ArFam1st Blog

Thank You For Your Support. Please Don't Give Up.

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:22:00 +0000

Thank you for everything you have done. Thank you for making phone calls, knocking on doors, talking to voters at the polls, organizing and speaking out at events, contributing money, forwarding emails, and everything else you did to protect the children of Arkansas.

The passage of Act 1 marks a sad moment for all of us and for the children of Arkansas.

However, our work in Arkansas is not over. Our work across the country against blanket adoption/foster care bans is not over. We will need all of your input and help to move forward. Of course, our first concern is for those immediately affected by Act 1.

Our concerns are with all families who may be affected by the passage of Act 1. Might the passage of Act 1 may affect an adoption or foster placement in your family or for your loved ones, or affect planning for your children's care under the new law? If so, please share your story and concerns with us, and encourage your family, friends, and colleagues to do the same, so that together, we can continue our challenge to Act 1 and keep Arkansas families together. Share your story now!

Please continue to sign-up for our listserv and encourage your friends and family to do so, as well.

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:37:00 +0000

Yesterday, the Secretary of State announced the results from the Statewide Student Mock Election. Student voters narrowly defeated Initiated Act 1:

For Proposed Initiative Act 1 Votes: 11,585
Against Proposed Initiative Act 1 Votes: 12,563

The DHS Youth Advisory Board also voted on Initiated Act 1 at their last meeting. All 15 members present voted against Act 1. Watch the video below.

Remember to go all the way your ballot to vote NO on Act 1. Please remind your friends.

Arkansas Poll Results

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:22:00 +0000

The Arkansas Poll from the University of Arkansas was released yesterday. The results show that 55% of the over 1,600 Arkansans polled oppose Initiated Act 1.

As our main consultant Debbie Willhite told reporters yesterday,

Results show the common sense of Arkansans coming through....this proposal clearly limits the homes available to Arkansas children in need. [Full Story]

Together, we can defeat Act 1, but we all need to continue to tell everyone and anyone to vote NO on Act 1!

While encouraging, this poll is not a final vote count. It also shows that a substantial number of Arkansans are still undecided on this issue. If you want to help out before or on election day, please contact us!

Read more after the break for the full Arkansas Poll press release.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008

Arkansas Poll: In Arkansas ‘It’s the Economy’ and It Is Also McCain

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In response to the 10th annual Arkansas Poll, a strong majority of Arkansans ranked the economy as the most important problem facing Arkansas. Although this finding lines up with national polling results – results that appear to give Sen. Barack Obama the edge in the presidential race – voters in Arkansas prefer Sen. John McCain to Obama, 49 percent to 36 percent.
“While the economic slowdown is serving as an engine of sorts for the Obama campaign nationally, Arkansas voters – even Democrats – do not conform to this pattern,” said Janine Parry, the poll’s director and a professor of political science at the University of Arkansas.
In the recent past, election results in Arkansas have paralleled voting in most Southern states, as well as in swing Midwestern states with many rural white voters. This year, the poll collected twice as many responses as usual, allowing researchers to examine results for each of the state’s four congressional districts and yielding regionally based information particularly useful in predicting swing state voter behavior.

Most Important Problem
In response to a closed-ended question – “Which of the following do you think is the most important problem or issue facing people in Arkansas today?” – an unprecedented majority of Arkansans named the economy. Economic issues topped last year’s open-ended question as well with 29 percent of respondents selecting it over education and healthcare.
“While the economy has been named the most serious issue in most previous Arkansas Polls, this year, 56 percent of respondents named it the most important problem facing Arkansas,” Parry said. “In our 10 years of polling, no issue has ever been ranked that high. Previously, the highest percentage we had found was in 2005 when 31 percent viewed the economy as the main issue.”

