. National child welfare agencies recommend case managers carry no more than 17 cases. Dawe's current caseload includes six medically fragile children. \nDoris Walker, manager of the DFCS state foster care unit, said, \"Governor Barnes is asking the legislature to increase funding for the child welfare \n \nMany of us do not understand how challenging a case manager's work can be. \n \nWorking With Birth Parents \n\"I calmed her and assured her the body couldn't be moved except by ambulance or the funeral home,\" said Dawe. \"I explained DFCS could subsidize the funeral expenses and that it would be best for her and her family to plan the funeral service. She and her husband were able to work out their disagreements and make the funeral arrangements. I arranged for the funeral home to send me DFCS's portion of the bill, and Mrs. Jordon's relatives paid the remaining $200. Monday morning when I got to the office, I telephoned the DFCS attorney, who prepared an order informing the court that-in the standard legal phrasing-the state 'extinguished claim' to Trinease. That week I attended Trinease's funeral in Canton.\" \n \nsystem. Georgia's child protection workers earn the fourth-lowest starting salaries in the nation. In fiscal year 1999, the turnover rate among Georgia's child protective services workers was 39 percent. We need smaller caseloads to avoid burning out dedicated staff and to provide adequate supervision for at-risk families. Many medically fragile children require foster parents who can provide full-time supervision, so we need funding to enable these foster parents to stay home fulltime rather than having to work a job outside the home. We need more foster homes and additional training to prepare more foster parents to be able to care for Georgia's medically fragile children.\" \n \n11 \n \n Foster Care Unit Division of Family and Children Services \n \nThe 0 \n \nFoster Parent and Staff \n \nDevelopment Institutes: Partners for Children \n \nHow can we partner to bring children in foster care into a safe and happy future? Answering this question is the purpose of the 2000 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes. \n \nAs in past years, the \n \nCatch up with the Institute \n \nInstitute offers foster parents and agency \n \nApril 14-15 ................. .Athens May 12-13 ........... . ... .Savannah \n \nstaff a selection of sessions with a practical focus. Friday's large- \n \nJune 9-10 ................... .Macon group session centers \non building relation- \n \nships, negotiating, and \n \ncoaching children about choices. The session also \n \nexamines social contracting to reach agreement \n \nbetween foster parents and agency staff, as well as \n \nbetween foster parents and children. Agency staff \n \nand foster parents are invited to describe difficult \n \nreal-life challenges they have encountered, and \n \nthe presenter will suggest strategies and plans for effectively addressing such challenges. \nSaturday's topics include working with alcohol and drug-exposed infants and children; understanding and managing challenging behaviors; parenting, coaching and enjoying teens; preparing teens for independent living; postadoption support services; the premature infant; and helping children with learning differences at school and in the home. \nFoster parents can earn up to 12 continued parent development hours. Institute registration brochures will be mailed to foster parents. Foster parents are asked to coordinate their attendance with their local DFCS. If local DFCS agencies cannot answer a question about the Institutes, call 800.227.3410 for questions about attending the Institute; for all other questions, call 404.657.3454. \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-ssummer","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Summer 2000","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2000"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2000"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Summer 2000"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-ssummer"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-ssummer"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"Partnerships GA \n \n~ ~00 . F\"~ \n1' \\ \n \n \n \nFlo \n-aooo /5 v.(V\\ ~ e-r \n \n1n \n \ng \n \nin this \n \nA NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA OHR FOSTER CARE UNIT \n \nA Child's Story A Birth Mother's \nStory A Case Manager's \nView Fostering Kids \nWith HIV \nsummer \n \nCoope \nThrough Conflict \n \nMost people want to avoid conflict, yet conflict is a natural part of teamwork, especially when the team is resolving a crisis - which is what foster parents and case managers are all about. Cindy Conine believes that working through conflict is a natural and even useful part of helping families. Based in Houston County, Conine is a DFCS supervisor of resource development for seven counties in middle Georgia. \n\"If all team members thought the same way, families' problems probably wouldn't get solved,\" Conine stated. \"Every one of our families has different strengths, needs and personalities. There are no two cases that are exactly alike, and no one solution will work for every situation. Case managers, foster parents, teachers, birth parents and everyone on the team has different ideas to contribute. It helps when we can all be open to considering everyone's ideas.\" \nIn helping families, conflict also can arise because of pain. \nConine explained, \"In MAPP, foster parents learn about how birth parents are going through the grieving process. They've lost a significant person from their lives. So the parent may not show up for the visit, and that's upsetting for the child and for everyone else involved with that child. But we need to look at why the parent missed the visit. Maybe they're in that stage of grief where they're going through depression. If we see that, we understand there's a reason for the behavior - not just \n \nthat they don't care or that they're doing it to be contrary to what we want.\" \nThe parent may also show his or her grief through angry behavior. \n\"It's natural to feel angry when someone's angry at you,\" Conine noted. \"It's a natural response to throw the anger back. But we need to remember that any of us might be in that parent's place. What if we had grown up without our role models or didn't have our support systems? What if we had grown up around drugs? It could have happened to any of us. We need to think of how we'd want our cases to be handled if we were these parents.\" \nWhile conflict can be unpleasant and counterproductive, there is also a kind of \"good conflict\" when team members can feel invigorated as their differing ideas come together so good solutions emerge. Seeing from the perspectives of others requires mutual empathy, respect, patience and a strong sense of self-worth. \n\"There are so many people involved in making decisions about one child,\" Conine observed. \"They're all teaming together around an emotional issue: the life of the child. There is DFCS, the child, the foster parents, the birth parents, the court system, sometimes therapists and other team members. There can be so many different ideas about what's the best way to parent or what's in the child's best interests. We need to work together because no one has all the answers.\" \n \nIf we all thought alike, could problems be solved? \n \n Experiencin \nFoster Care: One Child's Story \n \n\"At first in foster care, I was feeling like, 'Where am I? I don't know this person!'