skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Bay State In-Line: New "Blueprint" for More and Better-Trained Foster Parents

play audio
Play

Thursday, November 17, 2016   

BOSTON – It's being called a blueprint for government and helping agencies to better meet the needs of children coming into foster care.

The new paper from The Annie E. Casey Foundation cites a critical need for more and better-trained foster parents.

John Levesque, deputy project director at AdoptUSKids, says the Bay State was ahead of the curve in implementing some of the recommended strategies, such as helping build the specialized skills to effectively care for children who have experienced instability and trauma.

For example, he says some foster parents would be better than others in dealing with a young person with a history of substance abuse.

"What is it about those families?” he poses. “Do that take part in support groups? What is it that they do different to help that youth or teen recover from substance abuse or addiction?”

AdoptUSKids is focusing on the recommendation that it help states recruit even more foster parents, and the organization is putting special emphasis on finding foster and adoptive homes for children in their mid-teens.

The report also stresses the need for states to provide targeted resources, information and support services to help children grow and thrive.

Ashley Garcia was adopted at age 14 and now lives in Chelmsford with her adoptive mother. She says the state has been doing its part.

"I was happy that I got adopted, because I was not only getting the love that I wanted, but also the financial support that I needed, because now I am in college,” she states. “I still need my mom to be there by my side. It doesn't matter the age of the child. Each child needs their own parent, and they need the support – even if you're 22 years old."

Child welfare consultant Denise Goodman says the first line of therapy and healing is in the foster home. She says it's not uncommon for helping agencies to underestimate the role of foster parents.

"There is a perception that foster parents are simply paid volunteers, which is kind of an oxymoron,” she states. “Foster parents have stepped up to do a very important job, and they do know the children the best."

The Casey Foundation report calls for states to ensure high quality foster care, help foster parents form strong relationships with the children, and identify and recruit more foster families.







get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021