The Election
The economy is a pressing issue for both McCain and Obama supporters. Fifty-four percent of respondents favoring McCain and 61 percent of Obama supporters selected the economy from among six issues presented. A similar modest gap was evident on the second most pressing issue: health care. Eighteen percent of Obama supporters placed health care as their first priority as compared with 11 percent of McCain’s supporters. Roughly one in 10 respondents of either camp cited education.
“While the magnitude of people’s economic concerns is unusual, there’s actually a lot of consistency here,” Parry said. “Not only do the bread and butter trio of the economy, health care, and education remain foremost in people’s minds as in years’ past, but they hold true – in the same order – for Arkansas Republicans and Democrats.”
When voter preferences for president are narrowed to registered voters only, support for McCain rises to 51 percent while remaining at 36 percent for Obama. By congressional district, support for Obama varies between 35 and 38 percent. The 4th Congressional District in southern Arkansas shows the strongest support for McCain at 53 percent, while 46 percent of voters support McCain in the 1st Congressional District in northeast Arkansas.
Among those who identify themselves as Republicans, 90 percent support McCain. Obama is supported by 67 percent of Democrats, with 16 percent of Democrats not reporting whom they plan to support. In comparison, exit polls in the 2004 presidential election showed that 82 percent of Democrats supported John Kerry. Independents, who are nearly a third of the Arkansas electorate, are breaking for McCain, 53 to 30 percent.
“The comparatively low enthusiasm among Arkansas Democrats for Obama’s candidacy is probably a consequence of several factors,” said Pearl Ford, Parry’s colleague in political science and a collaborator on this year’s poll. “The fact that Clinton earned her strongest support here has to play a significant role. Many rural white voters in particular seem to be having a hard time connecting with Obama. That’s certainly working to McCain’s advantage.”
Another factor, Ford noted, was the late arrival of the Obama campaign in Arkansas.
“The first campaign office opened only last month, and Obama has never visited the state. As a result there was limited opportunity for voters to become familiar with Obama or for the campaign to develop a strong ground organization, which has been critical in swing states and red states that we may see turn blue,” Ford said.
Hillary Clinton had a strong base of support in Arkansas, with 54 percent reporting they would have voted for her for president. Of those voters, 57 percent are backing Obama, with 26 percent going for McCain. That leaves 17 percent who are still undecided or declined to specify.
This year the poll included a series of questions about race relations as part of a research project conducted by Ford. She asked several standard polling questions related to opinions about opportunities and hurdles for Black people in the United States.
“The results will be used to further understand voter attitudes toward Obama, the first African American candidate to run as the nominee of a major party, and to gauge the potential for African American politicians to run successful campaigns for local and state offices in the future,” Ford said.
Ratings for the state’s national senators and representatives remained positive and stable, while Gov. Beebe’s approval rating climbed to 74 percent, a record in 10 years of statewide polling. In line with national ratings, President Bush’s approval rating was 27 percent, “which is noteworthy for a state that cast its electoral votes for Bush in both 2000 and 2004,” Parry said.

Issues
When asked whether they favored or opposed Arkansas Proposed Initiative Act 1, which would prevent anyone who cohabitates outside a valid marriage from adopting or fostering a child, 55 percent opposed the initiative. Some proponents have advocated for Act 1 to prevent adoption and foster parenting by gays and lesbians, and the 2007 Arkansas Poll had revealed that 53 percent of Arkansans supported prohibiting adoption and fostering by gays and lesbians. Even so, when it comes to voting for Act 1, Arkansans appear to be rejecting a blanket prohibition.
“Personal feelings about an issue can be different from policy preferences,” Parry said. “After looking at this issue for several years, it seems to me that many Arkansans – both liberals and conservatives – are uncomfortable dictating the family arrangements of others, whether they agree with them or not.”
Parry said that the results of previous Arkansas polls suggested that while Arkansans oppose casino gambling, a lottery – especially one connected to funding for education – would fare well. Bearing this out, 65 percent of those polled favored the proposed lottery amendment.

Arkansas Clergy and National Child Advocates Oppose Act 1

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Yesterday, a group of Arkansas faith leaders released a statement against Act 1. Clergy from multiple denominations and across the state announce their opposition to Act 1 with this press release. Read the AP story here or the full text below the break.

Today, Voices for America's Children, a national, non-partisan, non-profit advocacy group, released a statement in conjunction with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families that strongly urges Arkansans to vote NO on Act 1. Download the PDF here or read the full text below the break.

