Foster Focus Magazine is currently featuring a photo and short descriptive gallery of former foster alum's thoughts about what how it felt to be in foster care. Foster Focus Magazine is the only monthly magazine that is solely focused on the issues around foster care. Owner and Editor Chris Chmielewski, himself a former foster alum, [...]
Writer Cris Beam's new book, "To The End of June: Stories from Foster Care" offers in-depth stories of foster children and foster parents. Beam, a foster parent, spent several years with foster families, social workers, former foster children and other professionals who work with foster children. In an interview with Publisher's Weekly, Beam states, We [...]
Regina Calcaterra spent time in foster care, and in 1980, emanicipated herself at the age of 14. In her book, "Etched in Sand," Calcaterra describes her chlidhood of abuse and neglect and advocates for adoption, not aging out of foster care. In an interview with Caroline Linton for Women in the World, Calcaterra shares, Now [...]
KLEW-TV in Washington state created a three part series on foster care. The series starts with a personal story of one youth's experience bouncing around foster care and eventual stay in a residential facility. In Part 2 Melissa shares how she ended up in the system as a foster child, and the broken promises foster [...]
The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative has created an infographic aimed at educating the public on the costs of "doing nothing" to prevent youth from aging out of foster care. In an op-ed in the Huffington Post, Executive Director Gary Stangler wrote, "for every young person who ages out of foster care, taxpayers and communities [...]
When an adoption is finalized, it is the promise of a new chapter in the lives of children and parents. And while the majority of adoptive families thrive, there are some that don't fulfill the promise of a "forever family" for a child. The National Council for Adoption (NCFA)'s August issue of the Adoption Advocate [...]
Minnesota's recently enacted omnibus health and human services bill includes changes to mental health services in Minnesota that could have an impact on children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system. Children's Mental Health Services to Adult Mental Health Services "Mental illness" ("MI") definition modified. Case management and community support services for adults [...]
Camp To Belong is a special summer camp. Along with swimming, hiking, and other fun summer activities, the children who attend get to participate in something many of us take for granted - they get to do these activities with their brothers and sisters who live in other foster or adoptive homes. Camp To Belong [...]