This article is reprinted with permission from The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School.

News Brief: Could Plan to Speed Adoptions Have Unintended Consequences?

By Kendra Hurley

January 26, 2012 — The Administration for Children’s Services’ (ACS) recently released strategic plan places a heavy emphasis on speeding up the pace at which young people move out of foster care and into permanent homes. But some attorneys and parent advocates are urging caution, worried that proposed new financial incentives tied to federal adoption timelines could have unintended results.

There’s no denying that many New York City kids are spending a very long time in foster care. More than one-third of New York City foster children aged 18 and younger have spent at least three years in foster homes, according to city data. That’s better than it used to be: Today, half of the children entering care for the first time are back home within six months, down from 11 months in 2007.

Nonetheless, those on the adoption track still wait more than four years, on average, before leaving foster care. The long length of stay for would-be adoptees has hardly budged in recent years even as the size of the foster care system has shrunk. “Children are growing up without families, and there’s nothing more devastating I could imagine than for a child to grow up without a family,” says Marcia Lowry, executive director of Children’s Rights.

The new ACS plan includes popular ideas to deal with these long lengths of stay, such as streamlining practices in the city’s notoriously slow and backlogged Family Court. But Bloomberg administration officials have proposed another strategy that is proving controversial: giving foster care agencies financial incentives to meet a timeline set by the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA).

ASFA, the sweeping 1997 federal law that attempted to cut lengths of stay in foster care, requires that agencies seek to terminate parental rights as soon as a child has been in foster care for 15 out of any 22 month period. But as of last summer, officials say, more than 95 percent of the approximately 3,300 New York City children who reached 18 months in foster care that year had not been the subject of a Family Court petition to free them for adoption.

“Federal timeframes and New York State statute must serve as guidance in our practice with children in foster care,” says ACS Commissioner Ron Richter. “Children’s timeframes are different than an adult’s, and we have an obligation to achieve timely permanency planning for children in our care. Our foster care agency partners must make efforts to reunify families where possible, and when reunification isn’t possible, another plan must be obtained.”

Parents’ rights advocates contend that financial incentives would have the opposite effect of what the city intends. Nonprofit agencies that run the foster care system for the city are paid a per diem rate for each day a child spends in foster care—and adoptions generally take much longer to complete than reunifications. This means there’s a built-in incentive for foster care agencies to favor adoption, explains Mike Arsham, executive director of the Child Welfare Organizing Project, a parent advocacy organization.

“Setting a goal of adoption is going to drive up the average length of stay,” says Arsham. “If you can set a goal of adoption for a significant number of children in your care, then you can ensure a cash flow.”

Many children spend longer periods in foster care while their parents try to kick an addiction, finish a prison sentence or complete programs required to prove they’re ready and able to safely care for their children. “Say a person has a drug problem and goes into drug treatment, and they have a couple of relapses before they are able to retain sobriety, and it takes two years rather than 19 months,” says Chris Gottlieb, an attorney with New York University’s Family Defense Clinic. “To speed that case to adoption doesn’t serve the best interest of the child.” In such a case, she adds, “it would not be appropriate to file a termination of parental rights.”

Eric Nicklas, chief operating officer at the foster care agency Forestdale, Inc., says that because the foster care system has shrunk in size, a higher portion of its families present difficult challenges that take longer to resolve. “If you have a system that works to keep kids out of care, then the ones that are left are the ones for whom there is no easy solution. This is how it should be,” says Nicklas, who worked at ACS for more than 10 years in its office of research evaluation and its foster care division. “But there needs to be a recognition that it takes more investment to get the kind of outcomes for these families we all want.”

Nicklas says there’s a danger in putting incentives only on adoption milestones, adding that ACS should keep financial incentives on actual permanency outcomes, including when a child is returned home.

Many of the city’s 14,000 foster children are already exempt from ASFA’s timeline, including the nearly 35 percent who live with relatives, whose homes are considered stable placements. Others, including some children with parents in prison or drug treatment programs, have been exempted.

“There’s such a huge percentage of those kids there at 18 months who should go home,” says Gottlieb. “It’d be much better to focus on the ones who have been in care three years and four years. Those are the ones who won’t come home. And then let’s talk about why they’re not [moving out of foster care] more quickly.”

