Working with Young Parents Raised in Foster Care

https://mailchi.mp/risemagazine/new-guide-to-working-with-young-parents-raised-in-foster-care?e=130165f2b9

NEW FROM RISE 'Where I Come From Doesn't Determine Where I Will Go' - A guide to partnering with parents to break the cycle of intergenerational foster care placement   For many young people who grew up in foster care, becoming a parent is a transformational experience that motivates them to create the lives and families they’ve longed for. Despite their efforts, though, too many young parents find themselves and their children sucked back into the system they were determined to escape. Their worst tragedy repeats itself. In New York City, 1 out of 5 young mothers in foster care has their own child removed from their custody even before they leave the system, according to the Administration for Children’s Services. (That’s down from 29% between 2006 and 2012.) High removal rates continue after young parents leave foster care. Data kept by some providers suggest that as many as 25%- 40% of mothers under 25 whose children enter foster care in New York City were themselves in foster care in childhood. Since 2012, Rise’s special project for young parents who grew up in foster care—called “My Story, My Life”—has trained more than 40 parents in their teens, 20s and early 30s to write and speak about their experiences and advocate for change. In these pages, they offer their insights for child welfare professionals and policymakers. We hope their words can guide professionals hoping to work more effectively with these young parents and to create systems that will work for them. In addition to concrete recommendations, we hope this paper offers an intimacy and depth of understanding that grows out of Rise’s many years of learning from and working with parents. We hope you come away with a holistic vision of working with these parents that is guided by greater insight into young parents’ often unspoken experiences.    >> SUPPORTING EXPECTANT AND PARENTING YOUTH IN CARE >> RECOGNIZING TRAUMA AND OFFERING TRAUMA-INFORMED SERVICES >> DEALING WITH SAFETY CONCERNS >> ACKNOWLEDGING AND ADDRESSING PAST FOSTER CARE EXPERIENCES AFTER REMOVAL

SPOTLIGHT: Governor Proposes Cuts to NYC Services that Prevent Children from Needing to Enter Foster Care Governor Cuomo’s executive budget could put children at risk of entering foster care even though they could safely remain at home with the right family supports. The governor’s budget would cap and cut state spending on prevention for New York City only, not affecting any other jurisdictions. Rise Senior Parent Leader Nancy Fortunato spoke at a rally and met with legislators to share her family's experience receiving preventive services. Nancy said: “For many families, the best choice is preventive, not removal. There will be a lot of removals if we cut preventive. The number of children in foster care will really rise.” New York City has been nationally recognized for the effectiveness of its continuum of preventive supports. Only 2 percent of children served in evidence-based preventive models are removed from home. >> LEARN MORE Take Action: Urge the Governor and the Legislature to keep children and safe and strengthen families by not capping state reimbursement to NYC for child welfare services.