ARKANSAS FAITH LEADERS OPPOSING INITIATED ACT 1

The teachings of the major faith communities in Arkansas hold a deep concern for the protection of the vulnerable in our society. Children are often the most vulnerable members of our society. Our faith teachings call us to be concerned about the well being of our children.

Based on this concern, we, as members of the faith community in Arkansas, publically oppose Initiated Act 1 on this November’s general election ballot. We must do everything we can to protect children, and Act 1 simply places thousands of Arkansas children at risk.

The Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act needlessly restricts qualified adults from serving as foster parents and further reduces the number of homes available for public and private adoption. By taking away rational decision making from judges and child welfare experts, we eliminate case-by-case study for the best situation for children.

We are called by our faith teachings to protect children. Act 1 puts our children at risk. We encourage all Arkansans to vote NO on Act 1.

Rt. Rev. Larry Benfield, Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Little Rock
The Right Rev. Larry E. Maze, Retired Episcopal Bishop of Arkansas
Rev. Michael Mattox, United Methodist, Little Rock
Rev. Betsy Singleton, United Methodist, Little Rock
Rev. Carolyn Staley, Baptist, Little Rock
Dr. Randy Hyde, Baptist, Little Rock
Rabbi Eugene H. Levy, Jewish, Little Rock
Rev. Wendell Griffen, National Baptist, Little Rock
Rev. Sam Loudenslager, Episcopal Deacon, Bigelow
Rev. Betty Grace McCollum, Unitarian-Universalist Association, Emerson
Rev. Bindy Wright Synder, Episcopal, Osceola
Rev. Ed Matthews, United Methodist, Little Rock
Rev. Lowell Grisham, Episcopal, Fayetteville
Rev. Kendal Land, Presbyterian Church (USA), Arkadelphia
Rev. Joy Prater, Episcopal Deacon, Harrison
Rev. Donna Rountree, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Conway
Rev. Bob Klein, Unitarian-Universalist Association, Little Rock
Rev. Jane Bechle, Unitarian-Universalist Association, Little Rock
Rev. Stephen Copley, United Methodist, Little Rock
Rev. Seamus P. Doyle, Episcopal, Harrison
Pastor Randy McCain, Open Door Community Church, Sherwood
Rev. Ed. Wills, Jr., Episcopal, Little Rock
Rev. Patrick Murray, Episcopal, Little Rock

ADVOCATES URGE VOTERS TO REJECT INITIATED ACT 1

Arkansas Ballot Initiative Endangers Children and Youth
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Voices for America’s Children today joins Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a member of Voices network, in opposing Arkansas Initiated Act 1 because it will endanger thousands of foster children awaiting a permanent home.

“With more than 3,700 children currently residing in foster care, and 500 who are waiting to be adopted on any given day, Arkansas’ children cannot afford to be denied the opportunity of finding a permanent home,” said Bill Bentley, Voices President and CEO. “Currently, over 200 foster youth in Arkansas leave foster care at age 18 without ever gaining a permanent home. This ballot initiative would increase this number dramatically and result in the state turning its back on its most vulnerable children. Voices strongly urges all voters to reject this measure.”

On November 4th, Arkansas citizens will vote on Initiated Act 1, which bans unmarried cohabitating couples from serving as foster or adoptive parents. This ballot initiative applies equally to heterosexual and homosexual unmarried couples as well as to all adoptions from public and private child-serving agencies.
Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said Act 1 is so harmful to children that it is drawing national attention.

“We hope that Arkansas voters will hear this message from child advocates across the nation: All foster children deserve to find a home that best meets their needs,” Huddleston said.

“The safety and well-being of children should not be politicized,” Bentley said. “Trained child welfare professionals, including judges, social workers, court-appointed advocates, and others representing the best interests of the child must be allowed to make these critical decisions as to when and where a child should be placed on a case-by-case basis,” Bentley continued. “Enacting a rule or law that bans qualified and loving individuals from serving as foster or adoptive parents places these children in jeopardy.”

