by Joe Kroll, NACAC executive director
The Green Book states: “It is generally agreed that it is in the best interests of children to live with their families. To this end, experts emphasize both the value of preventive and rehabilitative services and the need to limit the duration of foster care placements.” Federal funding, however, does not reflect this priority. Currently, 90 percent of federal funding can be used by states only after Title IV-E-eligible children have entered foster care or been adopted.
Since so much federal funding is for children who have entered care, states do not have sufficient resources to invest in birth family support and reunification. In recent years, we have seen the percentage of foster children who reunite with their birth families go down—from 62 percent in 1998 to 55 percent in 2003.
Children can reunify with their birth families when parents get needed support. In Nashville recently, I met Melissa, a mother who was addicted to drugs. She was at risk of losing her son Marley when she found Renewal House, an innovative drug treatment program that keeps parents and children together, rather than placing children away from their families in foster care. Melissa explains how hard it would have been for Marley to enter care rather than staying with her during treatment: “The pain of his mother being sick and gone … I know that would have been devastating. He would have gone through things he shouldn’t have to. None of it was his fault. To be able to heal with him while I was healing—that was just a beautiful thing.”
Annie was a meth user whose son Jory entered foster care in Oregon. She tried conventional drug treatment programs—like those offered to most birth parents—but they were not successful. It wasn’t until she found a comprehensive program that she was able to recover from her addiction and become a good parent to Jory. The program provided shelter, parenting support, and case management to help her form a more healthy relationship with Jory. “It was a very structured place,” Annie explains. “They had a parenting person and a manager on-site. … I had to have a plan and a goal sheet showing what I was going to accomplish while I lived there.” Today, clean for five years, Annie serves as a mentor to other mothers who are trying to overcome their addictions.
We need to reform child welfare financing so that there are more success stories like these. The federal government must significantly increase its investment in Title IV-B Parts 1 and 2, and provide states with increased flexibility in how they spend federal child welfare monies.
In addition, if states successfully reduce the use of foster care, they should be able to reinvest federal dollars saved into preventive and post-permanency services. Currently, when states reduce the number of IV-E eligible children in foster care, the federal government reduces its payment to the state. We recommend that the federal government provide states with an amount equal to the money saved in Title IV-E maintenance payments, training, and administration. This would provide an incentive to keep or move children out of care, while also beginning to address the vast imbalance in federal funding.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Birth Moms Like Me Need Help
by Kelly Cates, recovering addict who reunified with her children, Maryland
My involvement with child protective services stems from my addition to drugs. I am a recovering addict. Because of my addiction, my parents ended up getting custody of my children through DSS for almost three years.
Four years ago, I ended up pregnant and I ended up having to go into this program, it’s the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy through Bayview Hospital. At that point I had gotten into counseling with my children and myself and the worker was having transportation to bring the girls to the counseling. They got me into parenting classes. They had funding to get me to the parenting classes. My one obstacle to reunifying with my girls was that I needed to get housing for us. Anything that I needed to help me with my process of being reunified with my children, the agency was helping me and backing me up every step of the way.
I couldn’t have done it on my own. If it wasn’t for all the resources and help that I had I wouldn’t have been able to get my girls back.
I have three girls and it has been such a miracle for us that we have been reunified and I know that it is rare. We are all very grateful. I get very emotional with these things that I can show up today and be their mom. I have had them in different extracurricular activities, now two of my daughter’s have been in gymnastics now for a while and they are doing very well. My two older girls each play instruments in school, we are very involved in our church.
There are so many women there that are in similar circumstances that I was and they need help and they look at me and say, “How did you get that assistance?” Because of funding cuts, many of those services are not available today especially the housing program which was crucial for me.
I think, all in all, the amount of money that they would be spending to keep a child in foster care would out-weigh what it would take to help a mother be reunited with their children.
My involvement with child protective services stems from my addition to drugs. I am a recovering addict. Because of my addiction, my parents ended up getting custody of my children through DSS for almost three years.
Four years ago, I ended up pregnant and I ended up having to go into this program, it’s the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy through Bayview Hospital. At that point I had gotten into counseling with my children and myself and the worker was having transportation to bring the girls to the counseling. They got me into parenting classes. They had funding to get me to the parenting classes. My one obstacle to reunifying with my girls was that I needed to get housing for us. Anything that I needed to help me with my process of being reunified with my children, the agency was helping me and backing me up every step of the way.
