Fostering Vermont is a biweekly publication for foster, adoptive, and kin caregivers
from the Family Services Division of the Department For Children and Families.
FOSTERING|VERMONT March 18, 2021
"“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he/she/they is someone today.” — Stacia Tauscher
Look for Fostering Vermont every other week. Send your news, events, and other items of importance and interest to: mary.collins@vermont.gov DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: TUESDAY, NOON.
Saturday, March 13th, 2021, marked the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 public health emergency in Vermont. A year ago, Governor Scott declared a state of emergency to help ensure Vermont has the resources needed to respond to this public health crisis. Accordingly, we shifted to remote service delivery and learned completely new ways to assess child safety, engage with families, meet each other virtually, and carry out the mission of the division in this new world.
In March, April, and May, with schools closed and childcare programs shut down, we saw a 50% reduction in the number of calls to our hotline and the number of Child Safety Interventions that we accepted.
Throughout the spring, COVID tests were in short supply, or as we remember better, so was toilet paper. People were on the edge of panic-- this disease had now changed life as we knew it.
Hope came with the promise of effective vaccinations against the virus and by the end of the year, distribution began. This is wonderful news. But for many of us, the celebration has turned to frustration as doses have rolled out more slowly than expected. In the quest for herd immunity, we have a long way to go. And the hardships continue for our staff.
One year later, it is still too early to explain all the whys of those things we lost. We still need to name the what—loved ones, but also jobs, connections, vacations, our sanity—the list is vast, and our lives may never be the same again.
But in the face of such adversity, we have seen the incredible compassion and spirit of our co-workers, our caretakers, our partners, and the families we serve. The worst of times brought out the best in so many amazing and brilliant people. Quarantined and alone, we found new ways to connect with loved ones and to nurture connections for others.
The foster and kin caregiving community has risen in big and small ways throughout the pandemic—reaching out to Vermont’s most vulnerable families, making sure they are safe and letting them know they are not alone, helping families to be there for each other in new ways, and making herculean efforts to keep children and youth stable in some of the most stressful circumstances our families have ever experienced. The virus may have changed our lives, but there is hope in the chapter ahead.
You have stayed the course through thick and thin, and through this adversity, we are emerging with strength the likes of which we have never seen before.
I do not know when all of this will end, but I know we have lived through a time that will not be forgotten, and as such things go, it will impact humanity for all time. For my part, I am grateful and so proud to be a part of this family as we have gone through this journey together. We do this work because we know there is suffering in this world, and we want to impact that suffering. That calling has only intensified in the year that has passed and being a part of the team that says, “we are here for you, and we will carry you through this dark time”, that is who we are, and what we do. That sentiment has never been more real than during this past year.
I thank each one of you for what you have sacrificed, and what you have given, on behalf of those we serve.
Warmly, Brenda Gooley
Brenda Gooley, MSW Director of Operations Family Services Division
Department for Children and Families
(802)760-0610
FOSTER CARE FACTS 2021
There are currently, 1,331 foster families serving approximately 800 youth as of March 4, 2021.
Since last spring, foster families have been providing 24/7 care and limiting respite breaks to reduce risk.
Having access to child care is often a deciding factor in your family’s ability to provide care as many of you work outside of your homes.
Many children in your care have special education needs that foster families are not trained to meet. Caregivers have stepped up during COVID to help children in your care access school or other services remotely.
Many children in our care have mental health treatment needs stemming from early trauma and access to these needed services have been impacted by the pandemic further challenging foster families and the children you care for.
Some children in DCF custody have complex medical needs resulting in compromised immunity. Caregivers have made significant sacrifices to ensure children in your care are safe during this pandemic. This level of responsiveness is remarkable.
Foster families have done a monumental job keeping children and youth safe during the pandemic – only three foster care settings have tested positive for COVID. Foster families have worked diligently to keep youth in your homes despite challenges. Caregivers have continued to open homes to children and youth who are new to foster care and for whom little information is available related to whether you may have been exposed to COVID.
Caregivers have ensured that children maintained their family connections by supporting Family Time in new and creative ways. Many foster parents continued to host Family Time in your homes while maintaining social distance guidelines, others worked diligently to support virtual family time by increasing phone and video contacts in frequency and duration.
FSD repurposed approximately $625,000 of adoption incentive funding to provide three months of enhanced reimbursement to caregivers for March, April and May of 2020 based on the number of children in your care.
In December, the division successfully advocated for unallocated COVID Relief funding to further support caregivers. Each caregiver who had a child in your home on December 28th was provided an additional $300 for each child in your care.
Unpredictability and uncertainty are things that do not help children in care stabilize. With the climate continuously changing due to COVID, as caregivers, you have had to continuously shift to support the children in your care. Foster families have done an incredible job navigating the impact of COVID on your personal lives while meeting the significant needs of the children in your care. Thank you!
