SEPTEMBER 29 2010

Moncton: Children's rights symposium planned
An international symposium on the rights of children entitled "Petits d'Hommes" will be held Oct. 21-23 at the Université de Moncton campus. The event, exploring such topics as the protection of children, youth privacy, violence against children and the right to health services, is held under the auspices of Ombudsman and Child and Youth Advocate Bernard Richard, in partnership with UdeM and the New Brunswick Youth Strategy. The three-day symposium will focus on the rights of francophone children and youth and what mechanisms are needed to implement these rights. This year marks the United Nations International Year of Youth with the symposium intent on hearing the voice of youth who will join the discussions and the workshops to share their thoughts and concerns. It will also look at the best way to engage and empower youths. "Petits d'Hommes will be an important occasion for youth to meet and talk with the representatives of institutions responsible for the promotion and protection of their rights," said Richard. "It is also an occasion for the institutional representatives, some of whom specialize in the protection of particular rights, to join together to better serve and protect the rights of children in the francophone world."
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New York: St. Cabrini Home sets meeting with police
St. Cabrini Home officials have scheduled an Oct. 7 meeting with police agencies, fire officials, and emergency personnel to discuss ways to improve handling of incidents at the youth facility. The session comes about a month after a rock-throwing incident that Executive Director Ilze Earner said was poorly handled by outside agencies because two staff members who had been targeted by young residents were arrested by police along with five teenagers. “It sets a very dangerous precedent because of the chilling effect of staff now maybe being even more reluctant to call for help. They run the risk of being arrested. It can put the kids in even more danger,” she said. “What is the message that we send to the residents here? Throw rocks and get your counselor arrested. Wow, that’s empowerment.” Martin said the rock-throwing incident was an extreme game of hide-and-seek where the residents ran into the woods on the 600-acre facility, essentially luring supervisors to come out and become targets. “I don’t believe they were throwing rocks at passing motorists,” she said. “They were in fact throwing rocks at the counselors who were going out to chase them down.”
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UK: Fears over future of Norfolk adoption services
Norfolk's council run adoption service is among a raft of services for vulnerable children which could be privatised or passed out of public control as part of far reaching plans to slash funding by nearly 40pc - the EDP has learned. County Hall is bracing itself for a 25pc reduction in funding when the government announces its comprehensive spending review on October 20 and has already slashed £10m in grant funding to its Connexions service and road safety schemes while funding for new children's centres and nursery placements is also under threat. But confidential council documents seen by the EDP show that the authority is considering far greater cuts than previously thought of around 37pc. The papers list dramatic options which could potentially overhaul services including 'outsourcing' the council's adoption service, which last week was awarded an outstanding rating from government inspectors. Support for youngsters in care including fostering, residential homes could also be given to other providers, while there would be less funding to help disabled children on short breaks, and parents could be charged for 'social care transport'.
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Michigan: Teacher depicted in 'Freedom Writers' movie to speak at Starr Commonwealth event
Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank played a teacher who reaches out to at-risk students deemed "unteachable" in the movie "Freedom Writers." The real-life teacher — Erin Gruwell — will share her story at the Founder's Day event at Starr Commonwealth in the Albion area Sunday. "I believe (Gruwell's) story is very consistent with our work at Starr Commonwealth and is consistent with what we're trying to achieve with all of our young people served at Starr Commonwealth," President and CEO Martin Mitchell said. "We think she's going to be a phenomenal speaker." Mitchell said Gruwell's work helping at-risk youth goes hand-in-hand with the mission of Starr Commonwealth, a nonprofit that offers preventative, community-based, residential programs such as foster care and in-home counseling and helps more than 6,000 children and their families a year. Founder's Day is the annual celebration of the day when Starr Commonwealth founder Floyd Starr, his family and the first youth served by the organization moved into the first cottage campus in October 1913.
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Small increase in German benefits causes outcry
A decision by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to offer only a slight increase in welfare benefits to the 6.7 million people who rely on state support was resoundingly criticized Monday from the opposition and unions. Social Democrat Hannelore Kraft, the state governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, called the euro5 ($6.71) increase "scandalous" in an interview with German newspaper group WAZ and her party slammed Merkel for failing to support the nation's weakest members. On Sunday, Merkel's government agreed to raise welfare benefits by euro5 to euro364 per month starting January 2011. It left the subsidy for children unchanged at euro215 to euro287, depending on age. "I want somebody to explain to me how to take care of a child in a dignified way with euro215," Green party leader Claudia Roth told n-tv. "It's a slap in the face of those who are unemployed for a long time." Germany's umbrella union group DGB called for a nationwide protest against the measure.
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Children's Home Society names new Girls Group Home and Youth Transition Center program manager
The Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) recently named Yomaira Tovar as its new program manager for the Girls Group Home and Youth Transition Center, located in Vero Beach. Tovar, who has more than 30 years of experience in social services, oversees the day-to-day operations of each facility. Born in South America, Tovar began volunteering at local hospitals at an early age. Upon moving to Rhode Island with her family, she volunteered with the local YMCA and psychiatric hospital. It was in her teenage years that she realized her calling to help people in need and has devoted her life to making a difference. "Even at my one-month anniversary at CHS, I've seen the youth at the Youth Transition Center come together," said Tovar. "It's an exciting program that transforms these young adults. When they arrive, they are in crisis mode, and we help them think about the future." Prior to joining CHS, she worked in Massachusetts as the clinical director of Children's Shelter of Blackstone Valley for seven years. Tovar has a Masters of Social Work (MSW) and Bachelor of Arts in psychology.
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Ireland: Children placed 'at risk' over delays in vetting foster parents
A large group of children placed in foster care were left at potential risk because of a delay in vetting their carers, an inspector's report revealed yesterday. The investigation looked at practices in the HSE South areas of north Lee, south Lee, north Cork and west Cork, where 690 children are in foster care. It found that 452 of the foster parents had been assessed as to their suitability, but 48 had not -- the majority of whom were related to the child. The investigations were carried out by inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) between September 2009 and May of this year. The report expressed concern at the delays in vetting the relative foster carers, but said the sample of children who were interviewed felt safe and were happy with their families. It found that, in general, there was evidence of good practices, and although many standards were met, child protection guidelines were not. There were also deficiencies in relation to the social worker's role, care planning for the children and retention of foster carers.
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Washington State: Constantine proposes laying off 200 people in county budget
King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled a grim, painful budget Monday that called for layoffs of more than 200 people, severe cuts to criminal justice, the eradication of human services, and a near obliteration of family court services. Staring down a $60 million shortfall next year, Constantine said he had little choice but to propose the cuts. His budget was the continuing dismal fallout of the Great Recession, which has sent tax revenues plunging for the county and other local governments. "The era of easy fixes is over," the executive said in his budget presentation to the County Council Monday morning. "I have balanced this budget as the law requires. Though it is balanced, it an imperfect budget. It is an unpleasant budget. It makes reductions in critical services I do not want to make, but that must be made." Constantine said his budget sheds a total of 462 jobs, which includes attrition of vacant jobs. When incorporating other potential cuts in transportation and the legislative branch, he said the likely number of all eliminated county jobs is roughly 500. "Behind each number is a person, a family, perhaps a mortgage, or a child's tuition," he said. Criminal justice agencies, which make up about 75 percent of the county's $630 million general fund, took the brunt of the proposed cuts.
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SEPTEMBER 27 2010

Alberta child advocate’s term extended
The province's Child and Youth Advocate, John Mould, will remain in the position for a few more months. Mould, who has served in the role since 2001, was scheduled to step down Sept. 30. The province recently extended Mould's term until Jan. 31, 2011, to gain more time to find a replacement. "We're continuing the search for a new children's advocate," said Tom Olsen, spokesman for Alberta Children and Youth Services. "John is going to stay with us until such time as we find someone and help us in the transition for that new person." The advocate's job to represent the rights and interests of children in government care, and to advise the children and youth services minister.
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Seacoast not spared scourge of Rx abuse
The abuse of Oxycontin and other painkillers is a growing problem in the United States — one that has led U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to declare such abuse a scourge in the nation — and a recent spate of robberies of pharmacies in New Hampshire and Maine have local and state law enforcement working to combat the issue. According to federal officials, Oxycontin can be addictive, abuse can be fatal, can lead to many committing insurance fraud to feed their habit and can serve as a "gateway" drug to heroin. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2009 reveals that in the past seven years, the numbers of those who have reported illicit use of prescription painkillers has skyrocketed 20 percent from 4.4 million in 2002. From 2008 to 2009, the nation's youth age 12 to 17 reporting usage rose from 2.1 million to 2.7 million, by far the sharpest increase among any age group.
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UK: Suffolk council to outsource youth work and children's centres
Youth clubs, integrated youth support and children's centres will be among the first potential pilot projects for outsourcing services at Suffolk County Council, it has emerged. Under plans voted through by the council yesterday, the authority is set to become an "enabling" council which only commissions services, in an attempt to shave 30 per cent off their total budget. A report on the council’s "new strategic direction" reveals that prominent children’s services will be among those to be considered as early adopter services. "Not all will proceed and it is the intention that lessons will be learned by going through this process," the report states. The report also states that the statutory duty for child protection services will continue to rest with the authority due to the consequences of such a service failing.
