Adoption professionals and those in the marriage and relationship education (MRE) field are becoming more aware of the special issues adoptive couples face in their marriages. Practitioners from both disciplines may want to consider ways to bridge these two fields together by offering MRE classes in adoptive-parent training at both public and private adoption agencies or by offering them through post-adoption services. Those who are working with couples may be unaware of how much a marriage can be impacted by the special needs of adopted children. This Tip Sheet highlights common issues…
Other
This article provides foster/adoptive parents, who may have some valid concerns about sexual abuse and about meeting the special needs of children who have been sexually abused, with some basic information about child sexual abuse as well as some special considerations to help them feel more confident in taking on the challenges and rewards of fostering or adopting these children.
This fact sheet explores results of the 2009/2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) and compares and contrasts the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s six outcomes for South Dakota and the nation. It begins with background information on the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Maternal and Child Health Services Black Grant, and the six core outcomes that describe what families should expect for the service system. The six care areas are: partnering with families in shared decision-making for child’s optimal health; coordinated, ongoing, comprehensive care…
Report, Other
This report considers the role of family participation in government entities such as boards, advisory committees, and task forces that make policy and implementation decisions regarding services for California's 1.4 million children and youth with special health care needs (CSHCN). Information was gathered through interviews with parents, advocates, and administrators, a review of literature regarding family participation, and preliminary research regarding family participation on more than 60 California State- and county-level government policy entities that have role sin programs that…
Other
Individuals require many skills to be college and career ready, including academic knowledge, technical expertise, and a set of general, cross-cutting abilities called employability skills.Employability skills are general skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. These skills have a number of names--soft skills, workforce readiness skills, career readiness skills--but they all speak to the same set of core skills that employers want.The Employability Skills Framework is a one-stop resource for information and tools to inform the…
Brief
Promising occupations for at-risk youth provide sufficient compensation and could put them on a path to becoming independent adults. To identify promising occupations, this brief examined four key features: 1) median earnings level, 2) education and training pre-requisites, 3) projected growth in labor-market demand, and 4) potential for individual advancement. Based on these criteria, opportunities in two fields are highlighted -- health care and construction. A number of work-based learning and career pathway programs are also discussed, including ACF's Health Profession Opportunity Grants…
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Journal Article Emerging adulthood is a phase in the life course recently identified by development theorists. For youth in foster care, recent federal legislation in the United States has engendered new programs, typically called independent living programs, to help them become successful adults. This qualitative study reports the findings of interviews with a diverse sample of 27 current and former foster youths in a Midwestern state, focusing on the quantity and quality of independent living services received. The youths reported hopeful expectations and plans for their futures, widspread support for…
Brief
This brief explains culture defines the values, beliefs, and practices surrounding when and how youth transition to adulthood, and presents a checklist to provide medical home teams with a tool to facilitate the programmatic and organizational change necessary to respond effectively to culturally defined beliefs, practices, and preferences and the inherent issues they raise in the provision of health care and related services for youth and their families. Characteristics of culturally competent organizations are described, and six core elements of health care transition are identified. The…
The purpose of this guide is to provide a comprehensive set of resources for jurisdictions interested in addressing the needs of pregnant and parenting youth in foster care.The guide is organized into three major program categories: 1) Parenting Supports; 2) Developmental Supports for Children and Parents, including Health Care and Trauma-Informed Supports; and 3) Preparation for Adulthood, including Education and Housing. Evidence of effectiveness is listed in each of the program descriptions, which includes rating information from Evidence-Based Clearinghouses or any other information of…
