text: E-Notes Newsletter - December 2013
  Sibling Adoptions and Foster Placements
  Most children in foster care have brothers and sisters. While the sibling relationship offers support and comfort, far too often children in out-of-home care are separated from their siblings simply because there is no family able to accept them together as a group. We have two key tools to assist you in recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families to meet the needs of siblings:
  Practice Principles and Seven-Step Process for Sibling Recruitment (PDF – 384 KB) highlights key considerations and practice tips for keeping siblings together or connected through foster, adoptive, and kinship placements.
  Ten Myths and Realities of Sibling Adoptions (PDF – 216 KB) dispels common misconceptions about siblings being adopted.
  The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351) includes requirements for child welfare agencies regarding keeping siblings connected. Both of the publications listed above include guidance on the requirements for sibling connects, as well as areas where child welfare agencies have discretion regarding sibling groups.
  Child Welfare Information Gateway Bulletin on Sibling Issues
  Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption (PDF – 434 KB) explores research, intervention strategies, and resources to assist professionals in preserving connections among siblings. The publication discusses the importance of the sibling bond and best practices to support efforts to keep siblings together whenever possible. The publication also shares ideas for ways to maintain the sibling connections when brothers and sisters are living in different homes.
  A web-based toolkit from the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections provides information and resources on sibling practice and policy for child welfare organizations. The Working with Siblings in Foster Care Toolkit is organized around 10 dynamic practice components and also includes an organizational self-study.
  Report and Recommendations on Intercountry Adoption
  The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute has released a new report on intercountry adoption. The report recommends that best practices be created and implemented to help adoptive families to succeed with children who are more likely than in the past to have serious special needs, and to "prevent the kind of distress that leads desperate parents to seek radical solutions like 're-homing' their adopted children". A Changing World: Shaping Best Practices Through Understanding of The New Realities of Intercountry Adoption (PDF – 1.8 MB) describes the results of an extensive two-year research study conducted by scholars from Tufts University the Donaldson Adoption Institute. The study included surveys of 1,500 adoption professional and adoptive parents and interviews with policymakers from 19 countries.
  Transitioning from Youth Advocate to Advocate for Youth
  Youth Advocate to Advocate for Youth: The Next Transition (PDF – 532 KB) was produced by Youth MOVE National in partnership with the Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures. The publication serves as a guide for young people who have decided to share their own experiences to advocate for positive change. It describes the stages in the development of a youth advocate, which may or may not include continuing in an advocacy role as an adult.
  The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released Kinship Process Mapping: A Guide to Improving Practice in Kinship Care (PDF – 680 KB). The guide details a step-by-step method that public child welfare agencies can use to identify barriers to placing children with kin and to develop recommendations for removing those barriers. It includes information and templates to assist with preparing for and facilitating mapping sessions, analyzing the results, and developing solutions.
  Cross System Information Sharing to Serve Vulnerable Youth
  Getting Big Data to the Good Guys: San Francisco's "Shared Youth Database" Brings Business Intelligence to the City's Social Workers provides an overview of the administrative, legal, and technological barriers addressed in the effort to create a means of sharing information between different youth-serving systems. The project was developed as part of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded project targeting high need youth who received services from several systems. This article appears in Data Smart City Solutions, an Initiative of the Harvard Kennedy School.
  Defining Practice-Based Evidence
  The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare has released CEBC Spotlight #1: Practice-Based Evidence and How it is Different from Evidence-Based Practice (PDF – 160 KB). This brief publication defines the concept of practice-based evidence, which incorporates "information derived from real world practice, and contrasts it to the concept of evidence-based practice."
  New Customizable Diligent Recruitment Navigator Available
  The National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment (NRCDR) at AdoptUSKids is pleased to announce its brand new customizable tool to support States, Tribes, and Territories in developing comprehensive, multi-faceted Diligent Recruitment programs. The NRCDR's new Diligent Recruitment Navigator:
  Is customized to your child welfare system, with information tailored to address the unique structure and considerations of an individual child welfare system
  Provides detailed questions for you and your colleagues to discuss in your Diligent Recruitment planning
  Offers customized suggestions for colleagues and stakeholders to include in your Diligent Recruitment planning
  Learn more and get your customized Diligent Recruitment Navigator here.
  NRCDR consultants will be contacting States, Tribes, and Territories after the first of the year to discuss ways that the Navigator can be used. If you would like technical assistance regarding the Diligent Recruitment Navigator or have questions regarding the tool, please contact us at nrcdr@adoptuskids.org.
  Children's Bureau E-Book Now Available
  The Children's Bureau Legacy: Ensuring the Right to Childhood explores the rich history, achievements, and enduring legacy of the Children's Bureau's first 100 years.
  Supporting Your LGBTQ Youth: A Guide for Foster Parents is a factsheet designed to help foster parents learn about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the child welfare system, the unique risks they face, and the important role that foster parents can play in reducing those risks.
  Consent to Adoption reviews State laws that specify the persons who must consent to a child's adoption, timeframes for consent, and guidelines for revocation of consent. It also includes summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories.
  Infant Safe Haven Laws discusses State laws that provide safe places for parents to relinquish newborn infants. It describes the responsibilities of providers who accept the infants, their immunity from liability, their legal protections from prosecution for the parents, and the effect of relinquishment on parental rights.