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China offers hope of easing one-child policy
China marked the 30th anniversary of its controversial one-child policy with talk of relaxing rules, at least in some provinces, that have reined in population growth but caused heartache for millions of couples. With a population expected to peak at 1.65 billion in 2033, China has been cautious about dropping an unpopular policy that was originally supposed to last one generation. Central planners say the one-child policy has spared China from the pressures of hundreds of millions of additional people that would have strained scarce water and food resources as well as the nation's ability to educate and employ them. Critics cite forced abortions and sterilizations, punitive enforcement and a widening gender gap as the unwelcome legacy. Millions of baby girls are believed to have been aborted in a country which traditionally favours male heirs. China already allows a number of exceptions to the policy, including allowing rural families a second child if the first is a girl, and permitting couples in some cities a second child if both parents had no siblings.
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Foster care report: Psychotropic medication and youth
A landmark report from a multi-state study on psychotropic medication oversight in foster care has been issued by the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The study examined state policies and practices in 47 states, including Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia regarding the use of medication for treating behavioral and mental health problems in foster care children and adolescents ages 2 to 21 years. Over the past decade, psychotropic medication use in the general youth population has more than doubled. Estimated rates of psychotropic medication use in foster care youth, however, are much higher (ranging from 13-52%) than those in the general youth population (4%). The Tufts CTSI multi-state study, begun in 2009, concluded that while oversight of psychotropic medication is a high priority of the state child welfare agencies, there is also great variability among the state policies and practices governing such oversight. The Study Report calls for a national approach and resources for medication oversight for youth in foster care. A more detailed national look at which state policies and practices are the most effective for improving the mental health of these youth is also needed.
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Toronto: Public school suspensions down 16%
Toronto public schools suspended nearly 2,000 fewer students last year — a 16 per cent drop from the year before — with counselling and after-school clubs credited for keeping more teens on the straight and narrow. The decrease means the Toronto District School Board has come close to meeting director Chris Spence’s goal of slashing suspensions by 20 per cent. Board officials said Friday they have set a 15 per cent drop in suspensions as the new target year over year. Not all schools saw suspensions drop. Thistletown Collegiate’s suspensions went up more than any other school — by 127 — during principal Randy Palermo’s first year last year, and he already has plans to slow that trend with a new football team which he hopes will engage some at-risk students, plus a new child and youth counsellor paid for with the new provincial grant for urban schools.
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CWLA expresses concern about growing poverty level and potential impact on number of foster children
The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), the nation’s oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization, is deeply concerned about the recent Census figures showing a major increase in poverty—especially among children. This news comes on the heels of good news from Health and Human Services about an ongoing decline in the number of children in the foster care system. “Children and families facing poverty are at even greater risk of not succeeding. Given the growing number of poor children, I worry that the strides we’ve made in keeping children out of foster care may also wane,” explained CWLA CEO Chris James-Brown. “The bad economy and joblessness are adding significant pressures to already stressed families. We must be vigilant about keeping children's issues on the national agenda, and a White House Conference is one important way to do so.” According to the Census, the nation's official poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3 percent, up from 13.2 percent in 2008 with nearly 44 million people in poverty. Of these, nearly 16 million are children under the age of 18. Also unsettling, the number of people without health insurance coverage grew from 46 million in 2008 to nearly 51 million in 2009.
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Troubled youth leave Nevada, mental health help lacks
As of July, more than 100 children with mental health and cognitive disorders were in out-of-state treatment centers. Many were sent there by child welfare agencies and juvenile courts that concluded appropriate in-state facilities did not exist or were already at capacity. It costs about $75,000 a year, on average, to house Medicaid-eligible children in out-of-state facilities. Medicaid pays for residential treatment if it is determined medically necessary, and only after all possible in-state options have been exhausted. Medicaid is a federal program administered and partly funded by states, which means Nevada is footing some of the bill for these costly placements. The number of Southern Nevada youths placed out of state has more than doubled in the past two years, according to the Clark County Children's Mental Health Consortium, a group of advocates, government officials, and mental health professionals that earlier this year released a report about the lack of mental health resources in Southern Nevada. "Children's behavioral health care funding is miniscule as compared to total healthcare spending, disproportionately small as compared to adult mental health funding, and out of sync with best practices favoring community-based care over residential treatment," the report said.
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SEPTEMBER 24 2010

Massachusetts: High school to reduce student stress
Parents, administrators and health care providers gathered last night at Arlington High School to discuss students' mental health. The high school will look to present more effective strategies to help students cope with stress, after last year's Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that one-third of Arlington High School students feel stressed all of the time and more than half feel stressed most of the time. Health care professional Janelle Montano joined the group and shared her personal struggles dealing with depression after her brother committed suicide. "Things shouldn't have to hit rock bottom before we do something," she told parents. "We can prevent these problems." Montano discussed healthy expressions of anger and exemplified warning signs for parents to look out for. She demonstrated strategies on how to create a safe space for their children to open up about stress and anxiety.
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New Zealand preschoolers can get along well with others
Most New Zealand preschoolers are well-adjusted, and few have difficulties with their emotions, behaviour, or concentration, or in getting along with others, data from the B4 School Checks initiative show. "Overall, the social and emotional well-being of New Zealand preschoolers is good. For the majority of children, no major emotional and behavioural concerns were identified by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire," Dr Pat Tuohy, the Ministry of Health's Chief Advisor on Child and Youth Health, told delegates to the Public Health Association's annual conference today. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is an internationally validated measure designed to get a picture of a child's strengths and difficulties in the emotional and behavioural area. The questionnaire is being used as part of the B4 School Check to assess a child's social and emotional development. One version of the questionnaire is filled out by parents and another by teachers in order to get two views of a child's social and emotional development.
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Father of boy who died in foster care wants an inquiry
The dad of a boy who died while in foster care is urging the government to launch an inquiry into the death of his son and others. Before delivering a petition addressed to Justice Minister Don Morgan, Evander Daniel's father Chris Martell said he needs answers about what happened to his son. An inquiry into the care of his son, as well as into the deaths of other children who have died while in the care of the province, could help prevent similar tragedies in the future, he said. "It's for changes in the foster care system," said Martell, who was joined outside the provincial legislature by a crowd of about 50 people. "That's my goal, is to make sure another father or mother doesn't live through what I'm living through right now."
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New Mexico budget cuts target child care assistance
Beginning in November, the state of New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department said it can no longer provide child care assistance to some families who qualify. That includes hundreds families in Dona Ana County. Ray Jaramillo is the director at Alpha School for Young Children in Las Cruces and said the massive cut means many parents won't be able to afford day care. Because of that, Jaramillo said jobs will be lost and some child care providers will shut down. Many parents received notification of the department's cuts Wednesday. "I have not slept in the last few days because I'm worried about what's going to happen to children, what's going to happen to parents, what's going to happen our business. It is a horrible day in New Mexico and for children across the state," said Jaramillo. It's estimated this cut will affect about 5,000 families and 7,000 children.
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Mental health group finds unaddressed issues among D.C.'s young offenders
Many of the young people who are arrested in the District have mental health issues that to go unaddressed by the juvenile justice system, according to a report to be presented Thursday by a group representing local mental health providers. The study by the D.C. Behavioral Health Association found that despite increased attention to the mental health of children and adolescents in the city, access to social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists appears to lag far behind the need. But the report said that the fragmented structure of the juvenile justice system, which spans several entities and the executive and judicial branches of the D.C. government, made it difficult to paint a clear and complete picture of the needs.
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Virginia: Altria grant will support children in foster care
Altria Companies Employee Community Fund (ACECF) has awarded a $45,320 grant to Children's Home Society of Virginia to support a new program serving older children in foster care who are awaiting adoption. The Adolescent Workshop Series will help prepare teens for adoption by addressing issues many youth in foster care face, including trauma, lack of self- esteem, attachment and identity. Each workshop will engage teens in a six-week, 18-hour program. The curriculum will include building self-esteem, options for and the importance of permanency, building and fostering healthy relationships, forging strong new relationships with caregivers, understanding parental relationships and dealing with separation, grief, loss and trauma. The series will also include a support group for waiting teens. The first workshop will be held early next year, with a goal of three to four workshops a year. Each session will serve 20 youth in foster care.
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Florida court rules gay adoption ban unconstitutional
A Miami appeals court has ruled that Florida’s 33-year-old adoption ban, which bars gay and lesbian parents from providing loving and permanent homes to children, is unconstitutional. “Given a total ban on adoption…one might expect that this reflected a legislative judgment that [gay] persons are, as a group, unfit to be parents,” the opinion states, according to The Miami Herald. “No one in this case has made, or even hinted at, any such argument. To the contrary, the parties agree ‘that gay people make equally good parents,’” the opinion continues. The decision comes down nearly two years after Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ruled that “sexual orientation is not a predictor of a person’s ability to parent…The most important factor in ensuring a well-adjusted child is the quality of parenting,” in the case of Martin Gill, who was battling the state’s Department of Children and Families over the adoption of two young brothers, whom he had been caring for under the foster care system.
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New study says Meth Project makes no impact
A new study conducted at the University of Washington in Seattle concludes that the Montana Meth Project, having spent millions of dollars on a now-famous advertising campaign, “has had no discernable impact on meth use.” The study was conducted by Lewistown native D. Mark Anderson and published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Economics. Anderson is a UW doctoral student in economics who said that to date, the Meth Project “has not been empirically scrutinized in a rigorous fashion.” His conclusion, based on a study of some of the same data used by the Montana Meth Project, is that after accounting for a downward trend in meth use that was already under way before the project was launched in 2005, “effects on meth use are statistically indistinguishable from zero.”
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Ohio: New leadership at United Methodist Children's Home
The United Methodist Children's Home will have new leadership as it begins its second century of operations. Tracey Izzard-Everett was approved as president and CEO in a unanimous vote Sept. 1 by the children's homes board of trustees. She begins her new position Oct. 11 and replaces Bill Brownson, who is serving as interim director. "I am really excited to be a part of an organization that offers the full continuum of care," Izzard-Everett said. Currently, Izzard-Everett is the executive director of the Youth Advocate Services, a Columbus organization that provides services similar to those of the children's home. Prior positions Izzard-Everett has held include director of compliance and clinical director of child and family programs at Southeast Mental Health. She also worked with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and the Buckeye Ranch.
