TWILIGHT: Breaking Dawn Event

On November 17, 2011 Angels Foster Care hosted an advance screening event for the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn film. Proceeds benefited our program and funds will go towards salaries for our social workers, new foster parent recruitment, outreach, and other administrative costs. Fundraising is a crucial component of our program as we do not take any federal funding. All of our operating costs are raised through donations (big and small- everything counts!) and grant writing. Click Here to make a donation. 

The Twilight fans were eager and ready, lining up outside the Arlington Theater hours before the doors were open.

VIP events began at 6:30, with guests being welcomed into a wedding themed reception. There they were able to enjoy yummy drinks and treats and even take a photo with the groom to be- Edward! (Not the real  Edward of course, but his cardboard cut out was just as handsome).

Many thanks to our Fundraising Committee who put a lot of hard work into making this event happen, and setting up a fabulous reception.

Pictured below From Left: Ashley Dorris, Meichelle Arntz,  Susan McMillan, Marsha Kotyler, Micele White, Messina DeRose, & Sue Bickett. 

 Flowers graciously donated by Dawn O'Donnell

Pictured Below: Meichelle Arntz, Founder of Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara, introduces the film

This furry friend even made a special "guest" appearance!

The event brought a great turn out and was a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone who came out to support Angels Foster Care- we look forward to seeing you again in 2012 for the FINAL film of the Twilight  Saga. 

Changes

This fall has brought on some changes within our  agency structure and staffing. Don't worry, we are all still here and all happy to be part of a wonderful team! 

Meichelle, our fearless leader and founder of Angels,  has transitioned out of day to day operations. She is now acting as the CEO and continues to be an active member of our board, and overseeing our agency at large. Meichelle will also still be working on the development side of things, so you are still likely to catch her speaking at local events and getting the word out! 

Jennifer has now transitioned into the role of Director of Operations. Jennifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has been our program director for the past few years as well as the social worker for North County. Although Jennifer's role will be expanding, she will continue to carry a caseload in North County.

Stacy is now acting as the lead social worker and also continues to be the social worker for South County. Stacy will be overseeing interns, volunteers, and other aspects of our clinical program. Stacy is also studying for her LCSW exam and hopes to become licensed within the next year. 

Ellen has expanded her hours and is now in the Santa Barbara office Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  She has already made a difference in the day to day work flow and we appreciate having her at the  "hub" to take incoming calls and manage the daily grind of the office. Ellen will also continue to be an integral part of our agency development as she works on outreach events, grant writing, and other fundraisers. Ellen also makes sure our monthly newsletter gets out to families and supporters. 

These have all been positive changes as we continue to grow as an agency. We look forward to seeing how we will continue to blossom in the years to come! 

Open Communication is KEY for Successful Visitation

The following article about visitation between foster children and their biological family is included in our September issue of the Angels Newsletter. To subscribe to our Newsletter click here. 

Most children who are in foster care will have visits with their biological parents and or/other family members. The frequency and duration of these visits varies depends on a variety of factors and is ultimately determined by the court. At Angels, our practice is to allow foster parents to personally make the choice on whether or not they would like to interact with their foster child's biological family. There are cases when this is beneficial for all parties involved, and there are other times when it is not advised. Part of our job as social workers is counsel families through this decision making process on a case by case basis.

Whether or not there is face to face interaction between foster parents and biological parents, one thing that remains a key component of successful visitation is open communication. When foster parents are able to be forth coming with information about their foster child, this makes the visit go smoother for everyone involved. The communication loop for visits should include the Angels Social Worker, the CWS staff person supervising the visit, and the biological family. If a foster parent is not bringing the child  directly to the bio family (which most often they are not), then they need to be sure to check in with the worker taking the child to the visit. This may be a worker from Angels or it may be a case aide from the county.  Foster parents should make sure the worker has knowledge of the child's routine. For example, the worker should  know when the child typically eats and naps. Also, if there are any dietary restrictions, make sure the worker is aware of this. Letting the worker know whether the child has been feeling under the weather, missed a nap, or had something else throw off their day is also helpful. If the child is notably fussy on arrival, it can ease nerves for everyone to know what the source of this may be. One of the most crucial aspects of visit communication is to clearly explain any bumps, bruises, scratches, rashes, bandages, or any other sign of injury. Foster parents should ALWAYS be informing their Angels social worker of any injury their child has, and if visits are happening, it is even more imperative that any little scrape or mark is noted. This may seem petty, but it is all part of working cooperatively and taking preventative measures. For example, here are two possible visit  scenarios with very different outcomes. 

