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Connections Count
Resources Connecting Foster Teens with Families for Life
From the Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services
Making It
Possible
What should child welfare agencies consider as they work with and actively support youth in permanency-related policymaking and systems reform?
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services recently released a summary of the 2006 National Convening on Youth Permanence.
learn more>
Hear "Voices from the Inside."
Advocacy tips for teens from FosterClub.
Youth and
Family Perspectives
“I enjoy working with [Iowa's] Department of Human Services because it feels like someone is finally listening to me, and they aren't just listening, they are actually doing something about it.”
—
Lorisha, Elevate2Inspire, Iowa
Iowa's Elevate2Inspire, a unique partnership, is active on multiple fronts: as advocates for the needs of young people in foster care, as trainers in partnership with their state agency, as producers of commercials promoting foster parent recruitment and legislative activists.
In Depth
 |
Getting with the Plan: Strategies to Involve Youth in Planning their Futures |
”Check with us about things. Remember the motto, ‘Nothing About Me Without Me!’ Don’t make choices for us or make fun of us. Know that we have thoughts, feelings, and ideas just like you.” Child welfare professionals historically made all decisions about foster youth's futures. Today, the role of young people is being redefined - not as passive recipients of agency decisions, but as active participants in their own permanency planning and decision making. |
Surprising New Alliances: Involving Youth in Policy and Advocacy
Young people in foster care offer personal perspectives that can inform agencies, legislators, and other key policymakers about the need for family permanence and solid preparation for adulthood. As the ultimate "consumers," youth can provide agencies, legislatures, and communities with vital perspectives on what is "working" and what is not. As you seek experts to guide your work, remember to include youth in foster care.
The Courts: Keeping Young People Involved and Aware
Involving youth in their own court cases is crucial: Judges' decisions have far reaching consequences in their lives. Learn how some courts keep young people aware of the status of their legal cases.
Data Snapshots
A growing number of foster care alumni are organizing to improve foster care.Archive
- How to Sponsor a Permanency Convening
June-July issue - Rethinking Birth Families
August-September issue
About Connections Count
Produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services, Connections Count is an electronic newsletter focusing on best practices, tools, research, and data on youth permanence in child welfare.Contact Us
Casey Family Services127 Church Street
New Haven, CT 06510
Tel: 203.401.6900
Fax: 203.401.6901