Much of today's news could better influence policy and culture change if we focused on reporting stories through a child welfare lens. Child welfare news sits at the intersection of health, education, class, race, criminal justice, finance, politics and so much more.
This non-partisan, semi-monthly digest is meant to keep Texans informed about policy, issues and events that affect kids in our community, including those living in the foster care system – kids for whom we pay taxes to the state to support and raise.
How we care for our young people helps to mold who they become in their adult life. Children really are our future – and the future isn’t just tomorrow or next week, it’s 10 to 50 years out from now. By spreading news on child welfare issues, I believe we can help impact all our futures in a meaningful way.
With that in mind, I've gathered media and resources that highlight important ideas and issues in child welfare.
Texas Child Welfare Digests are posted here at no charge. This digest includes local Texas news and relevant national and international news. It also includes op-eds, studies, resources and Texas child welfare meeting dates and information. Inclusion in this digest does not imply endorsement of any views, commentary or opinions expressed in an article or study.
This is Volume II of the digest. Items from Sept. 16 to Oct. 12, 2015.
ICYMI
A slew of new child protection laws took effect Sept 1, 2015. Read up here:
New child protection laws, policies being implemented
August 30, 2015 | By Andrea Ball | Austin American-Statesman
“Abused and neglected children might soon be safer as Child Protective Services begins implementing new laws approved by the Legislature earlier this summer, including laws that order more scrutiny of relatives, better reporting of deaths and a harder look at potential foster families.”
Many educators are introducing meditation into the classroom as a means of improving kids’ attention and emotional regulation. Here’s the article:
When Mindfulness Meets the Classroom
August 31, 2015 | By Lauren Cassani Davis | The Atlantic
“The U.S. education system’s focus on cognitive intelligence—IQ scores and academic skills like arithmetic—undermines the development of equally vital forms of non-cognitive intelligence. This type of intelligence entails dimensions of the mind that are difficult to quantify: It is the foundation of good character, resilience, and long-term life fulfillment. It is this part of the mind that mindfulness seeks to address.”
Two major child welfare packages won prestigious awards at the 15th annual Online News Association’s Online Journalism Awards dinner Saturday, Sep. 26. If you haven’t read these yet, add them to your list!
Award for Explanatory Reporting, Large: Drugging our Kids
August 24, 2014 | By Karen de Sá, Dai Sugano, Paul Baca, Qin Chen | San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group
University of Florida Award in Investigative Data Journalism, Large: Missed Signs, Fatal Consequences: How Texas Missed Deadly Patterns and Key Pieces of Information that Could Have Helped Protect Vulnerable Children
2014 | By Eric Dexheimer, Andrea Ball, Jeremy Schwartz, Laura Skelding, Kelly West, Andrew Chavez, Gabrielle Muñoz, Eric Webb, Christian McDonald | Austin American-Statesman
TEXAS NEWS
Region 2 is NEXT for ReDesign
October 9, 2015 | Texas Foster Family Association
“DFPS is pleased to announce the next area of Texas that will benefit from the Foster Care Redesign project. The newest catchment area is DFPS Region 2, which includes the following counties: Archer, Baylor, Brown, Callahan, Clay, Coleman, Comanche, Cottle, Eastland, Fisher, Foard, Hardeman, Haskell, Jack, Jones, Kent, Knox, Mitchell, Montague, Nolan, Runnels, Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Taylor, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young.
“ DFPS expects to release a Request for Proposals no earlier than December 2015.”
In Texas, Child Care Costs More Than College Tuition
October 8, 2015 | Eric Nicholson | Dallas Observer
“The cost of child care is one of those things that tends to blindside working parents. The little bundle of joy arrives, then BAM, they're paying what feels like tuition at a four-year college just to have the privilege of going back to work. The reason it feels like paying college tuition is because that's how much child care costs in Texas.”
Abilene ISD makes changes, expands student 'code of conduct'
September 29, 2015 | By Jeff Cramer | KTXS TV
“The term ‘parent’ has also been expanded. ‘It can now incorporate some things like family under Child Protective Services,’ said Leong. ‘Maybe foster care, things along those lines that would cause folks to be the parent in the situation but not necessarily be the biological parent.’
Rural families most likely to feel Medicaid cuts
September 27, 2015 | By Coshandra Dillard |Tyler Morning Telegraph
"The threat of cuts to Medicaid reimbursement payments for therapists put children, such as Nathan, in danger of losing the services that have helped them thrive. Over the next two years, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is slated to slash about $350 million in state and federal funds from Medicaid, which includes cuts to the Texas Acute Care Therapy Program, according to Texas Tribune reports. Legislators wanted to scale back on Medicaid spending, saying it outpaced other states' spending on therapy services.”