\" recalled Toiya Crosland. Crosland entered foster care when she was 13. Now 20 and living in Stone Mountain, she recently discussed the years she spent in foster care. \n \n\"After my sister and I moved in, I remember we didn't want to eat for a couple of days,\" described Crosland. \"We didn't come out of. the room. Patricia our foster mom would come to the door and say, 'If you want to come out, I've cooked.' When we wouldn't come out, she'd say, 'OK, but if you need anything or if you want to talk, I'm downstairs.\"' \n \nCrosland said she was \"in a shell\" at that time. \n \n\"I didn't want to talk to \n \nanybody,\" she \n \nexplained. \"I was just \n \nto myself and wanted \n \nto be left alone. Patricia \n \nToiya Crosland remembers how foster care helped her. \n \nreally got me to open up to people. I remember plenty of nights \n \ngoing to her room and \n \nwaking her up and saying, 'I want to talk.' She \n \nwould get up - I don't care what time it was - \n \nand say, 'What's on your mind?'\" \n \nHelping Children A dj ust \n \nGroup discussions were a regular part of the household routine. \n \n\"She always had three to four girls staying there,\" Crosland remembered, \"so if some of us had a confrontation, Patricia had us all sit down and talk about it. She also had 'family nights' where we'd all sit around a table. She'd say, 'If things aren't going the way you want, you can say so now and get it out,' and we were allowed to talk about anything we wanted. She told us if we didn't like things, we could talk and work it out. I wasn't used to that, and I liked it.\" \nCrosland's birth mother, who was struggling with various difficulties in her life, usually spoke with anger to her foster mother. \n\"My mom started off despising Patricia and never really got over that,\" Crosland stated. \"I thought she should feel thankful we were with someone who was taking care of us, but if I'd even mention Patricia she'd have animosity in her face. She'd say things to start stuff with Patricia. Patricia could have acted nasty back to her, but I guess she wanted to spare our feelings. She never said anything bad about my mother and would always call us to the phone to talk to her whenever our mom called.\" \nBalanci ng Rules and Freedom \nOne of the things Crosland most liked about her foster home was its orderliness. \nCrosland recalled, \"We had homework hour from seven to eight, and we were in bed by nine o'clock. Meals were on a time schedule, which was new for me. Also Patricia didn't want you to be just sitting mindlessly at home watching TV all day. She's a really neat person and showed us how to clean the house. We'd vacuum and do dishes and sometimes do yard work - nothing too strenuous. Patricia took us swimming and to the library and places like Six Flags and Whitewater. Some summers we went to camp.\" \nWhile their foster mother provided them an allowance, she also allowed them to have jobs. \n \n\"I had different jobs, like working in a grocery store and a Wal-Mart,\" Crosland recounted. \"Then if I wanted something that cost more than I could buy with my allowance, I was able to afford it. \n \n2 \n \nPutting the Child's Needs Over Our Own \n \nHaving a job teaches you how to have your own money.\" \nTheir foster mother was a church-goer who did not pressure them with religion. \n\"Patricia didn't care if we went to the same church she did,\" Crosland said. \"Sometimes we wanted to go to our grandmother's church, and she'd take us there. I remember she took in one girl who didn't believe in God and didn't want to go to church. Patricia's attitude was like, 'I can't make her go. Maybe she'll eventually go on her own.' I still talk with that girl, and now she's really into church. With Patricia, it wasn't like you had to go to church.\" \nKeeping Family Ties \nSoon after Crosland entered care, her birth mother moved to New York. Her foster mother routinely kept Crosland connected with her family of origin. \n\"Patricia encouraged us to keep in touch,\" Crosland described. \"She'd say, 'Did you call your grandmother today?' Her church was near my grandmother's house, so she'd say, 'Do you want to go by and see your grandmother after church?' and sometimes we'd stop by after church and talk for a while. I have a favorite aunt, and if we said we wanted to go see her that weekend or for awhile during summer, Patricia would call her. My aunt lives kind of far away, so sometimes they would meet halfway and we'd go home with my aunt. My aunt would talk to us about my mom and help us see why some of the things took place .\" \nCrosland calls her former foster mother \"a special person.\" Most days, they still talk by telephone or visit. \n \nOpinions often clash when case managers, foster parents and other team members meet to discuss a child's needs. Everyone on the team has legitimate and worthwhile ideas and contributions; however, each person can become so focused on his/her part of the process that he/she loses sight of the most important thing: they are there not to disagree with each other but, rather, to work together for the child. When children see all the adults working together in their behalf, they feel more secure and can concentrate on healing. \nA photo can refocus a meeting: When adults are clashing during a meeting, a good idea might be for them to place a photograph of the child in the middle of the table. If a photograph is not available, they can write the child's full name on a piece of paper and place it in the middle of the table. Then each adult should take a moment to share what dazzles them about Tamika or Michael, sharing the child's strengths, the funny incidents and the small wonders. Perhaps someone could volunteer to write these strengths on a flip chart to help everyone there remember the importance of joining together for this child. \nFoster parents need to be heard: I have sat in many a meeting where ~y voice as _a psych?logist (who met the child one time) was given priority over the impressions of foster parents who had lived with the child for months or even years. Too often, meetings can focus on the professionals in the room, even though the foster parents usually know more about the child than any other person present. It is essential that the meeting's facilitator empower the voices of the foster parents so that their knowledge, feelings, and impressions do not become lost in a \"sea of experts.\" \nKids should not have to choose: When the adults in a child's life clash, the child feels tom between them, feeling as if they expect him or her to choose between them. The adults can avoid putting the child in this dilemma by making a habit of acting respectfully to one another, even when they disagree. This includes respecting birth parents, even when they are at difficult places in their lives so they may not return all the r~spect they are given..The biological families are part of the children, and m foster care these children belong to two (or more) families. Team meetings should never \"put down\" any present or absent participant because doing so could cloud other team members' attitudes, which children can sense more than we might think. \nDecisions about a child in care are sacred in nature. The adults in the child's life are making decisions that may impact the child for a lifetime and reverberate throughout the generations when that child becomes a parent. Team members need to remember that differing opinions can reveal new solutions, especially when they occur in an atmosphere of respect, courtesy and deep caring. \n \n One irth Mother' Story: Dismantling the Wall of Hate \n \n\"I built a wall of hate when DFCS took my children into foster care,\" recalled Clarissa Taylor of Macon. \"DFCS had its job to do, and it took me awhile to w1derstand that.