Saturday, February 2, 2013

Foster Focus: Monthy Mashup

In this Foster Focus column I am simply highlighting a few things that have caught my attention this past month:

 Sen. John Kerry's bill to inform foster children of college aid:
S. 3665 would require the Department of Education to notify foster youth of all federal funds available to support their pursuit of higher education — such as Education and Training Vouchers and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program — and include information specifically for foster youth on its website.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/271643-kerry-introduces-bill-to-inform-foster-children-of-college-aid#ixzz2JfCkVpxI

A foster child's choice -- to NOT to be adopted:
In her report, the psychologist wrote: S.D. "maintains an internalized idealized connection to her mother, and cannot give voice to profound feelings of abandonment and loss." Forcing S.D. to accept adoption—with all the real and symbolic loss and divided loyalty that could entail—might make it harder for her to resolve the difference between her idealized fantasy of her mother and the reality of her. The psychologist concluded that because S.D. did not embrace adoption, to push it on her might "cause even further upheaval in the formation of her identity."
Read more: http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4719/sidebar-one-foster-child-s-choice-not-to-be-adopted#.UPmjHR0rXSg

Efforts to reunite foster children with family members in Mexico:
Find Families In Mexico (FFIM) believes all U.S. foster children deserve to live happy, healthy lives in a permanent home. When relatives live outside the U.S., we believe in challenging the family-finding status quo. By identifying and locating their family members in Mexico, we become the catalyst to move children out of foster care.
Read more: http://www.findfamiliesinmexico.com/

Advocacy for pregnant and parenting teens in foster care:
Unfortunately, the fact that a young person is in foster care means they are often subject to increased scrutiny and many more rules than other young parents. Advocates for young parents in foster care must ensure that they are not held to a higher standard than other young parents not living in foster care.
Posted by