The Good Stuff in Child Welfare
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Welcome to The Good Stuff in Child Welfare!
Our team at the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice, & Research recognizes that between the all too frequent and grim child welfare stories that make us teary-eyed, clenched-fisted, and faint-hearted, there are inspiring accomplishments and heartening endeavors taking place all over this country at every level of practice. To elevate and promote these encouraging stories, we are pleased to bring you this monthly newsletter emphasizing news stories only about “The Good Stuff” from the broad field of child welfare. This month, the stories we highlight from around the nation cover a wide range of innovative services serving youth in foster care and their families, from education and employment to housing and wraparound supports. We hope this read gives you a few moments of hopefulness and a sense of possibility.
If there's something you'd like to see here, shoot us an email. Know someone who could use a little Good Stuff in Child Welfare? Send them a copy! We hope you love it as much as we do.
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New Center to Help Homeless, Foster Children with Job Training to Open in Selbyville |
Community Inspired Action, a youth and families-serving nonprofit in Delaware, opened a new after school program this month to provide employment preparation to older youth in foster care or experiencing homelessness. The new program, R.I.S.E., which stands for Resilient, Independent, Self-Sufficient, Empowered, will feature a lounge, with a couch and TV, to help give the youth a sense of home, safety, and belonging that Director Ketanya Moore says kids in the foster system often don’t feel. RISE will provide internet access, job search support and career training and placement for up to 15 youth daily.
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Healing Foster Kids One Wave at a Time |
The mission of Urban Surf 4 Kids in San Diego, CA is to provide opportunities for healing and empowerment through surf therapy, mentorship, and life skills achievement programs for youth in foster care and at-risk communities. The nonprofit collaborates with sponsors, partners, ambassadors, volunteers, and their team to create a family (Ohana) environment for some foster children who have been displaced numerous times. Urban Surf utilizes natural resources to heal foster children who have experienced abuse and neglect, as well as address the trauma they experienced that impacts their entire lives. Inspired by the Hawaiian culture, Urban Surf 4 Kids includes surf camps, mentoring programs, and a mobile after-school program that focuses on STEM education.
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Youth Services System in Wheeling receives $750,000 to Serve Homeless Teens and Young Adults |
Youth Services System, a non-profit providing shelter, residential and community-based services to over 60,000 at-risk youth in West Virginia is expanding its Transitional Living Services with increased grant funding. YSS will receive $250,000 per year for the next three years, an increase from the $170,000 award provided in past years. The higher grant award allows for an additional staff member to be hired and greater numbers of youth, many of whom are aging out of foster care, to be served. YSS is also hosting a Sleep Out fundraiser to raise the matching funds require to receive the grant.
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'This Can Be a Game-Changer': $1.1M Grant for SLCC to Help Underserved Populations |
Beginning November 1, South Louisiana Community College in Lafayette, LA will begin a five year federal grant to provide college admissions and support services to underserved populations in the rural areas surrounding their institution. The $1.1 million grant to operate a TRiO Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) program is awarded from the U.S. Department of Education. EOC programs are designed to serve groups who are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, including students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system. Through this grant, SLCC will provide information qualified adults on attaining a high school equivalency diploma, going to college, and getting financial assistance to pay for school. Participants also can receive assistance with completing applications for college admissions, testing and financial aid (FAFSA), in addition to counseling services, career workshops and guidance on career selection and college programs.
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Treehouse Wins National Award for Supporting Foster Youth |
Treehouse is a nonprofit organization providing academic and other supports to youth in foster care based in Spokane, WA. Through their efforts, Treehouse was awarded a Classy Award – an instrument to recognize local and social enterprises based on the merit of their impact – for its social innovation. Aside from recognition, the winners receive a feature on the winners’ page, two complimentary admissions to the 2022 collaborative event, and two round trip Southwest flights to attend the Classy Awards celebration among other benefits. Treehouse’s efforts to support the additional needs of foster children and increase graduation success awarded them this prominent accolade. The nonprofit’s mission is to increase the statewide foster care graduation rate to 90% by 2027, and they plan to expand to 60 more additional school districts by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Read more about the Classy Awards here.
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100+ Women Help Boost a Foster Family |
The 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun comprises like-minded and passionate women who help raise money for local charities. A diverse group of 100+ women comes together to pool donations of $100 per quarter to create a significant donation to a local charitable organization. Each member nominates a non-profit that is then selected at random for consideration. In September, 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun presented Boost a Foster Family with a $10,000 donation on behalf of their East Valley members. Boost a Foster Family helps prospective kinship families fulfill their state requirements and helps foster children be placed in kinship homes more quickly, avoiding lengthy stays in shelters and group homes.
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The Field Center team would like to thank the staff and students who brought this newsletter together. Specifically, we recognize our Fall 2021 student Richard Wren for his contributions in providing readers with this uplifting content. Many thanks to our Program Manager Sarah Wasch for editing and our Administrative Coordinator Felicia Saunders for handling design and distribution. Special thanks to our Managing Faculty Director, Dr. Johanna Greeson for her idea to curate the “good news stories” happening in child welfare! |
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