\" \nA young, single mother, Taylor was working two jobs at a fast food restaurant and a cleaning service. Pressures continued to mount when her third child was born with serious health issues and developmental delays. After her baby entered foster care and DFCS placed her two sons with a friend, Taylor became depressed, recalling, \"If I wasn't sleeping, I was crying. The social worker probably did her job properly, but in my mind DFCS was wrong and I didn't want to accept it. I had trouble taking in what the social worker would try to tell me. I think I just shut down. You see that kind of stuff on TV everyday, but you never know what it's like until it's you.\" \nPanel Reviews Are Scary \nAt her first panel review hearing, Taylor felt \"like it was an interrogation - like they were looking at me like I'd done bad things. Maybe I was \n \nThe panel members continued emphasizing they were there to help Taylor. \nTaylor described, \"They'd say, 'Ms. Taylor, we're not here to beat you down. You know and we know something happened and it's over with, and we want to get down to what you need and what your kids need so nothing like that will ever happen again.' Even though they kept drilling that in me, I had to get that in my head for myself. Finally I realized, 'OK, they're not here to hurt me and my kids. They want to help us get back together.' It took me awhile to get on the right track thinking like that.\" \nHealing Takes Time \nTaylor's spirits were lifted when she encountered members of her panel around town. \n\"Sometimes I'd see one of them in the street or in the store,\" Taylor related, \"and I'd think they were thinking, 'She's that woman who didn't take good care of her child.' But they would come up to me and say in a very respectful way, 'Ms. Taylor! How are you doing? How's your case going? You keep praying and think positive!' That would make me feel really good. I'd call my mama and tell her all about it.\" \n \nAs part of her case plan, Taylor agreed to take homemaking classes, though she was initially skeptical of doing so. \nBirth Parents Need Patience \n\"I was thinking, 'Look, I'm over 20 and have three kids. I don't need any classes telling me how to raise children,' \" Taylor said. \"I thought I knew everything. But I got really interested and started asking more questions in class than anybody else! Before, I never let my kids help with cooking, but she showed us how doing snacktime togetherlike making cookies or pizza - could make kids really feel wanted. She talked about child-proofing the house-like, my boys love to play with marbles, and I learned about putting their marbles away so the baby wouldrt't get them and swallow them.\" \nWhen Taylor's children returned home, she also began having \"family night\" each week, taking the children to eat at Shoney's or taking them to get their faces painted. After church on Sundays, she would set aside time to play games with them. \n\"I learned how little things like that make a difference,\" Taylor noted. \"Before, I didn't do \n \nSometimes we'd go out for lunch. She'd invite me to go with her to take my daughter to the doctor and physical therapy. She'd call me to let me know any little thing, like if my daughter had a cough or a cold. It was like my daughter had two families, but she knew I was her mom. I enjoyed the time we spent together.\" \nTaylor was interested in watching how the foster mother applied many of the childcare methods she was learning about in her homemaking classes. \n\"She's older than me and is a mom herself, so she's had lots of experience,\" Taylor said. \"She \n \nHowever, Taylor continued to struggle with trusting her team members. \n\"Whenever it was time for a panel review, I guess I'd get scared and nervous, so I'd start feeling tension and hate,\" Taylor described. \"I'd have to calm myself down. I'd have to tell myself, 'OK, it's not like you think. They're not coming after you. They're trying to help you.'\" \n \nthings like that or take them anywhere because I'd be thinking about things like paying bills. I wouldn't let them go outside because I thought they'd get in trouble. I thought being a good parent was feeding them and giving them a place to stay. But I learned deprivation can be things like keeping them from being outside with other children. That's depriving them of their childhood. The classes really opened me up.\" \n \ninvited me over to her house for Thanksgiving, when everyone brought dishes, and I got to meet her own children, who are adults now. I could imagine the kind of parent she'd been to them for them to turn out to be such respectable and nice people. I thought, 'I need to watch what I do and say around my kids, so they'll respect me more when they get older.' There was a lot I could pick up on just by watching how her kids and she \n \nTaylor's case manager helped strengthen her sense of trust. \n\"I remember she sat down with me and said \n \n'f Birth Parents Need Examples \n \nwould react to each other.\" \n \n1 \n \nAt first, Taylor's visits with her children were \n \nTaylor still keeps in touch with her daughter's former foster parents, considering them her \n \nthat putting my kids in foster care was really hard \n \nsupervised at the agency. Later, the case manager friends. \n \njust thinking that because I was angry. I didn't want to fool with them or deal with them. I just wanted to take care of my own kids myself.\" \n \nfor her because she was a mother herself,\" Taylor explained. \"That helped me come to reality about how hard her job was for her and how DFCS was really working with me. I knew I had to wake myself up.\" \n \nasked the foster parents if they were willing to meet Taylor, and they said they were. \n''I'd been worrying about them- how they were treating her and if they were telling her I was a bad mom,\" Taylor explained. \"But when I met \n \n\"We still keep in contact when we get the chance,\" Taylor said. \"I might call her and say, 'I have the day off-let's go to lunch.' We get together for holidays and my daughter's birthdays.\" \n \nthem, I knew everything was OK. Everything \n \nwent well, and we just blended in like a family. \n \n4 \n \nThey invited me to birthday parties at their house. \n \n5 \n \n What Should We \nKnow About \nCase Mana ers? \n \nLloyd Wells became a case manager because he wants to help others, which is why, prior to becoming a case manager, he was an Episcopal minister and at one time worked for the Red Cross. \n\"I've always been in a helping profession,\" said the Barrow County case manager. \"At DFCS, I like being a part of a team with the mission to protect, nurture and change circumstances for children. The foster parents I work with have a spark of deeply caring, which I respect a great deal.\" \nLloyd Wells offers some ideas to improve \nteamwork. \n \nas needed. He also stated that if birth or foster families are not receiving the response and support they need, they have the right to get impatient with the case manager; however, he also hoped they could be understanding with busy case managers because \"sometimes there's just not enough time to go around.\" \nAsked how foster parents can most effectively interact with case managers, Wells said, \"Because I'm so busy, it really helps me when foster parents and birth parents can be really concrete and specific about what they need. For example, I remember a communication gap I had with a foster parent. She was caring for a child she'd even talked about adopting. Then one day she told me she wanted me to find the child another foster home.