Send us news of what's happening in your community and district.
We'll post highlights here. Email to: mary.collins@vermont.gov
Tatum’s Totes
Tatum's Totes serves eight Districts in Vermont and works closely with DCF/FSD to support children entering foster care. Recently co-founder Liz Grimes and Resource Coordinator Rebecca Fitzsimmons shared the story of how Tatum's Totes began on WDEV-FM. Here is a link to that interview (45minutes into the broadcast):
Here is the story of Tatum's Totes and their incredible work and caring.
Program and Impact
Since establishing Tatum’s Totes we have heard stories of children who arrived at DCF offices with plastic bags that included everything they owned – which was not much, and often did not include what these children and the family they were joining needed to support that transition.
“Every day children enter foster care with absolutely nothing or little to nothing, we were told that one boy didn’t even have a pair of socks in the middle of winter. These children deserve more than that. The plan is to help make this transition as easy as possible for them. We help to provide not only the basics like a sturdy backpack, books, socks, hygiene items (like soap, a toothbrush, paste and floss), and blanket, but something that a child can cherish, like a stuffed animal, toy, or game. We hope that, along with the foster family they are going to live with, we are giving these children back a part of their childhood.” says Pam Bailey, Director of Operations at Green Mountain United Way.
Tatum’s Totes is available to all children transitioning into foster care in the Barre, Morrisville, Newport and St. Johnsbury Department for Children and Families Districts, coordinated by Green Mountain United Way. This program is available to all children entering foster care in the state of Vermont. To access this program, families work directly through contacts within the Department for Children and Families.
Supporting our Work
We have seen overwhelming support for this program since establishing it in our service areas. To support this program please click the Donate button above.
For in-kind donations of new and unused items to support Tatum’s Totes, please take a moment to review our Item of the Month Drive list to see what types of items we need this month. If you would like to organize a larger drive or a regular donation drive, please contact Pam Bailey, pbailey (at) gmunitedway.org to coordinate based on our current needs. Please note, only NEW UNUSED items can be accepted.
History
Tatum’s Totes is an independent nonprofit organization started in Rutland by foster parents Liz and Alex Grimes in honor of their son Tatum who died at the age of 5 months old of SIDS. After becoming foster parents, they found that many children entered the foster care system with little more than a plastic bag and the clothes they were wearing. Liz and Alex started Tatum’s Totes to ensure that each child entering emergency foster care had a backpack of their own filled with comforting items that could stay with them throughout their transition into foster care. Green Mountain United Way employee Pam Bailey saw the program on Facebook and immediately recognized the value for the Central and Northern Vermont regions that Green Mountain United Way serves and offered to establish a Tatum’s Totes program for both Newport and Barre DCF Districts in February 2016. Green Mountain United Way has helped to establish programs that serve all of the towns in our five-county service area.
Vermont Story on the National Child Welfare Website
An excerpt from our interviews with foster care providers that had been used to create an advertorial in Seven Days last September has now been added to the National Child Welfare website in support of National Foster Care Month. This excerpt features Mary Metivier and family. Thank you Mary for granting the interview and for your wonderful representation of Vermont’s foster care families! Thanks, too, to everyone who was involved with the story.
What You Need to Know
Before Buying or Selling a Used Car Seat
If getting rid of an old car seat is on your spring cleaning to-do list, or if you’re a parent hoping to save a few bucks by obtaining a secondhand seat, there are a few things you need to know. While reusing car seats may seem economical and environmentally friendly, certified child passenger technicians want to remind parents there are some very serious safety risks involved.
Has the car seat expired? Car seats expire, just like that sour milk in your fridge. This is due to several factors — materials wear down over time, models are only safety-tested for a typical lifespan, and technology and safety standards change. The same is true for booster seats. You can find the expiration date stamped on the manufacturer label on the side or base of the seat. Generally, car seats expire six years after the date of manufacture.
Has it ever been recalled? If so, was the recall addressed and resolved? To check for recalls, you will need the make, model, model number and date of manufacture for the car seat. You can search for recalls online by going to: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
Has it ever been involved in a crash? The quality of a car seat is compromised after it has been in a moderate or severe crash — even if you can’t see evidence of damage to the seat. Avoid using a used car seat unless you know its entire history.
Can you verify the car seat has all its original parts? This includes hardware, harnesses and tether straps. If you’re not sure, get out the owner’s manual and check that all the parts are present. Otherwise, you may not realize a part is missing or damaged until it’s too late.
Does it have the original owners manual? Car seats are not always the most intuitive products to install. Without an owner's manual and instructions, you run the risk of improperly installing the car seat. This also includes any special care instructions for the seat, as these are not typically universal.