Coming shortly after President Bush signed the broadest improvement to child welfare services in over a decade, The Arkansas Family Council’s effort takes a step away from meeting the needs of children. Legislation signed by the President on Oct.7, The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, (P.L. 110-351) will allow Arkansas to use kinship and guardianship placements as well as provide additional supports for foster youth up to their 21st birthday. Initiated Act 1 threatens the ability of Arkansas to take full advantage of the positive improvements available in this law.

“Many states speak of child-welfare reform in order to improve the outcomes of the children and families they serve,” Bentley said. “This measure could effectively close the door for foster children. All children, but especially foster and adoptive children, need safe and loving homes. This measure is wrong-headed, short-sighted, and should be soundly rejected by the voters.”

# # #

Voices for America’s Children is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit child advocacy organization committed to speaking out for the well-being of children at the local, state and federal levels of government. With 60 member organizations in nearly every state, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, we advocate for effective public policies in order to improve the lives of all children throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.voices.org.

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is a statewide, non-profit child advocacy organization established in 1977. Our mission is to ensure that all children and their families have the resources and opportunities to lead healthy and productive lives and to realize their full potential. For more information please visit: www.aradvocates.org.

Early Vote Begins!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:33:00 +0000

Today, Arkansans began early voting. Lines at the polls in Little Rock were incredibly long -- some folks were waiting up to two hours to vote. Make sure you get to the polls early this year; if early vote was this crowded, imagine what will happen on election day!

In other news, Arkansas Families First released our first commercial, entitled "Please," today. This commercial features real Arkansas children, including children who have been through the foster care system or adopted. Please watch and forward to your friends and family! Then go vote!

Full Press Release and list of early voting sites in Little Rock after the jump. Most other counties only have one early vote location, usually at the county courthouse. To download a PDF with all county clerks to call and ask, click here.

NEWS RELEASE:

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Families First today unveiled a new television ad that will begin airing throughout Arkansas Tuesday morning and run through the election.

The 30-second spot features faces and voices of real Arkansas children, including former foster and adopted children. The children are joined by adults who lived in foster homes as children. Together, they ask voters to say no to Initiated Act 1, which would ban unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children.

"This ad gets to the heart of the issue, and that is the children," said Jennifer Ferguson, deputy director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. "The broad nature of this harmful act means it could affect any Arkansas child who lost their parents. We hope voters remember these faces and vote 'no' to Act 1."

Child welfare experts agree that children should be placed in homes that best meet their needs. A panel of prominent retired judges also asserts that judges should be allowed to place children in homes on a case-by-case basis, without being restricted by a blanket policy that limits the already small pool of good homes.

The spot joins a 9-minute DVD also produced by Arkansas Families First. Both are being distributed across the state. The DVD has been viewed more than 1,100 times since being posted online last Thursday.

The 30-second spot was produced by Arkansas Families First and features all volunteers. There are no paid actors.

EARLY VOTE TIMES at main Early Vote Locations:

Monday - Friday, October 20-24: 8 AM - 6 PM
Saturday, October 25: 10 AM - 4 PM
Monday - Friday, October 27-31: 8 AM - 6 PM
Saturday, November 1: 10 AM - 4 PM
Monday, November 3: 8 AM - 5 PM

Satellite Little Rock Locations and Times:

Sue Cowan Williams Library: 1800 S. Chester
Dee Brown Library: 6325 Baseline Rd.
Roosevelt Thompson Library: 38 Rahling Circle
McMath Branch Library: 2100 John Barrow Rd.

Monday - Friday, October 20 - 24: 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday, October 25: 10 AM - 4 PM
Monday - Friday, October 27 - 31: 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday, November 1: 10 AM - 4 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:30:00 +0000

A new video from Arkansas Family First supporters sends a strong message to Arkansas voters: Vote NO on Act 1 to save loving homes for Arkansas children!

This short video features adult former foster children and experts in the fields of child protection, psychology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and clergy who explain the negative consequences if the initiative were to pass. These are all volunteers giving their own testimony.

Please watch the video now. Then forward it to your friends and family! Participants below the jump.

