Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Children in Foster Care & Antipsychotic Drugs

Feds Pay for Drug Fraud: 92 Percent of Foster Care, Poor Kids Prescribed Antipsychotics Get Them for Unaccepted Uses

Posted: Updated:
2015-04-28-1430211795-1606534-SanJoseMercuryNewsDruggingSeries.jpglarge
Photo credit: Dai Sugano/The San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group


The release in late March of an alarming new report by federal investigators has confirmed in shocking new detail what has been known for years: Poor and foster care kids covered by Medicaid are being prescribed too many dangerous antipsychotic drugs at young ages for far too long -- mostly without any medical justification at all. The report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General examined in depth nearly 700 claims filed in 2011 in five of the biggest prescribing states -- California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and New York -- and discovered that two thirds of all the prescribing with these popular and costly "second generation antipsychotics" (SGAs) raised high-risk "quality of care" concerns.
The new report noted several disturbing examples, just a few months after an overmedicated teen in foster care, Steven Unangst, died in Antioch, California. The report cited a 10-old-year with ADHD given an antipsychotic -- without any medical documentation -- mixed in with other psych drugs; a 4-year-old on four psychotropic drugs, including two antipsychotics; and a 16-year-old with bipolar disorder on six psychiatric medications, including variously three antipsychotics. Among the side effects of this polypharmacy assault: "This child experienced paranoia, hostility, unstable mood, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts. This child also experienced significant side effects potentially resulting from the prescribed drugs, including a 22-pound weight gain, insomnia, and edema (swelling) of hands and feet."

Read the full story HERE.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Safe Families Volunteer Training




 
Safe Families Training
8:30am-1:00pm Host Families
8:30am-10:30am Family Friends

Saturday, May 30:
TWO LOCATIONS:


Alpine Chapel
23153 W Miller Rd,
Lake Zurich, IL 60047

Lydia Home
4300 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, IL 60641



Saturday, July 18:
Willow Creek Community Church
67 E Algonquin Rd.
South Barrington, IL 60010
                                                  

When under-resourced families face personal or financial crises, the children are affected. Today, an alarming number of parents are socially isolated and lack family support, often compounding problems, feelings of desperation, and likelihood of child neglect or abuse and the subsequent need for foster care placement.

Safe Families for Children (SFFC) is dedicated to family support, stabilization, and most importantly, prevention of child abuse. Parents voluntarily place their children in safe, loving homes while other volunteers support the parents.

If you are interested in becoming a Safe Families volunteer, please register for one of the training sessions listed above. You may also register if you are a current volunteer who would like to update your training.

Contact Teri Altpeter at terialtpeter@att.net with any questions.
For more information on Safe Families for Children, visit: safe-families.org

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Webinar: Stategies to Protect Vulnerable Children




Tuesday, May 26  | 1:00 PM (Central)
"Key Evidence-Based Strategies to Protect Vulnerable Children from Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation"  
 
The first protection we owe to children is to guard them from violence.  The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has identified a combination of actions essential to this protection of the young.  The CDC had developed these actions into a package of complementary interventions, known as THRIVES, to guide countries as they choose a combination of strategies that together have the greatest potential for impact.   

This CAFO webinar is your chance to learn more about THRIVES and the specific strategies it promotes.  It will be presented by the individual who led development of THRIVES for the CDC, Dr. Susan Hillis.

THRIVES strategies cross health, social services, education, finance, and justice sectors.  They include: Training in parenting; Household economic strengthening; Reduced violence through protective policies; Improved services; Values and norms that protect children;  Education and life skills; and Surveillance and evaluation.  Each of the THRIVES strategy areas is underpinned by promising evidence of success in high income countries, with growing evidence that these strategies work in lower income countries also.  PEPFAR, UNICEF, USAID, and the WHO recognize many of the THRIVES strategies as critical components in combatting violence against children
Presenter: Dr. Susan Hillis, CDC
 
 

 
The Christian Alliance for Orphans Webinar Series is designed to help individuals like you create and grow effective adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry in local churches.  Each 60-minute webinar is free and will give local advocates access to the knowledge and experience of top Alliance member churches and organizations nationwide.
 

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Educating the Older Adopted Child

Thursday, May 21st at 2PM CENTRAL TIME
With Stephanee Potts and Sally Lopez


Stephanee will talk about the unique challenges of planning for the educational needs of older child adoption.

When a new child in our family speaks another language and is not on grade or even developmental level, how do we prepare for them and set them up for success?
As a mom of older girls from Ukraine, Stephanee not only crossed this often times perilous bridge but has developed specific strategies and curriculum to meet this need.
Join HFO board member Sally Lopez as she interviews HFO board member Stephanee Potts about how bridging to full potential is possible for older adoptees.

