So when I first started searching for child welfare in the news, dozens of articles came up about children dying in foster care and other tragic stories.
And while I think these are all very imporant and need to be reported, I wanted to highlight a positive story or "The Good Stuff" as CNN calls it.
This is the story of 22 year old Marchelle Roberts who had a rocky journey through life but is an example of how youth are resilient and perservere toward greatness!
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/29/politics/foster-interns/index.html?iref=allsearch
Marchelle is from Camden, NJ. For any of you who have seen the 20/20 episode called "Waiting on the World to Change" (if you havent see it you should watch it, its really touching) you know that Camden is the poorest and most dangerour neighborhood in America.
She suffered abuse, trauma and lots of confusion as no one took the time to explain to her what was happening.
Thankfully she was adopted by a caring individual and that became a turning point in her life.
"Now she is one of 15 former foster children participating in the Foster Youth Internship program run by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. The program aims to give former foster children an opportunity to help shape public policy on child welfare issues. Interns spend the summer working in the offices of members of Congress from both parties. At the end of the program, they make a presentation to the entire Congress with recommendations on how to improve the foster care system."
THATS AWESOME!!
"Roberts survived that system and says there's a lot she wants to see changed. She wants to create a one-stop online clearinghouse laying out the resources available to foster youth and former foster youth all across the country, and she wants states to do more to keep siblings together in foster care."
~Always remember the "Good Stuff"~
Foster family recruitment can be difficult- especially when the children who need placed have special physical or emotional needs, or when a large sibling group is in need of a placement. That being said, when I first started my internship at FCCS, I was amazed at the number of children who are removed from foster homes for abuse or neglect. I discussed this with my supervisor and found out that, through some foster care networks, the necessary criteria for becoming a licensed foster family is not as intensive as I had thought.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I feel like programs that serve both foster children and foster parents are extremely important. I also feel that these individuals should have a voice when it comes to public policy regarding foster care. Columbus has a few great resources for foster families (including a Latin American culturally relevant group for foster parents of Latin American children), however it is important that these resources are not available across the U.S. Camden and other impoverished areas may not have the available funds to provide these services, which is why advocating for policy change is something that we, as social workers, should participate in.
I loved this article Carrie!!! First of all, I think it is awesome that you sought out a positive when our media is so incredibly full of negative stories. I have never heard of th
ReplyDeletee Foster Youth Internship Program but it sounds like a truly beneficial programs that provide great opportunities for those who have been through the system.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! When I think of the topic of child welfare, positive thoughts are not generally what I think of right away. Seeing that foster children are being given a voice is fantastic, and what better way to gain insight on the foster care system than to ask youth who have formerly been in foster care?
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific success story! As social workers it is important to look at the positives and success stories otherwise we would all burn out at our jobs. It is a great opportunity for youth to be involved in this program not to mention other opportunities and resources available to kids who were adopted or were in foster care. It is amazing to see the resiliency in kids who have obviously had a traumatic background, but still be successful in life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a positive and uplifting story. This is something I have never heard of. I love that foster and adoptive children's opinions and experiences are valued. I am going to do more research on this
ReplyDeleteCoalition.
ReplyDelete