Thank you, Connie Schultz, for recognizing this....

Connie Schultz: Teens in foster care deserve a Christmas, too

Schultz, Connie. Sun Journal, Dec 18, 2011.

Remember how hard it was to be a teenager? All that angst and self-doubt, surrounded by family who didn't understand you.

Now try to imagine what it's like to be that teenager in foster care, at Christmas.

Jen Burrows is 28 now, but every December triggers her teenage memories of foster child Christmases.

"You want to feel special, but if you're in foster care, you already know you aren't," she told me in a phone interview from her home in West Salem, Ohio. "Every Christmas, I'd go into my bedroom and just cry."

Jen's parents abandoned her when she was 18 months old. She and her sister, who is a year older, were raised by an abusive aunt and uncle for 12 years. When Jen was 14, she was placed in foster care. She spent most of the next four years with one foster family. She is quick to point out that for all her feelings of loss and sadness, she was "one of the lucky ones" at Christmas.

"When I was in the system, I'd go to the holiday party at Jobs and Family Services," she said. "Santa was there passing out gifts, and each teenager got one. I can't even remember what mine was. Most of the gifts were meant for little kids. What I do remember is looking around and thinking, 'I am so grateful for my foster parents, who use their own money to give me a Christmas.' Any gifts from foster parents come out of their own pockets, which means a lot of kids like me got nothing at all."

This month, tens of thousands of teenagers in foster care across America and in your town have no idea whether anyone will remember them at Christmas. In the Cleveland area alone — where I live — nearly 800 teens are living in foster care. The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services is trying to raise awareness through its Giving Tree program so that well-meaning donors — individual and corporate — will contribute to these older children in need.

It's easy to buy gifts for little ones, department social workers told me. Lots of inexpensive and fun choices.

It's more challenging to convince donors that teenagers need surprises, too. Good surprises, the kind that makes them feel special and helps them fit in. Most teens love gift cards, for example, for the chance to buy things they want rather than need.

"A lot of our kids don't have iPhones and tablets and designer clothes," Kimberly Mitchell said. "They don't have the things other kids have."

Her colleague Ericka Cabil cautioned against judging the children for wanting something other than basic necessities.

"When you're a foster child, you're already coming from a background that makes you feel different from everybody else," Cabil said. "You don't want it to show on the outside, too. A nice hairdo, nice clothes — they can hide signs of neglect on the inside."

Jen Burrows knows firsthand the public shame of foster care and the tenacity of its internal wounds.

"Kids can be cruel. I was ridiculed at school for wearing used shoes that were too big or had holes in them and coats that my aunt's kids wore in the '70s and '80s. Every kid is trying to fit in. Every kid wants to wear what everyone else is wearing."

She is hard on her younger self.

"I still blame myself," she said. "If I had spoken up sooner, I could have saved my sister and me from abuse." She shrugs reminders that she was a child and that it was the teachers who saw the bruises but did nothing.

"It was hard for them to intervene," she said.

Ten years have passed since Jen aged out of foster care. She is happily married now and working in a job she loves as a full-time hairdresser in Ashland, Ohio. Her life, she said, has changed in wonderful ways.

"I'm so happy. I'm so lucky," she said. "But I know there are still thousands of teens in foster care whose lives are no different from what mine was at Christmas."

She will do her part.

Jen is encouraging all of her clients to contribute to gifts for teens in foster care. She also is donating several haircuts, and one girl will get highlights for free, too.

"You have to make them feel special," she said. "We all need a little glitter time."

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and an essayist for Parade magazine.

Ohio Attorney General hires former foster youth to head up Children's Initiatives

DeWine tries to transcend politics with foster care

Hershey, William. Dayton Daily News, Dec. 17, 2011.

COLUMBUS — In Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office, there’s a 1997 photo of DeWine holding his daughter Anna, who was 5 at the time, at a White House bill-signing ceremony with President Bill Clinton.

The bill, sponsored by DeWine, then a U.S. senator, made clear that the best interests of a child must be No. 1 when deciding whether to leave a child in foster care or reunite a family.

It’s the kind of photo that fuels the fires of the Cedarville Republican’s critics.

They maintain that DeWine always has been too willing to work with Democrats such as Clinton.

To turn that 1997 bill into a law, DeWine even joined forces with the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, not just a Democrat, but the liberals’ liberal.

