President's Page
Letter from the President of the Foster Care Association of Oklahoma
Dear Oklahoma Resource Families and Advocates, to all of our membership, old and new, I welcome you to help us experience another great year with The Foster Care Association of Oklahoma. 2008 brought about many, many changes for all of us. Thanks to our many friends here at FCAO we have endured the struggles and goodness that came our way.
It was wonderful to see so many of you involved in the Heart and Soles project and it restored my faith and hope in Oklahoma to see so many unite for a common cause - OUR KIDS. At the same time like many foster care systems around the country, Oklahoma's foster care system is in crisis. Children placed in the foster care system are increasingly exhibiting serious behavioral issues. Turnover among frontline social workers and foster parents is at a critical point.
Recruitment and retention of resource parents has been a focus of state funded programs, but it has remained difficult to accomplish, at best. Resource parents leave the system in Oklahoma every day because they feel unprepared and unsupported. A tremendous amount of funding has been put into finding new foster parents, and while the system has been able to keep its head above water for the most part, it is not sustainable.
I feel there is hope if we can change the basic relationship between the state and resource parents. There are many highly skilled and highly trained resource parents in Oklahoma who have dedicated their lives to raising the state's most at-risk children. These resource parents have been able to improve outcomes for youth whose futures at one time looked bleak.
This is my favorite time of year, I like to make plans, write lists and set goals. As your new president, I look forward to more exciting events and projects that will lead to lasting memories for all our children and families. Nothing is too difficult if we unite to make a change for all of our Oklahoma Foster Care Family. Children in foster care quickly grow up to be citizens of our state. Their lives are in all of our hands. Oklahoma resource parents are choosing to work collectively and actively toward a new day for resource families in Oklahoma.
I would like to take a minute to thank not only resource families for what they do but to also share with you what a wonderful group of people I serve with on the FCAO Board of Directors. Each one of them volunteer countless hours each year to serve the families they love and to make a difference. We hope you will work with us toward a better future. I wish you all a year filled with joy, happiness, peace, love, understanding, patience and blessings.
Friendship is the golden thread that ties all hearts together. May we have a golden year!
Sincerely,
Lana Freeman
From the FCAO President - February 3, 2009
This is national legislation.
It was DPHHS at the federal level that contacted this person to draft this act. It is going to the hill with the full support of DPHHS. I think he said that there will be Recruitment and Retention dollars attached to it.
I have attached the sample letters. It would be great if everyone could respond and pass this on to others in or out of the field who would be responsive. The instructions are all in the following letter.
Thanks, Lana
URGENT REQUEST!
To: NFPA State Affiliates and other stake holders. The National Foster Parent Association Public Policy Committee has been working with the Pennsylvania State Resource Family Association and Advocates in Action on a project to finally give you the foster parent rights that so many of you have asked for. This national legislation will give every foster parent in the United States a voice and enable you to be part of the child welfare team. We have put many hours into making this happen for you and we need your help. The Bill was introduced in the last session and is now being reintroduced as the Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009 and it will be by Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas again. This legislation addresses the number one reason why foster and adoptive resource families leave the system. Health & Human Services studies show that while foster parents leave the system for a variety of reasons, the main reason they leave is because they are frustrated and exhausted. These foster parents are weary from navigating a foster care system that is difficult and sometimes inoperable. This legislation is a common sense answer to solve the problem of not enough homes for the children. The legislation offers support and reassurances that will help foster parents do the best job possible by providing a consistent standard in practice and to elevate the public perception of foster parents by publicly validating their critical role in human service through statute. The following language is from the bill, it has been tweaked a little since we wrote this and we will provide a link at the end of the letter for the full version of the legislation.
"Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009 Responsibilities of any State that receives Federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance established under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) to assure that county and private agencies provide the following to resource families:
(1) Notification of scheduled meetings concerning the child in order to actively participate and have input into the case-planning and decision-making process regarding the child.(2) Support services to assist in the care of the child, consistent with the child's approved permanency plan.(3) Open, complete and timely responses from the county or private agency when contacted by the resource parents. (4) Information about the child's medical history, general behaviors and information regarding the relationships between the child and his or her parents as soon as that information is obtained by the county or private agency. Within a reasonable amount of time the agency shall provide information concerning the educational history, life experiences and placement circumstances of the child.(5) Consultation with the resource parents in the development of the permanency plan.(6) Timely and complete information about all permanency options available and the benefits, rights and responsibilities associated with those options including but not limited to adoption subsidies, continuing medical coverage for children, post-permanency services, tuition supports for children and others. (7) Consultation with the resource parents in the decision to release the resource family's address to the child's parent and notification when such information has been shared. (8) Assistance with the coordination of services for dealing with family loss and separation when a child leaves the resource family's home and when relocation is not the result of an immediate threat to the health and safety of the child caused by the resource family.(9) Information on all county or private agency policies and procedures that relate to the role of a resource parent.(10) Appropriate training that will enhance skills and ability of the resource parent.(11) Information on how to receive services and reach county or private agency personnel on a 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week basis.(12) Confidentiality regarding allegations of abuse involving a member of the resource family. The provision of confidentiality shall not interfere with the safety of the child.(13) Opportunity to be heard regarding agency decisions or practices. The agency shall not discharge, threaten or otherwise discriminate or retaliate against a resource parent for questioning the decisions or practices of an agency.
(14) As provided by the Social Security Act section 438(b)(1), 475(5)(G), 42 U.S.C. §629g(b)(1), 675(5)(G) , all resource parents shall receive notification of and right to be heard at all court proceedings (including reviews and hearings) that are held with respect to a child in their care. In addition child welfare agencies shall provide support including but not limited to training and transportation to and from these proceedings."
To bring this to fruition we need your help and the help of any organizations that you are affiliated. Please use the attached sample letter and simply fill in the 3 red highlighted areas. Simply follow the directions on the second attachment on how to send it to your Senator. We have also provided a link to the Advocates in Action website. The documents are also posted under the NFPA Project-Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act (highlighted in Red) on the web site along with the documents listed below.
http://www.advocatesinaction.com/TOOL_KITS.html
1. Original Legislation that is being reintroduced as the Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009
2. Instructions on how to contact your Senator.
3. Talking points and statistics.
4. Sample support Letter to use in writing your Senator.
This is truly the best opportunity that we have to get a place at the table as part of the child welfare team and we can make this happen with just a little bit of your help!
Sincerely
Garry Krentz.