Sandra Killet, a parent advocate at the foster care agency Children’s Village, says that terminations of parental rights can have dire consequences for teenagers who end up as “legal orphans” because they have been legally separated from their parents but never adopted. Today, there are more than 550 young people in New York City who are neither legally tied to their parents nor living with a family who plans to adopt them. “Should we really be doing this? Is this in the best interest of the child?” asks Killet.

But others point to the long periods of time infants and toddlers spend in foster care—months that can add up to the better part of their short lives.

“For kids in foster care, every month matters. You only get to be 5 years old or 8 years old or 10 years old once,” says Jim Purcell, chief executive officer of the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies. “I want to see our agencies, ACS, and the courts bring a greater urgency to the decision-making so things move along, but I’m not necessarily in favor of rigid timeframes that might not work for some of our families.”

“We will work collaboratively with our foster care agencies to develop strategies that will help us meet ASFA timelines, with an awareness that one-size-fits-all is never an appropriate approach,” adds Richter. “Each family’s challenges are different and each child’s needs and interests their own.”

News Brief: Could Plan to Speed Adoptions Have Unintended Consequences?

Forestdale is a Queens-based organization that connects young people and families to their communities. We provide innovative programs to serve children and youth in foster care and to support families in crisis. Along with our nationally recognized Fathering Initiative, we target three areas: safe and stable home life; educational excellence and nontraditional career development; and health and sexuality education.

Job Summary:
Forestdale currently seeks a Spanish speaking Preventive Case Planner responsible for working with families who are experiencing circumstances that threaten the safety and well-being of their children, in order to help prevent separation of children from their families. Preventive Case Planners help strengthen families to promote healthy growth and development within the family.

The ideal candidate will be compassionate, energetic, self-directed and goal-focused with their approach to work.

Responsibilities include:

• Visiting families in their homes and at the agency on a bi-monthly basis
• Providing individual, family, and group counseling
• Documenting all case activity with families and community providers using the N.Y.S. Connections system and N.Y.C. PROMIS system
• Assisting clients with housing and daycare issues
• Advocating for clients in their effort to secure services such as public assistance, health insurance, and help with immigration issues
• Coordinating and maintaining contact with workers at the Administration for Children’s Services
• Maintaining contact with schools, mental health facilities, and other service providers
• Participating in staff meetings, in-service trainings, and outside trainings for professional development
• Assisting in emergency situations as needed
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with all agency policies, procedures and governmental regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA
• Other duties as required by supervisor

The Preventive Case Planner will report to the Administrative Director of Preventive.

Candidates must possess the following:

• Masters or Bachelors Degree in Social Work or a related subject from an accredited college or university
• Fluency in Spanish is a must
• At least two years of experience in counseling and advocacy services, which may include field placement experience
• Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills
• Strong ability to work with Internet and MS Word a must
• Ability to accommodate a flexible work schedule

Forestdale Inc offers a comprehensive benefit plan that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous vacation time, 401K , matching and pension plans.

TO APPLY: Resumes should be sent to vserrot@forestdaleinc.org; include the job title “PREV-FD” in the subject of your E-mail.

Follow Forestdalejobs on Twitter!!

Equal Opportunity Employer

Forestdale is a Queens-based organization that connects young people and families to their communities. We provide innovative programs to serve children and youth in foster care and to support families in crisis. Along with our nationally recognized Fathering Initiative and a program for teens that are pregnant and parenting, we target three areas: safe and stable home life; educational excellence and nontraditional career development; and health and sexuality education.

Job Summary:
Forestdale currently seeks a Fathering Specialist fluent in Spanish for its Fatherhood Initiative (FI) Program. The FI was launched in 1998 in an effort to help non-custodial fathers strengthen their bonds with their children and families. All participants in the FI take part in a 12-week course that includes parenting and relationship skills, job and education counseling, and anger management courses. All of our efforts are focused on helping men become stronger fathers for their children. For many men, our program is the first place they have truly felt a sense of belonging. Forestdale extends that sense of community through the Alumni Fathers Program, a unique feature among fathering programs.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing comprehensive case management services including individual and group counseling and other services to older (over 24 years of age) or younger ( 24 years of age or younger) non –custodial fathers interested in being involved in the life of their child or children
• Facilitating parenting classes as well as other group work services as needed
• Interviewing non-custodial fathers/consumers to assess needs and readiness for service
• Developing and implementing a service plan with the non-custodial father
• Coordinating planning and services with Life/Career Coach
• Performing face-to-face contacts with clients at least twice a month
• Attending meetings and conferences with service providers and other related agencies and organizations involved with the consumer.
• Providing crisis intervention to non-custodial fathers
• Documenting all activities and attempted activities related to planning and service provision for fathers
• Maintaining and managing all record-keeping requirements as they relate to specific clients on caseload in a timely and accurate way
• Participating in unit meetings, in-service training and other activities designed to enhance job performance
• Assist in emergency situations as needed
• Other duties as required by the supervisor or needs of the program/agency