\" \n \nConcreteness Helps \n \nBecause the child had been staying in her home for more than a year, Wells assumed that finding the boy a new home was not an urgent priority. He began the process of finding another foster home, but in two weeks time the foster parent angrily called him. \n \nAsked what he would most like team members to know about his job, Wells said he hopes birth parents and foster parents will understand if he is not always able to spend as much time with them as he would like. \nHelpi ng Many People \n\"Case managers are responsible for about 35 or 40 different children,\" Wells explained. \"With each of these children, the case manager needs to work with birth parents, foster parents, other caregivers, relatives, the school system, the courts, medical staff and other service providers. So there's a lot to organize and a lot of people to coordinate .\" \n \n\"She told me she had given me two weeks notice to move the child,\" Wells said. \"But she hadn't specifically spelled out to me that a twoweek deadline was important to her. She hadn't been concrete in letting me know a particular date. Too, when she'd told me the child would need to be moved, she talked in a way so I didn't think there was that much rush.\" \nWells added. \"We'd had a mutual misunderstanding. Ideally I should have asked her at the time how long she was willing to wait. Too, I know it was difficult for her to tell me the child needed to leave her home. She cared for this child, but it just wasn't working anymore. That was a difficult decision for her to make, and I know she was feeling mixed-up emotions about it. Often we can avoid misunderstandings like this when we trust each other and try to be really specific in describing the things we want from and can offer each other.\" \n \nWells emphasized that foster and birth parents \n \n6 \n \nshould not hesitate to contact their case managers \n \nLiving Life Fully: \nFostering Kids With \n \n\"Angela Wilson\" (as this article will call her) had not planned to foster children with HIV. An unexpected event changed her life, and during the past 12 years she has fostered eight children - all of them HIV-positive. The Clayton County mother is in the process of adopting two of them. \nDescribing how she came to foster, Wilson recalled, \"In 1986, my brother was diagnosed with AIDS. At that time, I was waiting for my daughter to finish high school in two years so she could go to college and I could go on with my life. One day, I was in the hospital with a friend whose son was sick, and I noticed a little girl all alone in her room. The sign on her door warned about dangerous bodily fluids. I knew what that sign meant because I'd seen it on my brother's hospital door.\" \nKids With Illness Need Love \nWilson asked the nurse if she could read to the girl. She was told she needed to be approved. \nWilson said, \"The little girl died before I got through all the protocol to be allowed in there. I felt bad because she was deathly ill without anybody in there making her feel better-nobody holding her and telling her everything was going to be all right and that somebody loved her. I said to my friend, 'I'm going to be a foster parent to children with AIDS.' What I feel in my heart is the decision wasn't mine, but was God-given - like I was put there with that little girl to make me aware there are children in the world who need to be cared for.\" \nWilson has been surprised at how most of her children have thrived. \n\"My 9-year-old wasn't expected to live to be 3,\" said Wilson. \"He was so sick at first. Every other month, I was in a hospital with him for days at the time. But he hasn't been in the hospital in six years.\" \nLove Is Healing \nWilson said it is \"almost comical\" how healthy the children have been, explaining, \"I remember when one of my girls was 10 months old, the doctor told me not to get too hung up on her because she was too sick to live. I said, 'OK, if she's going to die, we need to make her as happy as we possi- \n \nbly can while she's alive.' The other kids and I went out of our way to cater to her every whim. So 12 years later, my other kids are saying, 'OK, she's happy- what about us?'\" Wilson lovingly joked, \"Here we are with this spoiled-rotten kid who's doing quite well!\" \nWilson acknowledged that not all stories can be so happy. \n\"I had one to die,\" she shared. \"It was the hardest thing I've ever done. At that point I was like, 'I can't do this anymore.' And a friend of mine said, 'You can and you will.' She said 'This is hard, but you'll get over this, and you'll continue.' In the last two years, I've told the kids they're HIV-positive. It doesn't compute for them because they don't feel sick. My way of thinking is, 'You're alive, so live your life. We'll worry about ofher stuff later.' We don't sit around worrying about what's going to happen, because we can't do that.\" \nOpportunities for Ill Kids \nThe Children's Wish Foundation International (CWFI) added to the family's happy times. CWFI fulfills wishes to seriously ill children. Wilson's case manager told her about CWFI and helped her apply. \n\"They gave us plane tickets and spending money to go on a cruise and to visit Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida,\" Wilson described. \"My son's wish was to see Michael Jackson. They couldn't do that, so they granted his second wish, which was to go to Disney World. And they don't just give a child a wish and that's the end of it-they keep doing things for children who qualify. They give my kids school and Christmas stuff. Sometimes they give us passes to see movies.\" \nIf you are caring for a child who has a serious illness, ask your case manager about the Children's Wish Foundation International, which might grant your child a wish. \n \nFor more information about the Children's Wish Foundation International, call \nor log onto \n \n Foster Care Unit Division of Family and Children Services \nSuite 18-222 \n \nWhat is the Average \n \nHere are some characteristics of an \"average\" 4-year-old. Don't assume something is wrong if a child in your care or on your caseload differs from these characteristics. Remember that children change a lot in a year, and all children develop at different paces. \nFour-year-olds like to ask \"why?\" and enjoy learning new words. Though their language skills are improving, they have not mastered using words and sometimes feel frustrated when trying to express themselves. Then they may feel bad about themselves and act out. They have not mastered self-control but are increasingly interested in controlling their own behavior. They usually express their emotions through behavior, not words. Thus, if they have strong feelings about something, they may act out-of-control. They \n \nneed and want a lot of adult help in learning to use their maturing abilities. \nFour-year-olds enjoy using their developing imagination and may boast or exaggerate. Their active imaginations may also cause them to have new fears. It is good to encourage their enjoyment of being imaginative. However, if a child seems to be telling too many \"tall tales\" or is overly concerned with fears, it can be a good idea to talk with him or her about the differences between fact and fiction and telling entertaining stories and lies. \nFour-year-olds should be able to take turns without adult supervision and attend to a task for about 10 to 12 minutes. They are interested in learning to read and sometimes pretend to read books out loud, remembering the stories from memory. \n \n "},{"id":"dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-swinter","title":"Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2000","collection_id":"dlg_ggpd","collection_title":"Georgia Government Publications","dcterms_contributor":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services."],"dcterms_spatial":["United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018"],"dcterms_creator":["Georgia. Division