Christine James-Brown2013-05-23T16:37:55-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=christine-jamesbrownCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Christine James-BrownGood old fashioned elbow grease.Where Are the Candidates on Medicaid?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.18616072012-09-07T11:47:58-04:002012-11-07T05:12:01-05:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
For the most part, the coverage has been focused on the candidates' positions on Medicare, which is not surprising knowing that both parties want to appeal to the elderly, who are known to be the most consistent voting demographic. However, little to no attention has been given to the candidates' positions on Medicaid, even though the elderly who may reside in nursing homes, or otherwise need long-term health care account for a significant portion of Medicaid expenditures. More importantly, children, who make up over half of the Medicaid beneficiaries, but effectively no voting power, and the remaining beneficiaries (the poor and disabled) tend to be among those least likely to be engaged in the election process. The outcome of the November elections will significantly impact the future of the Medicaid program and the coverage provided to current and prospective beneficiaries and therefore it's important to understand where the candidates stand on this critical safety net program.
The passage of the ACA in 2010 and the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization the year prior provided President Obama the opportunity to make a defining statement about his vision for providing health care coverage to poor children and their families as well as other vulnerable populations, the disabled and the elderly, that tend to be Medicaid beneficiaries. Under these reforms Medicaid coverage has been expanded, strengthened, and protected for the future years. Additionally, under ACA and CHIP the number of uninsured has decreased and former foster youth are now eligible for Medicaid coverage until the age of 26. In his most recent budget proposal, President Obama highlighted his Administration's opposition to House Republican efforts to turn Medicaid into a block grant, which would cap funding to what is currently an open-ended entitlement. As a child welfare advocate, I also strongly oppose a Medicaid block grant because setting a cap on funding could potentially lead to enrollment caps, reduced services, and out of pocket expenses for children and families who are enrolled in Medicaid on the basis of not being able to afford health care coverage in the private market. Instead of a block grant, the Obama Administration has proposed a blended match to replace the current patchwork of formulas that states currently receive.
In 2006, when Romney was Governor of Massachusetts, he signed a health care insurance reform law which expanded the state's Medicaid program (MassHealth) to tens of thousands of children in families in the commonwealth. While Governor Romney has offered very little specifics around his Medicaid proposal, he has made one thing clear: as President he would repeal the ACA, thereby jeopardizing coverage for current beneficiaries but also eliminating coverage for the tens of millions of Americans expected to gain access to Medicaid under the ACA. According to his website, Romney has endorsed his running mate's plan to block grant Medicaid and offer more flexibility to states as they run their respective programs. He also supports placing limits on federal standards and requirements for Medicaid coverage, thereby restricting the federal government's ability to determine what services states must provide under their Medicaid programs.
Ultimately, the decision will be up to the American voters as they head to the polls in November. In the coming weeks, I want you to ponder a particularly important and poignant question: what vision for America's most vulnerable are you going to support?
One that ensures vulnerable children and families, the disabled, and the most needy have a strong safety net that meets their most pressing needs.
Or one that makes deep cuts to safety net programs for the sake of reducing the deficit, despite the fact that those who rely on these very programs are increasingly in need.]]>Look Back Anniversary Is a Time to Call for New Directiontag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16766402012-07-19T10:22:18-04:002012-09-18T05:12:17-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
Discretionary spending on children has declined by nearly $2 billion over the last two years. Less than eight percent of the federal budget is spent on children. It's obvious that Congress must start investing in our most vulnerable children. It's equally obvious that it must fix the eligibility requirement and put an end to all these years of leaving foster children behind. Yes, today marks the anniversary of the 1996 decision by Congress that has dramatically reduced the number of children placed in foster care who are eligible for federal support. Eroding eligibility for Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance means the federal government is increasingly doing less to partner in protecting children.
Landmark welfare reform legislation passed by Congress in 1996 did away with the more than 60-year-old anti-poverty program Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and replaced it with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. However, Congress did not detach the eligibility requirement for federal foster care support from the AFDC program. Thus, when a child enters foster care or is placed for adoption as a special needs child under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, the federal government will help subsidize a share of the cost only if that child was removed from a family that would have been eligible for the AFDC program as it existed on July 16, 1996.
In 1998, following enactment of these reforms, well over half of the children entering foster care, some 55 percent, were eligible for federal foster care assistance. By 2004, under half, or 48 percent, were eligible. By 2010, using the most updated data, that amount has dropped to 44 percent. In sheer numbers, 227,347 children in 2010 were placed in foster care but are not eligible for federal assistance.*
CWLA believes the eligibility link to a federal program that no longer exists is bad policy. We call on Congress to eliminate the link altogether and provide support for all abused and neglected children. For a full federal partnership in protecting all children who have been removed from their homes, the IV-E entitlement must be strengthened by extending its guarantee to all children in and adopted from foster care, regardless of the income levels of their parents or caregivers.