Ideal candidates must possess the following:

• Bachelors in social work or a related subject from an accredited college or university
• Ability to speak Spanish fluently a MUST
• Great organizational, written and verbal communication skills
• Energetic, self-directed and goals-focused approach to work with our non –custodial fathers
• Valid NYS Driver’s License preferred and must possess the ability to travel
• Candidate must be flexible-some evenings and weekend hours may be required

Forestdale Inc offers a comprehensive benefit plan that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous vacation time, 401K , matching and pension plans.

TO APPLY: Resumes should be sent to vserrot@forestdaleinc.org; include the job title “FI-FD” in the subject of your E-mail.

Follow Forestdalejobs on Twitter!!

Equal Opportunity Employer

When they stepped into the garden, fall leaves still covered the ground. The men worked tirelessly for two straight days. By the end of the second day, all the leaves disappeared and bright green plants were poking through the ground. Each of the men expressed feeling good about giving back to the community. They hoped their hard work would ease the demands on Forestdale’s maintenance team come springtime.

Rick Furel gave the men a tour of the campus, and the students said they want to continue serving as role models for the youth at Forestdale, particularly teenage boys. They plan on coming back this spring to speak with youth who are entering college. They will give them advice on the adjustment of going away to school and on how to balance their social lives with their academic responsibilities.

To find out more about how you can help like these young men, please contact our Community Development Department at 718-263-0740 x219, or email at development@forestdaleinc.org.

On Tuesday, the White House Council for Community Solutions announced its “100-Day effort to spur new commitments to support 1 in 6 young adults out of jobs and school.” You can read their full release here.

The collaboration addresses the need for wide spread action by public entities and private businesses. According to a new analysis from Columbia University and CUNY/Queens College, in 2011 “taxpayers shouldered more than $93 billion to compensate for lost taxes and direct costs to support the young people disconnected from jobs and school.”

The partners include: Bridgespan Group , FSG , Gap Inc. , McKinsey & Company, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Taproot Foundation.

The partnership released a toolbox and toolkit to encourage collaboration between local organizations and businesses:

Community Collaboratives Toolbox

Connecting Youth & Business Toolkit  

Forestdale Workforce Development Initiative aims to ready our youth for their future, and provide on-going support to help them succeed. Please read more about our program here. You can donate to our Annual Appeal to support the children and youth at Forestdale and 100 percent of your donation will go towards their educational needs.

On Wednesday, Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Issues, invited Forestdale and other New York City organizations to meet with world championship boxer Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez to discuss domestic violence. 

Photo by William Alatriste, New York City Council photographer.

Martinez began his mission to bring awareness to domestic violence after noticing the connection between his sport and different types of violence. He has traveled around the country speaking out about this issue.

In a statement issued by Council Member Ferreras’ office on January 11, she says the following about the partnership:

“I am pleased to consider Mr. Martinez an ally in the struggle against domestic violence. As a world champion athlete whom many young men admire, he can be role model and has a unique opportunity to spread his message of respect for women. Domestic violence is not just a ‘women’s issue.’ Men are crucial to the movement to stop domestic violence and create safer communities for women and children.”

Martinez offers his voice to a victimized community. As his upcoming fight approaches at Madison Square Garden in March, he hopes the event can bring more focus on an important issue.

His statement in the release with Council Member Ferreras describes his energy for the project:

“I am honored to meet with Council Member Ferreras and to have the chance to share my perspective and discuss important strategies for confronting domestic violence. This issue is important to me. It is one that I’ve spoken out about, and I look forward in the months ahead to getting more involved with those best-positioned to stop domestic violence: from policy makers to non-profits and the private sector.”

