Connect U Newsletter - September 2024 |
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Looking Forward to 2025 - We Need Your Help! |
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It's your chance to add your voice to NFPA...
We made a lot of progress over the past couple of years advocating for legislation to support foster, adoptive and kinship parents.
Our goal to provide a network of support and educational resources that meets your needs means that you need a chance to help us shape 2025 and beyond.
Would you please take 15 minutes and add your thoughts to our NFPA Stakeholder Survey?
We know and appreciate how valuable your time is and I thank you for your help. Arnie Eby
Executive Director, NFPA |
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September is National Kinship Care Month! |
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Kinship care is when children and youth live with relatives. When the home environment is unsafe, kinship placements are the preferred option because they can help to maintain family connections and cultural traditions and minimize the trauma of separation.
Supporting kin caregivers by using family engagement strategies and providing culturally appropriate training, services, and equitable supports can positively impact stability and permanency outcomes for children, youth, and families.
Prioritizing the placement of children and youth with kin can help transform the child welfare system into one that truly supports families. |
Recommended Kinship Resources |
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Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15) |
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Today, Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States, with a median age of 30.7. Hispanic refers to a person with ancestry from a country with a Spanish language. Latinos are persons with origins in Latin American countries, Mexico, South and Central America, and the Caribbean.
Hispanic or Latino children comprise more than 1 in 5 of all foster children nationwide (The Anne E. Casey Foundation). It is estimated there are 85,000+ Hispanic or Latino children in foster care.
Learn More
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FASD (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders)
Awareness Month |
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Every September, the FASD community gathers and gains momentum to advocate and educate in support of those living with FASD and those who care for them. This year, we’re ensuring FASD has a seat at the table throughout the 9th month and the 9th day (FASD Awareness Day).
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Join Arnie as he dons his red shoes for the FASD Red Shoe Gala on September 16th to help ensure at seat at the table for FASD, and NFPA.
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The National Center Knowledge Hub is designed to mobilize knowledge into practice to improve child welfare and mental health systems. We add resources and new learning experiences to this Knowledge Hub on an ongoing basis. |
Trauma Informed Parenting - Sequential Engagement
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In this video, Dr. Bruce Perry discusses the Three R’s (Regulate, Relate, and Reason) and how parents can build skills around the sequence of engagement to best help children when they are feeling dysregulated. View the Video |
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2019 Kincare Special Edition |
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Supports for Caregivers on Child Neglect |
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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is creating supports for caregivers on child neglect and trauma. To better understand what information would be most useful to caregivers, we are asking caregivers of at least one child who has experienced neglect to complete a brief 5-10 minute survey. The survey is anonymous and voluntary. It will not impact services caregivers and families are receiving and is in no way connected to any child welfare or social service agency. Caregivers who complete the survey may agree to be entered into a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card if they choose.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Becki Vivrette (rvivrette@childtrends.org) or Jessica Griffin (jessica.griffin@umassmed.edu) for more information.
Click here to complete the survey:
https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4ZmLJTMswORvrIW
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The History of Foster Care and NFPA |
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Have you checked out NFPA’s most recent addition to the website (under the “About” tab)? A historical timeline of foster care and NFPA. Visit the timeline here.
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Here are a couple of questions for you from the Timeline (check next month’s ConnectU newsletter for the answers):
1. What year was the first national conference on foster care?
2. What year was the National Foster Parent Association launched?
3. Which organization (that we still work with today) facilitated the creation of the NFPA?
4. Which came first - The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or, The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children?
5. What are the 5 Core Needs of foster and kinship parents that have come out of recent surveys? |
Addressing the Shortage of Foster Families |
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Arnie Eby, Executive Director of NFPA and Kati Mapa, Director of Public Policy at the Child Welfare League of America recently presented at the Family Focused Treatment Association’s annual conference in Denver, Colorado. Stay tuned for What’s Next? |
Special Thanks to QTS Data Centers
In Memory of: Katie Mae Smith, ($2,000 Memoriam) |
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QTS Data Centers is writing to make a donation to the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) in memory of Katie Mae Smith. Katie was a cherished member of our community whose compassion and dedication to helping others, especially children in need, left a lasting impact on everyone who knew her.
Katie had a profound belief in the importance of providing a nurturing and supportive environment for children in foster care. Katie was orphaned at 2 years old when her mother passed. She went on to live with her grandmother - who then passed when she was 4 years old. Katie was then handed off to various relatives who were poor, travelling sharecroppers in south central Kentucky during the 1940’s.
Eventually, she was removed from family members and sent into foster care where she was able to begin attending school at the age of 12. This innocent period in her young life shaped her personality and disposition as a mother of 3 children. In stark contrast to her own upbringing, she was determined to provide a secure, stable, and loving home – ensuring that her own children never knew the pain of not feeling loved, inspired, and appreciated. She admired the mission of the NFPA and its commitment to advocating for the needs of foster families and the children they care for. It is in her honor that we make this contribution.
Please accept this donation of $2000 in her name. We hope it will support the ongoing efforts of the NFPA to provide resources, education, and advocacy for foster parents and the children in their care.
Thank you for the incredible work you do to support foster families and improve the lives of children in foster care. We trust that this contribution will help further Katie's legacy of compassion and dedication to those in need. |
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