Fortunately, the recent sequestration process protects some key safety net programs. Congress has shown us, however, that preventing additional cuts to safety net programs, entitlements and other funding sources for child welfare services isn't their top priority. It's time for all us to join together and stand up for all children. It's time for a new approach. The idea that vulnerable children and families should be shielded from budget cuts has historical precedent, but now is the time to urge Congress to go further, to be held accountable. Members of Congress, regardless of political affiliation, need to be challenged to put children first -- not only when it comes to campaign slogans, but in their legislative priorities.
Note: The penetration rate is a CWLA calculation of special Children's Bureau data on state IV-E Foster Care expenditures.]]>Children Pay for Crack Down on Illegal Immigrantstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.11057082011-11-22T13:49:26-05:002012-01-22T05:12:01-05:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
Across the country more and more child welfare agencies are responding to urgent last minute calls to find a place for a child to sleep... a foster home or shelter that can provide care to children of illegal immigrants because their parents are gone. In fact, the Applied Research Center estimates that 5,100 children are now living in foster care because their parents have been detained or deported. Parents who love their children and who, for the most part, have done a good job of caring for them. Yet, our immigration policies do little to reduce the trauma of emergency placement and ensure that these kids stay connected to parents and relatives.
In child welfare, we know that when caring capable parents are in the picture kids simply have better outcomes. If our current immigration policies don't adequately reflect the importance of engaging these families, strengthening their ability to effectively plan for their children, even when separated, then we need to make a philosophical and practical shift in the way we work.
The Obama administration has the power to lead not only the discussion, but also to immediately order the review of current policies/protocols, to have such a review completed within 60 days, and to present balanced, centered, and appropriate recommendations for changes. Timing is critical, as every day, more and more families who are here illegally are being separated from their children and put into systems that have proven that they too often exacerbate the problems children face. Perhaps it's time we put these and all children at the forefront of the debate.
]]>Grand-Parenthoodtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9511742011-09-08T16:13:10-04:002011-11-08T05:12:02-05:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
Then surprise, your children have children -- but they aren't caring for them well. All of the sudden you become the parents of your grandchildren, and your life takes a familiar but definitely unplanned turn. This is now the reality for a growing number of senior citizens in our nation. Although this is often better for a child than entering foster care, it presents challenges of its own for both grandparent and grandchild.
Today, more than 2.6 million grandparents in America are raising six million grandchildren, according to the U.S. Census. Another 1.5 million children are being raised by other relatives. The reasons for this growing national trend vary, but the reality is that more grandparents are setting aside their plans to care for their grandchildren -- often with limited income and little or no support services.
Since raising grandkids wasn't part of their plan, economic hardships -- including legal, physical, and emotional challenges -- are common for these "encore" caregivers, hindering their ability to support their grandchildren and maintain their own health and well-being. The weak economy, resulting in deep cuts to vital social service programs, has made it even more challenging.
Often they are unaware of and find it difficult to navigate through the services and resources that exist to help them. In addition, a large majority of custodial grandparents have "informal relationships" with their grandchildren, meaning that the grandchild's custody went directly from the parent to the grandparent without involvement of the child welfare system. This informal relationship excludes them from many services and resources that are available to those with legal custody or guardianship.
A story in CWLA's recent Children's Voice Magazinehighlights the issues seniors face, including those of Frederick, Md.-based grandmother -- Christine Holland. She and her husband John faced many challenges after their granddaughter Chris came to live with them.
After a protracted and costly court battle with their daughter to adopt Chris, the couple decided to forgo reaching out to child welfare, fearing more red tape. What they didn't realize is that had they adopted her through the child welfare system, their granddaughter would have been eligible for health care, child care, and money for college.
In an effort to combat the difficulty of accessing services, the Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2008 allocated funding to establish centralized kinship navigator programs in states nationwide.
Kinship navigator programs help relative caregivers gain access to legal assistance, support groups, financial assistance, food stamps, respite care, and other critical services. Although these programs cost money, keeping more children from entering foster care saves taxpayer money and is a healthier alternative for many children.
At a national level, CWLA has been actively engaged in efforts to advance the implementation process of the Fostering Connections Act. For instance, CWLA is marking 2011 as the Year of the Grandparent: Keeping Kin Connected. Throughout the year, CWLA is paying tribute to America's grandparents and other kinship caregivers and promoting this parenting model as an effective way to reduce the number of children entering the foster care system and keep them connected to family.
As part of this effort, CWLA is partnering with Generations United, AARP, the Children's Defense Fund, GrandFamilies of America, and National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights to support the fourth annual GrandRally on September 15th, when thousands of grandparent and relative caregivers will gather on the West Lawn of the Capitol to highlight the critical need to protect and strengthen Social Security to support this vulnerable population.
Although kinship caregivers are not necessarily traditional child welfare parents, as the Year of the Grandparent and other initiatives move forward, kinship caregivers have reason to hope that the system will continue to evolve to meet the needs of their families.