For DeWine the photo is testimony to what can be accomplished working together on issues that should transcend politics. Protecting children in foster care is a prime example.

“This is not a partisan issue,” DeWine said. “This is about kids and giving kids who’ve had a tough time, giving them some opportunity.”

Anna is 19 now, in college, but her dad is still at it.

He’s using the AG’s office as a bully pulpit to make sure that Ohio does all it can to protect the nearly 12,000 children in foster care.

DeWine has called for a broad review of the foster care system and kicked off the effort with a summit earlier this month in Cincinnati.

He plans similar summits around the state, including in the Dayton area, about every six weeks with representatives from foster care agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors, advocacy groups and anybody else who’s interested.

The impetus for the campaign was 2-year-old DeMarcus Jackson of Cincinnati. Jackson’s father is charged with murder by beating the youngster to death after he was returned to his birth parents from foster care.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters investigated and determined that county Job and Family Services workers followed the law in returning the boy. Even though the child’s health and safety is paramount, the law also calls for reasonable efforts to preserve and reunify families.

“There was nothing in the detailed notes and progress reports that could have predicted such violent behavior by the father,” Deters said in a prepared statement.

DeWine didn’t dispute Deters’ conclusion and said that his effort isn’t aimed at blaming anyone, especially child welfare workers who DeWine said are overworked and underpaid.

In addition to concerns about children’s safety, DeWine worries that efforts to reunite families can keep a foster child from being adopted. The percentage of children aging out in foster care in Ohio by turning 18 is above the national average, he said.

“I don’t pretend to have all the answers,” DeWine said.

To help find them, DeWine hired someone with first-hand experience, attorney Melinda Sykes, as director of children’s initiatives. Sykes was removed from an abusive home at 13, placed in foster care and adopted by her foster mother when she was nearly 18.

Sykes said that there is more emphasis now than before 1997 on making the safety of the foster child a top priority. Still, situations vary, by county and social worker, she added.

“I think it’s always timely to shine the light on foster children and abuse and neglect issues,” Sykes said.

Foster care thanks NCJW

Foster care thanks NCJW

Cleveland Jewish News, Dec. 7, 2011.

Over 1,000 Ohio youth "age out" of the foster care system every year, without being connected with a forever family. For these young people, holidays can be a harsh reminder of lost connections. Foster Care Alumni of America's Ohio chapter works with our partners to host Thanksgiving dinners for foster care teens and young adults each year.

We are grateful to the National Council of Jewish Women, Cleveland Section for their role in supporting the second annual Northeast Ohio Thanksgiving event for current and former foster youth.

This event captures the heart of what Thanksgiving is about; reminding those who have experienced foster care that they always have a seat at our table. 

We want our young people to know that their voices, talents, insights and mutual encouragement are what lay at the heart of this celebration. 

It is our privilege to stay in contact with them, as they enter into young adulthood and find their places in this world, moving beyond the shadows of their past to build bright futures and families of their own.

Zelma Brown, Lisa Dickson
Foster Care Alumni of America, Ohio chapter

Number of Homeless Children in Ohio Increases

Report: Ohio, nation see rise in homeless children

Heagney, Meredith. Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 13, 2011

According to a new report from the National Center on Family Homelessness, more than 1.6 million American children or 1 in 45 are homeless, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

The number of homeless children in Ohio and across the United States is on the rise.

Over the course of a year, more than 1.6 million American children — or 1 in 45 kids — are homeless, according to a report released this morning by the National Center on Family Homelessness.

That number rose 38 percent from 2007 to 2010.

The Massachusetts-based advocacy group ranked all 50 states from best (1) to worst (50) when it comes to child homelessness.

Overall, Ohio ranks 25th, according to the report.

Ohio had 32,953 homeless children in 2010. That number rose steadily each year since 2006, the first year included in the report, when Ohio was ranked No. 20.

Homeless children suffer from hunger, poor physical and mental health, and they have limited proficiency in math and reading, according to the report.

The organization also grades each state on its planning efforts to help these children; Ohio’s efforts were graded “moderate,” a step below “extensive,” the highest mark for planning.

You can read the entire report or see how Ohio fared.

