CAFCA Brief Update June 19, 2001

MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND GET THOSE REGISTRATIONS IN ASAP! Space is quickly filling for “Staying on Track,” CAFCA’s annual conference on Friday, June 11, 2004. It will again be located on the campus of Regis University. Bunny Nicholson will deliver the keynote address, “How Do We Help Kids Grieve?” Workshop sessions will include Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Good Practices in Birth Parent Counseling, Helping Children Understand Parental Depression, Team-Building Strategies, Effective De-escalation and many more great topics. In addition, CAFCA will announce the winners of its annual awards for leadership, advocacy, foster care, counseling/case management, treatment team, educator and education team and child care worker. The deadline for nominations in all categories is May 19^th—so get those nominations in NOW! Cost includes continental breakfast and lunch. There are special rates for CAFCA members and for registrations received by May 28^th. Complete workshop listings, award nomination forms and registration materials can be obtained from CAFCA’s website: www.cafca.net, click on Upcoming Events/Training. Don’t delay! THANK YOU to the following conference sponsors for their generous donations and support!

The 2004 legislative session came to a close at midnight on May 5^th. A complete list of the bills CAFCA followed with our position and the final outcome will be posted to the CAFCA website by May 17th. Most noteworthy was the legislature’s failure to pass a TABOR reform bill, dashing hopes that a referendum would appear on the November ballot. In the absence of a reform measure supported by a 2/3-vote of each chamber, the voters will likely be asked to decide two ballot initiatives crafted by a collaborative group of experienced policy analysts from the Bell Policy Center and the Bighorn Center for Public Policy. The first initiative addresses TABOR reform and the second addresses Amendment 23 reform. Mendez Steadman believes there may be a delay in taking signature petitions on both initiatives to the voters due to some constitutional challenges to the single-subject requirement. Following that resolution, paid signature gatherers may be seen at metro area supermarkets securing signatures on petitions. During the summer CAFCA will be working with Mendez Steadman to develop a fact sheet regarding these two initiatives and will send it out to all members to be shared with boards, volunteers and donors. The possibility still remains that the General Assembly leadership may be able to work out a compromise and a special session could be convened to pass a referendum.

MAY IS NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH – It’s not too late to thank your foster families for their dedication and love.

In September 2001, 542,000 children were in foster care.[1] A third of these were in kinship care. An additional two million children lived with grandparents or other relatives because their parents could not care for them. Fifty-two percent were male and 48 percent were female. Every year 20,000 youth age out of foster care, many of whom are only 18 and still need services. Three out of ten homeless people are former foster children. Students in out-of-home care are 57 percent less likely to complete high school as compared to their non-foster peers. The majority of foster parents are between 35 and 50 years of age. The majority of foster families are two-parent households with a female caregiver; 25 percent are single parent households. Sixty percent of foster parents worked outside the home. Only one-third of foster mothers were full-time homemakers. In 2001, the national average monthly foster care basic maintenance payment was: $401 for children 2 and under; $420 for children 3-9; and $480 for children 10-16. The national average expenditure on children in two-parent foster families was: $769 for children 2 and under; $780 for children 3-9; and $858 for children 10-16. Fostering is truly a labor of love!

CAFCA congratulates Mount Saint Vincent Home’s new Executive Director, Sister Amy Willcott, who has been serving as the Interim Director for the past several months. We also welcome Bonnie McNulty of Presidio who will serve as the Interim Chair of the Foster Care Committee through December 2004. We thank Megan Aldritt for her outstanding leadership over the past year and a half.

Minutes of the various CAFCA member committees are sent to committee members. If you would like minutes of meetings but aren’t currently receiving them, please let Peg or Mary know.

Adoption: Representatives from the Intercountry Adoption Congress and Diverse Management Solutions presented on intercountry adoptions and the development of an accreditation process at the May 13^th Adoption Committee meeting. Committee members have also been reviewing current statutes regarding adoption facilitators and possible development of a parentage registry. The next meeting is Thursday, June 10^th, 9:00 – 11:00 at Adoptions Options, 2600 S. Parker Road, Suite 2-320, in Aurora.

Committee members and foster parents heard from Theresa Spahn, Executive Director of the Office of the Child’s Representative who spoke about the role of guardians ad litem (GALs) and how foster parents could best work with these advocates in the juvenile court system. Committee members are also working with the state and the CPA Network to address concerns about county reviews of foster children and adoption subsidies, many of which are resulting in reduced payments to foster parents, adoptive parents and CPAs. The next committee meeting is June 1^st at the Hornet at 76 Broadway in Denver, 11:30-1:00. The next CAFCA-county luncheon is scheduled for the end of July.