How has the seat been cleaned? Some current car seat parts aren’t able to be washed in a washing machine or even soaked in water. Car seats aren’t generally able to be cleaned with harsh cleaners like bleach without degrading the integrity of that car seat. If you don’t know if it’s been mistreated in this way, it may no longer be safe to use.
HOW TO GET A CAR SEAT FOR YOUR FOSTER CHILD FROM CATHY FROST-BROOKS, BURLINGTON DISTRICT OFFICE
The State has a contract with Evenflo that allows us to purchase car seats at a discount. All foster families are eligible for a free car seat if there is a need. A need would include not having a seat, the current seat being expired, missing labels, in a crash, etc. The state will not issue second seats if the family has two vehicles. Eligibility includes education around how to properly install the child in the seat and the seat in the car.
Any family can look atwww.beseatsmart.org and look to see if there is a CPST (child passenger safety technician) in their area. Some stations are closed due to COVID however many are still operating. Not all fire depts. or police stations have a tech. WIC also can give vouchers to families to get a seat but again the family has to have a need.
If you have questions, please speak with your district office Resource Coordinator.
As we continue to work to safely navigate Covid-19, please rely upon your District Office should you need support during this critical time. Here is a link to each of our District Offices:https://dcf.vermont.gov/fsd/contact-us/districts
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
RPC+ ADVANCED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Vermont RPC+
TIPS for Tuning In Trauma-Informed Parenting Skills for kin, foster & adoptive caregivers
(and the people who support them)
RPC+ is one of the advanced classes offered by the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership and local designated agencies throughout the state. It is a 10 week-long workshop that educates foster, adoptive, and kin caregivers about the impact of trauma on the development, attachment, emotions, and behaviors of the children in their care.
All RPC+ classes are currently offered virtually via Zoom so you can take it anywhere in the state, although there is some advantage to taking it locally in order to get to know other participants and resources in your own community.
Click HERE for a more detailed listing of the upcoming RPC+ classes
The RPC+ course lasts for 10 weeks - Each class is taught virtually over Zoom with some work for participants to do on their own at home – such as watch a video or read a short article.
This catalog also includes a link to our online training catalog.
We will send you a new catalog link once a month.
Please reach out if you have questions.
LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES WITH THE
CONSORTIUM FOR ADOPTION AND GUARDIANSHIP
The Consortium for Adoption and Guardianship is sponsoring a Lunch and Learn Series being held at noon on the 3rd Wednesday of each month throughout 2021. Please share this information with resource families – and consider joining in yourself!
Lunch and Learn Series 2021
Sponsored by supporting Foster, Adoptive, and Guardianship families, and their supporters, with listening, discussing and learning around topics that touch their lives. Join us each third Wednesday at noon for this free virtual series. To Register click on the session’s title or go to the Consortium Website to Register https://www.vtadoption.org/
April 21st
StrengtheningTransracial Families—continuing the conversation with April Dinwoodie May 19th
Talking with our Children about their Journeys with Janet Benoit Connor June 16th
Parenting LGBTQ+ Children and Youth with Mara Iverson July 21st
Strengthening Transracial Families—continuing the conversation with April Dinwoodie August 18th
Continuing the Journey—Adult Adoptees with Katherine Boise September 15th—Being a Transracial/Transcultural Family in Vermont with Karen Hack October 20th
Strengthening Transracial Families—continuing the conversation with April Dinwoodie November 17th
Keeping Connections with Birth Families Positive with Christina Shuma December 15th
Working with Extended Families with TBD
Thriving As a Trans-racial,
Trans-cultural Family
The Consortium for Adoption and Guardianship provides training each year to families – foster, adopt, guardian – helping to prepare them for parenting transracially. Whether parents are already fostering/parenting a BIPOC child or would like to be considered for a placement this training will help them to understand the challenges and delights of transracial parenting and support them in becoming an ally for the child in their home. The training is also open to their extended families as a strong network of support who “gets it” is important to families’ success.
VFAFA NEWS helpful news and information for our VFAFA partners
Here you will find notices of upcoming meetings, events, and news of special interest from our VFAFA partners. If you would like to suggest a topic or share news from your Parent Group, please email: mary.collins@vermont.gov. Thank you!
VFAFA board members:
Steve May, President
Kara Haynes, Vice President
Lisz Graves, Secretary
Linda Couture, Treasurer (Returning)
JOIN US FOR OUR APRIL MEETING!
Below is a reference to our upcoming VFAFA meeting. This is a great opportunity to hear the information that our leadership is sharing with Foster/Kin caregivers. Please mark your calendars and make an effort to attend. It is also an opportunity to meet the new Executive Board for VFAFA.
VFAFA MEETING: Tuesday, April , 13, 2021 7 pm
________________
During the Covid-19 restriction time VFAFA is meeting via online or phone. You can join the ZOOM meeting here:
Meeting ID: 858 2272 7984
Password: 288400
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,85822727984#,,,,0#,,288400#
Dial by your location: +1 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 858 2272 7984 Password: 28840
2021 Annual Meeting Warning - Vermont Foster and Adoptive Families Association (VFAFA):
The members of VFAFA are invited to join the annual membership meeting via the Zoom video conferencing platform on Saturday, April 10th at 10 am.
VKAP NEWS helpful news and information from Vermont Kin As Parents
Vermont Kin as Parents also known as VKAP has moved to 1205 North Ave Burlington, 05408. The phone number is 802 871 5104. This number is answered 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. VKAP can help caregivers navigate the various educational, medical, legal, and financial services the children need. A support group is available on Tuesday evening. Please contact VKAP if you have any questions. Email Jim Holway: president@vermontkinasparents.org
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YOUTH NEWS helpful news and information from the Youth Development Program
Supporting Youth in Foster Care on their Educational Journey
Amanda Churchill
This month we are featuring a presentation from Amanda Churchill, the Adolescent Policy & Practice Specialist with DCF/FSD. Amanda supports DCF in our work with adolescents involved with the Department, including through management of some of our contracted programming for older youth.
This presentation (in three parts/over three successive newsletters) will feature information about youth in foster care and their educational aspirations. Today, we'll give you and overview and introduce some of the factors for educational success:
Presentation Overview (and Data)
To ground this conversation in some data, I can share that:
There are currently 315 youth over the age of 14, in DCF custody, in VT. The estimated average length of stay for all children and youth in custody in Vermont, is about 12 months. Many older youth in care exit services to live with family before age 18, but last year, 70 youth aged out of our foster care system.
From national data, we know that youth with foster-care-experience tend to enroll, earn credits, and complete post-secondary ed at much lower rates than their non-foster care peers. Some studies suggest between 3 and 9% of former foster youth earn a 4-year degree. Additional youth enroll, but drop-out rates, especially in the first year, are quite high. The VT data and our experience with this population appear to mirror the national trends.
There are a lot of barriers to higher education for former foster youth, but also several factors, resources, and strategies we can focus on to support youth with foster care experience to be successful.
Factors for Educational Success:
First - Aspiration and Relational Support
- Research shows that the single-most-important factor that determines a youth’s success is a connection to at least one caring, supportive adult. Our main task needs to be helping youth to build and maintain relationships, as this is a key factor for youth all throughout their educational career and well into adulthood. Youth need support from others for years to prepare for and persist with higher education.
- We also know that one of the most important factors impacting a young person’s decision to continue their education is whether they are familiar with others that have gone to college or training (especially parents and extended family). For many youth that have experienced foster care, there may not be a strong reference group in this area, so for these folks, we need to look more broadly for role models and guides.
- Many youth receive misinformation about whether they are “college material” or about the financial aspects of higher ed. Youth (and their caregivers and support teams) need to be aware of what resources are available, especially those specifically for youth with foster care experience. It’s crucial that young people receive a wide range of information about their choices and have mentors throughout the process.
(Part two will follow in our next newsletter)
VIRTUAL AND LIVE EVENTS events of interest for vermont foster and kincare families
PLEASE CONFIRM THAT EVENTS OF INTEREST POSTED ON THIS CALENDAR ARE HAPPENING. CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS MAY OCCUR WITHOUT NOTICE.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
PLEASE FOLLOW ALL VERMONT STATE SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES AND BE SURE TO CHECK IN ADVANCE TO CONFIRM THAT EVENTS OF INTEREST ARE STILL HAPPENING.
'Old Women and the Black Dog' Online Sun., March 21, 2:30-3 p.m. Janice Walrafen and Jason Mallery tell an ancient Native American tale through a prerecorded theatrical puppet show. 802-262-6288
'Fairies and Dragons, Ponies and Knights' (Episode 4) Online Sun., March 21, 4-5 p.m. The knights of Durga compete to become champion of the mother dragon Beatrice in part four of this episodic story presented by Dirt Road Theater. Previous episodes available here.
VERMONT FAMILY NETWORK Please join us for our Annual Conference, “Imagine, Inspire, Innovate” April 8 and 9. Thursday, April 8th 9:00-2:30
and Friday, April 9th 9:00-2:30. This year’s event is free of charge and will be held online over Zoom. Our keynote speakers are Rachel Callander and Karen Gaffney, followed by a fabulous line-up of of six workshops. VFN will also host a parent chat session.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Thank you for your generous support!
We appreciate every Vermont community and individual for all the ways you support children and youth in foster care throughout Vermont. If you would like to learn more about ways that you or your organization can support a child in foster care, our Recruitment & Retention Specialists and Resource Coordinators would love to work with you!Here's how:Contact your District Office Recruitment & Retention Specialist and Resource Coordinator at: https://dcf.vermont.gov/fsd/contact-us/districts
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.
