More FY 2010 Foster Care/Adoption Data

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services AFCARS data, U.S. Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children, Youth and Families Because AFCARS data are being continuously updated and cleaned, the numbers reported here may differ from data reported elsewhere in report breakdown. These data reflect all AFCARS submissions by states received by June of 2011. Adoptions  [...]

FY20010 Foster Care Data

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services AFCARS data, U.S. Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children, Youth and Families (Based on data submitted by states as of June, 2011) Children in foster care on September 30, 2010? 408,425 Children exiting foster care during FY 2010? 254,114 via: Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s)  51%  128,913 Living [...]

Second Book Available On Line…FREE!

After 2 yrs of procrastinating, 3 days of retyping manuscript & necessary html coding my 2nd book is now available on my web site. You can go to my main web site ofhttp://larrya.us/ and click on cover of 2nd book or go directly tohttp://larrya.us/book1.html Since they are no longer being published or available at on line stores [...]

A Response to Penn State Scandal

It has taken me over a week since the Penn State scandal broke to attempt to bring my anger under control and attempt to present a reasoned response to it. I will not say some anger may find its way into this blog entry as it remains but I will attempt to keep it under [...]

A Note to Present/Former Foster Youth

The note below was shared on Facebook with the Foster Care Alumni of America Group. It was such an amazing, awesome, heartfelt article that I requested permission to reprint it here on my blog. It expresses so many of the thoughts and heartaches I experienced while in foster care but also shares the positive thought [...]

Sen. John Kerry Introduces Reconnecting Youth To Prevent Homelessness Act

This week, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced the Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act to protect children in foster care from ending up on the streets. The bill features a section dedicated to protecting and providing support to LGBT youth. In a statement, Kerry said preparing for and planning responses to youth homelessness is vital, [...]

Ex-Foster Youth ‘RISE ABOVE’

I found this article interesting as well as inspirational for youth of today in the system…it lets them know they to can make it! April 21, 2011 in Washington Voices Justin Vinge, Josephine Davis and Mariah Hottell have a lot in common. They’re bright, articulate and successful college students. They’ve also been called disposable, unwanted [...]

Making Adoption Work

I found this article the other day and found it to be quite interesting. Though it deals with international adoption I feel some of the solutions at the end of the article could also assist in getting youth adopted from foster care in a more timely manner. Though I post this article it does not [...]

AFCARS Latest Number on Foster Care/Adoption from Care FY2009

As long as there is still one youth still waiting for a loving, nurturing caring, permanent home it is one too many! AFCARS Releases its Latest Numbers Released this summer, the 17th official AFCARS report reveals that, in federal fiscal year 2009 the number of U.S. children in foster care and waiting for adoption declined [...]

Florida ends ban on gay, lesbian adoptions

Florida joins the 21st century and the other 49 states plus Washington DC!! EVERY Child deserves a loving, nurturing, caring parents whether they be straight, gay or lesbian. NO child deserves to be held a “legal” orphan hostage to the system because of this issue. I know some reading this may not agree with me. However, as one [...]

California Law Now Extends Care to 21

From now on, California will keep young people in foster care until they turn 21. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger held a ceremonial signing of Assembly Bill 12 in Los Angeles Wednesday. The governor signed the bill on the campus of Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services. He said that from now on, foster care kids [...]

Youth Aging Out of Care Increases 64% since 1999

There has been just as dramatic of an increase of youth aging out of foster care as there has been a decrease of youth in care. Since 1999 youth aging out has increased by almost 12,000 (in 99 there were roughly 17,000 & 2009 there were over 29,000). Over a quarter of a million youth [...]

Dramatic Drop of Youth in Foster Care!

I found this to be an intersting article though I disagree with some of the conclusions reached by the write and others in the article. This person doesn’t look at the budget deficits 47 of 50 states currently faced and how Family & Child Services are usually the first thing on the chopping block. Are [...]

Concerned ND Citizens Fight for Ombundsman for ND Youth in Care

It has been a long grueling process extending over four years for those who have worked on this project but the light can now be seen at the end of the tunnel. It is hoped that during the 2011 legislative session of the North Dakota legislature that what was once a dream will become reality [...]

North Dakota says: Don’t Put Children in Foster Care!

This is the state where I now live. By: Andi Murphy, INFORUM Published August 30 2010 North Dakota is at the forefront of a new trend in the way foster care is administered: Don’t put children in foster care. The idea is to help families help themselves so they can keep their children, rather than [...]

Western Michigan U hosts camp for foster care youth

This is a great program at Western Michigan University. Wouldn’t it be great if every university, college and even community college offered such a program across the country. Today only 2% of youth aging out of foster care receive either a 2 year or 4 year college degree as many who may start are just [...]

Foster Care Must Extend Beyond Eighteen!

This is an article I found on the net from a writer in Alaska. I thought it was very well stated. This problem is only going to get worse as 47 of 50 states are facing large budget deficits. When states face this issue the first things they look to cut are funds dealing with [...]

Couple Inspire 50 Adoptions in One Neighborhood

Gimundo: By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on April 28 2010 In 1996, Jaci and Eric Hasemeyer already had three children, and had believed their family was complete. But when Jaci, a P.E. teacher at a Riverside, California elementary school, handed out coupons for a local skating rink one day, the response she received from a 5th [...]

It Just Takes One: Foster Mother Mollie Jelks Raises 36 Foster Youth

A great story…good for a Mothers Day Memory: HuffPost   |  Erica Liepmann Posted: 05- 3-10 06:00 AM   After spending 22 years of her life working in mortgage banking, Mollie Jelks admits she never found the sense of fulfillment she longed for. When her Citibank office relocated to St. Louis, Jelks wasn’t willing to follow. [...]

President Issues Proclamation for Nat’l Foster Care Month

Presidential Proclamation-National Foster Care Month A PROCLAMATION Nearly a half-million children and youth are in foster care in America, all entering the system through no fault of their own. During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the promise of children and youth in foster care, as well as former foster youth. We also celebrate the [...]