Copy
View this email in your browser

FOSTERING|VERMONT
 July 18, 2019 

"Somebody, your father or mine, should have told us that not many people have ever died of love. But multitudes have perished, and are perishing every hour--and in the oddest places!--for the lack of it."    --Author James Baldwin

Look for Fostering Vermont twice each month and be sure to send your news, events and other items of importance and interest to: mary.collins@vermont.gov  Or, call her at (802) 241-0896.  THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF NEW ARTICLES AND EVENTS: TUESDAY, NOON.

IN YOUR DISTRICT

news from around the state


Send us news of what's happening in your community and district.
We'll post highlights here.  Email to:
mary.collins@vermont.gov
Welcoming Summer in the Morrisville District! 

Recruitment & Retention Specialist, Sandi Stewart, teamed up with the town of Morrisville  to sponsor planter boxes throughout the community.  Raised  beds filled with herbs and other vegetables are available to anyone who would like to harvest them!  Morrisville seized the opportunity to share the needs of foster care in a fun and creative way.
Farm to Family Program News!

The Vermont Farm to Family Program gives WIC families coupons for free, locally grown, fresh vegetables and fruits from participating farmers’ markets around the state. Coupons are available on a first-come, first-served basis to WIC participants age 6 months and older, valued at $30 per booklet, with a maximum of $60 per family.

Farm to Family activities also count towards your WIC Nutrition Activity.

Distribution Dates:


7/2 WIC Office, Springfield: (9am-3pm)
7/11 Trinity Church, Windsor: (1pm-3:30pm)  
7/19 Greater Falls Farmers’ Market, Bellows Falls: (4pm-6pm)  
7/24 WIC Office,  Springfield: (9am-3pm)
7/31 WIC Office, Springfield: (4pm-6pm)
8/2 Ludlow Farmers’ Market, Ludlow: (4pm-6pm)                                                 
8/3 Ascutney Farmers’ Market, Ascutney: (10am-Noon)
8/9 WIC Office, Springfield: (9-Noon)

Are YOU WIC eligible?  Find out more. Visit:
http://www.healthvermont.gov/children-youth-families/wic/apply  
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Central Intake & Emergency Services (CIES) is recruiting for a full-time Family Services Worker.  Posting ID: 2087

 CIES is the statewide child protection hotline for our division and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the week, including holidays.  The unit serves as the child abuse reporting system and handles after-hour emergencies related to child abuse and neglect, children in state's custody, delinquency, and youth with behaviors beyond the control of their caretakers.

 CIES provides an interesting and challenging social work experience with a state-wide perspective. Although the work hours are unconventional, we have been successful in ensuring that our staff can perform duties within their scheduled shifts to maintain a strong work-life balance. The schedule will include a Friday and Saturday evening shift that will be part of a rotation into a day shift. The remaining shifts are worked during regular business hours. Applicants must be willing to work some holidays.

Duties include: answer the child protection hotline and gather information from callers about alleged abuse or neglect; document reports of abuse and neglect in the state's reporting system; provide information and guidance to field Family Services Workers deployed after-hours to commence emergency child safety interventions; inform law enforcement about laws pertaining to delinquency and placement of youth at Woodside; provide guidance to field Family Services Workers and law enforcement to initiate emergency care orders; coordinate foster care and other residential placements for children/youth in the custody of the department; and offer support and problem-solving strategies to foster parents struggling with behaviors of children or youth in their homes.


Contact: Dianne Jabar, MSW
Director - Central Intake & Emergency Services Unit
VT Department for Children & Families, Family Services Division
Ph: (802) 871-6474    
        Fax: (802) 241-3301 

 
Talking With Our Children About Adoption

How comfortable are you having these conversations?  Are you worried about the impact on your child?  Together we will:

- Discuss how to provide your child with their history—even if it’s a difficult one
- Learn how to talk about your child’s birth family honestly and proactively.
- Get help with how to empoweryour child in telling and/or keeping their story private.

Dinner will be provided!

JOIN: Nancy Birge, LICSW
ON: Wednesday, September 18th
FROM: 5:30—7:30 pm
AT: Burlington DCF Family Services Office
426 Industrial Avenue, Suite 140, Williston

Learn what’s important to talk about with your child and why And practice these conversations safely and with support so that you are ready when you go home.