Participants:

* Tasha Nelson - former foster child
* Barbara Miles - former foster child
* Rev. Ed Matthews - retired Methodist minister
* Susan Hoffpauir - social worker/foster parent
* Charis Cook - social worker
* Mia McNeal - adoptive parent
* Dr. Sharp Malak - physician
* Dr. Pat Youngdahl - child psychologist
* Rita Sklar - ACLU
* Aimee Berry - American Academy of Pediatrics, Arkansas Chapter
* Jennifer Ferguson - Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Watch it now and then spread the message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVg8Y49OmMM

Please forward this email to your friends and family -- everyone in Arkansas needs to know about the threat Act 1 poses to Arkansas children!

Foster Care Alumni of America Oppose Act 1

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:39:00 +0000

Today, the Foster Care Alumni of America, the only national group of adults who have experienced foster care, put out a press release asking Arkansas voters to vote NO on Act 1. Read the full release below the break.

As former foster children from Arkansas said at the DHS hearing last week, the best foster care homes they experienced were ones that were stable and loving, no matter whether the parents were married, unmarried, or single. Last week, Arkansas DHS acknowledged that Arkansas currently does not have enough foster homes for the about 3,7000 children who are in the foster care system at any given times. Arkansas doesn't need a regulation that would arbitrarily reduce loving homes.

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Adults from Foster Care Oppose Initiated Act 1

Foster Care Alumni of America calls on voters to choose the best interests of children.

Washington, DC — Foster Care Alumni of America, the only national association for adults who experienced foster care as children, is calling on Arkansas citizens to vote “no” on Initiated Act 1 because it would narrow the potential pool of foster and adoptive parents for needy children in Arkansas.

“Every year, a growing number of Arkansas young people are turned out into the world with no family and no place of belonging that is so critical for young people’s success and well-being. Over the last 10 years, we estimate that at least 1,800 children in Arkansas never found families before becoming adults,” said Misty Stenslie, deputy director of Foster Care Alumni of America. “It is tempting to try to create the ‘ideal’ family for kids. As someone who aged out of care and who has worked with thousands of other adults who never made a permanent family connection, I can assure you children without families would welcome the caring permanent presence of any loving, qualified, stable adult.”

Like every other state, Arkansas is constantly challenged to find enough homes for its children who stay in care an average of 21.3 months, according to the latest data from 2005 that the state submitted to federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. More than a third of the children in care are over the age of 13, a time in their lives when they are the least likely to ever be adopted. There are 997 children who have been waiting for 31 months to be adopted with no one to take them in.

Until Arkansas has reached the point at which there are more qualified families taking in kids than there are children who need homes, the state should not limit the qualified pool of parents even further. The process of identifying and qualifying potential parents for needy children should be left to qualified professionals. Each case must be evaluated by local judges and social workers who use their expertise to determine what is in the best interest of a child.

In fiscal 2007, the state had to send 216 children out on their own without a permanent family because they turned 18 and aged out of the foster care system. Even without the tight constraints of this ballot measure, those 216 children still never found a life-long bond with a stable family. Research tells us that without the necessary family supports, foster children who age out of the system will be less likely to attend college, more likely to be unemployed, and more likely to become homeless. These outcomes are heartbreaking for the youth and create financial burdens for taxpayers.

Foster Care Alumni of America’s opposition to this bill mirrors the stand taken by the partners of Arkansas Families First Coalition, who oppose Initiated Act 1 because it works against the best interests of children who need loving homes. Alumni of foster care believe the process of finding loving permanent homes where children can be nurtured and raised in an encouraging environment is challenging enough and should not be made even more difficult. Foster Care Alumni of America believes that child welfare experts, who know what is in the best interests of children, should decide on a case-by-case basis who should be a foster or adoptive parent. A blanket rule that bans otherwise qualified people from being foster or adoptive parents is not in the best interests of a child.

About Foster Care Alumni of America: In 2004, foster care alumni and advocates created a national non-profit association that brings together the expertise of adults who have experienced foster care. Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) was formed to engage the more than 12 million alumni of foster care and to advocate for the needs of the youth and alumni of foster care.

FCAA has more than 1,800 members from all 50 states. Through FCAA, alumni of foster care hope to create the ability to connect with one another in an organized and well-supported community and to use alumni expertise to transform the foster care system.

