Welcome
Welcome to New Foundations’ fourth quarterly newsletter. Our
objective is to keep our staff, foster parents, children and other
social service professionals informed as to what is happening in
each of our offices. Since our newsletter will be available to view
on our website, we will use first names only in conjunction with
the children placed in our care. We are developing web pages to
display our children’s drawings and paintings, so please submit
any artwork you would like to have posted to your case manager,
supervisor or recruiter. We would also like to hear from our foster
families and our teenagers about your experiences with New Foundations
and the foster care system, so we also encourage you to submit your
accounts or stories to your case manager, supervisor or recruiter
as well. By sharing your accounts on our website, we would like
to provide a better understanding of the rewards and challenges
of foster parenting to prospective foster parents and other interested
parties.
About New Foundations
New Foundations is a private, non-profit child
welfare agency that is licensed by the Department of Public Welfare
to provide service to children and families in Philadelphia and
the surrounding counties. We currently serve 170 children and their
foster and biological families in the following ways:
- Foster Care Services
- Kinship Care Services
- Aftercare Services
- Adoption Services
- SCOH Services
Program Office News
New Foundations wishes a fond farewell to Mr. James Scott who will
be retiring from his position as a case aide/transporter on March
24th. Staff and children alike will miss his ever-present smile
as well as his willingness to help whenever needed for whatever
is needed. Mr. Scott has been with New Foundations for over six
years and has touched many lives with his upbeat personality and
sincere interest in our children. Although retiring from New Foundations,
Mr Scott will continue his work with children, as he has done through
the years, as an umpire for baseball and softball and a referee
for basketball. We all wish him a long and happy retirement.
Congratulations also to Pat Ackason, Department of Public Welfare
inspector, on her retirement in February. Ms. Ackason has worked
for many years with New Foundations and will also be missed. We
all wish her the best.
New Foundations will be providing all staff with CPR certification
training in March and will be holding a week long training on Reality
Therapy/Choice Theory starting April 24th.
Center City Office
Deatrice Fields and Charles Mensah continue to do an excellent
job supervising both units in the Center City office. There are
currently almost 140 children placed in foster and kinship homes
within these two units. Both units are fully staffed with casemanagers,
secretary and a transporter who all work together effectively as
a team. The Center City team also gives special thanks to all of
their foster parents who make their work possible by providing love
and nurturing to the children in our care.
Congratulations to Ms Brenda Crabbe , foster parent of the month
for December and Mr. Cleveland and Mrs. Gail Best, foster parents
of the month for January. Starting in 2006, the Center City team
will include a gift card to Wal-Mart in addition to a certificate
of appreciation for the foster parent of the month award.
Congratulations to our children, who continue to work hard in
school to attain their goals. Amy has completed another report card
period with Distinguished Honors at Overbrook High School. Brittany
plans on joining the US Navy after her graduation in June and Kneisha
has obtained her driver’s license.
Center City casemanager Tenisha Williams is continuing her education
in Business Administration and secretary Yvone Jones is majoring
in Criminal Justice and Business Management at the University of
Phoenix. Keep up the good work!
Chester Office
Office supervisor Sherron Samuels continues to do an excellent job
and is enjoying her counseling courses at Wilmington College. Case
manager Shayvonne Jackson has announced that she is expecting her
first child in September. Foster parent Lavinya Walker has announced
her engagement and will be walking down the aisle this summer. Foster
parent Sharon Pompilii will be graduating this month from PGA as
a para-legal. Congratulations to all. Special congratulations to
foster parent Arlyne Craig on her nomination for the Points of Transformation
Award. In addition to being a foster parent with New Foundations,
Mrs. Craig has been a “Family Living Provider” for Elwyn
Inc. for over twelve years.
Congratulations to our children also. Dominick has completed his
karate lessons. Dominick and Ashley are now taking gymnastics. Cameron
has received an award for reading 180 books. Great work, Cameron!
Tia has obtained her driver’s license and will be graduating
in June. Genera will also graduate this June and is deciding on
which college to attend.
The Chester office staff honored foster parent Frances Taylor
with a gift basket for her dedication and community service in working
with the Salvation Army in feeding the homeless.
Upcoming Foster Parent Trainings
Chester office
March 24, 2006 – How to Communicate with Your Teenager –
Will Be Rescheduled Due to Staff Training
Center City
March 20, 2006 – The Difference Between Discipline and Punishment
Recruitment
The recruitment staff enjoyed the holiday festivities and
especially enjoyed having recruiter Shep giving out gifts in the
red suit in the Chester office. Supervisor Sandie Caulder reports
that her staff has returned from the holiday as busy as ever. The
recruitment staff has approved thirteen families in the last quarter.
In addition to providing training for prospective foster parents
and completing home studies, recruiter Taren Daniels has been reaching
out to families in the Chester area through Chester Eastside Ministries
events. Taren also attended the Chester City Hall Senior Citizen
Outreach Luncheon on December 21. Recruiters Kirsten Hontz and Shep
Garner have been reaching out to families in Philadelphia. Kirsten
attended the Statewide Adoption Conference and Training on the Resource
Family Registry in State College, PA on January 24 and 25. Congratulations
to Sandie on celebrating her 10th anniversary with the agency in
February.
