National Adoption Awareness Month is a nationwide initiative of the Children’s Bureau with a goal to increase awareness and bring attention to the need for permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. foster care system. For over two decades, National Adoption Awareness Month has been promoted every November. Proclaimed in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, …
SAFY Celebrates National Adoption Awareness Month Read More »
Nearly a decade old, National Bullying Prevention Awareness month was initiated by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2006. Did you know that 1 in every 5 children report being bullied? Bullying is classified as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the …
Many youth in foster care have experienced traumatic events in their lifetimes. In fact, it’s been cited that up to 80 percent of children in foster care have significant mental health issues, compared to about 18-22 percent of the general population. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Healthy Foster Care America initiative identifies mental and behavioral health as the greatest unmet …
Therapeutic Foster Care and Behavioral Health Services for Foster Youth Read More »
Have you considered becoming a foster parent but have some questions? Here are some of the top questions SAFY receives from people looking to become foster parents. Q: I am not married. Can I still foster? A: Yes. Foster parents can be single, divorced or widowed. You must be over age 21 to qualify in …
SAFY Answers Foster Parents’ Frequently Asked Questions Read More »
For some people, the thought of caring for a foster child seems natural but for others, fostering may be a decision that you’ve mulled on for a long time. Maybe there is something in the back of your mind that is simply holding you back and causing fear…fear of the unknown, perhaps. Although it’s normal …
Foster youth want what all children need and desire—the opportunity to live up to their greatest potential in life. By age 26, approximately 80 percent will have failed to earn a high school degree or GED. Only half will be employed, and one in five will be homeless. Last year, 94 percent of the older …
Purposeful parenting encourages active and engaged parenting to build strong families The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services slated July as Purposeful Parenting Month. The summer month seems a perfect time to practice purposeful parenting, when families are together more frequently during summer break from school. Purposeful parenting is all about being an active …
Is it the training they receive to offer trauma-informed care, or is it helping children learn positive coping skills to deal with stress? Maybe it’s their ability to understand, recognize and respond to the effects of trauma while providing stability and guidance to youth in their care. So what makes treatment foster parents so special? …
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which helps raise public awareness about preventing child maltreatment. During the month of April and throughout the year, National Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect and to promote the social and …
Signs to Watch for in Children Who May be in Abusive or Neglectful Situations Read More »
SAFY’s older youth services promote independence, wellness and success for older youth and young adults aging out of foster care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that approximately 20,000 youth age out of and exit foster care each year. Exits may be positive, when youth are emancipated to independent living or return …