We look forward to working with strong advocates for an important cause.

Sergio Martinez and Forestdale's Fathering Initiative Director, Scott Leach

Council Member Ferreras, Sergio Martinez, Forestdale Staff and NYC organizations meet to discuss domestic violence. Photo by New York City Council Photographer, William Alatriste.

The following is an award-winning entry by Simon Ho, a father and Forestdale client, for the Teenage Services Act (TASA) Educational Awards essay competition. It is reprinted with permission from the author.

“Goals & Aspirations”

Guan Yin Tzu once said “Don’t waste time calculating your chances of success and failure just fix your aim and begin”. Basically, don’t be discouraged by life, everyone has got to start somewhere, and that somewhere is now. At one point in my life, I carried such a huge burden that I just wanted to quit. What rebuilt my goals and aspirations were my family.

I was married on October 19, 2009, life was great and my goals were to graduate from college, become a pharmacist, start my new life, and purchase a house to live with my wife. I was accepted into St. Johns University and within two years, I planned to join the pharmacy program. Life was on my side.  However, life can always drag your goals and aspirations into a tight situation.

Sometime in February, my wife told me she was pregnant and in June, we were told by the OBGYN doctor that our baby had a serious birth defect/problem, and we were told our best resolution would be to abort it. The doctor was telling us how bad things would be: our son would be stupid, not normal, have slow development, ugly, and more.

In the end we chose to keep the baby, and named him Jay Sky Ming Ho. I chose to sacrifice St. Johns University scholarship, and to work full time.  Jay was born on December 16, 2010, diagnosed with a premature birth defect. He was a full term baby, with a heart defect, opposite intestines, however he was stable and beautiful.  Later on Jay developed a colon disorder, which killed me and my wife.  The doctor told us that, due to living in the hospital for three months, Jay’s intestines were dying on him and that he did not have enough intestines to live. We were told he would be in a vegetated state and live in the hospital until the day he died. I started to work part time again just to see my son every day and show him love.

Three months later his surgeon operated on Jay, and was shocked. He told us it was a miracle from God’s hands and that he needed to be more optimistic about our son. As a cardiac baby, it is impossible to re-grow the intestines and to heal this quickly. Normal babies have thirty-three percent of regrowth but for our son it was said to be impossible. Our son was given the nickname “Hope” by the hospital staff that became very attached to him. His heart surgeries continued. Everything was going great again until our cardiac doctor told us, in order to bring Jay home we needed a home with clean air, which meant we had to move. 

Money was a major problem; however we wanted our son home with us. I began to work full time again, to pay off bills and the rent. It was very difficult for me because my wife is the twenty-four hour care taker of our son, which meant I would be the only one working. I needed to plan ahead and think about ways to earn more money, and fast. My aspiration to live and keep going further came from my wife, my son. If I gave up now, not only do I give up on my family but also on the hard work to make it this far altogether. I must be determined, and I should thank my parents for being so strict and disciplining me throughout my life. Without them my character would not have been built this strong and determined to live.

Now, my new career is to be a paramedic, to save lives and the life of my family. God, gave me a strong life for my son, in return I will be his right hand saving lives. My aspirations came from my wife, and my son. My family being by my side pushes me to work harder and reach higher. Although going to school every night and working every morning may be very tiring and intense for my health, I must do what I can to make that achievement, that dream come true.

I am who I am. “Be thankful for life, either good or bad. You are God’s precious child and although this world may not be so perfect, it is worth living for”. My son must have one more surgery, and I am putting everything for him. He is my strength.   Never let life put you on the edge.  

Don’t stress on success or failure, because it only waste your time and time is a valuable essence in life. Don’t stand there and let life go as it pleases, control it and acquire it. “Live your life through your own goals, and aspirations, live it like there is no tomorrow”.

The TASA Program has given me the opportunity to step up my goals and reach higher. Their services give me enough support, to actually enroll into college and fight towards the end to finish it. Completing my goals and exploring my aspirations has been tough but my Case Manager Maggie Villafranca provided by TASA, has been a great help. Their structure and information have helped not only me but other teens out there who are parents, stressing in their life; stuck between failure and success. Having the TASA program is one way of solving the sociological problems with teens who are adults in our society today; struggling with their life upon success. TASA has motivated me and I know for sure it will motivate others.