Health and Safety of Ohio's Foster Children

Attorney General DeWine Hosts Summit to Focus on Health and Safety of Foster Children
News Release, 12/9/2011

(CINCINNATI)—Attorney General Mike DeWine today called for a complete review of the foster care system in Ohio. DeWine’s call for action was made at a Child Safety Summit he hosted in Cincinnati.

“I convened this child safety summit today, the first of many I intend to hold across Ohio, because we need to conduct a comprehensive, holistic review of the entire foster care system in this state,” said Attorney General DeWine. “Too many of these children are languishing in foster care with no real hope of ever having a permanent loving home.”

About 40 representatives from foster care agencies, law enforcement, advocacy groups, prosecutors' offices, and adoption agencies attended the summit, including Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, Rita Soronen of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and Moira Weir, director of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services.

The Summit discussed several issues facing the foster care system, including recent deaths of foster children after being reunified with relatives. According to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 33 children died (not necessarily from abuse or neglect) after being in foster care and being reunified with their biological parents from 2005-2010. Hamilton County has had three deaths of foster children reunified with their biological parents in 2010. In the U.S. Senate, DeWine authored language in the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act clarifying laws that in issues of family reunification, the best interests of the child always have to come first.

However, DeWine noted today that his call for review is not limited to family reunification.

“There are children in the Ohio child welfare system who are dying, but there are also children dying who have been abused and neglected who have never been in foster care,” said Attorney General DeWine. “There are also children in foster care who spend their entire lives in the system, never being adopted into a safe and loving home.”

Many of Ohio's foster care children end up "aging out of foster care," DeWine noted. The percentage of children aging out in Ohio is greater than the national average of 11 percent in 2010. In 2009, Ohio emancipated 1,453 foster children, which represented 15 percent of the foster care population.

DeWine also noted the alarming amount of psychiatric medications apparently being prescribed to foster children. A recently released federal Government Accountability Office report said foster children can be prescribed these drugs at doses higher than the maximum levels approved by the FDA, and many foster children received five or more psychiatric drugs at the same time.

Additional regional child safety summits will follow today's in Cincinnati.

First of many Ohio Attorney General Roundtables on Child Safety

Ohio AG Wants Foster Care System Reviewed
DeWine Expresses Concern Over Deaths Of Children Returned To Parents
WLWT, December 9, 2011

COLUMBUS -- Ohio's attorney general wants a comprehensive review of the state's foster care system, taking a hard look at child safety and high numbers remaining in foster care until they "age out."

Mike DeWine led a child safety summit Friday in Cincinnati, where 2-year-old Demarcus Jackson was beaten to death last month after being returned to his birth parents from foster care.

DeWine said he wants to be sure the child's best interests always come first in family reunification cases.

"There are children in the Ohio child welfare system who are dying, but there are also children dying who have been abused and neglected who have never been in foster care," DeWine said.

He also expressed concern about the number of children "languishing" in the system. He said children in foster care in Ohio stay in the system until they reach the age limit of 18 at higher rates than in other states.

Two years ago, 1,453 Ohio foster children, or 15 percent of the state's foster care population, left the system because they had reached 18. The national average is 11 percent.

Representatives of social agencies, law enforcement, advocacy groups and adoption agencies took part in Friday's event, DeWine's office said. DeWine plans more regional meetings around the state on child safety.

A spokesman for a group that advocates for foster parents welcomed DeWine's effort to seek reforms.

"It's long overdue," said Bob Cunningham, of Ohio Voice for Foster Parents. "I would be interested to see what recommendations would come out of it."

He said some children remain in foster care until reaching adult age because it's not safe to reunify them with their natural parents.

"There are some that just can't be in the home because of the environment - the dad's on drugs, the mom's on drugs, alcohol; there's abuse and neglect," Cunningham said.

The Fredericktown resident said sometimes caseworkers take action without allowing enough input from foster parents who know the children best, and he said he also supports uniform, professional standards for foster parents to weed out problems among caregivers.

DeWine also wants a study of prescription medications given to foster children in Ohio. A recent federal report found that foster children in some states are getting psychotropic drugs at high rates and high dosages

Central Ohio Worst for Poverty among 16 Metro Areas

Study: A ‘wake-up call’ on poverty

Central Ohio is worst among 16 metro areas

Ferenchik, Mark. Columbus Dispatch, Nov. 30, 2011.

The Columbus metropolitan area has the highest poverty rate among 16 areas measured in a new report of community benchmarks.

