The following are thoughts from Foster Care Justice Alliance to hopefully share with other States and/or Other Counties in CA.
FCJA is a charitable, non-profit, volunteer
501(c)(3) organization dedicated to defend the rights of children in out of home
care. Our mission is encapsulated in two concepts:
- Advocate for Change is our mission in the macro.
We advocate to change society, change attitudes, and change the laws regarding
our children. We will achieve this by bringing together the voices of
those most closely touched by foster care - the foster children themselves,
their parents, and their guardians. Together will raise awareness and
focus attention on solutions to the dilemma of children languishing in foster
care.
- Intervene for the Child is our mission in the micro.
Whenever we believe an individual child's rights are being violated, we will
intervene by providing support and legal assistance to foster families.
Pivotal to this is the creation of a network of attorneys, legal resources, and
a legal aid fund.
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Foster Care Justice Alliance
Defending the Rights of the Child
Political campaigning season is here. You may have already seen
candidates door-belling, and if you are like me, you probably receive
more campaign phone calls than you want.
Did you ever consider that these are good opportunities to talk about foster care? When they ask for your vote, ask what they are doing to protect children.
The major parties are gearing up for caucuses. The Republican
caucuses are this Saturday, March 3rd, and the Democratic caucuses are
April 15th. FCJA is non-partisan, but we do encourage you to go to the
caucus of your choice to talk to your friends and neighbors about
children in out-of-home care. Tell them about this mailing list and how
they can get involved. You can find the location of your local caucus
through their party website (see below).
Ideas that start at a local neighborhood caucus meeting are
often carried to the district, county, and even the state and
national conventions. Wouldn't it be refreshing to see both the major
parties include foster care in their platforms? It might even be
unprecedented. You can propose a resolution at your neighborhood
meeting and volunteer to be a delegate to carry the message.
Any resolution supporting foster kids and early permanency coming
out of your caucus would be a positive step. If you want an idea of how
to write a resolution, take a look at the one below. If you do decide
to get involved in the process, e-mail me and let me know how it goes
and if you are selected as a delegate.
Thank you for your support of foster kids!
Gary Malkasian
FCJA President
Caucuses:
Democratic: Sunday, April 15, 2012
Republican: Saturday, March 3, 2012
Sample Resolution:
WHEREAS, 19,000 children are in out-of-home care in Washington
State each year due to abuse or neglect, and 10,000 children are in
out-of-home care on any given day; and
WHEREAS, There are now children in foster care who are third and
fourth generation of their family to require out-of-home care; and
WHEREAS, 73% of foster children do not graduate from high school,
yet legislation to fund pre-school for foster children stalled in the
state legislature two years in a row; and
WHEREAS, Foster care alumni are at a much higher risk of depression, poverty, suicide, drug abuse, and crime; and
WHEREAS, Any disruption is inherently damaging to a child, and that
the longer a child remains in out-of-home care, the greater the damage,
including attachment disorders, aggression, insecurity, self-injury,
low self-esteem, low self-worth, and depression; and
WHEREAS, The chance of successful family reunification drops to
near zero after a child has been in out-of-home care for more than 15
months; and
WHEREAS, Washington State and Federal Law require permanency to be
established after a child has been in out-of-home care for 15 of the
last 22 months; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the 10,000 children in foster care today
have been there for more than three years, in direct violation of state
and federal law and the best interests of the child; and
WHEREAS, the denial of the child’s right to permanency is systemic,
damaging nearly every child that enters the system; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That foster care in Washington State is in crisis, and
the current foster care system is unconstitutional based on the 5th and
14th amendments: the child’s liberty interest to due process and to be
free from harm; and be it further
RESOLVED, We declare that protecting children in foster care and
establishing early permanency for them should be policy priorities.
May you find Strength in Your Higher Power,
Granpa Chuck
Keeper of the web files for http://nfpcar.org