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SEPTEMBER 22 2010

Pennsylvania: Number of children living in foster care declining
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) today released The State of Child Welfare, a report on the performance of Pennsylvania's child welfare system designed to provide data highlighting how counties are doing in meeting the needs of children and families in the child welfare system. Comprehensive data for all 67 counties takes a critical look at measures for every county including number of first-time entries and re-entries into foster care; type of placement including group homes and institutions; adoption rates and length of stay in foster care. The news is encouraging so far. Pennsylvania is making significant progress in safely reducing the number of children living in foster care. Almost 90 percent of counties reduced their foster care placements over the past year resulting in a nearly 12 percent drop in children living in foster care and a decline of more than 16 percent of children entering the system. There was negligible change in substantiated reports of repeat child abuse and re-entry into foster care declined as well providing important assurances that the reduction in foster care placement is safe and stable for Pennsylvania's children. "In our inaugural report last year we posed some fundamental questions about how well Pennsylvania state and county governments are doing keeping children safe in their own homes so fewer children enter foster care, how they're doing in decreasing the likelihood of repeat abuse or re-entry into foster care, and the steps being taken to achieve permanency for kids through reunification with birth families, adoption or guardianship," said Joan L. Benso, president and CEO, PA Partnerships for Children. "Now we have the data to answer these questions and assess our progress."
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Australia: ‘Too much’ spent on children’s home
The Department of Child Protection has refuted claims up to $1 million is being spent on a home for children in need. Residents in Carawatha Avenue, Mt Nasura fear far too much taxpayers’ money is being spent to buy and prepare the refuge for four children with a live-in carer couple. The home cost the Department $840,000, but Louise Noble, who lives opposite, feared “hundreds of thousands” more was being spent on landscaping and fencing that she felt was an eyesore. The local residents, largely retirees, have previously voiced concerns that children referred by Parkerville or Youth Care were being moved into their street. They claim taxpayers money could have been better spent on a more affordable, child-friendly home elsewhere.
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Report paints 'tough' picture of P.G. youth
The Communities That Care community assessment report indicates Prince George youth are more likely to try alcohol, or cigarettes than their counterparts in the lower mainland, they also believe there is a community acceptance to anti-social behaviour. The report, compiled from data collected from nearly 3,000 surveys of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12, looks at 6 areas of problem behaviour: Substance abuse, Delinquency, Violence, Teen Pregnancy, School Drop Out, Depression and Anxiety. The next steps in this process will involve looking at the programs and supports already in the community that reduce the risks for youth, then, new programs will be designed to build on those strengths. It isn't all bad news, the survey has already indicated there are plenty of positive supports especially within the school system, but, the level of parental involvement in, or awareness of the activities of their children is low.
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Philippines: Center re-trains youth offenders
In an effort to take care of the welfare of some youth offenders facing different charges, the Caloocan City government Tuesday asked the Yakap Bata Holding Center to continue helping them. This is in line with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9344 or The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri said. Echiverri said the Yakap Bata Holding Center which is under the office of the City Social Welfare Department, is tasked to continue caring for Children in Conflict with the Law (CiCL) who are under their custody. Under Section 4 of RA 9344, a youthful offender is defined as “child in conflict with law who is alleged as, accused of, or adjudged as, committed an offense in Philippine laws.”
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Massachussets: Cambridge named best community for young people
The efforts of Cambridge civic and community leaders were honored this week when America’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to youth and children, announced the city had been named a winner of the Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Young People (100 Best) competition presented by ING. The 100 Best designation recognizes those communities that make youth a priority by implementing programs that help keep children in school and prepare them for college and the 21st century workforce. The competition is open to all communities that make children and youth a priority, including small towns, large cities, counties and school districts. In addition to enhancing local educational opportunities, most winning communities have taken steps to facilitate improved access to health care for its young people, encourage youth civic engagement and supply developmental resources that create better places for young people to live and grow.
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Workshop on youth concerns and stakes for better future in Tunisia
The City of Science in Tunis played host, on Sunday, to a workshop on the theme:" youth concerns and stakes for better future in Tunisia," with the participation of a host of educators and members of youth and children parliaments. The meeting aims to identify youth concerns and think of ways to promote their participation in the country's development and public life. During the works, youth and children parliament members presented papers on the requirements of a better future, the concerns of youth and the contribution of the civil society to involving youth in public life as active elements in society. Several children MPs elected in the youth parliament were honoured on the occasion. This initiative also aims to enhance guidance of youth and prompt their awareness of the importance of future stakes and their role in this area.
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Ohio: Residential facility reviewing services after summer incidents
Leaders of a residential home are reviewing their programs and services after a series of incidents this summer. Representatives from the United Methodist Children's Home have been working with the City of Worthington to figure out what to do next. In May, police filed charges against several teens staying at the facility on High Street. Police charged two boys with theft and breaking and entering and another two for possession of stolen property. In June, two boys were arrested for strong-arm robbery and felonious assault on a senior who was out walking in the neighborhood. After the robbery, the Worthington City manager, Chief of Police and Fire Chief met with the leaders of the children’s home. However, three other teens ran away from the facility and were charged with breaking and entering and theft. Then in August, five boys ran away from the facility and went on an overnight crime spree including grand theft auto. One teen was arrested that night and charged with burglary. The other four face grand theft charges. Those working at the facility have been working to make changes to help make the community safe.
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New Zealand: CYF hires security guards to curb teenage runaways
Security guards have been hired for Child Youth and Family homes in Dunedin following a spike in the number of runaways. Information received under the Official Information Act showed police received 38 missing persons reports from two CYF family homes in Dunedin between May 1 and August 10. CYF says the spike was unusual, but reflected the challenging behaviour of the teenagers staying in the homes at the time. Dunedin-Clutha police area commander Inspector Dave Campbell said while not every report required a search party response, all required a good deal of paper and follow-up work, which was "highly time consuming". In several cases, a security guard was brought in at night. A dedicated resource worker was also brought in to supervise the teenagers and work with them on specific activities during the day. In one case, a youth was moved to a secure care and protection residence.
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Northern Ireland: Health chief defends social workers
Social workers who handled the case of two paedophile brothers who controversially returned to live in the village where they committed abuse should not be hung out to dry, the Health Minister has insisted. Michael McGimpsey told the Assembly that health trust employees involved with James and Owen-Roe McDermott had no role in approving their accommodation in the family home in Donagh, Co Fermanagh. The pair abused children in the border village over a 30-year period, but were judged mentally unfit to stand trial. A subsequent court order allowed them to return to live in Donagh, prompting a public outcry.
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SEPTEMBER 20 2010

Foster youth deserve to share in California dream
"As a veteran legislator and former California secretary of state, I've spent a considerable amount of time in one of the most challenging spots in the Capitol: the "hot seat" of a moderate who frequently worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I know all too well that trying to bring people together to pass the most important legislation is an often-thankless job, especially when the beneficiaries of this hard work have virtually no political power in Sacramento," wrote Bill McPherson, former California Secretary of State yesterday. "So the vast majority of legislators - Republicans and Democrats alike who supported a historic effort to extend support for foster youth beyond age 18, to age 21 - deserve our thanks for putting the politics aside and doing the right thing for our kids. With incredible bipartisan cooperation, the Legislature voted to take advantage of new federal funding to provide transitional support to former foster youth who are participating in employment, training or education activities."
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Trinidad: Local group unites to aid orphanage in Haiti
One hundred paintings created by students of the Sisters of Cluny School in Port au Prince, Haiti, during a recent art workshop, will be sold at $1,000 each on November 1, from 6 pm, at Horizon Art Gallery. The art exhibition in aid of rebuilding La Madeleine Orphanage in Haiti, is being hosted by the HaiT&T Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by family medical practitioner, Dr Paula Henry, and her MBA 2008/9 group. Says Dr Henry, “It is disconcerting to see the expressions of uninhibited youth whose art feature the pain of loss super-imposed on a desire for a brighter future. We are hoping to sell all the paintings, some of which will be on our website in the near future.” Dr Henry travelled to Haiti with two Cluny sisters in March, to assist the nuns in reconstructing a medical clinic, after the devastating earthquake in January. On returning home, she discussed rebuilding the orphanage with her group who agreed to help in getting the project underway and completed.
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Denver: Aurora expanding school-based clinic program
After two years of serving students' medical needs through a school-based clinic, Aurora Public Schools has decided the need is great enough to open a second clinic in October. Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics operates the clinic at Crawford Elementary in Aurora, and has seen the number of patients who use it double from 1,000 in 2008 to 2,000 in 2009. The new clinic will be at Laredo Elementary. Larry Wolk, executive director of Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, expects the second clinic will see at least 1,000 students a year. "We know there are children who miss a lot of school because they have some conditions that are not taken care of," said Mary Beth Rensberger, director of health services at Aurora Public Schools. "When we can get kids down the hall to a same-day appointment rather than waiting weeks sometimes," she said, "it helps get them back to school sooner."