of Family and Children Services"],"dc_date":["2000"],"dcterms_description":["Title from caption"],"dc_format":["application/pdf"],"dcterms_identifier":null,"dcterms_language":["eng"],"dcterms_publisher":["Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services, Foster Care Unit, 2000"],"dc_relation":null,"dc_right":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dcterms_is_part_of":null,"dcterms_subject":["Foster children--Georgia","Child welfare--Georgia"],"dcterms_title":["Partnerships in fostering: a newsletter of the Georgia DHR Foster Care Unit, Winter 2000"],"dcterms_type":["Text"],"dcterms_provenance":["University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library"],"edm_is_shown_by":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-swinter"],"edm_is_shown_at":["https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bh800-pf2-bp1-bf6-b2000-swinter"],"dcterms_temporal":null,"dcterms_rights_holder":null,"dcterms_bibliographic_citation":null,"dlg_local_right":null,"dcterms_medium":["state government records"],"dcterms_extent":null,"dlg_subject_personal":null,"iiif_manifest_url_ss":null,"dcterms_subject_fast":null,"fulltext":"GA \n.,,)..\\ C(,00 ' /:;\"?.. \\ F~ \n?-ooo/w, '\\,)~~r \nin \n \nPart   \nFr RlJ~~ g A NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA DHR \n \nKeeping Fo us on Schoo \n \nBringing Christmas \nto Kids in Care \n \nAn Update onASFA \n \n..t1., BE FOSTER PARENTS \n \nw  \n \n* H 1r,s \n \n r C\"\u003e \n \n~...J \n \n..;. ! \n \n-  \n \n~ \n \n~ ~, ~ 6~.~ ~ it \n \n\" \n \n,.,. ! \n \n.. \n \n... \n \n* F N \n \nJ' ~ ;  ! \n \nJY \n \n'11 I\\ T~-1 f 1.1  ' rt' . It \n \nGetting Christmas toys to children in foster care: Atlanta WSB radio personality Clark Howard has led this effort for nine years, helping more than 8,000 children. Broadcasting this year from several Target stores, Howard again encouraged people to be \"secret Santas,\" donating toys. \n \nAsked why he continues to support the Secret Santa program, Howard replied, \"Because of tough family situations, these kids don't get to be with their family during this holiday, and that's hard. I have \n \nLast year, the Secret Santa program brought two toys apiece to 1,993 children in 52 counties. Approximately 44 percent resulted from Howard's broadcasts. DFCS obtained 33 percent, and the remainder were obtained or donated by individual sponsors. \n \nSarah Smith, a Cairo foster parent, testified to what the Secret Santa program has meant to two children in her care: \"When I heard DFCS was going to Atlanta to pick up toys, I thought, 'Well, I guess they'll get old leftover toys from up there.' But I was surprised my children received these really nice toys. We had an infant who got one of those mobiles he could lie under and swat and grab . We also had a 15-month-old who got a Tickle-Me Ernie and one of those nice plastic toys he can sit on and ride around.\" \nSmith added, \"Kids in foster care come from families having troubles, so Christmas is a new experience for a lot of them. I remember how my kids' eyes lit up when they saw those toys. Santa had been to see them! Both boys are still with us, and they're still enjoying those toys. The toys were nice enough that they're still in use-not things that tore up in a few months.\" \n \ntwo daughters, and they mean more to me than anything else in the world. Now my 10-year-old is just totally fired up. When she hears there are kids her age who can't be home right now, she just can't stand the thought. This Christmas she took money she saved, and I matched it, and she sponsored a child. I think what a neat thing it is for these kids to know an absolute stranger cares about them enough to bring them some Christmas cheer. Maybe they'll think there's prospects for good times ahead.\" \nDoris Walker, manager of DFCS foster care, said, \"Georgia owes Mr. Howard a great debt of gratitude for year after year lifting the spirits of our children in foster care. We think he's wonderful!\" \n \nClark Howard poses among toys that were delivered to children in foster care. \n \n Parents Can Help Children \nKeep up Momentum in School \n \nStudent Assistance Professionals Association P.O. Box 218 Fayetteville, GA 30214 770.719.1856 \nJanuary is a gooc/ time to check whether chilclren ore on troclc in school. \n \nMaybe last summer and fall you worked hard to prepare a child for the new school year. But as the year continues, maybe your child is losing momentum-getting in trouble or not studying enough-and needs your help again. January marks the half-way point in the school year, which is a good time to check your child's progress at school, before too much of the school year slips by. \nReport cards provide a measure of how students are doing. Teacher workdays at the semester break allow time for parents and teachers to meet, review grades and discuss any problems before they become major. The child may gain some good insights by being included in at least a part of this discussion. It is very important that foster parents attend these conferences to emphasize that school and the child's efforts there are important. \n\"There are specific things a parent can do at home to help children maintain success or address problems at school,\" said Michael Carpenter, executive director of the Student Assistance Professionals Association (SAPA). \"Homework time on a regular basis is very important. Students should spend about an hour doing some form of homework every night. Even if a child is not doing actual assignments, he or she should review what happened that day in class.\" \n \nTo help a child make changes in school performance, Carpenter recommends that parents work with the child to set goals. \nHelp Children Set Goals \nCarpenter noted, \"Parents can help the child think about what she or he needs to do at school and come up with a plan to do that. If a child is failing a class because of not studying, an appropriate goal might be to spend one hour every night doing homework for that class. If a child has difficulties making friends, an immediate and important goal might be to say hello to a new person every day.\" \nParents should help children think about how longterm goals can be broken down into manageable short-term steps. For example, improving grades by the end of the school year is a long term goal. Some short-term steps to accomplish this goal would be studying daily and remembering to turn in homework assignments. Short-term steps help a child feel encouraged by making daily or weekly progress. Young children's goals may all be short-term. They are not able to think as far into the future or put off rewards as well as older children. \nChildren may need a lot of help in goal-setting, but it is important that the goals are the child's and not the parents'. In helping children set goals, parents should be aware of what they are capable of emotionally and academically. A parent may want a child to set the goal of making all A's and going to college, but the child may only be ready to work towards passing all classes and not having any behavior problems. \nReward Studious Behavior \nThe plan also needs to have some rewards built in that are important to the child. For example, every night when the child accomplishes a goal, such as completing an hour of homework, the parent may agree to spend five minutes of quality time alone with the child, may allow the child to choose a television show to watch, or may be allowed to have some suitable treat to take for lunch the next day. \n \n2 \n \nManaging Children's Explosive Behavior \n \nDiscussions about goals are important for any child. Some children in foster care