Sponsored by:    

Registration is now open for this free event—we want to know you’re coming!
https://talkingwithourchildrenaboutadoptionburlington

eventbrite.com

SUMMER EVENTS

a selection of upcoming events of interest
for vermont foster and kincare families

PLEASE BE SURE TO VERIFY EVENTS OF INTEREST AND NOT RELY SOLELY ON THIS CALENDAR AS CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS CAN OCCUR WITHOUT ADVANCE NOTICE. 
Black River Bio-Blitz
Black River Action Team
Hoyt's Landing and Muckross Park
July 26th at noon through July 27th at noon

 
This is citizen science at it's best! A family-friendly 24-hour event, join us for a 'nature-palooza' as we explore Hoyt's Landing (where the Black River meets the CT River) and Muckross State Park. Join the project at iNaturalist so you can photograph everything from mushrooms to mammals, fish to flowers, turtles to trees. We'll build an online inventory of the flora and fauna of these two locations, so we can learn more about the ecosystem, the watershed, and how to take good care of both. We're even planning a nocturnal session, to enjoy the "nightlife"!

Leave the dog at home, please, but pack a snack, a walking stick, and don't forget your camera or smartphone! We'll teach you how to use iNaturalist and to upload your photos; your best images will be identified by scientists from around the world, helping with research projects far beyond BioBlitz.

While this event is FREE, donations are warmly welcomed to offset event costs. Your $10 donation will net you a cool BioBlitz button and a BRAT cinch sack.  Follow the FB event here.

EVENTS

 

Marshfield Summer Concert Series 

Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Continues through Aug. 15

Old Schoolhouse Common Gazebo
Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield 
Picnickers settle down for the evening with a family-friendly band, a local food vendors and the library's bake and book sale. Email: jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com

Vermont Girl's Choir Auditions
Through Sept. 2
Various Locations Around the State
Young vocalists vie for spots in a professional singing ensemble and education program.
Free; preregister Email: vermontgirlschoir@gmail.com

Pride Yoga
Saturdays, 5-6 p.m. Continues through July 31
Sangha Studio
Pine Street, Burlington
LGBTQ individuals and allies hit the mat for a stretching session suited to all levels.
 

Apollo 11 50th Anniversary:
Celebrating Our First Lunar Steps

Sat., July 20
Montshire Museum of Science
1 Montshire Rd., Norwich
Stellar science activities celebrate this milestone in space exploration. Curious families investigate technology used to send a person to the moon and admire astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin taking their first lunar steps. regular museum admission, $15-18; free for children under age 3. 
 

Farm to Ballet at Retreat Farm

Sat., July 20, 5:30pm
Retreat Farm
45 Farmhouse Square, Brattleboro
Art and agriculture come together in this dance performance celebrating Vermont's farming culture. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. to visit animals and enjoy indoor and outdoor play spaces. Bring a blanket or chairs. Fare available from local food trucks. $20; free for children under 13 if pre-purchased; day of event, $10-25.

 

Stars & Stripes Festival & Parade
Sat., July 20, 9am - 4pm
Main Street, Lyndonville

A huge parade at 10 a.m., live music, food and crafters make for a fun-filled community gathering.
Barre Heritage Festival
July 24 - 27th
Barre, VT

A Free Family-Friendly Festival , The Barre Heritage Festival and Homecoming Days is celebrated in downtown Barre. Thousands join in the fun for the biggest festival in Central Vermont. Vendors galore, a mile long parade, band after band after band, tub races, bounce houses, even mermaids and pirates, and a gorgeous firework display to end it all!

 Hemmings Cruise-In
Thurs., July 25th
222 Main St., Bennington

Hemmings Cruise-Ins are family friendly car gatherings open to all years, all makes and models. Trophies are awarded and winners will be featured in Hemmings Motor News! Cruise-ins often are cancelled when rain threatens, so it’s a good idea to check their website beforehand to be sure the event is still on. hemmings.com
 

Lamoille County Field Days
July 26th - July 28th
Lamoille County Field Days Fairgrounds
203 Wilson Rd, Johnson

Families flock to this pay-one-price event, kicking off the summer season of fairs. Kids' fun includes pedal pulls, magic shows, games, rides and prizes. $10-12; includes midway rides.
 