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Philippines: 100 kids abandoned every 2 months
Baby George Francis’ story is just one of the many stories of abandoned children across the country. In fact, up to 100 children are abandoned and turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) every two months, Senator Pia Cayetano said. She is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations. “We hear news every day about babies being abandoned in churches, garbage dumps and the streets. In many cases, parents are forced by extreme poverty to give up their child for adoption. There are also instances where young mothers who are unprepared for parenthood simply abandon their baby in the hospital after giving birth,” she said. Such was the story that continues to stun Filipinos until now. A baby, named George Francis, was allegedly dumped by his mother in a trash bin inside Gulf Air flight 154, which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last Sunday. George Francis is now in the custody of the DSWD
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UK: The National Youth Agency: Youth Work Week
The National Youth Agency has launched a series of materials to help youth workers showcase the difference they make to young people's lives for use during Youth Work Week. The Youth Work Week materials include a guide on how to evidence good youth work, information on what youth work is, details on how to run a media campaign and poster, press release and case study templates. Available to download from the National Youth Agency website, the materials have been designed to make it as easy as possible for workers taking part in Youth Work Week from 1 to 7 November 2010 to celebrate their achievements with young people. For further information on Youth Work Week and to download your copy of the materials, visit www.nya.org.uk/youthworkweek.
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UK: Youth work qualifications consultation
The second phase of consultation for the replacement Level 2 and Level 3 youth work qualifications has finished. The consultation generated a number of positive responses and produced some useful comments to assist with this development. NYA consultant Sunita Grigg, said: "Feedback has been considered by all the awarding bodies working on the qualifications, and will be used to ensure that the new qualifications are fit for purpose and shaped by the field." It is now intended to submit the qualifications to Ofqual for accreditation by mid-November 2010. This will still allow for a 1 January 2011 start date, as previously identified. The NYA has been happy to co-ordinate this piece of work thus far, working closely with the awarding bodies to seek to ensure that youth work is not disadvantaged by changes to the qualification framework and landscape. With Lifelong Learning UK now in a position and eager to re-engage to understand the views and requirements of the sector, the NYA will be working with them with a view to transferring this work back into their work plan.
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SEPTEMBER 17 2010

Mississippi: Curfew for Jackson kids hits deadlock
The issue on whether Jackson should implement a curfew to keep children and teens off the streets was at a standstill Wednesday night, as city leaders continued to debate where to take the youth once they're picked up. Just last week, the Jackson City Council barely voted against implementing a citywide curfew for kids. Under the original proposal, those 17 and younger would have to be home by 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and by midnight on Friday and Saturday. The sticking point between the city leaders is where to take the youths when they're picked up. Police said they would have to go to the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center, a youth detention center, if they couldn't find a parent. Council members were divided on the subject.
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Canada College students say police check delays bungling placements
College students are being denied entry into placements at hospitals, schools and daycares because of delays in getting police background checks and some fear they will lose a year of their education. At least 44 nursing students at Humber College have been told that if they don’t get police clearance by Monday, they will be unable to continue in a clinical course that includes placements in health-care facilities and schools. The course isn’t offered again until next September. “Students will be forced to withdraw from the program for the whole year,” said student nursing representative Nancy Robinson. “At this point, a lot of people are panicking, freaking out, not knowing what to do,” said Robinson, who is collecting names on a petition urging the college to address the situation. At issue are changes to “vulnerable sector checks” implemented by the RCMP in March after it was realized that a “gap” in the system could theoretically allow pardoned sex offenders who changed their names to get clean checks.
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New Zealand: Kids found in 1 in 5 drug raids
Children are found at one in five places raided for drugs in Wellington, police say. Announcing the results of a two-week operation yesterday, police expressed concern at finding a toddler at a Newlands property alleged to have housed a methamphetamine lab, as well as being used for cannabis growing. The child was one of five placed in the care of Child, Youth and Family after Operation Mamba. There were 37 arrests and several hundred thousand dollars worth of drugs and stolen goods were seized in raids in Wellington, the Kapiti Mana area, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Masterton. The haul included $64,000 in cash, 42 LSD tabs, about 250 grams of methamphetamine, 19 ounces (0.54kg) of cannabis, and stolen goods including a rare guitar. Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Hampton said about 20 per cent of raids on drug dealers led to police notifying Child, Youth and Family over concerns for children on the premises. Finding children at such properties was a big concern.
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Texas report: Undocumented children five times more likely in state care due to sexual abuse
By now, even the most casual observer of the news knows about DREAM Act students, or at least has heard the term, in reference to those students who are undocumented and have grown up in this country. However, there is a small percentage of the undocumented youth population that nobody really knows about. It's the children who find themselves victims of sexual and physical abuse and/or neglect and end up in state care. This week, the Texas-based Center for Public Policy Priorities released the report Undocumented and Abused: A Texas Case Study of Children in the Child Protective Services System. Though their research focused on the Lone Star State, they felt the findings could likely exist elsewhere wherever undocumented children are in state care. The report also notes that undocumented children designated to be under state care are more likely to live in foster homes rather than with relatives. The explanation given is because these children either don't have any relatives in the United States or relatives are afraid to come forward and claim the children for fear of deportation.
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US: Number of youth in foster care drops
For the first time in years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is reporting a significant drop in the number of children in foster care. The drop has filtered through most of the nation - even making its way to Michigan. Nationally, the number of children in foster care dropped 8 percent in just one year. Reduced stays in foster care, accelerated adoption processes and expanded preventive support for troubled families, so more children avoid being removed in the first place, are specifically credited for the drop. In Michigan, approximately 16,000 children remain in foster care, with about 4,000 of those available for adoption because they are state or court wards after their parents' rights were terminated by a court due to abuse or neglect. However, the current trend shows fewer children are being placed in foster care and more are being adopted statewide. According to Gisgie Dvila Gendreau, marketing and public relations director of the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS), the statewide numbers are sparking optimism, though more work needs to be done.
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District of Columbia: Rapid, discreet care for those at risk of HIV
Rapid-enrollment HIV/AIDS programs such as the one provided by the District's Whitman-Walker Clinic (WWC) are linked to more voluntary HIV testing, early diagnosis, and earlier start of care - key targets in the fight against HIV/AIDS. WWC launched its program in 2008. "We built from scratch. We basically flipped everything on its head in an effort to really try to ensure that there weren't barriers to care," said Erin Loubier, WWC's director of public benefits. "This is rolling out the red carpet. We want you to seamlessly move through because we want you in care." In 2009, the D.C. Department of Health took note of WWC's program and began urging other clinics to adopt a similar approach targeting anyone in danger of becoming infected or spreading the virus: victims of rape or sexual assault, newly diagnosed patients, patients transferring to/from other providers, and those who have stopped receiving treatment.
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UK: Children aged 10 are too young to go to jail, survey suggests
Nearly two-thirds of the public do not want to see children locked up at the age of 10 and think the age of criminal responsibility should be increased, a survey showed today. The poll comes as researchers found prison was unlikely to act as an effective deterrent for disadvantaged children with patterns of highly persistent offending - the group which makes up a high proportion of young people in custody. But the Ministry of Justice confirmed it was not considering increasing the age of criminal responsibility and admitted that prosecuting children was ''not always the most appropriate response to youth offending''. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of more than 2,000 adults surveyed for the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) did not support the current age limit, saying it should be raised to at least 12, according to the poll. And around the same proportion (63%) thought the minimum age of imprisonment for non-violent crime should be raised from 12 to at least 14.
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Maine to get funding for foster care adoptions
Human services officials say children in foster care need more permanent homes and the federal government is sending money to help make that happen. The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday awarded $113,373 to Maine to increase the number of children adopted from foster care. Maine and other states receiving awards completed more adoptions in 2009 than in the 2007 baseline year. David Hansell, the department's acting assistant secretary for children and families, says the adoption incentive program is helping Maine place more children into homes that are theirs forever. New Hampshire is also among the states receiving funding.
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SEPTEMBER 15 2010

Boys & Girls Clubs names CEO
Jennifer Helgeson has been named CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana. She replaces Caroline Heine, who had been with the organization since 2008. Heine left in June to take a position as chief of staff in the Office of the CEO at Vibrant Nation, an online community with news and features geared toward women. Helgeson will begin her duties Wednesday, according to a news release. She most recently served as director of program operations at St. Joseph Children’s Home, a Louisville nonprofit organization that provides children’s residential services, development programs, and foster care and adoption services.
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New York: More tobacco-control programs are needed
Tobacco use is the nation's number one cause of preventable death. It kills more than 400,000 people each year and costs the health care system almost $100 billion annually. In New York state alone each year 25,000 adults will die from tobacco-related illness. Almost 389,000 kids who are currently under 18 and live in New York state will ultimately die from tobacco use, if the current trend continues. However, there is an effective way to combat the problem: Tobacco control programs, which are being implemented by state and local leadership, have proven to be effective. The changes being sought by the St. Lawrence County Tobacco Free Community Partnership, under the leadership of Ben Todd, deserve our serious consideration and support. For example, we need to somehow change the impression kids get when they go to the checkout counter at most retail outlets. As a general rule, the last thing they see is a giant wall of cigarettes.
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Florida: State pulling youths from facility
Concerned about a rash of violence at Tampa Bay Academy, a residential treatment facility for youths, some with severe behavioral problems, the state Department of Children & Families is removing about a dozen from the program. Nick Cox, regional director of DCF in the Tampa Bay region, said three children under his agency's supervision have been removed from the Statewide Inpatient Psychiatric Program at the Riverview facility. About a dozen others, who are in a separate facility on the same site, are still there but won't be much longer, he said. The academy is home to youths 7 to 17 with behavioral or psychological issues that range from treatable to severe. The academy's website says it accepts children experiencing depression, family conflicts, abuse, anger, mental health problems and sexual abuse.
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UK: Healthy Outlooks for secure settings
As part of work conducted in secure settings, NCB identified a need for staff to feel better connected with the rest of the children's sector, particularly where practitioners work with the same young people across a range of services and areas. To address this, NCB set up the Healthy Outlooks programme, which connects practitioners working with children and young people most in need such as children and young people in contact with the youth justice system, the care system or in supported housing. The programme aims to increase awareness of support groups and improve partnership working. Practitioners can access vital resources to support their work including, teaching materials, reports, magazines and case studies. Free resources are available to order including, the Healthier Inside magazine, which provides information on improving the wellbeing of children and young people in secure settings and Playing with Your Child, which comprises a DVD and teaching materials for use with parents in custody. Healthy Outlooks also issues a free e-newsletter to ensure members are updated and to promote sharing knowledge.
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New Zealand: Family step in for children
Two Hamilton children left home alone by their mother for a night "on the town" are being cared for by a family member. A 22-year-old single mother has been charged with two counts of abandoning a child under 6 after neighbours told police of a two-year-old boy wandering down a Dinsdale driveway about 3.30am on Sunday. Inside the house, police found an 11-month-old boy crying in a cot, surrounded by, among other things, two cans of ready-to-drink alcohol and a condom packet. The children were initially placed in Child Youth and Family (CYF) care. Midlands regional director Suse Sligo said CYF would continue to work with the family as long as needed to ensure the children were well cared for. She commended the people who brought the children's plight to police attention. "The neglect and abandonment of children is a very serious issue. "We rely on the community to get involved and tell us if they have concerns about a child's safety."
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UK: Delays could put Dudley borough children at risk, claim Ofsted
Delays by Dudley social workers in taking up cases of suspected abuse or neglect are putting vulnerable children at “risk of harm” a damning inspection report has revealed. Ofsted inspectors have highlighted a series of failings in children’s services including “inconsistent” supervision of social workers and poor record keeping. They found there was “considerable delay in the allocation of cases requiring an initial assessment” and “significant delays” in completing those that were being dealt with. The department was also criticised for have no systems to regularly audit cases. “This results in a lack of management oversight to improve work practice and performance,” according to the report.
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B.C. Investing in early childhood development saves millions: report
Pay now, or pay much more later. That's the word from the Vancouver Board of Trade and the Justice Institute of B.C., which released a joint report Monday saying that investing in early childhood development - particularly before age five - will save governments and society millions of dollars in the long run. "The economic payback is spectacular," report author David Park, research associate for the Justice Institute and economist emeritus for the board, told a news conference about the report. "There are great benefits in intervening." Park's report, Kids 'N Crime: Economic Aspects of Development and Prevention of Criminality among Children and Youth, looks at the economic benefits of positive early childhood intervention, concluding that it results in enhanced productivity, GDP growth, reduced crime and a reduced financial burden on health, justice and social programs needed throughout adult life. The report finds, for example, that money invested in a preschool child results in a much bigger return down the road than dollars put in at a later stage. "A dollar invested in early childhood yields three times as much as for school-aged children, and eight times as much for adult education," the report states, quoting research by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman.
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Canada: Donation helps keep Restorative Justice going
Thanks to an anonymous donation, the Cranbrook and District Restorative Justice Society has a new lease on life again, but is still fighting for its financial survival. Earlier this year, the Society lost its core funding when it was denied a grant by the B.C. Gaming Commission, which had provided grants to it the previous two years. Without the Gaming Commission funding, the program was in danger of folding at the end of August, but at the last moment Sept. 9 an anonymous person donated $3,450 enabling the Society to carry on for the time being. According to the RCMP, the anonymous donor had an encounter with the criminal justice system in the past, but believes in the value of the Restorative Justice Program and would like to see it continue. Society chairwoman Maureen Gordon says the donation came just in the nick of time. “We still need more money to keep going now that we’re not receiving the Gaming Commission funding anymore. If something doesn’t happen soon, we’ll be in dire straights again.”
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SEPTEMBER 13 2010

BC: Court delays are harming kids
Although the shortage of provincial court judges in B.C. has meant long delays for criminal and small-claims cases, and in extreme cases has meant charges were stayed and cases thrown out, nowhere is the impact more devastating than for children caught up in long waits for child protection hearings, said Victoria lawyer Darryl Parsons, who is representing a family. "At the first hearing, the judge said 'Get a court date, but make it quick. I want it settled quickly for the sake of the children,' " Parsons recalled. "But this is a 10-month delay. And it's not an isolated situation." Delays in the court system put children who are already vulnerable in jeopardy, said Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, B.C.'s representative for children and youth. "The issue for me is what harm may come in the life of a child by these delays," said Turpel-Lafond, herself a provincial court judge from Saskatchewan, on leave while she serves as B.C.'s children's watchdog. "The evidence is incontrovertible that these children are harmed."
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California: Expanding chances for state's most vulnerable kids
On August 31, the very last day of the legislative session, the state Senate passed a bill that will make sweeping changes to California's Child Welfare System. Passed by the Assembly earlier in the year, AB12, the California Fostering Connections to Success Act, now sits on the governor's desk. With the stroke of his pen, the bill would become law, bringing millions of federal dollars to the state every year, and providing older foster youth a chance at the bright, productive future they deserve. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must sign AB12. Built upon a solid foundation of research, experience and moral imperative, AB12 has two major provisions. First, it will immediately bring at least $60 million in federal funds to support California's KinGAP program, which annually assists more than 14,000 former foster children living with relative guardians. Second, it will extend support for foster youth to age 21, rather than turning them out on the street when they turn 18, as the system does today.
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UK: Fostering system in crisis with 10,000 more families needed
The fostering system is at breaking point because of a chronic shortage of carers. Figures reveal an extra 10,000 foster families are urgently needed to provide vital care to vulnerable children. There are currently 45,000 foster carers in the UK - but experts say this is nowhere near enough. The crisis comes as 53,934 children wait for a foster home - up five per cent on three years ago. But while the number of children needing help rises, the rate of people applying to become foster carers is plummeting. To add to the problem, the age of current carers means a third are set to retire in the next decade - leaving the service facing chaos. Yesterday Robert Tapsfield of the Foster Network appealed for more people to come forward. "In some areas there are simply no spare beds," he said. To make matters worse, charities say the new ConDem government is targeting fostering services as part of its public spending cuts. The Fostering Network says training is already being cut and services offering respite care for foster families has been slashed.
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USA: More kids raised by grandparents since recession began
kids are being raised by Grandma and Grandpa since the economy began its downward spiral in 2007, according to a new report. In fact, one in 10 children in the United States lives with a grandparent, the study from the Pew Research Center found. The largest increase was seen among whites, where the rate of grandparents as primary caregivers rose 9 percent from 2007 to 2008. For blacks the number of grandparents raising grandkids went up by 2 percent, while no change was seen among Hispanic families. In all, 2.9 million - 4 percent of all children - are being raised by at least one grandparent, the Washington Post reported. "That's the thing about this recession," AARP family expert Amy Goyer told the paper. "It's hit so many people at different socioeconomic levels." Dr. Lolly McDavid, medical director of child advocacy at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, told AOL Health that the trend isn't completely fueled by the recession. "It has to do with the economy but also the number of children born out of wedlock to single mothers," said McDavid, who is part of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. "They are more likely to be living in poverty, and the grandparents have to step in. So it's not just about the recession, it's about fatherless families." Also a factor is the nationwide effort to keep children with their own relatives rather than sending them to foster care.
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Another B.C. aboriginal child dies in foster care
The death of another infant of aboriginal ancestry in a B.C. government-run foster home has angry families and First Nations leaders demanding answers. Port Alberni RCMP Sgt. Kevin Murray said police are investigating the "unexplained death" of a six-month-old baby boy in a foster home on Wednesday night. A caregiver, who is "co-operating," called police. The baby was transported to hospital, but was pronounced dead. Murray confirmed that the foster home was a B.C. Children and Families placement and added that the ministry "got involved" again after the death. He said the baby was of "aboriginal ancestry," but could not confirm a cause of death or whether social workers removed any other children from the home.
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Fiji: Foster care for children
The Department of Social Welfare has been liaising with New Zealand and Australian authorities on an Inter-Country Adoption policy. Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation media liaison officer Anshoo Mala said the Department also working on foster care for children under the care of the State. "Consultations are underway with religious organisations about this initiative," she said. The department earlier said they had a principal of favouring local adopters over those from abroad. "Human trafficking is a concern and in this way, the department is better able to monitor and track children after adoption," she said. "There is no allowance for families that adopt children from the department. Majority of our couples are childless and there are other families and couples that are willing and have the heart and commitment to care and bring up a child. "There are requirements for both adoption and foster parents. One of these is the provision of police reports and character references by someone reputable in the community who knows the couple."
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Virginia: Childhood obesity is the country's #1 health problem
Many of today's pediatricians never learned about Diabetes 2 as a childhood disease in medical school. That's because it didn't exist. Now it's a diagnosis they hand out more and more often. "It shouldn't show up until your 60s or 70s," says Donald Lewis, chair of pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School. It affects the eyes, heart, kidneys and blood vessels. The doctors attribute it to the rapid increase in obesity rates in younger and younger children, a national problem of epic proportions. "It's the country's No. 1 health problem," says Lewis. In just the past 10 years children are significantly heavier than in previous decades. And that's one of the reasons the numbers of overweight children in the nation — one in three — are deemed to be a major public health problem. (In Virginia the rate is 31 percent, a smidgen below the national average.) Not only are they driving up health-care costs with chronic diseases associated with obesity, such as hypertension and cardiovascular problems, but for the first time ever today's youth can expect a shorter lifespan than their parents. "That should catch people's attention, if nothing else does," says Lewis.
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Manitoba: Suicide prevention for aboriginal children and youth
A pilot program has been launched designed to help prevent suicide among aboriginal children and youth. Its focus is on Pukatawagan, Berens River, and Cross Lake. Just over half a million dollars will increase support to community based workers, improve treatment for clients.. including follow-up.. and improve the capacity of Telehealth. Telehealth is a high-speed, secure, video link to connect clients with health care providers throughout Manitoba.
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SEPTEMBER 10 2010

Holland College and UPEI forge closer bond
When some Holland College students graduate this year, it won’t be the end of the educational road for them, thanks to new agreements between the college and UPEI. UPEI president Wade MacLauchlan and Holland College president Brian McMillan signed the official agreements Tuesday allowing students from some college programs to transfer credits and enter the second or third year of arts programs at UPEI. Through the new agreements, graduates from the Child and Youth Care Worker diploma programs among others, will be able to transfer credits to UPEI and graduate from both schools within a four-year period.
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Youth mental health a priority for Albany schools
Albany schools are trying to teach kids important life lessons, before serious problems arise. Through collaboration with Berkeley-Albany Mental Health Services, and by hiring Shelly Ball at Albany High School, Albany has been able to benefit from the time and attention of closely supervised therapist interns who work with youth one-on-one and in groups. Former mayor and new Board of Education member Allan Maris was a part of this effort. Albany's current mayor, Joanne Wile, a member of the Mental Health Committee, is helping supervise intern therapists at the elementary schools. Last year, school staff identified the need for a systematic approach to discipline that could follow students from kindergarten to graduation. They examined several options and selected the B.E.S.T. program. It was developed by Dr. Jeffery Sprague and has been used around the country. B.E.S.T. emphasizes that discipline is about educating youth, not punishing them. It also focuses on district-wide coordination for early intervention. In August, key teacher leaders from each school participated in a workshop with Dr. Sprague, the beginning of a multi-year focus on implementing B.E.S.T. in Albany.
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Nevada: 82 child abuse cases reviewed
In 82 cases of severe abuse and neglect, the Clark County district attorney's office claims it had to intervene in the actions of the Department of Family Services for the sake of the safety of the children involved. Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine has been reviewing the cases red-flagged by District Attorney David Roger since June, and her findings are expected to come out later this month. County officials won't discuss the possible outcomes of the process or the impact the review might have on the Department of Family Services, but commissioners are making clear that abused children shouldn't be made a battleground for county entities often at odds over how resources and cases should be handled. "I really hope that these children aren't being used as a turf battle," County Commissioner Rory Reid said. "I won't stand for children being used as a tug-of-war between government agencies. I hope this is about what's best for the children. I'm sure everyone involved believes they're doing what's in the best interest of the children."
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UK: 4m households with no one in work
A fifth of Britons live in households where nobody works, according to official figures. They reveal that almost four million households contain no one who has a job - meaning more than seven million under-65s live without any experience of employment. In some parts of the country almost a quarter of households are workless. In the past year alone a further 148,000 have been added to the grim statistic. Employment Minister Chris Grayling said last night the 'shocking' figures were an indictment of the last government's failure to tackle welfare reform. Since 1998 the number of workless households has soared by 22%, with an extra 700,000 families joining the total.
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Ohio foster kids express concerns in D.C.
At 18, Alex McFarland said he had a job, attended school, owned a car and arranged for his auto insurance, but he could not get a driver’s license because of his status as a foster child in Montgomery County. The 20-year-old — now out of the foster care system and a student at Sinclair Community College — traveled to Washington, D.C., this week with six other Montgomery County students to meet with congressional staffers to advocate for issues facing kids in foster care. “If government is going to make decisions about our lives, we should have a say in it,” McFarland said. “While we’re out here in Washington, D.C., back in Ohio’s 88 counties there are kids in foster care who don’t get to speak. I’m here to make sure they have a voice.” The students are attending the National Independent Living Association Conference and are to return home on Friday. They are members of Montgomery County’s VISION Youth Advisory Board, which consists of current and former foster teens.
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UK: Richmond Council to cut nearly £600,000 from children's services budgets
Borough chiefs have approved a plan to cut nearly £600,000 from budgets this year. On Monday, Richmond Council’s cabinet agreed to reduce expenditure in many areas - mostly in the area of children’s and young people’s services - in response to corresponding Government cut backs. The borough’s area based grant for educational purposes was to be cut from £3m for the current financial year and Richmond Council has responded by reducing spending on items including Connexions, the youth careers and advice service, the teenage pregnancy advice service and children’s social care and substance misuse programme by about £590,000. Councillor Stephen Knight said: “This is a policy that will not only quickly backfire and ruin the lives of many young people, but also incur extra costs for the Council in the longer term."
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New Zealand: School for troubled youth to lose down
A school for troubled youth on the outskirts of Tuakau is to close in January. Education Minister Anne Tolley last week announced that Felix Donnelly College is to close following a recommendation by the Education Review Office. The special school has a lengthy history of serious management and governance problems and has been run by a commissioner since early 2007. It provides education for 35 young people with a range of social, learning and behavioural problems which cannot be catered for in a mainstream school. Much of the old site has been deemed unsafe and is now blocked off by large wire fences. Many of the children are in the care of Child, Youth and Family. Mrs Tolley says a new state school will open in 2012 on the former Waimokoia School site in Bucklands Beach to provide the specialist care and education the students need. "This new approach will see each student being assessed for their behavioural and social needs when they enter the school. Individual learning programmes will then be developed with regular evaluations on how each student is progressing."
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L.A: Secrecy about abuse deaths stirs a storm
The department that investigates child abuse for Los Angeles County is under attack for allegedly hiding information about children who died under its watch – highlighting a perpetual and sensitive issue for public child protection agencies around the country. As some of those agencies have found over the years, withholding information about the death of a child sometimes fuels its own controversy. The trouble for the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) started with a Los Angeles Times project about the deaths of children under DCFS watch, escalated into an investigation of DCFS staff who leaked case information to the newspaper, and intensified last week with a report from the county saying that the department withheld information that state law requires it to release. While it was once standard operating procedure for child protection agencies to release nothing about such cases, citing laws to protect the privacy of the children and their families, many child welfare administrators and advocates have shifted in recent years toward releasing information.
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Northern Ireland: Youth mental health centre opens
A mental health centre for young people in Northern Ireland has opened. A total of 38 beds will be provided at Forster Green hospital in south Belfast. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said: "No one could fail to be impressed by the fantastic new facilities that are being opened here today." He added: "There are a wide variety of therapeutic interventions available in the unit delivered by highly skilled staff working together to ensure that our children and young people receive the highest quality assessment, treatment and care, in a modern and safe environment." The regional child and adolescent mental health unit will have a variety of inpatient and day hospital places.
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California: Foster care legislation awaits governor's signature
Despite two years of back and forth and several last-minute amendments, a bill to extend benefits for former foster youths passed through the California Assembly and the Senate and now sits on the governor’s desk. The response to Assembly Bill 12 was largely bipartisan in both houses, passing through the Assembly 73-2 and the Senate 26-8. Newly elected senator Sam Blakeslee broke from his Republican caucus and voted in favor of the landmark legislation. Jim Roberts, founder and CEO of the San Luis Obispo-based nonprofit Family Care Network—which provides a number of services for foster youth, including transitional housing—was ecstatic that the bill cleared both houses and only needed a signature from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I am absolutely thrilled,” Roberts said. “With the extension of these benefits, it’s basically adding more opportunities for these young people to obtain those skills, those basics for how to take care of themselves. It creates good stability in their lives.” In January of this year, Schwarzenegger, in an effort to curb state spending, proposed the elimination of a number of social services programs, including transitional housing programs for foster youths. The governor eventually backed off from many of the cuts after substantial public outcry.
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SEPTEMBER 8 2010

Florida: $280,000 state grant will help children leaving foster care
Polk Works has received $280,000 to help foster children on their path to financial independence. The county's workforce agency is one of three in the state to receive funding for a special program of the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. In all, AWI granted $876,904 for its Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Project. The awards, announced Aug. 26, create innovative programs to give foster teens a boost with education, career development, jobs training and employment assistance. Polk Works President and CEO Stacy Campbell-Domineck said in a news release the money 'offers a unique opportunity to help mitigate the risk factors youth often face as they transition out of the foster care system and into mainstream society.' Other agencies receiving money were WorkNet ?Pinellas, which received $298,504, and the Center for Business Excellence in Daytona Beach, $297,500. The plight of youth who leave foster care when they turn 18 years old is well documented. In general, they fare poorly compared to others their age who have the benefit of traditional family support.
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Thailand: Ministry wants violent youth offenders sent to South
Education officials are proposing that young people who commit acts of violence be sent to the restive South to do community work. A 9-year-old boy was shot dead last week in the latest wave of inter-school violence. Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said the proposal to send young offenders to the South received widespread approval when it was raised yesterday at a meeting of education officials, city administrators and the heads of 40 schools. "The ministry will seek the cooperation of the military for this scheme," Mr Chinnaworn said. "Violence-prone teenagers should be sent to do community work in rough areas such as the lower South." The minister said the Vocational Education Commission, the Private Education Commission and the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) had been asked to come up with a formal plan for the community work initiative. He said the ministry would also review and amend existing laws and regulations to address teen violence. One of the proposed amendments would increase parents' liability for their children's actions.
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UK: Fostering Network demands clarity on carer standards under latest review
The Fostering Network is calling for clarity on the requirements of carers amid plans to revise guidance on the training, support and development standards for foster care. Since April 2008, all fostering services have been required to implement the standards, which demand foster carers demonstrate knowledge on issues such as principles of fostering, safeguarding and effective communication. To do this, carers must complete a workbook within a year of being approved to foster. But the Children's Workforce Development Council is now revising guidance for social workers charged with helping foster carers complete the standards. Lynn Woodhouse, regional consultant for the Fostering Network, called for the revised guidance to simplify what carers must do to meet the standards. "There's a lot of confusion about exactly what foster carers are required to do, and how much detail they need to provide," she said. "We've seen workbooks that run to several folders, but these are basic-level standards. If foster carers are asked to put that much effort into attaining these, where is there to go with the next level of training?" But British Association of Social Workers development manager Bridget Robb claimed plans to revise guidance in consultation with social workers are a "waste of money".
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Nebraska: New group out to stop gang growth
The community-based gang prevention group, Columbus T4C, has taken shape, and after receiving research-based recommendations it can begin coordinating efforts to curb local youth gang involvement. The Columbus T4C (Time for Change) effort began as an idea early this year, and after months of community research, establishing committees and recruiting volunteers, the group is ready to proceed to the next step of determining directives and what efforts will have the greatest impact. A recent report from Hank Robinson, director of the Consortium for Crime and Justice Research, and Pete Simi, assistant professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, will help provide the group with recommendations on how to proceed to affect positive change in T4C’s gang prevention efforts, according to Mike Fleming. Fleming, co-chairman of the violence prevention steering committee that helped coordinate T4C, said the foundation work is in place and now is up to the community to move forward with the report’s recommendations.
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Canada: New program will prepare cops for work with teens
Police in Nanaimo will take part in new RCMP youth officer training as B.C. becomes the first province to roll out the program. Until now, RCMP say there was no recognized protocol for school liaison officers, who focused more on drug-prevention talks or walking school hallways making themselves available to teens. Now, a recognized protocol arming officers with specialized skills to deal with young people, including work in partnership with youth service providers, exists with the creation of the Youth Officer Training Program. The training prepares youth officers for a significant operational role to reflect the changing times of challenging school situations and at-risk youth. From preventing a school shooting to assisting a suicidal teen, police say there is lots resting on the shoulders of school liaison officers today. "We always knew specialized skills were required to effectively work with young people," said Cpl. Kurt Neuman of the E Divison Youth Strategies Unit. "Gone are the days of hugs and teddy bears."
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Mississippi: Curfew for kids on council agenda
Jackson youths will have to call it an early night if the City Council approves a new curfew at its meeting Tuesday morning. But some on the council are wondering if the plan will work. The proposed curfew passed the council's Planning Committee last week by a 3-1 vote. Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber, an elementary school principal, cast the lone vote against the measure. Yarber said the curfew sounds good, but the details have not been worked out. "My concern is the process that police officers - the folks who are going to have to enforce this - are going to have to follow," he said. Under the proposed new law, children ages 17 and under would have to be home by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and by midnight on Friday and Saturday. The new statute also makes it a crime for children ages 5-17 to loiter during school hours.
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SEPTEMBER 6 2010

W. Virginia: Wood County homeless numbers up
Results from the July count of the Wood County homeless population reveal an increase in the number of individuals without a permanent home. The Continuum of Care counted 209 homeless individuals during the bi-annual tally on July 23. The results show 23 more homeless than the winter count and 27 more than last summer's tally. "Our numbers have gone up. I think it's a sign of the times and the economy," said Shannon Morgan, director of Wood County Family Resources Network. "I think it shows we need more services. Our shelters do a wonderful job, but there is probably a need for another shelter to open up in Wood County." A group of volunteers from area agencies searched county shelters, transitional housing, vacant buildings and popular homeless gathering spots to hand out necessity bags and conduct one-on-one interviews. Results of the count are sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for grant purposes.
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Ireland: Children in care 'cannot be locked up'
State child care providers cannot lock children up 24 hours a day to ensure they do not go missing, the Minister for Children told a symposium on child well-being yesterday. Reacting to allegations that allowing children in the care of the HSE to go missing was “a dereliction of duty”, Minister Barry Andrews said care providers could not lock up children. The Minister was speaking at the Child Well-Being International Symposium in Dublin Castle. The symposium was organised by UCD in collaboration with the Office for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. “If society says we do not want any children going missing from care then we are talking about warehousing children,” he said. “One wonders what would be the likely result for a child given this care. What social worker or care staff member is going to volunteer to bring a child out shopping or on any kind of an expedition?” he asked. But he acknowledged that “very sophisticated” services had to be developed to meet the needs of children in care.
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North Dakota officials aim to restructure foster care system
North Dakota is at the forefront of a new trend in the way foster care is administered: Don't put children in foster care. The idea is to help families help themselves so they can keep their children, rather than having a judge order them into the foster care system. When children stay with their families, they typically do better in school, and the odds of them aging out of the foster care system and struggling with adult life free of the assistance they received before are diminished, said Gary Wolsky, president and CEO of The Village Family Service Center in Fargo. "The problems get costlier to fix if left untended," Wolsky said. "Prevention is always cheaper." The effort could save taxpayers a bundle because it's more expensive to put a child through foster care than it is to help the whole family, Wolsky said. The family preservation initiative has also grabbed the attention of some North Dakota lawmakers, who say they hope to see the idea take off in the state.
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The commercial sexual exploitation of children in NYC
The commercial sexual exploitation of children or, colloquially, child prostitution, is nothing New Yorkers would expect in their own back yards. Pictures of Phuket or Rio de Janeiro are more common to the average news consumer, but New York City is no exception. Mia Spangenberg pointed out in her study, "Prostituted Youth in New York City, An Overview," for ECPAT, that about five thousand boys and girls were selling sex for survival in New York City in the early 2000's and the numbers are increasing. There is no current study available that describes the problem in New York City, which shows that the subject is not present in the public eye. However, organizations like GEMS, Safe Horizon, ECPAT and SAVI at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City perform a valuable yet demanding service by helping young men and women in need of legal and psychological support. While they are slowly creating the necessary awareness, the City of New York is cutting some of these organizations' budgets.
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New Zealand: Stop complaints and help, says foster father
People need to stop complaining about children going off the rails and step up to help turn their lives around, a foster father says. With Father's Day being celebrated tomorrow, a foster dad, who can be identified only as Frank, is calling for other fathers to open their homes to children being dealt with by Child, Youth and Family. There were 5446 children removed from their families by CYF as at June this year. "How many people complain about the bad things that are going on and they do nothing about it," Frank said. "The opportunity is there for heaps of these people to do something. It takes your time, and sometimes it's hard, but you have just got to do it." Frank, 56, a cabinetmaker, took in a seven-year-old boy in 2006 who had been removed from his family by CYF. Frank had two older sons from a previous marriage, but no children with his present wife of nine years, Kim. "We wanted to have a family," he said. They decided against adopting, instead giving a permanent home to a CYF child. When he came to them, the boy had poor communication skills and "he was starting, we felt, to slip through the cracks". Now he enjoyed motocross biking and was head of a chess club. "He's a nice kid ... We were watching something last night and he was just standing there with his arm around me.
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New Jersey: More children and teens in need of a safe place to go afterschool
The start of every school year is marked with back-to-school sales and dentist and doctor appointments, but what is often overlooked is not what takes place during school, but what happens when the bell rings at the end of the day. According to the Afterschool Alliance, 15.1 million children and teens in the United States are left unsupervised after 3 p.m. In New Jersey alone, 28 percent of children are left alone – responsible for taking care of themselves. "When the school bell rings, learning does not have to end," said Darrell Johnson, President and CEO of the Summit Area YMCA. "The Y’s afterschool programs are a great way to keep children and teens not only safe, but engaged in fun and productive activities." Combining play with academics, the Y’s afterschool programs fill gaps in schools by offering enrichment through arts, music, physical education, sports and nutrition and community projects. "Right here in our YMCA," continues Johnson, "we are helping develop more than 450 youth each year through afterschool programs and 200 teens at the Summit Youth Center. Across all of our children and youth programs, we touch the lives of more kids every day than any other single institution except the public schools."
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SEPTEMBER 3 2010

Pennsylvania: Program gives kids a second chance
Community volunteers are trained and ready to give kids who break the law in Snyder County a second chance, and to bring justice to those who have been victimized by the non-violent crimes the juveniles committed. One of the goals of the new Youth Accountablity Program, according to Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch, is to help kids who are first-time offenders get the help they need so they don’t commit other crimes. “If we can nip some of these behaviors in the bud, then we will avoid seeing some of these kids in juvenile or adult court later on,” said Piecuch, who through his work as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia saw the success of similar programs.
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UK: Creative Concern to create foster care campaign
Creative Concern has been appointed to come up with a marketing campaign to help recruit more foster carers in the north west of England. The Manchester agency says it came through a competitive pitch and beat off more than 35 agencies to win the campaign contract on behalf of 23 north west local authorities. Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside authorities have teamed up to try to encourage more people into fostering. There is a shortfall of more than 8,000 foster carers in England. Creative Concern has been briefed to create a standalone identity for the campaign that must be independent of fostering agencies and local council brands. The agency will then produce a TV ad, design and build a website, create printed marketing materials and provide PR support for the launch and beyond.
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Australia: New school for at-risk youngsters
Felix Donnelly College in Otara will close in January next year. A new state school for young people with social, learning and behavioural problems will open in its place on the site of Waimokoia Residential School, Bucklands Beach, which was closed late last year. Education Minister Anne Tolley says the “complex needs” of the 35 students who are currently enrolled at Felix Donnelly are not being met. “A new state school will open in 2012 on the former Waimokoia site to provide the specialist care and education these children deserve. The new approach will see each student assessed for their behavioural and social needs when they enter the school. Individual learning programmes will be developed, with regular evaluations on how each student is progressing.” Felix Donnelly College has a history of management and governance issues, and has had a commissioner in place since 2007. Many of the children are in the care of Child, Youth and Family (CYF), and cannot be catered for in mainstream education.