have never had an adult providing an example of setting and achieving goals. These discussions help children learn to monitor their own progress and better understand what they want out of their education and life. \nRemember Children's Health \nWhen children have poor physical health, they can become irritable and even aggressive, whi-ch can cause problems at school. Parents should make sure that children are eating well and getting enough sleep and physical exercise. \nIf a child is sick and has to miss school, parents should make sure the teacher assigns make-up work and the child completes it. Parents should carefully monitor the number of absences, even when due to unavoidable winter illnesses. Too many absences can cause a child to be overwhelmed with make-up work. Even with makeup work, the child is missing important classroom instruction. \nGetting Additional Help \nIf concerned about a child's performance at school, a foster parent may ask the school if a student support team (SST) can help the child. All schools have SST's, which meet and brainstorm strategies to help the child do better in school. Parents can also ask for meetings with teachers. Every school operates differently, so talking with the child's teacher, an administrator or counselor is a good place to start if a parent has concerns. \nAll schools and communities have programs to help students outside the classroom, such as tutoring, anger management or alcohol and drug education. The Student Assistance Professionals Association (SAPA) provides information about such programs. Foster parents can contact SAPA at 770.719.1856. What programs a community provides will differ depending not only on the school but also on the local mental health, juvenile court services and other local programs. \n3 \n \nYou walk in on your 14-year-old who is threatening to break her 8-year-old sister's doll if her sister tells she smoked cigarettes. When you forbid your teenager to go to an unchaperoned dance, he yells, \"I hate you! I wish you were dead!\" When you tell your 13-year-old he is grounded for a week, he says he will get a gun and ''blow you all away.\" \nWhen the child in your care has explosive anger, what should you do? How much anger in children should foster parents deal with before they need a professional's advice or support? This column explores managing children's verbal threats, explosive rage and disruptive behavior. \nIf a youngster is raging and out of control, do not try to reason with him or her. If you have ever tried having a discussion when you were furious, you know people need to cool down before they can hear reason. 'Threatening an angry youngster will probably make matters worse. \nAnger management techniques work with children with mild to moderate levels of anger. Simple techniques include having the child count to \n10, ~three deep breaths, taking time-out, imagining an image symbolizing his or her anger (such as a volcano) and shrinking the image to tiny size. The parent should teach the child these techniques when the child is calm, then help the child practice them in the middle of an anger \noutburst. \nParents should try to be positive examples. Do not use angry language or tones in front of children, even if only cursing other drivers who cannot hear you. If a child in your care tends to become \"angry over nothing,\" honestly ask yourself if you have been doing the same thing around the child. If you watch violent videos or TV, consider the message you are teaching. You may need to change behaviors like these before asking a child to change. \nWhen catching one child bullying another, some parents instinctively yell at or angrily punish the bully. This encourages many children to continue being bullies, because what they really want is attention, which they are getting from the angry parent. A more effective approach is to pay more attention to the child who was bullied, making sure the child is not hurt, and generally ignoring the child who bullied. This influences many children to seek attention in other ways than bullying. Of course, the caregiver needs to monitor the children to make sure the bullying behavior does not continue or escalate. \nBecause foster parents spend the most time with a child, they must be the primary change agent, with the therapist as backup or coach. For children already in therapy, foster parents should discuss angry behavior with and seek advice from the therapist. If the child is not in therapy, foster parents can ask their case managers about treatment options. Funding is available for needed treatment services. \n \n : fostering \n \n' \nI \n \n. \n \ntip Life Books \n \nHelp Children Through Life \n \nCelebrations Can Help Families \n \nsocial work tip \n \nAn inexpensive life book can be a lifelong tool, says Walter Pitman. \nCall to order a life book: \nThe Path I've Walked \n(No charge) Independent Living Program Contact Walter Pitman 912.430.3331 \nLifebook ($10) \nNational Resource Center for Youth Services 918.585.2986 \nAdolescent/Adult Life Book ($39.95) \nIndependent Living Resources, Inc. 800.820.0001 \n4 \n \nA life book is a simple idea that can profoundly help a child in foster care. It is a kind of scrapbook where children can keep important or memorable documents, like birth certificates and diplomas, and where they can write down information that might be highly valuable to them in the future. \n\"Most children are lucky enough to grow up in families who keep track of things for them-these \nkids don't need to remember things like where their aunts and grandparents live,\" said Walter Pitman, Dougherty County DFCS independent living coordinator. \"But some kids enter foster care for longer stays, and then sometimes their parents disappear or die. They need to gather information about themselves while they can. Ten years down the road when they want to know about their pasts, the best people to give them the information maybe gone.\" \nPreserving Children's Pasts \nCaregivers can make life books themselves out of a simple notebook, or they can obtain inexpensive or more elaborate commercially published life books. The book's pages instruct the child to fill in information. A typical page might be titled \"Things I Know About My Mother\"; the page might direct the child to fill in blanks with information about the mother's name, birthdate, birthplace, years of education, occupation, her own mother's and father's names and addresses, etc. Other pages might ask the child to fill in names and addresses of important people in his or her life, medical history, school history, etc. The younger the child, the more adult help he or she will need to complete the life book. \n \n\"Even when children are adopted, many of \n \nthem keep in touch with their birth parents,\" \n \nPitman noted. \"Sometimes, though, children can \n \nbe very angry with their parents and cut off all contact. Years later they may become parents \n \nr \n \nthemselves. What if their child has a serious ill- \n \n\\ \n \nness and the doctor says he needs the family's \n \nmedical history to know how to treat the child? \n \nThey wouldn't know where to begin looking to \n \nfind that out. That would be a terrible position to \n \nbe in. This wouldn't be a problem if that parent \n \nstill had his or her old life book somewhere at \n \nhome.