Lake Champlain Maritime Festival Pirate Park
Sat., July 27, 10am - 2pm
Waterfront Park
10 College St., Burlington

Ahoy, mates! Captains of the seas dive into children's activities, including Rockin' Ron the Pirate, games with Big Blue Trunk, bouncy houses and more, in this memorable waterfront day devoted to the young.
________________________

  Youth Development Program Summer Picnic

Wed., July 31st
Branbury State Park 
3570 Lake Dunmore Rd, Salisbury

The statewide Youth Development Program will be holding their annual summer picnic at Branbury State Park on Wednesday, July 31st.  YDP and DCF youth, their families, and their support people are all encouraged to join.  Food, drinks, beach games and activities will be available.  Please RSVP and send questions to Michelle Maseroni at mmaseroni@wcysb.org.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

helpful news and information

  

  My Amazing Family!


As you research ways to build your LGBTQ family, you may come across information on becoming gay foster parents. Foster care adoption is a wonderful way to bring a child into your life, not to mention a way to provide a home and support system to a child who desperately needs it.

LGBTQ foster care adoption is not much different than any other foster care adoption: You’ll have to meet certain requirements and be fully prepared for the challenges of the process. You typically have two options for bringing a foster child into your home: through a foster-to-adopt program or by adopting a child whose parents’ rights have been terminated and, therefore, who is already free for adoption. The state foster care system is the most popular way of growing a family in the U.S. today.

Here’s how each process works:

Foster-to-adopt: A child who has been removed from their parents’ custody is placed into your home for support and safety. The ultimate goal of foster care is reunification, so the state will give the child’s legal parents an opportunity to meet certain requirements that will allow them to take the child back into their custody. When you choose foster-to-adopt, you welcome a child into your home with the hope that they will eventually be freed for adoption. However, becoming gay foster parents in this way can be difficult when a child is placed back with their legal parents.

Adopt a waiting child: To avoid potential disruption from foster-to-adopt, some same-sex foster parents instead choose to adopt a child who has already been freed for adoption. There will usually be a period where the child lives with you before the adoption (for adjustment and to make sure it’s the right fit). Once you meet your state’s pre-placement requirements, you will be able to legally adopt the child.

But what if a permanent child placement isn’t right for you at this time? If you still want to have a child in your home without adopting them, you can always become an LGBTQ foster parent and provide a home for children while their parents are completing the reunification process.

Like with other child adoption processes, you may ask whether your ability to be an LGBTQ foster care parent is subject to discrimination. Fortunately, because the foster care system is run by a government agency, it cannot prevent you from becoming a foster parent based on religious beliefs like other faith-based organizations can. In fact, your sexual orientation on its own won’t prevent you from being a foster care or foster care adoptive parent at all. Because there are so many children waiting for homes in the foster care system, as long as you prove you can provide a safe, supportive environment, foster care professionals will be relieved to have another parent for these children in need.

Child welfare agencies like AdoptUSKids provide special training and resources to make sure that all LGBTQ families working through their agencies feel welcome and prepared for the gay foster care and adoption process. Within their agencies, focus is not on a foster parent’s sexual orientation — instead, just their readiness to be a supportive parent.


Why Same-Sex Foster Parents are Important

Same-sex foster parents actually have a huge impact on the foster care system, as they’re six times more likely to be raising foster children than opposite-sex couples. Studies have even shown that without gay fostering, the country would lose $87 to $130 million in child care, with individual states losing as much as $27 million. So, if you wonder whether you would be welcomed as an LGBTQ foster care parent, know that you will make a huge difference in not only the life of the child you adopt or foster but also in the system as a whole.

As one of the same-sex foster parents in the system, you will likely bring an empathy that other heterosexual parents cannot. Many of the children in the foster care system have been through traumatizing experiences that have left them feeling abandoned or neglected. They may feel like they’re different from classmates or friends who have a “normal” family life. As someone who has felt your own differences at various times in your life, you can likely identify with what they’re feeling. When you’re raising an adopted foster child, you can emphasize that differences aren’t a bad thing; they’re what make people special.  You can show them that a family doesn’t have to be the typical mom-and-dad household that they may have dreamed of.