I couldn’t have done it on my own. If it wasn’t for all the resources and help that I had I wouldn’t have been able to get my girls back.
I have three girls and it has been such a miracle for us that we have been reunified and I know that it is rare. We are all very grateful. I get very emotional with these things that I can show up today and be their mom. I have had them in different extracurricular activities, now two of my daughter’s have been in gymnastics now for a while and they are doing very well. My two older girls each play instruments in school, we are very involved in our church.
There are so many women there that are in similar circumstances that I was and they need help and they look at me and say, “How did you get that assistance?” Because of funding cuts, many of those services are not available today especially the housing program which was crucial for me.
I think, all in all, the amount of money that they would be spending to keep a child in foster care would out-weigh what it would take to help a mother be reunited with their children.
Youth Need Families
by Mary Lee, former foster youth, Tennessee
At 12, I entered foster care due to abuse and neglect. My foster family was fine, but it wasn’t like having a real family. My foster parents treated their own children different than me. I wasn’t allowed to date. I wasn’t allowed to sleep at a friend’s house. I knew as soon as I turned 18 that I would be on my own.
Unfortunately, I was in care for more than four years before anyone in authority asked me what I wanted. Every six months I appeared before a judge whose questions to her focused on school and her placement. It wasn’t until I was 16 that the judge asked me what I wanted in life. I told him, “I want what everyone wants—I want a family of my own.” The judge turned to my caseworker and said, “Let’s find Mary a family.”
In spite of the judge’s words, the road wasn’t easy. Many people were discouraging. They were like, "You’re 16. You’re going to go off to college in a couple of years, why do you want a family?” They didn't understand it was about my entire life, it’s not just about my childhood. I want to know that I’m going to have a place to come home to during Christmas breaks. I want to know that I’m going to have a dad to walk me down the aisle. That I’m going to have grandparents for my children.
Luckily, a former caseworker and his wife stepped forward to adopt me. I was totally overwhelmed. I had this strong desire to have a family, so I was really excited that I was going to be a part of the family. As soon as I moved in, I really felt a part of their family, I felt included. And even now, looking back, it’s like I had been with them my whole life. The adoption was finalized a week before my 18th birthday. They waited too long. To spend four and half years in foster care—it’s a waste of my childhood that I’ll never get back.
If you have a caring family who loves you and supports you, then you can do whatever you want to do. You can be a successful adult. I don’t think you’re ever too old. Even today, I still call my mom and dad for advice, for money, just to have someone to talk to.
At 12, I entered foster care due to abuse and neglect. My foster family was fine, but it wasn’t like having a real family. My foster parents treated their own children different than me. I wasn’t allowed to date. I wasn’t allowed to sleep at a friend’s house. I knew as soon as I turned 18 that I would be on my own.
Unfortunately, I was in care for more than four years before anyone in authority asked me what I wanted. Every six months I appeared before a judge whose questions to her focused on school and her placement. It wasn’t until I was 16 that the judge asked me what I wanted in life. I told him, “I want what everyone wants—I want a family of my own.” The judge turned to my caseworker and said, “Let’s find Mary a family.”
In spite of the judge’s words, the road wasn’t easy. Many people were discouraging. They were like, "You’re 16. You’re going to go off to college in a couple of years, why do you want a family?” They didn't understand it was about my entire life, it’s not just about my childhood. I want to know that I’m going to have a place to come home to during Christmas breaks. I want to know that I’m going to have a dad to walk me down the aisle. That I’m going to have grandparents for my children.
Luckily, a former caseworker and his wife stepped forward to adopt me. I was totally overwhelmed. I had this strong desire to have a family, so I was really excited that I was going to be a part of the family. As soon as I moved in, I really felt a part of their family, I felt included. And even now, looking back, it’s like I had been with them my whole life. The adoption was finalized a week before my 18th birthday. They waited too long. To spend four and half years in foster care—it’s a waste of my childhood that I’ll never get back.
If you have a caring family who loves you and supports you, then you can do whatever you want to do. You can be a successful adult. I don’t think you’re ever too old. Even today, I still call my mom and dad for advice, for money, just to have someone to talk to.
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