For children whose parents are unable or unwilling to care from them, the love, support, and experience a grandparent can provide is often the next best option. Making it easier for grandparents to transition into grand-parenthood will make this unexpected life change better for all.
]]>Death Toll Mountstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9100682011-07-27T16:29:27-04:002011-09-26T05:12:02-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/became the focus recently after the death of Serenity Ann Deal -- a little girl killed by her father after being returned to live with him -- which then contributed to the suicide of a devoted child welfare worker.
It seems week after week news of other child fatalities permeates the media. Coverage of high-profile cases in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Prince William, Va., and Miami, illustrate our collective inability to keep children -- and even those who protect them -- safe.
As numerous headlines and the data on child abuse fatalities suggest, these victims may represent the early stages of a tsunami of child traumas and deaths. In fact, the Government Accounting Office released new estimates showing a 22 percent jump in the number of child fatalities from abuse and neglect -- 1,770 in 2009, up from 1,450 in 2005.
Unfortunately, this is probably only the tip of the iceberg. The economic strain on families and the child welfare system is creating a perfect storm as federal and state budgets bring cuts to major programs that support and protect vulnerable children... just when stressed and struggling families need the help the most.
A cursory look at headlines also reveals the issues that are stressing and undermining the fragile structures designed to keep children safe:
We can start rewriting the headlines and avert further catastrophes. First though, we as a nation -- parents, social workers, police, clergy, neighbors, business owners and relatives -- must become outraged. Man-made disasters like these can be prevented, but it will take a fortified community response to help protect and support our youngest citizens... and those who serve them.
That means strategic investments in child abuse prevention need to take place. Parents must avail themselves of programs designed to teach parents to be great parents. Neighbors, friends, pastors, teachers, doctors and extended families must step in and help identify and prevent abusive situations. The systems serving children and families -- education, health, court, child welfare and juvenile justice -- must work most closely together to ensure that the needs of children aren't getting lost in bureaucracy. And child welfare workers must receive the support, training and guidance to be successful.
But if our only answer is that child protection is solely the job of an overworked and underfunded system, then we are destined to continue failing our kids and the death toll will keep mounting.]]>Caring For Our Caylees: A Call To Help Struggling Familiestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8925092011-07-07T10:17:47-04:002011-09-06T05:12:01-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
This sad story also points out how we as a nation can do better for our collective children. For Caylee, being the daughter of a very young, immature mother with no parenting experience turned disastrous. Providing education and support to struggling and inexperienced parents can help alleviate some of the stressors these families face.
The real lesson is that more emphasis and spending must be put into child abuse prevention programs -- such as parenting education and home visiting efforts that support and teach parents to be the best parents they can be. Home visiting programs -- like the highly successful Healthy Families America -- provide in home, weekly visits by trained professionals who demonstrate positive parenting techniques, help connect parents -- often single and young -- to other community resources that can move them toward self-sufficiency and reduce stress.
But not every child is the beneficiary of parenting education. For those children lucky enough to survive abuse and neglect, a well-intentioned but disparate system of services awaits them -- which acts as a surrogate parent until their actual parents can either do the job or substitutes can be arranged.
The child welfare system -- which currently directly cares for more than the 400,000 U.S. children -- has thousands of dedicated and trained workers who are juggling large caseloads. The child welfare system isn't one system, but rather a collection of systems and services run by towns, states, and the federal government as well nonprofits, volunteers and churches. This patchwork system of surrogates has helped many children over the years; but we recognize that this system of services doesn't serve vulnerable children as well as it could.
That's why the Child Welfare League of America's (CWLA) role as a standard setter for the child welfare industry is very important. But that alone isn't enough to ensure the safety, health and welfare of children who are abused, neglected, or abandoned. What we need -- which is something CWLA and other industry and government leaders are focused on -- is to find ways to connect the different systems, so that children who are struggling get a seamless set of services that will protect them and set them on a good course.
By aligning child welfare, health, domestic relations courts, juvenile justice, housing, and educational systems, families and children stand a better chance of getting the help they need. Also children won't get lost in the process, which will ensure a better system of care and better results (with potentially less cost).
However, this system primarily focuses on children after the harm is done. All of us working in child welfare recognize that the most effective effort to protect children is through prevention. "A system" is a poor substitute for a good parent, which is why prevention must become the first stop in the system.
For sweet Caylee, better parenting skills taught by caring, trained professionals could have been a life saver. Unfortunately that didn't happen, so we must use this sad tale -- and so many others like it -- to learn, educate, and change in hopes of preventing more sad endings.
]]>The Other Mothertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8683322011-05-31T15:37:29-04:002011-07-31T05:12:02-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
These surrogate parents from all backgrounds step in to support and try to make life better for the 424,000 children of our child welfare system. In the process, these parents work to smooth over years of abuse, neglect, and separation to help a child reach their full potential. Along the way, these children have also had social workers, child protection officers, CASA volunteers, guardian ad litems, and judges filling in as parents. This dedicated group of professionals and volunteers comprise our nation's safety net.
Another group of "stand-in" parents are increasingly grandparents -- and other relatives. These unsung heroes are symbols of a growing movement of caregivers who are altering their life's plan to help raise their extended families. With more than 2.6 million grandparents raising their grandkids and hundreds of thousands more being raised by other relatives, kinship care has become a wonderful alternative for many children who can't live with their own parents. Of the children in foster care today, over a quarter are living with relatives at least temporarily. As a nation, by supporting and encouraging kinship care, we are helping increase their odds of growing up great.
In fact, this year, CWLA is paying tribute to those grandparents and other kin who are helping children face a brighter future through our Year of the Grandparent initiative, a year of educational and informational activities which highlight the growth in kinship care and showcase the improvements in child welfare policy and practice that have helped more children stay with family in lieu of entering foster care. The Year of the Grandparent celebrates these noble efforts to keep kin connected, but it also underscores the continued attention to child welfare to ensure that more children are protected and have options beyond foster care.
During National Foster Care Month, as we remember to thank the mothers and fathers in our lives who've given so much to help us achieve our dreams, let's also remember to recognize the mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and child welfare workers who've helped change a child's life by standing in when their parents couldn't. Words of thanks and gratitude or even a Mother's or Father's Day card are great ways to inspire and recognize these foster caregivers and workers.
Unfortunately, our nation has too many children who are celebrating Mother's and Father's Day without them, but thankfully there are many wonderful and generous people who are willing to share their lives, resources and homes with these children. I salute you. The selflessness of these "other mothers and fathers" is strengthening our nation.]]>Identity Crisistag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8658922011-05-24T13:50:56-04:002011-07-24T05:12:01-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
At issue most recently is the current budget drama that has been unfolding on Capitol Hill. First there was no budget -- which caused angst for real working people as a government shutdown loomed and Congress struggled to fulfill its obligation to work together and for the greater good. Now we have a budget for this year and the focus has shifted on developing one for 2012.
Unfortunately, the mounting disregard for the role of government in helping people seems apparent in the House-passed 2012 budget. It contains a number of severe cuts, mostly on the backs of poor children and families, despite the fact that the child poverty rate is now at a 50-year high. In child welfare, we've seen some success over the past few years in reducing the number of children in the foster care system due to hard work and progressive legislation such as the Fostering Connections Act -- a landmark bill that still requires appropriations to succeed. I fear that the strides we've made are about to come undone -- due in part to the economic stress and the severity of these budget cuts.
What's particularly disturbing is that at least two-thirds of the cuts in the budget plan target programs serving low-income children and families -- including Medicaid, nutrition efforts, and other social safety net programs. In fact, the plan would eliminate the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act, endangering a number of vital services that help the nearly 450,000 children served by the child welfare system, including access to health care. These services are pivotal to helping foster children and other vulnerable children break the cycle of abuse and poverty.
In addition, the House version is recommending an $18 billion reduction to the Labor-HHS bill, which provides discretionary funding for a number of Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act programs, Promoting Safe and Stable Families, Head Start, child care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and a number of health and education programs targeting vulnerable children and families, so the proposed cuts are especially alarming.
Have we as a nation become desensitized to the needs of those less fortunate? Certainly, we have many caring individuals in our nation -- ones who get involved, volunteer and donate to worthwhile causes. But recent political events make me wonder whether our values have changed for the worse, which doesn't bode well for our nation long term.
That's why it's imperative that we not forget who we are and what makes us different. Our nation's strength has always rested in the fact that we have compassion for others and have structured our society to give all people a hand up and an opportunity to be more. This has made us great.
We cannot let political pendulum swings prevent us from protecting children and ensuring they have a future. That's where true prosperity will come from, but only if we give children a fair opportunity to succeed. This calls for thoughtful budget-making on behalf of our elected officials and a willingness by voters to hold them accountable. ]]>Flagging Abuse: Your Role in Protecting Childrentag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8515882011-04-22T12:04:32-04:002011-06-22T05:12:01-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
That's why we must embrace a sense of urgency. Every individual -- and every stakeholder across the country -- from one child or family to child welfare agencies, the wider community, whole state, then the nation, must renew their commitment to quality, accountability and transparency in raising and protecting children.
As child welfare workers, we must advocate for more school and training, better supervision, and manageable workloads. We must also learn to share our stories -- both the good and the bad. Too often, it's only us insiders -- the leaders in our field -- who know the success that some of our youth attain. Learning from how these successes are achieved is crucial to preventing future tragedies.
As citizens, we should support Child Abuse Prevention Month efforts. One way is to fly a flag on April 22, the day when towns, states, and organizations around the nation raise CWLA's Children's Memorial Flag to increase awareness about children lost to violence through abuse and neglect. First launched in 1998, the centerpiece of the initiative is simple -- a red flag depicting blue, paper-doll-like figures of children holding hands. In the center, the white chalk outline of a missing child symbolizes the thousands of little lives tragically lost.
As parents, we can advocate by:
Volunteering. Get involved with other parents in your community. Help vulnerable children and their families. Start a playgroup. Simple support for children and parents can be the best way to prevent child abuse.
Disciplining children thoughtfully. Never discipline your child when you are upset. Give yourself time to calm down. Remember that discipline is a way to teach your child.
Supporting prevention programs. Too often, intervention occurs only after abuse is reported. Greater investments are needed in programs that have been proven to stop the abuse before it occurs -- such as family counseling and home visits by nurses who provide assistance for newborns and their parents.
Knowing what child abuse is. Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitute maltreatment, but so does neglect, or the failure of parents or other caregivers to provide a child with needed food, clothing, and care.
Reporting abuse. If you witness a child being harmed or see evidence of abuse, or if a child tells you about abuse, make a report to your state's child protective services department or local police.
Connecting with resources. Reach out to other parents, Mom's groups, churches, schools, nonprofits etc. for parenting education and support.
Visiting or e-mailing elected officials. Request that your governor, state legislators, county commissioners, and mayor proclaim the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month and fly the Children's Memorial Flag.
We all have a role in preventing abuse and neglect. This is a serious issue that undermines our society and requires urgent attention from all of us. Don't let the month go by without finding a way to mark the young lives that have been lost...in hopes of saving another.]]>Slicing and Dicing the Nation's Futuretag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8228552011-02-14T10:59:19-05:002011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
That's why I was pleased that President Obama's State of the Union speech made a strong plea not to harm the less fortunate when making budget decisions. In bringing spending in line with revenue, the President called for Congress to "make sure that we're not doing it on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens." He repeated this challenge when he spoke about Social Security, and specifically called on Congress to protect vulnerable Americans when considering changes in that program.
We too hope that careful consideration is given as Congress makes cuts -- especially as these relate to Social Security since Title IV-E of the Act was designed to help foster children. Even though we don't want to see this cut, we do think it's time to update the Act to make it more effective. Since 1996, IV-E eligibility has been tied to income requirements of a program that no longer exists, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Changes to the IV-E language are needed to correct the discrepancies created by being tied to this obsolete program and to open up IV-E to child abuse prevention strategies -- which can save money over the long term. Protection from abuse and neglect should not be predicated on a families' income. Also this federal support should be available for services that help keep families together instead of solely for removing a child from the home.
As the country continues to face many challenges with a growing poverty rate that disproportionately affects children, high unemployment, and millions of uninsured families, the Affordable Care Act provides a beacon of hope that children can be a priority for the nation. Policymakers should think long and hard before drastically changing this Act, which makes many improvements for children including:
• preserving the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through 2019 -- which remains essential for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to purchase private insurance;
• expanding Medicaid under the ACA to provide continued support for former foster youth after they age out of the system as well as other low-income populations; and
• providing federal funding for home visiting programs to keep children who may be at-risk of entering the child welfare system, in safe and stable homes
Congress should also continue implementing the landmark 2008 Fostering Connections Act. In a decade's time, the nation's foster care system significantly shrunk, declining by 115,000 children. The drop is the result of a multitude of factors, including a sustained and coordinated effort to change how children are supported. The Fostering Connections Act -- which enjoyed broad bi-partisan support -- will improve outcomes for foster children even more. Investments in foster children today mean fewer homeless and incarcerated adults tomorrow, representing a significant cost savings for the nation.
At the end of the day, we must remain vigilant about protecting those less fortunate. Children are neither a political nor a partisan issue. They should be regarded as a resource and national priority. Wise decisions now will have lasting impact on our nation's long-term fiscal health. So, as more thought is given about how and when to open the nation's wallet, remember that children are a sound investment that pay dividends for years to come.
]]>MLK: A Man for All Times and Peopletag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8117322011-01-21T14:10:56-05:002011-05-25T18:25:24-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
Take Jimmy Wayne for instance. His dark childhood was marked with abuse, abandonment and instability. With his mother in and out of prison, he bounced around a series of foster homes and was shuffled between 12 schools in two years, ultimately becoming homeless as a teenager.
With the support of a loving foster family, Wayne has lived to sing about his experiences. As a chart-topping country music singer, he advocates for the well-being of the nation's 25,000 foster youth who age out of the foster care system.
Or consider Melissa Majors, who lost her decade-long job as a result of unreliable child care. When her child support stopped unexpectedly and her unemployment money was delayed, she packed her family's possessions and moved out with her children, 12-year-old Admurel and 9-year-old Vanessa. Soon, the car became their permanent home. Admurel and Vanessa are two of at least 1.5 million American children who experienced homelessness last year -- and the number is growing.