There are also children in the foster care system that are LGBTQ individuals — and feel even more lost or alone than their heterosexual peers. In fact, LGBTQ kids in foster care are overrepresented, with a higher percentage in the system than in the general population. They are in desperate need of homes and, in addition to the reason why they were placed in foster care, they usually have an added trauma of being rejected because of their sexual orientation. When you choose to adopt gay youth or foster gay youth, you can provide them a positive role model of an LGBTQ individual, which they may have never had growing up. You can also provide them emotional support than many child welfare agencies are, unfortunately, too ill-equipped to provide themselves.

Clearly, when you decide to become a foster parent or adoptive parent, you will make a huge difference in the life of the child that you welcome into your home. There are many children waiting for a safe, supportive and loving home that you can provide.


https://consideringadoption.com/adopting/can-same-sex-couples-adopt/become-gay-foster-parents

DILIGENT RECRUITMENT

building and sustaining relationships

For LGBTQ foster youth in foster care, finding a home that is inclusive and understanding, may take a special level of consideration and care.  Here, two foster parents share their understanding of what it takes to be an advocate for LGBTQ youth in foster care. 

FRONT PORCH FORUM

a component of Diligent Recruitment

New recruitment messages in support of critical needs in each district are launched on Front Porch Forum on a regular, continuous basis. If you know of a person or family, like yourself, who might be interested in foster care, please let your District office or the Central office know. 

Email: mary.collins@vermont.gov

Here is an excerpt from one of these messages:

___________________________________

 
 Some of us come into the world knowing exactly who we are or who we will become as we grow.  “Someday, I’m going to be a famous gymnast,” John may say. Or, “I love tinkering with mechanical things; I’m going to be an engineer,” Caroline may insist. 

 For others, knowing who you are is not always easy to express. If there’s no one to hear you and support your discovery of who you are, it can be challenging and emotionally difficult. For children in foster care this can be even harder.

That’s why we need open, inclusive and supportive foster homes for kids like John and Caroline who may be dealing with issues related to gender identity/expression and sexual orientation.

Could you provide the unconditional care and support these children and youth need?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!  It will be challenging, but it will also be one of the most meaningful decisions you’ll ever make.   

To learn more, go to http://fostercare.vt.gov.  If you want us to contact you, complete the form at http://dcf.vermont.gov/foster-care-inquiry.

 ________________________________________
KEEP LOCAL KIDS LOCAL


Please note: Front Porch Forum messages are not the stories of specific children but composite stories of children who may have been in our care. We use stories to illustrate the experiences of children and youth and to help find appropriate foster care for all. Do YOU have a story to share with us about your experience as a Foster parent? If so, email:
mary.collins@vermont.gov

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Thank you for your generous support!

The support we receive from community partners throughout Vermont makes possible many of the experiences foster children and their families enjoy - from shared advertising and holiday gatherings across every district, to sponsorships of events; the generosity of our community partners provides enriching experiences for children and their foster families throughout Vermont.  Each month we acknowledge some of these generous partners.  We would like to thank Helen Day Art Center  in Stowe for their generous support of summer camp scholarships  that may be used for children in foster care.   Summer camps for ages 3-17 inspire young artists to explore, innovate and create! Thank you!  https://www.helenday.com/education/summer-camps

Are you a foster care provider who would be willing to speak with the press?  If so, we would LOVE to hear from you. From time-to-time, the Commissioner's Office receives requests for interviews. Perhaps your story may be one we could share. For more information, contact:  Luciana.DiRuocco@vermont.gov

Copyright © 2019
Vermont Department of Children and Families, Family Services Division
All rights reserved.
___________
Our mailing address is:
280 State Street HC1N Building B Waterbury Vermont 05671
Tel: (802) 241.0896
___________
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can
update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
VT DCF Family Services Division · 280 State Dr · Fsd Building B · Waterbury, VT 05671-1030 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp