This factsheet explores what foster caregivers can do to work with the birth families of the children in their care to promote reunification. This may include actively communicating with the birth parents, the caseworker, and the agency; accessing help from a variety of sources; cultivating trust and compassion; and maintaining contact with families after reunification or other permanency. (Author abstract)
Fact Sheet, Brief
Children and youth who have been abused or neglected need safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments to recover from the trauma they've experienced. If you are parenting a child or youth with a history of abuse or neglect, you might have questions about the impacts and how you can help your child heal. This factsheet is intended to help parents (birth, foster, and adoptive) and other caregivers better understand the challenges of caring for a child or youth who has experienced maltreatment and learn about available resources for support. (Author abstract)
Brief
The purpose of this brief is to draw attention to the issue of post-permanency with its focus on the family, and move attention away from re-entry, which focuses on the system. Addressing the gaps in post-permanency practices will strengthen families and prevent children from re-entering care. There are many ways to support families after exiting foster care, including establishing clear funding streams for the most effective post-permanency supports, standardizing data elements to examine who does and does not re-enter care, and conducting rigorous research to identify what has helped…
Discute cómo los padres de crianza y adoptivos pueden ayudar a niños y adolescentes que han experimentado abuso sexual. Ofrece información básica sobre qué es el abuso sexual y enlaces a otra información para ayudar a los padres a aprender sobre el tema. La hoja informativa incluye sugerencias acerca de cómo establecer directrices para la seguridad y privacidad familiar, como también sobre cuándo se debe buscar ayuda profesional y dónde buscar tal ayuda. Discusses how foster and adoptive parents can help children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse. It provides basic information…
Analiza la naturaleza del trauma (particularmente trauma causado por abuso o negligencia), sus efectos en niños y jóvenes y las maneras de ayudar a un niño que ha experimentado trauma. Los padres biológicos o de crianza que no entienden las consecuencias del trauma pueden malinterpretar el comportamiento de su hijo, y sus intentos de lidiar con un comportamiento problemático pueden no ser efectivos y, en algunos casos, hasta pueden causar daño. Al aumentar su comprensión sobre el trauma, los padres biológicos y de crianza pueden apoyar mejor la sanación de su hijo, de la relación padre-hijo,…
Brief
The second in a series that addresses important issues facing those crossover youth who are dually-involved and the systems that serve them, this brief begins by explaining the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) was developed by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy to improve outcomes for youth who are dually-involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The model uses a research-based approach to assist child welfare, juvenile justice, and related agencies in adopting policies and practices that better…
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…
This fact sheet discusses the characteristics of grandparent caregivers in the United States and then presents information the number and characteristics of grandparent caregivers in South Dakota. Findings indicate: there were 7 million grandparents in the United States living with their grandchildren, and 2.7 million (39%) were responsible for caring for their grandchildren; there were 11,217 South Dakota grandparents living with their grandchildren, and 5,311 (47%) were responsible for caring for their grandchildren; of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren in South Dakota, 66%…
Brief
This issue brief is on the challenges that informal kinship care families face in the state of Nebraska and the identification of potential areas in which family support can be increased. It begins by defining kinship care and discussing the challenges of providing kinship care. Statistics on grandparent-headed households in Nebraska are share and indicate: median family income is approximately 28% lower among kinship families ($42,708) than all families ($58,926); nearly 70% have had full-time care of their children for at least 1 year; 32% have had full-time care of their children for 5 or…
Discusses the nature of trauma, especially abuse or neglect, the effects of trauma on children and youth, and ways to help a child who has experienced trauma. Parents or foster parents who do not understand the effects of trauma may misinterpret their child’s behavior, and attempts to address troubling behavior may be ineffective or, in some cases, even harmful. By understanding trauma, parents and foster parents can help support a child’s healing, the parent-child relationship, and their family as a whole.