These two stories depict different ways that poverty impacts a child's life -- bringing instability and poor outcomes -- and underscore the fact that poverty knows no color barriers since Wayne is white and Majors and her children are black. These are part of the collection of stories we in child welfare have about vulnerable children who make up our communities' chapters.
As I reflect on Martin Luther King and his numerous achievements, I realize that most people think about MLK only as someone focused on the rights of African Americans, but in reality he was concerned about the whole story: making sure that all people are able to reach their full potential. He was especially concerned about the poor, the most fragile and children -- like Jimmy and Melissa. If he were alive today, I imagine he would be excited by our progress, but also saddened that these narratives are still common.
After all, his concerns extended well beyond skin color. Before his untimely death, King had started organizing the "Poor People's Campaign" to address and solve economic issues facing the nation's poorest communities. As part of this effort, he was working to build "a multiracial army of the poor" to march on D.C. in support of poor Americans.
His broader interest in all vulnerable people is also reflected in his progressive "community of man" writings. In them, he discussed the challenges of globalization and the challenge and opportunity presented by technology. He also talked about the fact that, as a country, we will never be able to achieve full success unless we make sure that everyone is able to meet his or her full potential.
We continue to struggle with the challenges and opportunities resulting from globalization and technology...as Dr. King predicted. He also continued to be right about the need to adopt and embrace basic understandings and values as a means to overcome obstacles, including that:
• we are all part of the same community of man,
• we cannot achieve greatness unless we recognize that each person must meet his or her potential,
• love and respect are paramount,
• every person has a gift, and
• we must help everyone realize that gift on behalf of the full community.
As I think more about the child welfare profession, I know we have so many dedicated people who are living and applying these values on behalf of the Jimmy Waynes and Admurel Majors. Every day, we see the most vulnerable children and families in our work, and we see the most remarkable children and families. Often they are one in the same -- characters in real stories who are struggling to adapt and overcome the challenges they've been given.
It's those who serve -- and those we serve -- that remind me that Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech is as significant today as ever. We also know from his teachings that the dream pertains to even broader cross section of people: the poor, the newly poor, immigrants and children. As a man of all times...for all people, Dr. King remains a visionary author and thinker, continuing to guide and inspire us. But the story continues to be written and we still have much to learn.]]>Another Holiday Wish Listtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.8007982010-12-24T12:27:29-05:002011-05-25T18:20:30-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
As you get ready to deliver gifts near and far, I know that you will do your best to give gifts to children rich and poor, urban and rural, black, brown and white, and healthy and sick. Despite this, I know that not all children will have a festive holiday. I know that family and economic pressures can make this joyful season stressful. I know that high unemployment and rising homelessness means a holiday dinner may take place at a shelter. And I know that some parents won't be around to tuck in their children or fill their stockings.
Even though you have elves in every community helping those less fortunate who are struggling this season, I know it may not be enough. That's why -- if you have room on your sleigh -- I've put together a holiday wish list with a few more items that could really make a difference for vulnerable children:
TOOLS: Give parents the tools to be the best parents they can be. Preventing child abuse and neglect by teaching great parenting is the best way to help children grow and prosper.
RESOURCES: Give child welfare workers the resources they need to help those children whose parents can't, don't or won't. Budget cuts are making this humble and honorable profession even more stressful and difficult.
HOMES: Help find adoptive homes for the 183,000 children who are formally wards of the state. The greatest gift these children can receive is a loving family.
SUPPORT: Help the millions of grandparents and other relatives who are raising their grandchildren and kin receive the support they need so they can succeed. Reforms to Title IV-E of the Social Security Act can help ensure that grandparents don't become destitute by caring for their kin as well as enable more relatives to care for their loved ones.
FAMILIES: Help us reunite foster children with their birth parents when possible. Keeping families together is the best solution for a majority of the nearly half million children in foster care.
STRENGTH: For all the foster youth who are aging out of the foster care system without a family or a place to call home, give them the strength and resilience to find good support systems that will help them succeed.
As you start your long trek from the North Pole, I hope you can squeeze these extra gifts in your bag. I don't mean to appear greedy, but these presents will help children feel special, nurtured, and secure. Every child -- every person for that matter -- should wake up on Christmas Day and know that they are not alone... and best of all, that they are loved. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.]]>Faced with Facestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7772932010-11-02T01:18:14-04:002011-05-25T18:10:25-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/November's National Adoption Month because it helps focus me on the faces of children in foster care.
Recently, after a long day at the office, I went searching -- my soul and the internet. I was having one of those moments when I needed to reboot. I ran across a segment on DC-based NBC4's Wednesday's Child -- the program that features foster children available for adoption during the news. It was a piece about a talented 14-year-old girl named Jennisfer who had big brown eyes and loves to draw and ride horses. Seeing her story reminded me of my own daughter when she was a child and how special our time together was.
