AN EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT GROUP PROGRAM FOR FOSTER PARENTS DESIGNED TO PREVENT PLACEMENT DISRUPTION: A GRANT PROPOSAL Miriam Vitela California State University, Long Beach May, 2013

INTRODUCTION  In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS; 2011) reported that there were 400,540 children in protective custody.  Currently, nearly 45% of foster children in California have been in care for more than 2 years  Given the prevalent number of children requiring out-of- home care, there is an increased reliance on foster parents to provide care for these children  Children who grow up in foster care are less likely to attain permanency as they become older.  Every year, 24,000 foster youth emancipate from foster care, and 50% (12,000) of that number become homeless within the first year (Fowler, Toro, & Miles, 2009)  The lack of both peer and agency support is a recurrent theme among foster parents when dealing with foster children who have been exposed to neglect and abuse (Hudson & Levasseur, 2002; Whiting & Huber, 2007).

SOCIAL WORK RELEVANCE  Social workers are able to facilitate such support groups by providing education, guidance and support for healthy and stable fostering outcomes.  Social workers can educate foster parents by identifying and recognizing various stressors and symptoms prevalent in foster children, and provide foster parents safe and healthy strategies to cope with pertinent behaviors.  Social workers must endorse certain core values such as the importance of human relationships (National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2008).

CROSS-CULTURAL RELEVANCE  In 2010, 47.7% of the children in California who were in foster care identified of Hispanic origin, this figure was 23.3% for Black children and 4.7% who identified as two or more races (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2010).  It is essential for social workers to maintain cultural sensitivity, and understand the language and culture of ethnic families to increase recruitment and sustainability, and help support the growing number of minority children in care (Capello, 2006).  At the national level, children of color are significantly overrepresented within the child welfare system  It is important for social workers to educate foster parents about the specific needs of these children to ensure their safety, over all well-being, reduce multiple placements in foster care and promote early permanency

METHODS Target Population  Foster parents who currently provide foster care services to children from the child welfare system and receive services from a certified non-profit foster family agency  Members any ethnic background, consisting of male or females 18 years and older who are married, single or same sex couples. Strategies used to Identify a Funding Source  In depth and thorough assessment of the potential funding source was made based on the compatibility of the proposed program, duration of funding available, target population and geographic service area. Selected Funding Source  The Annie E. Casey Foundation, established in 1948  aims to promote a better quality of life for disadvantaged children and their families, and works toward the development of grants that aim to improve the lives of children in care in the United States

METHODS cont. Sources used for the Needs Assessment  In the United States, 408,425 children entered the foster care system in 2010, and 74% of that number were placed in the care of non-relatives (USDHHS, 2011).  Foster parents have become an essential resource to the child welfare system due to an overwhelming number of children in care.  Children in care deal with painful experiences associated with trauma, numerous losses, the painful experience associated with grief: loss of their birth families, their natural environment and the traumatic experience of being placed in a foster home (Landsverk, Burns, Stambaugh & Ruetz, 2009). Projected Budget Range  The total amount requested from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to carry out this endeavor is totaled at $202,100. The host agency will contribute in-kind donations in the amount of $12,000, for a total program budget of $214,100. Project Categories  The educational support group program will be offered once a week, during a 10-week time

GRANT PROPOSAL  PROGRAM DESCRIPTION  The educational support group program is designed to service foster parents who provide care for children in the child welfare system  In each series there will be a total of 10 English and 10 Spanish sessions; each group series will consist of five families.  There will be a total of four series per year; thus, a total of 40 families will be served per year.  POPULATION SERVED  Foster parents between the ages of 18 years and older.  Foster parents who provide care for children in the child welfare system  Foster children within the child welfare system  SUSTAINABILITY  Pre-tests, pos-tests and participant evaluations will help to provide a projected need for the proposed program when applying for future funding.

GRANT PROPOSAL  Objective I: Foster parents will experience reduced placement disruption within 6 months after completing the program.  Objective II: Foster parents will have increased their knowledge of allocating and obtaining community-based resources as measured by a pre-and post-test.  Objective III: Foster parents will have formed support networks with other participants in the support group.  Objective IV: Foster parents would have attained the necessary tools to form healthy attachments, increased their knowledge about the issues related to separation, loss and transition, and the factors that affect the experience of loss among foster children and how to access necessary services Program Evaluation  The educational support group will be evaluated by the administration of a Likert- Scale format pre and post-test with open-ended questions

LESSONS LEARNED  The grant writer found it very beneficial and essential to utilize time management skills and set specific blocks of time to work on the proposed program  The grant writer found it helpful to consult with the host agency staff when developing a budget for personnel costs and in-kind donations  The grant writer gained a great wealth of knowledge for future reference on the various processes that are involved in writing a grant, from the amount of work that it takes to propose a program to getting it funded

REFERENCES Capello, D.C., (2006). Recruiting Hispanic foster parents: Issues of culture, language, and social policy. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. 87(4), Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2010). Statistics and research. Retrieved from Fowler, P. J., Toro, P. A., & Miles, B. W. (2009). Pathways to and from homelessness and associated psychosocial outcomes among adolescents leaving the foster care system. American Journal of Public Health, 99(8), Hudson, P., & Levasseur, K. (2002). Supporting foster parents: Caring voices. Child Welfare, 81(6), Landsverk, J.A., Burns, B. J., Stambaugh, L. F., & Ruetz, J. A. (2009). Psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents in foster care: Review of research literature. Child Welfare, 88, National Association of Social Workers. (2008). NASW code of ethics. Washington, DC: Author. United States Department of Health & Human Services. (2011). Adoption and foster care statistics. Retrieved from research/ index.htm#afcars Whiting, J. B., & Huber, P. T. (2007). Significant stress and real rewards: The ecological and ambiguous experiences of foster parents. Relational Child & Youth Care Practice, 20(2), 9-20.