The Department of Human Services responded positively to the letter CAFCA sent requesting that the new rate application process be postponed and that a small workgroup of stakeholders be assembled to evaluate the new process and make recommendations for the SFY 2005-06 rate setting process. During SFY 2004-05 rates will be based on actual costs rather than the scoring system, but the scoring system will be evaluated as if it had been implemented. Committee members have reported considerable inconsistencies among the county investigations regarding abuse within facilities. CAFCA will work with Judy Rodriguez to attempt resolution.

In addition to reviewing the 2004 legislative session and SFY 2004-05 budget, the committee discussed its agenda of summer public policy activities. Mendez Steadman recommended that CAFCA members invite all members of the House and Senate HEWI and Judiciary Committees to visit their programs over the summer and that the membership identify and communicate 2-3 issues of legislative concern for the 2005 session. Invitations to visit programs should be sent to all candidates running for a particular office in order to comply with IRS rules regarding lobbying and political activities. Failure to refrain from campaign activity or to treat all candidates equally could result in loss of 501(c)(3) status. Member agencies should be especially careful not to support or oppose any particular candidate, but may express positions on ballot initiatives. Individuals may contribute to campaigns and express personal political opinions. A packet of information to share with visiting legislators will be prepared by CAFCA with the assistance of Mendez Steadman. Packets may contain the 5/4/04 Post and Rocky Mountain News articles on the DCW Springs campus closing and other pertinent information. The Post may also run a series of articles about child welfare issues and the status of children in Colorado. A coalition of agencies interested in children’s issues may be one effective way to communicate information. Other ideas discussed included a media event, PSAs with testimonials regarding the benefits of treatment from children and families, a 1-2 minute video on child welfare services and anything that gets the public and legislators to own the problem.

Committee members will be meeting with each of the CAFCA committees to obtain input and answer questions regarding CAFCA membership issues. The group is working on a draft ethics statement for current and new members, possible revisions to membership categories and other activities.

Almost 300 people attended the April 14^th “Methamphetamines and Its Effect on Children” workshop, which CAFCA co-sponsored with the Colorado State Foster Parent Association. Due to overwhelming demand, this workshop will be repeated in August. Details to be announced. Over 1,000 CAFCA conference brochures have already been mailed or hand distributed to potential participants. Please encourage staff to get their registrations in early to avoid being closed out. See information above or go to www.cafca.net.

Marguerite McCormick, trauma expert with the Jefferson Center for Mental Health, will present a workshop to assist those working with traumatized children. The location is the Jefferson County Department of Human Services, 900 Jefferson Parkway, Golden, in the 1^st floor cafeteria conference room. Snacks and lunch will be provided. RSVP to Susan Franklin at 303 271-4051 by May 19, 2004.

Colorado joins other states in hosting an annual Celebration of Educational Excellence for youth in foster care. The celebration will be at 6:00 p.m. on June 8^th at the Auraria campus in Denver. Prior to the ceremony, graduates will be able to speak with representatives from community colleges across Colorado at the onsite College Fair. Youth in foster care who are graduating high school, graduating from vocational schools or colleges, and those attaining GEDs are invited to participate in the ceremony. Foster families and friends of the participants are encouraged to attend as well. Last year about 150 youth were honored. For more information, contact Valerie Jenkins, Chafee Foster Care Independence Program Coordinator, 303 866-4539, or at valerie.jenkins@state.co.us.

This is the third year that Outward Bound and COCAF have co-sponsored this camp for adolescents age 13-17 who are adopted or are available for adoption, and who are working through emotional or mental health issues. Activities include rock climbing and low and high ropes courses. Dates are June 17-19, 2004, with a mandatory meeting for parents and attendees on June 11^th. Scholarships are available. Contact Deborah Cave at cocafcave@yahoo.com or 303 664-4638 for more information.

HHS, Administration of Children and Families, Office of Administration has issued the following grant opportunities. See website for complete details.

Education and Prevention to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway, Homeless and Street Youth

[1] All statistics are from a report prepared by the School of Social Work, Hunter City University of New York, based on data from the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System, the Administration for Children and Families/HHS and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.