FCAA's mission seeks to provide innovation in the federal and state child welfare systems and effective and meaningful partnerships with child welfare organizations. FCAA has confidence that it can partner with others to reduce the numbers of children and youth in foster care and can improve the foster care experience through investments of their expertise and energy.

For more information on Foster Care Alumni of America, please visit our website at www.fostercarealumni.org.

Case-by-Case Adoption/Foster Care

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Last week was a heavy news week here at Arkansas Families First. On Monday, a group of 13 retired judges put out a statement opposing Act 1, which is posted below the break. On Thursday, Arkansas Department of Human Services announced that, in part thanks to the public hearing and comment period, they would change their previous policy that did not allow unmarried co-habitating couples to foster and instead allow for case-by-case decisions by child welfare professionals. Keep reading below the break for the full press releases...

Both of these developments show that professionals, judges and folks at the Department of Human Services, understand that each child is an individual with individual needs. In order to make sure Arkansas children have the best chances to find loving homes, we need to allow for case-by-case adoption and foster care.
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Statement in Opposition to Proposed Initiated Act 1

“By narrowing the qualifications required of people who seek to adopt children or to act as foster parents, proposed Initiated Act No. 1 would limit the ability of every Arkansas judge to choose custodial parents who would serve the best interests of vulnerable children. The choices available to neglected and abused children and to the judges who must find homes for them are already tragically limited by the children's circumstances. Instead of imposing a blanket rule that would apply to every case, the needs of these children, and the best means of satisfying their needs, should be left to elected judges to decide case-by-case. Any step, such as that proposed in Initiated Act. No. 1, to limit further the options for stable homes for these children would do them grave injustice. It is in the best interests of these children that Initiated Act. No. 1 be defeated.”

• W.H. “Dub” Arnold, retired Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Arkansas
• Tom Glaze, retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Arkansas
• Steele Hays, retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Arkansas
• Jack Holt, Jr., retired Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Arkansas
• Bradley D. Jesson, former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Arkansas
• Robin L. Mays, retired Chancery Judge
• Olly Neal, retired Judge, Arkansas Court of Appeals
• David Newbern, retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Arkansas
• John Plegge, retired Circuit Judge
• Andree Roaf, retired Judge, Arkansas Court of Appeals
• Judith W. Rogers, retired Judge, Arkansas Court of Appeals
• Edward Thomas Smitherman, retired Circuit Judge
• John F. Stroud, retired Judge, Arkansas Court of Appeals
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DHS NEWS RELEASE

Arkansas Department of Human Services Announces Intentions to Change Foster Parent Requirements

The Arkansas Department of Human Services announced its plan today to discontinue the process of putting language on cohabitation into policy and instead propose new policy that allows workers the flexibility to make decisions on a case by case basis.

“Throughout this process we listened to many people including those with whom we do casework and the public regarding the needs of foster children,” said John Selig, DHS Director. Recognizing that this is a sensitive societal issue, it’s important to expand our recruitment base so that we can to find a family that best meets the needs of every child.”

The Department will immediately begin the process of proposing the new policy for inclusion in the standards for family foster homes and will ask the Child Welfare Licensing Agency Review Board to amend its minimum licensing standards to reflect the new practice. The Department will offer the proposal according to the Administrative Procedures Act which will include a separate comment period for the new policy.

“I was delighted to hear that all those who commented during the public hearing felt as though our staff were the best assessors of what a home should look like, regardless of where they stood on the issue,” added Selig. “It’s encouraging to see so much community interest in foster children since that’s the primary resource for finding good homes in which to raise children in state custody.”

PROPOSED LANGUAGE

Households will be assessed based on the caretaker(s) ability to parent a child in foster care. Other children and adults who are a part of the household will be evaluated on the basis of how they will affect the successful development of a child in foster care. Individual placement decisions will be made on a case by case basis in the best interest of the child.

DHS Hearing on Foster Care Regulation

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:25:00 +0000

This week, members of the Arkansas Families First Coalition, led by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, held a press conference and then spoke at a DHS hearing on foster care policy. Above is Jennifer Ferguson, Deputy Director of Arkansas Advocates, speaking.