Since I was already drawn in, I watched another segment about David, a cute young boy with Down syndrome who was having a fun-filled day at Gymboree. Both of these children are available for adoption from the foster care system. Despite their challenges it was clear that both children were lovable and in need of being loved. As I watched these two pieces, I choked up thinking again how lucky my own daughter was to have loving parents to share special moments with, help guide her decisions, and just give her a hug.
Still I needed to see more faces to drive home the importance of the work that we in the child welfare world. I logged onto a variety of adoption related sites, including AdoptUSKids.org. Gracing the front were teens Nickayla and Darrien of Kansas. These beautiful siblings with big smiles -- one loves to sing and the other enjoys sports -- desperately want to find a family and most importantly stay together.
Behind each of these faces and stories is a caring child welfare professional, working to ensure that children have a chance to be reunited with families or if this is not possible, have opportunities to get adopted. My hunt for faces and stories of children available for adoption also reminded me of all the outstanding work that child welfare workers do to ensure children get reunited with their birthparents and/or find new ones. These dedicated professionals work tirelessly to ensure a better life for children.
One such professional being honored this month as AdoptUSkids's Caseworker of the Month is Shanda Moorman, an adoption recruiter for Wendy's Wonderful Kids in Orlando who firmly believes that "every child is adoptable." And her work shows that. Due to her persistence and sensitivity, she recently was able to facilitate an interstate adoption of twins with significant medical conditions. Her excitement over seeing photos of the children laughing and happy with their new family showed the pride she takes in her work. Shanda is representative of so many outstanding child welfare professionals who view their profession as a calling.
Why is it important to put faces on this issue? That's because more than 110,000 children in the United States -- who have suffered from abuse and/or neglect -- have nowhere to go. They are wards of the state -- legally released from their families -- and waiting in the foster care system, hoping that a caring adult will come along and make the world right again for them. But 110,000 is just a number -- albeit a big one. Behind that number are real children who lives and futures have been upended and stolen from them by parents and situations that have let them down.
That's why my favorite day of National Adoption Month is National Adoption Day, when communities across the United States celebrate the making of new families. On this day, court systems nationwide help children heal and families come together by legally joining foster children with adoptive families. This ceremonial effort puts a face on the issue and symbolizes the importance of how strong families are the fundamental building blocks for communities.
If you have a few minutes this month, please take the time to search the Internet for the names and faces of children who want nothing more than to be loved. If you have room in your heart and home, consider adopting one. Just as importantly, take a moment to hug and care for your own children. Good parents are in demand... and they make a difference.
]]>Proof Positivetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7441592010-09-30T13:37:43-04:002011-05-25T17:50:22-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
For those of us who work in the nonprofit arena, making a case for investing in programs and efforts that help those less fortunate is central to what we do. Even with great research, it can be difficult to convince others that investing money and time -- in a smart and strategic way -- will make a difference for vulnerable people.
That's why it was so exciting to see recent figures released by Health and Human Services showing a significant decline in the number of children in foster care. In a decade's time, the number of children in the system declined from 540,000 to around 424,000 this year.
While still appallingly large, it's a sizable enough drop to be more than an aberration. The drop is still good news and the result of a multitude of factors; but at its roots, it is the product of a sustained and coordinated effort to change how children are treated. The numbers are proof positive that investing in families -- through the collective efforts of child welfare professionals, legislators, nonprofits, and state and local governments -- works.
How did it happen? As the number of children in foster care exploded, major national and grassroots public relations and direct service efforts evolved that put the issue on the radar for more Americans. The idea that the nation's foster care population was greater than several mid-sized U.S. cities, including Miami and Kansas City -- was inconceivable and unacceptable. Unfortunately foster children are often faceless to the larger community. But as the issue received more attention, a larger effort was made to put a face on the issue.
Public awareness events grew, such as Heart Galleries, National Adoption Day, National Adoption Month, Wednesday's Child, Angels for Adoption, and National Foster Parent Month. Celebrities like Bruce Willis and Patti LaBelle provided needed voices. Major funders -- like the Dave Thomas Foundation, Freddie Mac Foundation, and Casey Foundation -- gave the issue wings. Legislators joined in as well, forming the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, implementing the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and passing the landmark 2008 Fostering Connections Act. And of course, the national and local nonprofit and child welfare communities advocated for their young wards and invested in their success.
The growing chorus led to serious discussions and debates about: preventing abuse and neglect, increasing kinship care, emphasizing reunification, the effects of aging out, who could and should be foster parents, what to do with foster children who are older or have special needs, racial disparities, and adoption as a goal for children.
The debates were good because it caused movement on all fronts. Today, when possible, more children are reunited with their parents, thanks to prevention efforts through models like Healthy Families America. Also now more people consider being foster and adoptive parents. Increasingly, similar financial and service supports are being provided to relatives to be foster parents, ensuring that more relatives -- especially grandparents -- are able to take in and provide care to their young. Finally, the concept of family-centered foster care has grown and contributed to moving children out of the system faster. Overall, the results are fewer children in foster care, greater awareness of the issue, and more parents who have honed their parenting skills.
