The narrative of foster care has been changing over the last decade. The stigmas are dissolving; the worth of foster youth has improved to a level on par
with “normal” kids. The last obstacle in the climb to equality lies within the walls of a school building. On October 19th 2011 powerhouses in government,
education and foster care all shared the national stage to brainstorm ways the foster care system can improve the academic experience of foster youth. The
revolution was televised.
The loudest voices in the fight for foster care equality are nearly hoarse from advocating. Daniel Heimpel of Fostering Media Connections, Senator Charles
Grassley and Senator Mary Landrieu have kept foster youth in the national spotlight and have spearheaded several movements that have improved the
lives of foster youth. All were on hand to lend their expertise to curb the 50% dropout rate that plagues the nations fostered.
Many factors culminate to create the lackluster numbers. The focus, as of late, has been keeping youth that need foster care in their home school district.
Many foster care alums can tell you stories of being moved from school to school throughout their academic career. The norm used to be separation, the
theory was, the further away from whatever trauma brought the youth to care, the better. While the separation may have helped in the healing process it
hindered academic development. Structure, consistency and overall sense of home are paramount to a thriving educational experience.
The town hall style event was held at Consumnes River College in Sacramento, CA, a school that is home to a large foster care alum contingent.
There were multiple web feeds, which allowed US Representative and co-chair of Congressional Coalition on Adoption Karen Bass (D-CA), Senators Mary
Landrieu (D-LA) Charles Grassley (R-IA) co-chairs of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, George Sheldon the Acting Assistant Secretary, Administration for
Children and Family and several foster youth interns with the CCAI an opportunity voice their input on the subject.
The event began with an introduction of all contributors, both via web as well as though in house, which included Mike Jones of Courageous Connection, by
Daniel Heimpel FMC Project Director. Heimpel spoke of the urgency of this type of discussion with the secondary education bill now up for review in the
Senate. He went on to speak of the media attention that has ramped up in the last year. All this new attention is a catalyst for further change to the system.
The panel discussion began with Carrie Somers a graduate of the Courageous Connections program relaying her experiences with being placed in several
different homes. With those relocations came a consequence, Somers says she found herself at a disadvantage, playing catch up to keep pace with her peers.
That sentiment was shared by Rep. Karen Bass of California who spoke via the internet. Bass explained that advances in the Senate caucuses and noted
several members of Congress and Senate who are making a difference in the policy making on the federal level. “I’m so excited that there are many people
in Congress that have been working on care for so long, I frankly, have many mentors.” She then relinquished the floor back to Heimpel in Sacramento.
Heimpel spoke of the ability to communicate with so many different sects at one time and the improvements to the system because of the sharing of
information.
Next the panel from Washington D.C. lent their expertise to the proceedings.
The panel contained the leading voices in foster care. Senators Grassley and Landrieu alone are responsible for the bulk of current legislation involving
care. George Sheldon offers an interesting perspective. “We have created a system for those children who need the services without ever talking to the kids
themselves,” says Sheldon.
“No disrespect to any of the professionals I’ve worked with, but I learn more talking to the kids of the system for an hour than I learned in years of working
with professsionals.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Senator Grassley and Senator Landrieu. “The thing to remember is that these children are not broken. Their families and
their circumstances may be broken, but they themselves are not broken. It is our responsibility to make sure they receive the same advantages as other
children.” Landrieu went on to say that she too sees the advancements occurring in the industry, and though encouraging, Landrieu was quick to note that
there was still more work to be done.
Three interns with CCAI the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute felt that the special education programs needed more attention. Thirty-five
percent of foster youth are in special needs programs, still it continues to fall to the way side. Providing mentors and more communication were suggested
as potential remedies. Time was spent talking with Mike Jones and some of the products of his work with Courageous Connections which acts as a liaison
between the school district and the foster care system, Both current and former members of the project were on hand to attest to the program’s success. The
floor was opened to questions giving others in the room an opportunity to contribute to the conversation. Concerns over home schooling, communication
between departments and consistency were all brought to the light.
Overall it was a successful event that brought the conversation on foster care to a national stage where everyone could contribute. From the Twitterers to
webcast parties that had entire offices locked on their computer screens this was an event that is far too rare.
CCAI and FMC are to be commended for the steadfast push to keep foster care in the national spotlight. This won’t be the last time Foster Focus will focus on
the work of these two fine organizations.
You can watch the webcast here.
Owner/Editor - Chris Chmielewski