The public came, and, judging from their speeches, they were overwhelmingly on the side of allowing judges to make case-by-case decisions. Out of 20 people, only 2 speakers, both from Family Council, supported a unilateral ban. Video coverage from Arkansas Times below.

Another video about the original press conference is posted under multimedia; here's a great video from Arkansas Times' Arkansas Blog:

Psychologists Support Quality Homes for Children: Say NO to Initiative 1

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Robbie Thomas-Knight) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:53:00 +0000

I am the Arkansas Psychological Association's representative on Arkansas Families First, the broad based coalition that is fighting to keep all quality homes available for Arkansas children. The Arkansas Psychological Association (ArPA) Board of Directors elected to oppose Initiative 1 because it would arbitrarily eliminate otherwise qualified homes for the adoption and fostering of Arkansas children. ArPA recognizes that there are hundreds of children who go to bed every night somewhere in our state's custody waiting, hoping for a loving home. ArPA recognizes that professional caseworkers, psychologists, social workers, pediatricians are much better equipped to evaluate and determine a quality home than an arbitrary law that bans a category of couples.

Since I have been serving on the Arkansas Families First, I've appreciated how many psychologists have contributed money and signed up to fight against this unfair initiative. Many of them have taken the time to tell me of personal cases they know where this law would prohibit a child being placed in an appropriate home. Many have expressed a concern about "a slippery slope" of how far this law might be interpreted. One Ph.D and father of two children said he and his wife would want his sister and her partner to adopt if anything happened to them. That could not happen if this law passes. Many colleagues have written me with examples of quality, loving couples, unmarried, that would be eliminated. Many have pointed out that a single person could adopt or foster, but an unmarried couple could not. Many have told me the story of the grandmother, who doesn't marry for financial reasons, that could not adopt her own grandchildren. Many have asked who, in our government, would be investigating and determining who "is a cohabitating adult". Again, voicing the concern of where this type of legislation is headed. But the final line for opposing this initiative, is that it hurts needy children from obtaining quality homes!!

Please vote against this initiative and join Arkansas Families First by urging everyone you know to vote against it. I like the motto: SAY YES to CHILDREN, NO to INITIATIVE 1. Finally, but very URGENTLY, please contribute to the campaign. Your contribution at this point will make the difference in winning our fight. Many Arkansans have made contributions, but we need to double our amount so that we will take our very strong case to all Arkansans with a media campaign. It's easy to do - go to the home page of the website and follow the instructions.
Thank you for whatever you can contribute.

Robbie Thomas-Knight, Ph.D
Clinical Psychologist

A therapist's perspective

noreply@blogger.com (SpaceHog) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:23:00 +0000

As a social worker who has worked with many foster children over the years, I feel qualified to speak for them on the status of the system they live within. These are children whom the state felt compelled to remove from their homes due to abuse or neglect. If it gets to the point where the parental rights are terminated, you can almost always be assured that the caseworker, judge and the parents' attorney have done every thing in their power to remediate the situation and all interventions have failed. It is then that a plan for adoption is written and, if the child is over the age of 14, a concurrent plan to work toward independence is developed. Here are some stats from kidsarewaiting.org:

Arkansas has 3,253 children in foster care.

34.4% of foster children are between ages of 0 and 5.
28.8% of foster children are between ages of 6 and 12.
36.9% of foster children are between ages of 13 and 21.
Average number of birthdays a child spends in foster care: 2 birthdays (21.3 months).
54% of children experience three or more foster care placements.
15.4% (500) of children live in group care or institutional settings.
1,384 (42.5%) are waiting to be reunified with their birth families.
997 (30.6%) are waiting to be adopted.
Average time foster care children have been waiting to be adopted: 31 months.

Where did Arkansas' children go after leaving foster care in 2005?

3,380 children exited foster care.
1,466 (43.4%) were returned to their parents.
333 (9.9%) were adopted.
1,309 (38.7%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships.
232 (6.9%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older.
38 (1.1%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died).

This information is from federal AFCARS data, 2005.

These are children in Arkansas needing homes right now.