Waco Bikers Ride to Austin for Event Helping Victims of Child Abuse
September 25, 2015 | By Rissa Shaw | KCEN
“Once Bikers Against Child Abuse ‘adopts’ a child, they perform a ceremony with them, providing them a teddy bear and a biker vest like theirs. BACA members will take the child under their wing, doing ‘drive-bys’ to their home to check-in with them, go to court to show them support in the courtroom, and if a case is serious enough they will even stand guard in front of a child's home or escort them to school for protection if needed.”
How Can We Get More Parents to Buckle Up Their Kids?
September 24, 2015 | By Joy Diaz | Texas Standard
“According to World Health Organization statistics on seat belts and child-restraint laws, the majority of Latin-American countries have seat belt laws for front-seat occupants. But few have child-restraint laws. Even so, the WHO found that countries with laws targeting children rarely enforce them.”
More Help Coming For Houston's Homeless LGBT Teens
September 21, 2015 | By David Pitman | Houston Public Media
“The people who keep track of Houston's homeless population say one of every four homeless kids in the area is gay or lesbian. A new organization hopes to get specialized help for those kids before they fall victim to the perils of street life.”
Teen Clockmaker Arrested in One of Texas’ Most Punitive School Districts
September 17, 2015 | By Patrick Michels | Texas Observer
“Mohamed’s case is also a powerful signifier of two larger stories playing out today in Irving and its schools: the cost of fear-mongering in a town where a white minority is still clinging to power, and the persistent habit public schools — particularly Irving ISD — have of turning kids into criminals.”
Officials: Preventing child abuse is community effort
September 17, 2015 | By Krista M. Torralva | Corpus Christi Caller Times
“‘I would really like it if the community would… step in and intervene versus worrying about not wanting to get involved or (saying) 'That's not my business.' Children are their business,’ said Tara O'Connell, a CPS Services Program Administrator. ‘Children should not just be the business of child protective services. Everybody should stand up for the children of our community because they can't stand up for themselves.’”
Austin ISD Receives $2.5M to Create Community Schools
September 16, 2015 | By Kate McGee | Kut.org
“Four public schools in North Austin have received a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the federal government to implement a full community school model on their campuses. Austin ISD is expected to announce the grant later this morning.”
CASA celebrates Hispanic heritage month
September 16, 2015 | By CASA Reports | The Daily Tribune
“During National Hispanic Heritage Month, CASA of Titus, Camp and Morris Counties is calling for more Hispanic and bilingual volunteers to speak up for Hispanic children in the child protection system.”
Walt Investigates: Austin Foster Kids Crisis
September 16, 2015 | By Phillip Pavelka | KEYE -
“Thirteen Texas children died in foster care in just the past two years. The state legislature raised requirements for foster parents to help weed out the people unfit to care for children. But now there is another problem. The state says there are not enough willing and eligible parents to the overwhelming number of children in the system.”
NATIONAL NEWS
California Approves Laws To Cut Use Of Antipsychotics In Foster Care
October 8, 2015 | By Elaine Korry | Npr.org
“Efforts to protect children in foster care from being inappropriately medicated with powerful antipsychotic drugs got a big boost forward on Tuesday, when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed three bills into law designed to reform prescribing.
“Overprescribing of psychiatric meds for foster youth is a persistent problem nationwide, with children given the drugs at double or triple the rate of those not in foster care.”
When parents deported, kids can often land in foster care
October 4, 2015 | By Perla Trevizo | Arizona Daily Star
“Because of a lack of uniformity across agencies and across states, the outcome of each case depends largely on individual attorneys, caseworkers, judges and even detention centers.”
A Hole in the Safety Net Offered by the Affordable Care Act
October 2, 2015 | By Ray Glier | Youth Today
“Only 13 states allow foster youth to travel into their state with their federal health insurance, an obvious hole in the safety net of ACA.”
Many Former Foster Youths Don't Know They Have Health Care
October 1, 2015 | By Ray Glier | Npr.org
“Aossey is one of 400,000 foster youth in the nation, and one of approximately 23,000 per year who age out of foster care when they turn 18 (or 21 in some states). They are all eligible for Medicaid, regardless of income, under the Affordable Care Act until 26.
“Federal law requires states to cover former foster youth, and the federal government provides Medicaid matching funds to pay for it. But 21 states chose not to expand their Medicaid programs under Obamacare. And some states make enrollment for former foster youth easier than others.
Has Child Protective Services Gone Too Far?
September 30, 2015 | By Michelle Goldberg | The Nation
“A debate sparked by the free-range parenting movement has drawn attention to the threats and intrusions poor, minority families have long endured.”
Tough Love: Documentary Shows Parents' Struggles in Child Welfare Systems
September 30, 2015 | By Matt Smith | Youth Today
“That's the situation facing many parents who are trying to win back custody of children who have been placed in the child welfare system. The documentary ‘Tough Love,’ which aired on PBS this summer, follows two such parents on opposite ends of the country as they try to navigate two very different systems.”
