Child Welfare Professionals Examine Impact of Federal Legislation on Vermont
April 27, 2009
Contact:
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Public Affairs Manager
Phone: 203.401.6955
MONTPELIER, VT — National child welfare experts, including David Laird, MSW, director of government affairs and policy at Voices for America’s Children, and Sania Metzger, Esq., director of policy at the Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services, will join state officials, advocates, and practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of the landmark federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 and how it can be implemented effectively in Vermont.
More than 1,400 children and youth currently are in Vermont’s foster care system, and all of these youth could potentially benefit from new federal legislation that seeks to connect more children with families and smooth the transition to adulthood. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008:
- provides support to relatives so they are better able to provide care for children in their own families,
- creates opportunities for children aging out of foster care so they are able to pursue education or vocational training after age 18, and
- reauthorizes and improves the Adoption Incentives Program and allows more families to receive adoption assistance, particularly for adoption of older children and children with special needs.
Sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services, Voices for Vermont’s Children, and the Vermont Department for Children and Families, the forum is set for noon on April 28, 2009, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier.
The event will feature a panel discussion with:
- Moderator: Sheila Reed, Esq., Voices for Vermont’s Children
- Lynn Granger, Program Director, Vermont Kin As Parents
- Jezerae Jackson, Youth in Kinship Care
- Robert Sheil, Esq., Juvenile Defender, Vermont Office of the Juvenile Defender
- Heather Simmons, Recruiter and Permanency Planning Counselor, Lund Family Center
- Cindy Walcott, Deputy Commissioner, Family Services Division, Vermont Department for Children and Families