Central Ohio also has a lower average household income than most of the areas, according to the report written by Community Research Partners with funding from the Columbus Foundation and the Columbus Partnership. Benchmarking Central Ohio 2011 will be released at noon today during a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum.

Not everything is bad. The metropolitan area has a relatively low violent-crime rate (No. 5), a relatively high rate of volunteering (No. 4) and the third-shortest commute time by car, and it was first in the number of nonprofit community celebrations per million people.

The benchmark report looks at population changes, economic strengths and weaknesses, income levels, health and safety, and other measures.

Researchers used American Community Survey census data from 2009 and other sources to compare the eight-county Columbus metropolitan area to 15 others: Cleveland; Cincinnati; Chicago; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Louisville, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; Portland, Ore.; and San Diego.

Some of the metro areas were chosen because they are similar to central Ohio, said Roberta Garber of Community Research Partners. Others are doing things the Columbus area aspires to. Still others are considered economic competitors.

It’s the fourth such report by the group, which last released one in 2009.

Garber said Columbus has traits in common with communities in the South and West such as the Raleigh-Cary and Austin-Round Rock metro areas. Those similarities include a moderately growing population, a relatively low unemployment rate — the third-lowest, as of March 2011, among the 16 metro areas — and a younger group of residents, with a median age of 34.7.

But the Columbus metropolitan area, which comprises Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties, also mirrors older industrial cities with high poverty and obesity rates as well as difficulty establishing small businesses.

“The growth here is masking some of the underlying problems,” Garber said.

Bill LaFayette, owner of the economic-consulting group Regionomics and a member of the project’s advisory group, said: “If you look at the poverty rate over time, we’re consistently at the bottom of the group,” meaning the rate is higher than in the benchmark metro areas.

Kridler said some people in central Ohio have a hard time believing the poverty rate is so high.

“There are cities where there are more-striking individual signs of poverty, more concentration," he said. “Ours tends to be widespread, growing outside the urban core, that there are more working families in poverty.”

Kridler said focusing on increasing the average wage “would be an incredible help to this community.”

Garber said leaders here need to focus on improving adult education and retraining for working-class residents so they can find better, higher-paying jobs.

Among the metropolitan areas studied, Columbus also has the highest percentage of children — 8.5 percent — living in families where neither parent works. That compares to the Raleigh area’s 3.6 percent, the lowest on the list.

Article about 2011 Central OH FCAA Thanksgiving Event

ROTC helps families have Thanksgiving 

Sattler, Angela. Chimes, Dec. 4, 2011

Visualize not having a family to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, no one to go home to and no one to spend the holiday with. Thousands of youth in Columbus and around Ohio will be facing that very circumstance next week.

However, members of ROTC will join Campus Ministries, Student Government and President Bowman to sponsor a Thanksgiving event at Capital to help make a difference. Formally titled the Central Ohio Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) Thanksgiving Event at Capital University, the meal will take place Nov. 20.

FCAA is a national organization made up of former foster youth and allies. According to Lisa Dickson, Communications Chair of the Ohio chapter of FCAA, this organization exists to connect individuals who have experienced foster care personally, and to transform child welfare policy and practice.

Bethany Koshinsky, a member of ROTC, organized many details for the event, such as obtaining funding and organizing a space to host the event,

“There is a lot of planning that’s going into making this event possible. This year I tried to set a goal of getting more organizations on campus involved. After all, I believe this is an event that truly affects our whole campus,” Koshinsky said.

Geoffrey Maney, another member of ROTC, has also contributed largely to the Thanksgiving event.

“This event is a great outreach for the children in the foster care system,” Maney said, “Many people don’t realize what it is like to grow up in a home that is not yours, raised by parents who are not biologically yours. It is an opportunity for the children to be brought together and form a community bond. I believe this event makes all the difference in the world to some of the foster kids.”

The Thanksgiving event will take place on Sunday, Nov. 20 from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. in the Main Dining Room. Students and organizations are encouraged to volunteer during the event; however, the food will be served to foster youth first due to the set budget.

For youth attending the event, this meal may be the only Thanksgiving dinner they have this year.

The central purpose is “to bring our community together to provide a family for those who don’t have one,” Koshinsky said. “I hope we have made them feel like they have a family and community that completely supports them.”