\" \n \nLife Books Help Heal \n \nIn addition to being a practical record, life books are tools to help children make sense of their lives and identities. These children's difficult experiences may leave them feeling confused and as if their lives are in fragments. To help children sort through their lives over time, they can gather personal information for their life books, such as pasting in report cards, award certificates they earned, photographs of their best friends, or pictures from trips or camp. \n \n\"In the life books I made for the kids in our \n \nprogram, I have a page titled 'Birth News,\"' \n \nPitman described. \"I take the kids to the library to \n \nfind the microfilm of the newspaper from a couple \n \nof days after they were born. They get so excited \n \nto find their birth announcement. They can print \n \nout a copy to put in their life book. The first time I \n \nbrought kids to do this, I didn't know it would \n \nr mean so much to them. I guess it all has to do with \na lack of feeling of connectedness, and this kind of \n \nvalidates things for them.\" \n \nl \n \nIn the life book he designed for his program, Pitman also included a page where children listed people they could go to for help or to talk with in a difficult time. \n \nSometimes when agencies try to help families, families distrust them, fearing them as judgmental policemen. Building a constructive, trusting relationship with these families can be challenging. To help in this, California uses some techniques Georgia might copy. \nCelebrating a family's achievements can be a profound tool in building trusting working relationships and in giving families incentive and direction, according to Frank Higgins, chief executive of Triangle Christian Services in Los Angeles, CA. \nAt-risk families enter Higgins' family preservation program for six months to a year to learn new life skills so their children will not need to enter foster care. From the beginning, all the families learn an annual graduation ceremony is a tradition for all families who successfully complete the program. \n\"Typically these parents have had lives of very low achievement, so it's important to motivate them to complete something,\" Higgins explained. \"Many of them don't have high school diplomas or other academic degrees. Completing our program and being part of a graduation ceremony may be the first time they get points for doing something. It's both something to strive for as they're going through the program, and it gives them a success to look back on. I believe it encourages the family on the road to self-sufficiency.\" \nHiggins emphasized the importance of \"going the whole distance\" so the ceremony closely resembles a traditional graduation. \n\"We rent graduation caps and gowns,\" Higgins explained. \"They love dressing up in robes, and we take pictures of them and give them copies. Sometimes we have local politicians to come and pose with them for pictures, which makes it feel more important and exciting. We print diplomas with our laser printer on nice paper with gold edges. We frame them in frames we buy in bulk. So the diplomas are not very expensive, but they mean a lot to them.\" \nThe parents are encouraged to help plan and carry out the celebration. \nHiggins explained, \"When parents first come to the program, we complete a talent map with them, and we encourage them to use their skills \n \nfor the graduation. The ceremony's music is provided by parents who can play piano or can put together a choir of some of the parents' kids. This gives them an option to perform which many of them have never had in their lives.\" \nThe program's parenting classes teach nutrition, where some of the parents learn to prepare party trays, hor d'oeuvres and food baskets for the graduation-activities that provide them with experience that might help them find jobs. \n\"All the parents are encouraged to invite all their family members, cousins, uncles, friends, neighbors, clergymen and so on,\" Higgins described. \"A lot of the families' original problems were worse because they'd gotten to be isolated, so we want the graduation to have a big social component. One thing that impresses me is their eyes look a lot different than when they first came to the program. There's a look of brightness, exuberance, confidence and appreciation. They've got their families together. They really shine.\" \nThe program provides transportation to the ceremony for parents who need it. \nDoris Walker, manager of DFCS foster care, said, \"We would like to see these sorts of celebrations in Georgia when children return to their homes or are adopted. Mini-grant funds are available for this. For information about obtaining this funding, call Ann Dennard Smith at 404.657.3306.\" \n \nCelebrations inspire families to strive for better lives. \n5 \n \n Daniels \n \nLeads \n \nAFPAG to \n \nN ew \n \nGoals \n \nThe Adoptive and Foster Parent Association . the outside,\" they might not know how closely \n \nof Georgia (AFPAG) is vibrant with progress \n \nAFPAG and DFCS are partnering. \n \nunder its president, Verdell Daniels. A Savannah foster parent for 15 years, Daniels was elected AFPAG president last February. \n \n\"It hasn't been long since AFPAG changed its name to include the word 'Adoptive,' and now AFPAG has two roles: fostering and adoption,\" \n \nOne of Daniels' top goals has been to \n \nDaniels explained. \"We've been inviting a person \n \nstrengthen relationships and communication \n \nfrom the state foster care office to every AFPAG \n \nbetween Georgia's foster and adoptive parents \n \nboard meeting. She reports to us on current things \n \nand the state and \n \nshe thinks we need to know and answers any \n \nVerdell Daniels is president ofAFPAG. \n \nlocal DFCS offices. questions we have. Recently the Office of AFPAG members are Adoptions also agreed to begin sending a reprebeginning to serve sentative to keep us clear about adoption issues. \n \non influential state- Communication like this helps us all avoid misun- \n \nlevel committees, \n \nderstandings.\" \n \nlike the state committee involved with recruiting and retaining foster parents. \n \nDaniels emphasized birth families now need foster parents more than ever, with new laws requiring DFCS to be faster in finding permanent homes for children. \n \n\"Certain things can cause families to quit fostering,\" Daniels said. \"Some parents get burned out or decide they don't like the system-or misunderstandings can occur. DFCS needs to hear the foster-parent viewpoint about what needs to happen to recruit and keep good foster families. Having an AFPAG member on the recruiting and retention committee will really help.\" \n \n\"We have some foster parents here in Savannah who take birth parents shopping, show them how to buy groceries, invite them to their home for dinner and even to spend the night,\" Daniels described. \"That's working in partnership with the birth family and the agency. We're supposed to be a role model and mentor for birth parents so they'll soon be able to take care of their children themselves. Some people think foster care is a quick way to adoption, but going into fostering with that idea can confuse and hurt kids. We need to let birth parents know we're taking \n \nAn AFPAG member also serves on the commit- care of their kids to give them time to get their \n \ntee which plans Georgia's annual training insti- \n \nact together.\" \n \n. tutes, so foster parents have a voice in selecting trainings to deal with real-life challenges. \n \nDaniels also has the goal of more counties using mentoring programs, pairing experienced \n \n\"When I first started \n \nfoster parents with new foster parents, to bring \n \n\"DFCS needs us as skilled, \n \nfostering, children's needs weren't as \n \nadded support to new families. Too, Daniels and the AFPAG board are working to bring a confer- \n \nprofessional partners.