Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia (AFPAG)

Legislative Action: Legislative Alerts

Overview | Legislative Lingo | Bill of Rights

URGENT ADVOCACY ACTION NEEDED!

Click on "Dream House for Kids" for information on how you can help our partners:

DREAM HOUSE FOR KIDS

http://www.dreamhouseforkids.org/

Fostering Connections Resources

http://www.fosteringconnections.org/ Provides up to date information on all requirements.

www.abanet.com   Provides information on legal requirements of the act

http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/fostercare.cfm   Provides helpful information about health care access, including related requirements of the act.

HUD Notice of Funding for Family Unification Vouchers

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is making $14.6 million in grants available to help local housing authorities across the country reunite thousands of children with their parents. The children are either in foster care or there is a threat of being placed in the foster care system. Local housing authorities must apply for the money by December 3, 2009. To read the full text of the funding notice announced September 30, click here. For more information about how housing and child welfare agencies must collaborate on the FUP application, please log on to the website of the National Center on Housing and Child Welfare, www.nchcw.org.

White House Conference on Children and Youth

NFPA is pleased to inform its members that over 800 organizations have signed on in support of a call for a White House Conference on Children and Youth. It has been 40 years since the last White House Conference, and it is time for an update to the national standards for serving children and youth affected by abuse and neglect. There are important steps you can take to advocate in this effort:

1.    Learn about the call for a White House Conference on Children and Youth by clicking on this link: http://ga1.org/cwla/alert-description.html?alert_id=25623681 or paste the link into your internet browser.

2.    Contact your member of Congress and request their support of H.R. 618 and S. 938. To learn how to contact your member of Congress click on this link: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

3.   Send a letter to President Barrack Obama. For a sample letter click on this link: http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/WHCthreesteps.htm

Support CAPTA

The National Child Abuse Coalition is seeking support of increased funding for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) for federal fiscal year 2011. A letter has been sent to Director Orszag, U.S. Office of Management and Budget regarding the need for this increased funding. View the letter at http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/FY2011budget.pdf. Read more.

Free Toolkits for Working with Immigrant Families in Child Welfare

Recently released by the Migration and Child Welfare National Network (MCWNN), A Social Worker's Tool Kit for Working With Immigrant Families -- A Child Welfare Flowchart (August 2009) and A Social Worker's Tool Kit for Working with Immigrant Families -- Immigration Status and Relief Options (June 2009) provide public child welfare workers with a basic understanding and overview of the U.S. immigration system and how and when immigration issues may arise during the chronology of a child welfare case. Download the free tool kits here.

The Importance of Family Engagement in Child Welfare Services

This recent Northern California Training Academy publication discusses the importance of family engagement in child welfare services. Engagement in child welfare services has been associated with positive outcomes for child welfare services, drug treatment programs and mental health services. However, effective engagement between the worker and biological parent is often elusive for a variety of reasons, including severe parent problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, parent mental health problems and worker and agency characteristics that serve as barriers to effective engagement. The publication identifies best practice approaches as well as characteristics of children and families associated with effective engagement. Additionally, it presents an extensive review of the literature and outlines the critical features of engagement, such as early and intensive client involvement. The research includes both client and worker views of effective engagement practices as well as barriers to effective engagement. Overall, a strengths-based, collaborative approach to service is supported. (2009) Read more.

Family Group Decision Making: The Importance of Independent Coordination

A recent American Humane issue brief discusses the importance of independent coordination in Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) model. In 2008, after broad consultation with the family group decision making community in the United States and abroad, American Humane issued a statement on the purpose, values and processes of FGDM that advocates for FGDM processes to be carefully crafted to ensure fidelity to FGDM values and to ensure those values drive practice. Five items were identified as critical to supporting exemplary practice in FGDM, first of which was that independent (i.e., non-case carrying) coordinators be responsible for convening family group meetings with agency personnel. This brief expands upon the importance of independent coordination of the FGDM process. Read more.