Children In Foster Care Aren't Getting To See The Doctor
September 28, 2015 | By Patti Neighmond | Npr.org
“According to the report, more than 70 percent of these children have a documented history of child abuse or neglect, and 80 percent have been exposed to significant violence, including domestic violence. Almost all are further traumatized by being removed from their families, says author Moira Szilagyi, a professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.”
Parents Can Learn How To Prevent Anxiety In Their Children
September 25, 2015 | By Lynne Shallcross | Npr.org
“Whatever the form that the anxiety takes, it's a combination of overestimating the risk of danger — whether that danger is in the form of embarrassment, a dog or a test — and underestimating one's ability to cope, says Lynne Siqueland, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders in children and adolescents and was not involved in the study.”
Should Adoption Agencies Be Allowed to Discriminate Against Gay Parents?
September 23, 2015 | By Alana Semuels | The Atlantic
“In 1993, Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which said the government couldn't restrict a person's religious practice unless doing so furthered a compelling government interest. It aimed to reinforce the longstanding American commitment to freedom of conscience.
“But to some observers, the recent flood of religious-exemption legislation at the state level is taking this idea a step too far. Rather than protecting the religious liberties of individuals and agencies, it essentially allows agents of the state to discriminate.”
Advocates Say Homeless Student Numbers Point to Need for New Definitions
September 21, 2015 | By Sarah Barr | Huffington Post
“Nearly 1.4 million U.S. students were homeless last year, a number that some advocates say points to the need for better coordination among services that help children and families.”
Number Of Homeless Public School Students Hits Record High. Here's Who's Helping
September 17, 2015 | By Eleanor Goldberg | Huffington Post
“The number of homeless students enrolled in public schools hit a record high last year. But simply changing the way agencies define homeless youth could ensure that this vulnerable population gets the services they need.”
Adopted children who are 're-homed' hard to find, track: GAO report
September 17, 2015 | By | The Washington Times
“Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Texas Democrat and ranking member of House Ways and Means subcommittee on human resources, said the GAO report sheds light on children ‘who live and suffer in the shadows.’
"’Re-homing is a serious problem that impacts too many young people, particularly those who have already faced trauma or are coming to the United States from international adoption.’"
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Scottish Parliament backs ban on smoking in cars with children
October 8, 2015 | BBC News
“The Smoking Prohibition (Children in Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Bill had previously been backed in principle by the Scottish government, Scottish Labour and health charities as well as Holyrood's health committee, which will now further scrutinise the bill before it returns to the Holyrood chamber for final approval.”
Standardized adoption law sought by Greens
September 14, 2015 | Mexico News Daily
“A new adoption law is being promoted in an effort to make more homes available for orphaned children. At least 30,000 children are housed in orphanages.”
OPINION
The New Battleground for Same-Sex Couples Is Equal Rights for Their Kids
October 7, 2015 | By Tanya Washington | Huffington Post
“When the Supreme Court invalidated same-sex marriage bans in June, the Justices acknowledged they had the kids in mind. In the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy cited the infringement of the interests of children being raised by same-sex couples as one reason for the Court's ruling. Who are these kids? An estimated 220,000 children under the age of 18 are being raised in same-sex families in the United States. Half are nonwhite.”
Senske: What you can do to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect
October 7, 2015 | By Dr. Kurt Senske | Austin American-Statesman
”The narrative around foster care in Texas usually centers on overloaded caseworkers, traumatized children and a flawed, underfunded state system. However, few of us look in the mirror and wonder what we can do to improve the lives of Texas children in foster care. I challenge you to think and act differently, starting now.”
October 6, 2015 | By Mia Birdsong & Nicole Rodgers | AlterNet
“At its peak in the late 1950s, 65 percent of children were living in this type of ‘traditional’ nuclear family unit (with a father employed and mother out of the labor force). Today, it's just 22 percent. In other words, the "traditional" nuclear family unit is diminishing.”
Parents Who Need Child Care the Most Can’t Afford to Pay for It
October 6, 2015 | By Kj Dell’Antonia | New York Times
“Minimum wage workers in most states would have to work full time from January through July to cover the cost of child care in their area. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, infant care costs more than the average cost of in-state tuition at public four-year institutions. Among families with two children (a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old), child care costs more than the rent in 500 out of 618 family budget areas.”
A Rising Tide of Foster Care Entries
October 5, 2015 | By | Chronicle of Social Change
“The new data appear to confirm an end to the major decline in caseloads that occurred in the first decade of this century. The number of children in foster care fell from 567,000 in 1999 to 398,000 in 2011. The foster care caseloads declined slightly in 2012 and increased slightly in 2013, to 400,989. The 2014 figure suggests that we may be entering an era of increasing foster care caseloads.”