\" \n \ndemanding as today,\" ence to Atlanta unlike any ever to have come to \n \nDaniels recalled. \"Now Georgia; this conference on recruiting and retain- \n \nmore children have been sexually abused or have ing foster families will be primarily for foster \n \nfetal alcohol syndrome or exposure to crack. I \n \nparents and DFCS staff. Daniels also promises \n \ncan't take care of a baby with AIDS if I'm not \n \nthe February 25-27 AFPAG conference at Jekyll \n \ntrained to. These needs are why the required \n \nIsland \"will be an even bigger success than last \n \nannual training for foster parents was raised from year's.\" \n \n12 to 15 hours. DFCS needs us as skilled, profes- \n \nsional partners.\" \n \nDaniels noted that because most foster and \n \n6 \n \nadoptive parents \"see the state DFCS office from \n \nin Northeast Georgia \n \nA dramatic new direction in child welfare occurred 18 months ago, when the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) J)e\u003c:ame law. This federal law requires that children in foster care receive permanent homes more quickly than previously. \n\"ASFA frightened us because we worried about our ability meet its time requirements,\" recalled Myra Josey, state DFCS \nultant located in Augusta; Josey consults with agencies in 16-county region called Area 8. \"It's taken lots of hard work, ut we're exactly where we need to be under ASFA. On July 1, 998, we had 607 children in care. On July 1 of this year, we ere down to 360. That's a significant reduction. The majority f these children were able to go back with their families. Jn that \n12 months, 78 adoptions were finalized, with the other children \n g reunified with birth parents or custody being transferred relatives. We still have 46 children awaiting an adoptive f\u003elacement.\" \n \nJosey added, ''When I began as a foster care worker 13 years ago, we didn't have the resources available now. We've always had counselors available, but it used to be families would have one or two appointments a month. Now we can have counselors go in a home three, four or five times a week, as needed. We can help parents with training and employment.\" \n''We make sure we educate o\\ir fos- Myra Josey assists DFCS ter parents about ASFA and how they agencies in 16 counties. \ncan help,\" noted Rosalyn Panton, Augusta DFCS corrective action consultant. \nKeeping Time in Mind \n \nUnder ASFA, courts hold agencies strictly accountable for moving children into a permanent living situation within 12 months. Agencies can only obtain short extensions if case managers can give judges compelling reasons why the current plan will work if given a few more months. Agencies have changed how they work so children can find permanent living arrangements within ASFA's timeframes. \n''Now from the beginning, our agencies make families aware bf the law's timeframe,\" Josey explained. ''We give parents a form that maps out the timeline-it's very visual, with pictures \nof clocks that show what needs to happen when for their chil- \ndren to be able to return home. Also judges are very aware of ASFA and are telling families, 'You need to make these changes within a year to have your child returned home.' I meet with my area's counties at least every three months to talk about the progress of every single child still in foster care there. It's just a whole different tone.\" \nDoing More Sooner \nAlso families now quickly receive much more intensive attention. \n\"Jn the past, large caseloads held back case managers from getting to know their families very quickly,\" Josey noted. \"Now we're able to hire private partners to carry out comprehensive assessments of families, from the beginning gathering all the information we need. They talk to extended family to get family history. They get the children's school records, medical records and set up psychological testing for the family, if that's needed. This information helps case managers more quickly come up with solid plans to target each family's particular needs.\" \n \nPanton added, \"One of the things our agency now does is for the case managers to meet together on a monthly basis to talk about each child's permanency plan. At the meetings, we all have a list of all those children, the number of months they've been in roster care, their ages, the type of placement they're in, and their permanency plan. We take as much time as needed going through and exchanging ideas about strategies for these cases. That keeps everybody focused on the task of finding permanent homes and reminds everyone the agency has a serious commitment to meet ASFA timeframes.\" \nFamily conferencing (a process described in the Wmter 1999 issue of Rosalyn Panton is an this newsletter) is another key tool for Augusta DFCS consultant. \nworking intensively with families. These meetings bring together teams of professionals, extended family and friends to coordinate planning and support for families, both to help them more quickly make key necessary changes, as well as to help them sustain positive, safe lifestyles overtime. \n''We need to remember what time is like for a child,\" Josey emphasized. \"Jn percentages, 12 months in foster care out of a 4-year-old's life is like someone taking your family away from you for more than seven years if you're a 30-year-old case manager. We're not moving fast just because it's the law. We're moving fast because it's in children's best interests.\" \n \n Foster Care Unit Division of Family and Children Services \nSuite 18-222 Two Peachtree Street, NW \nD H R Atlanta, GA 30303-3180 \n \nThe 2000 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes: \nWorking Together for Children \n \nLearning to team together for children in foster care: that is the purpose of the 2000 Foster Parent and Staff Development Institutes. Institutes will be held on Fridays and Saturdays at four different locations throughout the state. \n \nAs in past years, the \n \nCatch u with the Institute \n \nInstitute will offer foster parents and agency \n \nMarch 17-18 ............... .Cordele April 14-15 ..................Athens \n \nstaff a selection of sessions with a practical focus. Friday's large- \n \nMay 12-13 .......... .. ... .Savannah group session will \n \nJune9-10 ................... .Macon center on building rela- \ntionships, negotiating, \n \nand coaching children \n \nabout choices. The session will also examine social \n \ncontracting to reach agreement between foster \n \nparents and agency staff, as well as between foster \n \nparents and children in their care. Agency staff \n \nand foster parents will be invited to describe difficult real-life challenges they have encountered, and the presenter will suggest strategies and plans for effectively addressing such challenges. \nSaturday's topics will include preparing teens for independent living; parenting, coaching and enjoying teens; post-adoption support services; understanding and managing challenging behaviors; the premature infant; working with alcohol and drug-exposed infants and children; and helping children with learning differences at school and in the home. \nInstitute registration brochures will be mailed to foster parents. Foster parents are asked to coordinate their attendance with their local DFCS. If local DFCS agencies cannot answer a question about the Institutes, call 800.227.3410 for questions about attending the Institute; for all other questions, call 404.657.3454. \n \n "}],"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":2,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":15,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false},"facets":[{"name":"type_facet","items":[{"value":"Text","hits":15}],"options":{"sort":"count","limit":16,"offset":0,"prefix":null}},{"name":"creator_facet","items":[{"value":"Georgia. 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