I can tell you that in my experience working with these children and adolescents, they don’t care if homes are single parent homes, two parents homes, or homes where the parents are unmarried. They just want loving, stable homes. Places that will be free from violence, unfulfilled promises, lies and neglect. Places where they can be who they are without fear.

As you can see from the statistics or from looking at the children on the DHS website, the need is large, and it’s largely going unfilled in our state. If we work to exclude more people from fostering and adopting children, how will the ones currently in the system ever have any hope of leaving? The children I know who live or have lived in the foster care system describe a system of instability, unreliability, loneliness, and sometimes even abuse and neglect. We must work to keep as many viable candidates as we can and not limit the people who would stand up to love these children. That is why I am asking you to vote against Initiated Act 1.

Thank you.

Lisa Southerland, LCSW

Orval Comic on the AR Adoption/Foster Care Initiative

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Great comic today from the Arkansas Times. Besides being beautifully drawn and very funny, Orval makes some great points.

Like the comic suggests, most of the kids who continue waiting on adoptive homes here in Arkansas are defined as "special needs:" very young children are usually adopted quickly. "Special needs" kids include Caucasian-American children over the age of nine, African-American children over the age of two, and any child with a medical or psychological condition that requires ongoing treatment.

Don't let Family Council take away loving homes for Eugene and many others like him!

A note from Aimee

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:14:00 +0000

Thank you, Laura, for sentiments that ring so true within the child health and advocacy community. I strongly believe that the decision of where a child should be placed within the foster care system needs to be determined by professionals who know the specific situation and are experts in their practice. This initiative would take away the ability of of juvenile judges, social workers and other health care professionals to make recommendations of where our most vulnerable children need to be placed. As parents of two young children, my husband and I shutter to think that our choice of guardians for our children will be disregarded if this passes.
It is terrifying to think about the far reaching implications of this proposed initiative. Aunts, grandmothers, cousins and other loved ones WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ADOPT THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS IF THEY ARE LIVING WITH SOMEONE - ANYONE...ROOMMATE, BOYFRIEND, GIRLFRIEND, FIANCE(E). All I have to say is YIKES...we have a little over a month to reach and educate all of the voters in Arkansas. Let's get to work...we need to raise money - any amount helps - and talk to our friends, family and fellow Arkansans to get the word out about how horrible this would be for the children in our state.

Two Weeks at Arkansas Families First!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Hello! This is Laura (laura@arkansasfamiliesfirst.org) reporting back from my first two weeks here in Little Rock!

I've been so impressed with the support I've received in the last two weeks, both from the folks associated with Arkansas Families First and from folks in the Little Rock community. Since last week, we've been receiving attention from folks all over Arkansas and the rest of the United States. Thank you so much for your calls and emails!

When I got here, I knew cerebrally how much this initiative would hurt Arkansas children, but, after talking with the people who called in and those in the community, I feel like I only now truly understand the negative impact this legislation will have in Arkansas. I spoke with a young man who had been adopted at the age of thirteen; his response to the initiative was anger because it would prevent some kids in his situation from finding good homes. I spoke with several parents who had adopted children of their own, and one woman told me that she would never preference a group facility over a loving family as a home for her adopted son.

Jerry Cox, President of Arkansas Family Council, disagrees. According to the Family Council Action Committee website on the Adoption/Foster Care Initiative,

"There are no foster or adoptive children without a place to sleep or a roof over their heads. Children who are in state custody live with families in private foster homes or they live in group care facilities operated by churches, non-profit organizations, or the State of Arkansas. Cohabiting homes, both homosexual and heterosexual, lack the stability of a married mother and father. Foster children need stable homes in order to recover from past abuse or neglect."

In my opinion, although group care facilities may be excellent, well-run places, they can not be described as "stable homes."

According to Jennifer Ferguson from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, an organization I'm also proud to name as an Arkansas Families First coalition member, about 450-500 Arkansas children need adoptive families at any given time in Arkansas. I think most of us would rather those children go to a good, loving family than a group home.

So, when you sign up for our email alert listserv, offer to volunteer, and donate, think about those children. That's who we're all really working for.