From Trauma to Redemption: How My Teachers Helped Me Survive My Life
October 1, 2015 | By Amnoni Myers | Huffington Post
“When did trauma become a theme in my life?
“I suppose it started at birth, when my mother abandoned me and left me in the hands of a relative who often locked me and my siblings in the basement with little food, water or light. By the time I was six years old, I had already experienced sexual abuse, emotional abuse and physical violence.”
What I Wish Others Knew About How Foster Parents Grieve
October 1, 2015 | By Dr. John DeGarmo | Huffington Post
“Indeed, for many foster parents, contact with a former foster child after reunification is a time of deep sadness and grief, as there is no closure for the foster parents. Sadly, I have also faced two failed adoptions, as well, leaving my family devastated.
“Quite simply, we grieve the loss of a child.”
Long-Term Contraception Has Great Potential in Helping Foster Teens
September 22, 2015 | Marie K. Cohen | Chronicle of Social Change
“When a teenager in foster care gets pregnant, the child welfare system has failed. The barriers to future education and employment for these young people are bad enough without the added burden of a baby. And of course, the risk of bad outcomes (including abuse, neglect and placement in foster care) are high for babies born to teen mothers.”
Young Black Males: Pushed Out and Away
September 18, 2015 | By Marian Wright Edelman | Huffington Post
“We need to stand up and fight against unjust systems that often push young people out of school and onto the path to prison. We also need to make sure we are doing all we can as individuals to show love and care and support to young people – especially Black and Hispanic – who already often feel pushed out and pushed away.”
STUDIES
Girls Serve Significantly Longer Sentences Than Boys in the Juvenile Justice System, Study Shows
“Females in the juvenile justice system are often at greater risk of serving longer sentences and having a mental health need than their male counterparts, according to research from Dr. Erin Espinosa, published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Behavior.
“The findings illuminate some of the gender disparities in sentencing and bring to light the particular mental health needs of girls in the system.” Read the full study here.
Helping Children Heal: Promising Community Programs and Policy Recommendations
“Advocates and policymakers in public health are paying more attention to the impact of exposure early in life to trauma or chronic adversity, since it is now known to impair brain development in children and have rippling effects on caregivers through secondary or vicarious trauma. Children of color are more likely to experience trauma through chronic exposure to violence and inheriting the impacts of generational and community oppression. Trauma-informed care has emerged as a set of standards, theories, and best practices in public and private agencies.”
Perceived Barriers to Mental Health Services Among Detained Youth
“The authors examine youth’s perceptions of barriers to mental health services, focusing on youth with alcohol, drug, and mental health disorders.”
Nontraditional Trauma Therapies for Youth: A Review and Synthesis
“Mental health care for children within the child welfare system is receiving increasing attention, with the focus primarily on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments. However, many practicing clinicians find value in the utilization of treatment approaches that are not typically deemed evidence-based by researchers and policymakers. These “nontraditional therapies” include such interventions as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), animal-assisted therapies, creative arts therapies, and movement-focused therapies.”
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2015
“America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2015 is a compendium of indicators depicting the condition of our Nation’s young people. The report, the 17th in an ongoing series, presents 41 key indicators on important aspects of children’s lives. These indicators are drawn from our most reliable Federal statistics, are easily understood by broad audiences, are objectively based on substantial research, are balanced so that no single area of children’s lives dominates the report, are measured often to show trends over time, and are representative of large segments of the population rather than one particular group.”
RESOURCES
A Collection of Juvenile Justice Resources was put together by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which works to improve outcomes for youth involved with the juvenile justice system. This post shares resources on the facts about juvenile detention in the US, recommendations for alternatives, community partners who may be working on juvenile justice in your community or state, and what’s been going on recently in the news concerning rehabilitation for youth.
This article, The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children: What Parents Need to Know, is intended for adoptive parents. It explains the INterstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC).
The monthly publication Youth Today also has a lot of information for youth/child welfare and education workers looking for grant funding here.
This agenda, the Native Children's Policy Agenda: Putting First Kids 1st, is “intended as a tool to assist tribal leaders and other policymakers in their work to create and implement a vision for a vibrant, healthy community. It is also intended to guide stakeholders as they prioritize legislation and policy issues that may affect Native children and youth. The partners have identified four overarching themes as guiding principles for improving children’s lives and outcomes. Within each theme, the agenda sets forth tribal strategies and policy objectives to implement these principles.”
The National Resource Center on Diligent Recruitment (NRCDR) at AdoptUSKids has a whole web page dedicated to tools and resources for child welfare workers and families working with diverse populations of children and youth in foster care. The page also includes documents and webinars on recruiting, and keeping, foster families from diverse backgrounds.
Did I miss something? Let me know via Twitter @ecortez_neavel or email me through my website contact page.