Even with this great success, 423,000 children remain in foster care. Also, the new numbers show that a majority of the success came from a few large states that had major improvements. We cannot rest on our laurels or lessen our investments just because we've tasted success. We have to learn from the successes these states have had. After all, hundreds of thousands of children still need us to do our best on their behalf since they have been failed by many in their short lives.
In the long run, more attention and focus must continue to be put on prevention of child abuse and neglect as a means to keep more children out of the system and in safe, healthy homes. To do so, proven prevention services such as parenting classes, home visiting, appropriate housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and child care assistance must be more available and accessible. Also we must continue to develop higher quality, more responsive system of services for all children since it's always a challenge to get this diverse system of services to work together better.
A White House Conference on Children and Youth is a long-overdue means to convene a national discourse on the topic of vulnerable children and would be a means to evolve important debates about helping children succeed. In a decade that has seen much forward movement for foster children, it's time for the President to embrace a White House Conference, giving it the green light to move forward. A dialogue that engages leaders and stakeholders from around the nation is needed to continue to build cohesiveness and drive system and thought changes.
The evidence that we are headed in the right direction is in the numbers. But children are more than numbers, and we must not let the digits obscure the fact that we need to forge ahead. We need to continue evolving the way we work together, strengthening and enhancing the services we provide, and having constructive, inclusive and honest discussions. The ultimate proof of our success rests with the 423,000 children who are still counting on us.
]]>From Country Music to Media: Young Superstars Give Foster Youth Powertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7357672010-09-23T13:38:30-04:002011-05-25T17:50:22-04:00Christine James-Brownhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-jamesbrown/
This tenet shapes my life and my work because it speaks to our society's ability to better itself. Over the years, I met those who have found that "greatness" within and used it to change lives, including country music sensation Jimmy Wayne and award-winning journalist Daniel Heimpel. These exceptional young men are using their gifts and talents to give a voice to foster youth.
Currently, our nation has 423,000 million foster children eagerly waiting to be reunited with their parents, placed with relative caregivers or adopted into a permanent home with a forever family. Originally envisioned as a temporary refuge to protect children, the foster care system for many children means multiple placements, frequent school transfers, broken family relationships, educational deficits and other hindrances that make transition to adulthood difficult.
For many youth, it's a future of unhappy endings. Approximately 26,000 adolescents "age-out" of the system every year -- meaning they never get reunited or adopted. Upon exiting the system, they are confronted with the harsh realities of life on their own, without the provisions that most adolescents on the road to adulthood take for granted -- family support, personal connections, and access to resources such as higher education, vocational training, medical care, housing, and nurturing adult relationships within their communities. The results are costly, giving rise to a population of young people with higher than average rates of homelessness, criminality, incarceration, substance abuse, unemployment and dependence on welfare.
Recognizing these issues, many celebrities who spent time in foster care are using the power of their fame to increase awareness and focus our nation's attention on the urgent needs of foster children. One of these is country music sensation Jimmy Wayne, a former foster child who experienced homelessness as a teenager. To raise awareness and support for teens that are "aging out," he embarked on a rugged road trip on foot for his "Meet Me Halfway Campaign." On January 1, Wayne set out on a solo walk from Nashville, Tennessee to Phoenix, Arizona. He completed the seven month trek of nearly 1,700 miles on July 31. He is also co-writing his first novella based on his foster care experiences in North Carolina. The short story: "Paper Angels," which is named after one of his songs, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2011.
Then there are those relative unknowns who have become strong advocates by association like Daniel Heimpel, a young newspaper reporter who covered foster care issues and mentored two teen boys in the system. Deeply moved by these experiences, he quit his job so that he could dedicate his energies and journalistic expertise to attracting the media's attention to the plight of our nation's foster children. With support from the Stuart Foundation, he launched Fostering Media Connections, a project of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute that aims to accelerate state-by-state implementation of the 2008 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act -- the most significant child welfare policy legislation in more than a decade.
Through the Fostering Media Connections Project, the journalist turned activist is on a mission to get media outlets across the country to care about fixing foster care as much as he does. He travels the country to meet with frontline news decision-makers and reporters to convince them to feature stories that will build political and public will to transform child welfare policy and practice.
As Jimmy and Daniel dedicate their efforts to the cause, they are joined by a growing chorus of young superstars. Armed with their hard-won expertise, an increasing number of former foster youth are also lending their "voices of experience," advocating for the thousands of foster children who cannot speak for themselves. Despite their personal trauma and tragedies, these former foster youth are rising up and sharing their stories with leaders and the public on the national and local levels in an effort to improve America's child welfare system.
Jimmy Wayne, Daniel Heimpel and the scores of former foster youth show that human spirit and dreams can make a difference. Each reflects what one passionate person with a purpose can achieve, and they remind us that greatness lies within everyone. Working together, we can help more youth triumph over adversity and discover their true potential.