Services to Children in Their Own Homes (SCOH)
The New Foundations SCOH program continues working with our Philadelphia
area families. Two families have had additions to their households
recently. One family welcomed a healthy baby boy in December and
another family welcomed a healthy baby girl in January. All mothers
and babies are doing well. SCOH had five families discharged in
the last quarter. The families continue to appreciate all of the
hard work and effort that the casemanagers put forth on their behalf.
Adoption
We are pleased to share that New Foundations adoption staff has
successfully finalized four adoptions between December 1, 2005 and
March 1, 2005. We would like to extend our congratulations and ongoing
support to the families who finalized their adoptions to date. We
are in the process of finalizing 17 PBC adoptions through Philadelphia
County and are currently working on sixteen units of service in
conjunction with Delaware County Children and Youth Services and
the State Wide Adoption Network (SWAN).
Our Adoption Coordinators, Amy Morris and Jill Chiciak, attended
the SWAN Winter Statewide Conference at Penn State from January
23-25, 2006. Trainings included: A Framework and Measures for Youth
Permanency and Child Profile Computer-Based Training Curriculum.
They also attended the SWAN SE Regional Meeting on February 8, 2006.
The meeting provided information on the services offered by the
Center for Schools and Communities.
Amy and Jill also attended the monthly DHS forum and Delaware Valley
Adoption Council (DVAC) meetings. The DHS forums have been focused
on developing the family profile and the requirements of Act 160.
The DVAC meeting in January provided a training on Resiliency in
Maltreated Children. The DVAC meeting in February provided a training
on Early Intervention and Support in the Attachment Process for
Children Adopted After 5 Months of Age.
Elisa Esh, resigned from her position with Family Design Resources
as our South East Regional Technical Assistant effective 1/2/06.
We wish her good luck in her new position as the Director of Resource
Family Recruitment with Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries Adoption
and Foster Care Services. Yvette Lassister has been assigned as
the new South East Regional Technical Assistant for New Foundations.
New Foundations continues to complete Performance Based Contracting
(PBC) adoptions through Philadelphia county and SWAN adoptions and
Child Preparation through Delaware and the surrounding counties.
If you, or anyone you are connected with is interested in learning
more about adopting a child, please contact our adoption coordinator
at (215) 203-8733.
Aftercare
Aftercare Services are provided to children and families
who have achieved permanency through Reunification and Permanent
Legal Custodianship (PLC). Services are provided by New Foundations
Aftercare case managers for 12 months post permanency.
New Foundations Aftercare program currently services 28 families.
Both Aftercare case managers combined have successfully discharged
5 families from the Aftercare Unit in the last quarter.
New Foundations Aftercare case managers, Lisa Naklicki and Kemi
Odeniyi, report that they have 2 children on their caseload who
are on honor roll. Rhonda will be graduating from Girls High School
this year. Quintera received A’s and B’s on her report
card this semester. She is enrolled in college preparatory classes.
Coacia, along with her father and two brothers was recently baptized
in her church.
The Aftercare supervisor and case managers have demonstrated a
genuine commitment to empowering our children and families and have
provided excellent service during the last quarter.
DON’T FORGET…
Don’t forget that we are always looking for new foster parents
so we are better able to match the children coming into our care
with qualified and caring foster families. If you, or anyone you
are connected with is interested in learning more about foster parenting,
please contact our recruitment or case management staff at (215)
203-8733 or (610) 876-4474 or visit our website at www.nfi4kids.org.
Teens in Care
There are many teenagers in our area that need foster homes. These
children can be the most difficult to place in foster homes because
of the challenge that comes along with parenting teens. Foster parents
may feel that teens are too difficult to discipline or that they
are set in their ways, but we must remember that they are people
too and need our love and understanding to become model citizens.
They are our next generation.
Many of these children feel they have lost control in their lives
and sometimes act out to show that they are in control of their
own lives. They can be angry, as anyone would be, about what has
happened throughout their lives. It is our responsibility as members
of the foster care team to help them to attain roots, to help them
feel loved and to help them feel valued.
Commitment to the children is the way to do this. It is important
that all children know that we care about them, their interests
and their fears. It may take longer to attach to a teenager in your
home and for them to attach to you, but it doesn't mean it won't
happen. It takes continuous love and commitment. These children
are capable of attaching to you and to improving their behavior.
New Foundations' staff remembers one child who had to be moved
to several foster homes because of her “typical teen behavior”.
She ended up with a family that showed her she could do more with
her life. Now she is attending college. She still sees her foster
mother during breaks and even keeps in touch with her old case managers.
Another child went on to independent living and was able to do so
because of the life-skills her foster mother taught her. She is
successful at her job and is considering going on to further her
education.
These children, like all children, needed consistent love and
attention to turn their lives around. They were able to do so because
someone took the time to care about them and forgot that they were
“teenage” foster children and remembered that they were
young adults who are an important part of our society. New Foundations
is always in need of homes for children of all ages, but the greatest
need is for our teenage children and we have the least amount of
homes for this age group. If you or anyone you know are willing
and interested in working with our teens, please tell your case
manager or inform one of our recruiters. Remember our teens are
the adults of tomorrow. |