Text your questions to 512-710-5979

Go to
hopefororphans.sermon.net to view the LiveStream on Thursday



WATCH HERE>>

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Life In Limbo: A Foster Care Experience



 

 by Guest Blogger, Sara Brunsting

“I can’t protect you.” Those were the first words whispered to me by my new birth mom. That was right before I was blindfolded along with all the other foster kids and auctioned off to foster families around the room. And when I say auctioned, I mean auctioned. Those two experiences were the most haunting parts of the foster care simulation I took part in called Life in Limbo. This simulation experience was created to help people step into the shoes of birth parents, foster children and foster families and really learn what it feels like live their lives. It definitely did that for me.

For my birth mom to tell me that she couldn’t protect me was both heart-wrenching and eye-opening. I have often thought that parents whose children have ended up in foster care are irresponsible and could have kept their children if only they had tried harder. But to hear these words whispered in my ear really drove home that sometimes parents simply cannot protect their children. It could be that they are struggling with addictions that are helping them cope with the tragedies of their own past. Maybe they have fought tooth and nail to keep their children but lack the support system that they need to make it work. Perhaps they believe that foster care is the only way to protect their children from the harsh realities of this world. Whatever the reason, the words “I can’t protect you” are not to be taken lightly. My heart broke for my birth mom and whatever drove her to say these words. Compassion welled up within me for birth parents around the world and for the children that they could not protect.

The second part of the simulation was what I call “The Auction.” As my birth mom blindfolded me and the other foster children around the room were blindfolded by their birth parents, the facilitator of the simulation starts calling out the ages of the children and asking the foster parents to take the children. “I have a 16 year old and a 13 year old! Who will take them? Come on, someone needs to take them! The 13 year old is really nice and the 16 year old is not that bad.” “I have two 8 year olds…they’re both well-behaved and fun. Who will take them? What about you, sir?” “I have a sibling group of three, two 3 year olds and a 6 year old. Any takers? Okay, we will have to break the siblings up – who will take the 6 year old? Will anyone take the 3 year olds?” And on and on this went until all the children were accounted for.

I will never forget the feelings I experienced during this part of the simulation. First, I felt completely worthless. Here I was, blindfolded and auctioned off to whoever would take me. I wanted to scream, “Why are you doing this?! I have a name! I am not a piece of property to be given out! Why don’t I have a say in this?!” Then the helplessness set in. It didn’t matter what I wanted or how I felt. I was going to end up in a foster home…and not even one that I chose. All I could do was hope that my foster parent would be a good person and would treat me well. Finally, I felt resigned. This was my fate. I had no idea if I would ever get to see my birth mom again. I had no idea if I would even stay in the home of the foster parent who chose me. I had no idea what was going to happen to me.

I didn’t know what to expect going into Life in Limbo. To be honest, I went into it thinking that there is no way that a simulation experience could ever really help me understand the ins and outs of foster care. I am happy to say that I was completely wrong! It really did help me “walk a mile in their shoes” when it came to understanding the feelings and frustrations of being a child in foster care. The sad part is that this was just a one hour experience for me and yet it is the 24/7 life for children all over the world. Friends…that fills me with such sorrow that there are hardly words. These are children with names, with stories, with heart aches and with hopes and dreams. They are not “foster children” – they are children! They are the most vulnerable people in our world and they deserve our love, our compassion and our time. They need us to give them hope – what are we waiting for?

Friday, May 8, 2015

Life In Limbo: A Foster Care Experience




The Vulnerable Children’s Ministry

Presents a Foster Care Experience
“Life in Limbo”

Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Willow Creek Community Church
67 E. Algonquin Road, So. Barrington, IL

Come out to our next VCM Gathering to engage in a unique foster care experience that will allow you to “walk a mile in their shoes.” Through this simulation experience, you will take on the role of a child in foster care, foster care parent or birth parent. You will deal with the anxiety, anger and hope that the children experience, feel the struggle a foster parent must go through to provide a stable environment or decide as a birth parent whether you will do whatever it takes to get your children back.

This simulation is dynamic and moving. It will increase your understanding of the foster care system and motivate you to get involved. Whether you are currently involved in foster care or want to walk alongside those who are, this experience is for you!

The simulation experience will be conducted by Joy DeLaere,  Section Leader at Willow Creek and Jenn Ranter, Ministry Lead for Preplanted – an adoption, foster care & Safe Families ministry at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton.


6:00 Dinner together (Atrium)

7:00 Worship service (Lakeside Auditorium)

7:30 Workshop (room B205)

Space is limited, so please register for the


Childcare is available with Midweek for Kids (ages 0-5 years). 

 **D.C.F.S. Training Credit Hours Offered**

Life In Limbo: A Foster Care Experience is a curriculum from Fostering Great Ideas.
http://fgionline.org/