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California: Early disconnect with mom may speed onset of puberty in girls
A girl's march toward early puberty may begin in the arms of her first caregiver, a new study suggests. Against the backdrop of growing evidence that American girls are beginning pubertal changes at an ever-earlier age, a controversial researcher has found evidence that babies who fail to make a powerful early connection to their first caregiver are more likely to enter puberty early. In a study published this week in Psychological Science, an international team of psychologists set out to explore how circumstances of early childhood, in combination with evolutionary pressures, may help explain findings that many girls in the United States are beginning the process of sexual maturation as young as 7 years old. They surmised that when parent-and-child bonds are not firmly forged in infancy -- a phenomenon called "insecure attachment" -- evolutionary pressures could push a girl to mature early, readying her for an earlier departure from the nest. Both early puberty and poor infant attachment raise concerns. Girls who reach puberty earlier are at higher risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer, and are likely to engage in sexual activity earlier, bringing a higher risk of sexually transmitted disease and early pregnancy. Poorer attachment to a caregiver in infancy is thought to predict a higher risk of anxiety, depression and other psychological problems later in life.
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Ontario: Killaloe provides model for province
The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario was in Killaloe last week, filming what they consider a model for community cooperation. Vonnie Barron, who is responsible of the Foundation's "Spark Together for Healthy Kids" program, was impressed by what the Community Resource Centre (CRC) has accomplished with an advocacy grant. These grants encourage communities to combine their resources to help young people become more active and lead healthier lifestyles. The Resource Centre used its grant to survey the community on areas of youth programming needs. As younger children were already covered by the toy bus program, and the teens by the CRC's youth programming, the gap was the 6-12 age group. The problem was that a lot of activities for this age group were not local, meaning that the children had to be driven considerable distances to participate.
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Troubled N.S. teen to be sent home
The grandparents of a troubled boy say they're thrilled the Nova Scotia government has decided to release him into their care after fighting for more than a year to get him sent home from a treatment facility in Ontario. "When (he) hugged me, he didn't want to let go," the woman said in an interview after a court hearing in Nova Scotia. "I felt bad for that child. What he went through, he didn't deserve that." The 15-year-old boy's grandparents say the department has confirmed he will be returning home by Sept. 28. The boy has been under the care of the Community Services Department since November 2008. Under provincial legislation, neither the boy or the grandparents can be identified. The woman said she wasn't allowed to talk to the boy Monday because provincial officials entrusted with caring for him believe she has interfered with his treatment for a series of conduct disorders.
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SEPTEMBER 1 2010

California: Report: County has failed to disclose information on deaths of foster children
Los Angeles County has repeatedly failed to release documents related to the deaths of dozens of children in its foster system, violating a state law passed two years ago to promote public debate and disclosure, an independent investigator found. County officials, including Patricia Ploehn, director of the Department of Children and Family Services, largely agreed that at least 60 child deaths over the last two years should have been made public but were not. "We are now reviewing all of those cases, and will be making a new determination," Ploehn said Tuesday under terse questioning by the county Board of Supervisors. "There is no excuse for this to happen." The investigation was requested by the supervisors in response to reports that the county was not following the intent of legislation passed in 2007, requiring that all child fatalities resulting from abuse or neglect be made public. Under Senate Bill 39, the county has 10 days to release detailed information about the deaths, yet has denied dozens of such requests over the last two years.
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Canada: Boys and Girls Club of Niagara celebrates 50 years
As 50 balloons floated away from the The Boys and Girls Club of Niagara's Facer St. centre and into the sunny, summer sky Monday morning, they were much more than a symbol of celebration. Each balloon represented one year the club has served the Niagara region and each contained a free membership for the person who finds it. The balloon release was part of the Boys of Girls Club of Niagara's 50-year anniversary celebration. Staff, members, politicians and program sponsors attended a ceremony held at the Queen Elizabeth Centre which has been hosting youth programs for the past two years. "Since this building opened in 2008, we have served about 500 youth through programs such as before- and after-school programs, Kid Zone, Teen Zone, gymnastics, pottery, ball sports, and much, much more," said Ray Wallace, program director. "Many community members are very pleased to have these programs available."
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Appeals court faults California for inadequately compensating foster parents
Foster parents have a legal right to fair compensation for taking care of the state's wards, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the state was violating the Child Welfare Act by failing to adequately compensate foster parents caring for about 5,600 children in family homes. The ruling in favor of three foster parent associations echoed the appeals court's opinion last year in a similar case brought by foster-care institutions and group homes, which provide shelter, food and clothing for most of the estimated 60,000 children in state care. That case was brought by California Alliance of Child and Family Services, which operates more than 100 homes for children deemed unsuitable for foster family placements. The California Department of Social Services pays an average of $520 a month per child, while the costs for care and services specified by the state run well over $900 a month, said Marc Peters, a Palo Alto lawyer who represented the foster parents in their suit. Compensation rates vary based on the child's age and individual needs, but the average foster parent gets about 55% reimbursement in California, according to an academic study Peters said was introduced at trial.
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North Carolina: Program that helps homeless youth expands
A High Point nonprofit that serves homeless youth is expanding its outreach to a neighboring city with another initiative aimed at serving those on the margins of society. I Am Now is scheduled to hold a grand opening for its Crossroads II house in Greensboro today. The facility is a transition house for former foster children who have no place to live because they've aged out of foster care and have no family. It will serve women using the same model the organization has employed at its Crossroads house on Ferndale Boulevard since it was established a few years ago. The High Point site houses several 18- to 23-year-old men as part of a program that seeks to help them become self-sufficient. "I always wanted to have a house for young women, but we never were in position to do it even though the need was always there," said Travis Burrell, founder of I Am Now. "Recently, I received a high number of calls from young women who were homeless between the ages of 18 and 23, and they had nowhere to go."
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Missouri: Sertoma club gives $30,000 "seed money" for Big Brothers Big Sisters expansion
The Heart of the Ozarks Sertoma chapter presented a $30,000 check to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks on Tuesday to provide “seed money” for a planned facility expansion. BBBS served a record 1,400 children in 2009, representing about 5 percent of the at-risk youth in Springfield, the agency said in a news release. The building expansion, still in the fundraising phase, is estimated to cost about $145,000 and is part of a long-range plan to increase that number to at least 10 percent, the release said. In recognition of Sertoma’s gift, the board room in the BBBS building is being renamed the “Heart of the Ozarks Sertoma Community Room.” “We’re honored by this wonderful display of community support,” Eddie Lawrence, President of the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Board of Directors, said in the release. “We feel privileged to serve the children of this community, and grateful for the kindness of individuals and groups who help provide us with the resources to carry out such an important mission.”
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California: Oakland schools' longer school day a good step
Oakland is a city where at-risk youth are all too often caught in the crosshairs of street violence, and any after-school program that keeps them engaged and away from potentially dangerous situations is a step in the right direction. The longer school day - now in place at Elmhurst Community Preparatory School and United for Success Academy - represents but one piece of a comprehensive plan by Oakland schools Superintendent Tony Smith. Ideally, Smith wants to transform key Oakland schools in low-income and disenfranchised communities into clearing houses for social ills. He envisions the school as a centerpiece of community life, a place where children are nourished in both body and mind, and parents can find resources from employment opportunities to health care to social services.
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Oklahoma reimbursement extended for autism program at day care center
Cleveland County commissioners Monday approved changes to two contracts with state agencies that involve children and youth services. The first action amended a contract between the Cleveland County Health Department and University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, which calls for OU to reimburse the county up to $20,000 this fiscal year for educational services expenses for autistic children up to age 3. The new program, developed at the OU Health Sciences Center, had been approved in March for implementation at NorthHaven Church's day care center in Norman, through the county's Sooner Start program. OU was to reimburse the county up to $20,000 through June 30 of this year. The contract amendment extends the reimbursement allowance through June 30, 201
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New Zealand: 'Slum-like' school to close down
The south Auckland school shut down today had kept at-risk children in filthy "slum- like" buildings with no heating. Education Minister Anne Tolley announced this morning that Felix Donnelly College is being shut down because of governance and management concerns. It would close on 27 January 2011. "Following consultation last year I am satisfied that the complex needs of the students are not being met at the school and that it should close," Tolley said. The special school, which has a lengthy history of serious management and governance issues, has had a Commissioner in place since early 2007. It currently provides education for 35 young people with a range of social, learning and behavioural problems which cannot be catered for in a mainstream school. Many of these children are in the care of Child, Youth and Family.
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US: School-based intervention successfully lowers drinking rates in at-risk children
Researchers at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry describe a successful personality-based intervention for substance abuse delivered by teachers in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In the article titled "Personality-Targeted Interventions Delay Uptake of Drinking and Decrease Risk of Alcohol-Related Problems When Delivered by Teachers," Principal Investigator Dr. Patricia Conrod and colleagues evaluated 2,506 adolescents, with a mean age of 13.7, using the Substance Use Risk Profile scale; a 23-item questionnaire which assesses personality risk for substance abuse along four dimensions including sensation-seeking, impulsivity, anxiety-sensitivity, and hopelessness. Of the 1,159 students identified by researchers as being at high risk for substance abuse, 624 received intervention as part of the Adventure Trial and a matched high risk group of 384 received no intervention. School based interventions consisted of two 90 minute group sessions conducted by a trained educational professional. In order to adequately evaluate the students, the teachers attended a 3-day rigorous workshop, followed by 4 hour supervision and feedback session.
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