By winning this event, I would use my prize to support my family, and achieve my goals further.

Thank you for reading my story, thank you for understanding what my goals and aspirations are.

~Simon Ho

Baby Buggy celebrated their 10 year anniversary with a star-studded gala and Mayor Bloomberg’s decree for ‘Baby Buggy Day’ in New York City. Please click here to see the Baby Buggy anniversary video and hear more about their great work from the families and children they serve.

Along with the comedy showcase featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Colin Quinn and host George Stephanopoulos, Baby Buggy heard from the people they serve every day.

A foster parent from Forestdale, Miss Patricia, was honored to speak to the generosity and thoughtfulness of the organization. From bottles to diapers, strollers, clothing and shoes, Baby Buggy provides the necessary items to have a healthy, happy child.

“Baby Buggy has been a very present help in a time of trouble,” said Miss Patricia. “They gave us enough clothes to last us an entire summer. They were very kind to me.”

The event was co-chaired by Baby Buggy’s Founder and President Jessica Seinfeld, along with Ali Wentworth, Kyle Maclachlan and Desiree Gruber, Bart Freundlich and Julianne Moore, and Naomi Watts.

Currently, Baby Buggy has donated more than five million items to families in need. 

Forestdale has been a recipient of Baby Buggy items since early 2011. We are grateful for their generosity and support on a daily basis. Our Family Storefront is open to the families of Forestdale, and is filled with the supplies sent from Baby Buggy’s headquarters in New York City.

Please remember to support Forestdale’s Annual Appeal. All proceeds go directly towards education.

Our mission is to end the intergenerational cycle of foster care and help fractured families be whole again. We recognize the great importance of education in this effort.

Take a look at our Annual Appeal and give generously! Forestdale wishes all of our friends and families the happiest of holidays.

 NOTE: Forestdale campus will be closed on Monday, December 26.

The fathers and families of Forestdale held their Annual Holiday Party and quarterly ‘Stepping Up’ graduation ceremony featuring Keynote Speaker Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Chair of Women’s Issues Committee, at the Queens Museum of Art on Saturday.

More than 40 children received toys donated by the Toys for Tots program sponsored by the 112^th police precinct in Queens.

With more than 80 attendees, the celebration served to acknowledge the father’s commitments and recent completion of their 12-week course with Forestdale’s Fathering Initiative. After the ceremony, the recent graduates and current alumni made their way to visit with Santa and enjoy the fellowship of the holidays.

The children lined up for photos with Santa and gifts. With the holiday spirit in the air, siblings cheered with delight and graciously traded toys with the younger ones to continue the merriment.

Council Member Ferreras had the following message for the fathers that took this step towards responsible parenting:

“I would like to extend my congratulations to all the fathers for their completion of the Fathering Initiative Program.  My father   played an essential role in my life, one that is priceless. Your commitment to the lives of your children is equally as priceless. May your journey through fatherhood be filled with laughs, cheers and many victories.”

The Fathering Initiative helps more than 200 men step up to the challenges of fatherhood through intensive parenting classes, continuing education, job preparedness, and counseling. Approximately 50 of these fathers are under 24 years old.

Daddy’s Promise

I make this pledge to you because I love you!

I promise to always support you, no matter the conditions.

I promise to keep you safe no matter the danger; yet let you grow and live your life.

I promise to be your rock and give you encouragement in times of need.

I promise to always respect you and live as an example of what a good man should be.

I promise to share my knowledge, my mistakes, and my lessons so you gain wisdom from my life.

I promise, whenever I can, to make your road smoother.

I promise to answer when you call, be there when you need me and even when you think you don’t.

I promise to show you how important you are to me!

I promise that I will always be in your life and be the best father I can be!

(And most of all) I promise A LIFETIME OF LOVE!!!!!

Love,

Daddy

Council Member Ferreras with Fathering Initiative Graduates and staff.

Recent Fathering graduate speaks about his experience for Council Member Ferreras and guests.

 

Council Member Ferreras, Chair of Women's Caucus, speaks to fathering graduates.

 

Fathers stand to make 'Daddy's Promise' to their children, families and friends.