Scenario 1) When the Angels worker arrives to pick up a toddler age child for a visit, the foster parents points out a large bruise that the child has on his knee. The foster parent explains that while at the park yesterday, the child had tripped and fallen. The foster parent further explains that when the child fell, they ran to check on him immediately, but he had already gotten up and began playing again and barely seemed to notice that his knee was scraped. The next day, the scrape had turned into large bruised area, but child does not show any other signs of pain or further injury. When the worker takes the child to the visit with the bio family, the worker immediately points out the bruise and relays the explanation. The bio parent laughs and says, "Oh that sounds right. He can be clumsy and kids this age are always falling. Thanks for telling me". No complaints are made and the visit goes smoothly.

Scenario 2) When the worker arrives to pick up a toddler age child for a visit, he is  dressed and ready to go. The foster parent helps put the child into the car and points out the snacks that are packed in his back pack. The child is wearing long pants, so the worker does not see any sign of bruising on his knee and the foster parents does not mention anything. The worker drops off the child at the visit, shows the bio parents the snack and talks with the visit supervisor to confirm the time to pick up the child. About 20 minutes later, the worker gets a call from the visit supervisor. The visit supervisor is calling with concerns about the child. The bio parent needed to change the diaper of the child and had taken his pants off, noticing the large bruise on his knee. The bio parent panicked and became very upset about the bruise on his knee. The bio parent then begins to make assumptions that the foster parent must be trying to cover up an injury by dressing him in long pants. Since neither the worker who transported the child, the visit supervisor, or the bio parent had information on what had happened there is cause for some controversy. The bio parent wants to make a complaint against the foster parents. 

Now, let me stop hear and say that we KNOW that injuries happen. Especially with young children who are still a bit wobbly and working on their motor skills! However, we would much rather deal with Scenario #1 then Scenario #2. If Scenario #2 does happen, then of course, Angels does our best to address the concerns immediately and follow up with the foster parent to see what happened and smooth things over. However, being preventative by using open communication is always the best measure! 

This goes both ways of course, if anything unusual happens during a visit, it is expected that the bio family will provide a clear explanation of what occurred and what action was taken. Everyones anxiety can be elevated when it comes to visits. Foster parents may worry about how their foster child's routine will be impacted, how they will fare around new people, or how they will be perceived by the bio parents. Keep in mind, bio parents have no idea where their child is placed and may be imaging worst case scenarios. A little sharing can go a long way in assuring them that their child is an excellent home and that their needs are being tended to as they are showered with love. Just a reminder, that you can never share too much information when it comes to visits! 

-Stacy Peterson, MSW

Angels Foster Care

Current Stats for Angels

To date, Angels Foster Care has placed 94 infants and toddlers into loving, stable, foster homes in Santa Barbara County.

One of the most common questions asked when we receive an inquiry phone call is "How many of these children have been adopted? How many have been reunified with their biological family?" People are often curious about the long term plans for our Angels children. It is difficult to give a steadfast answer to that question, because it is constantly in flux. Court hearings happen a few times a week that may impact the status of our cases. 

However, to give you a glimpse of where things are at here is an estimation of our stats, as of TODAY. 

Approximately 45% of these 94 children have been adopted or are currently in the adoption process.  

Approximately 15% have been reunified with their biological family. 

Approximately 20% have gone to extended family (biological family) members.

 Approximately 20% are awaiting the long term plan to be determined.

Christine, Adopted by her Angels parents in 2010

Coming up....

Advance Movie Screening Event

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1"

Thursday, November 17 

.....at a Santa Barbara theater to be announced soon!

Join other Twilight fans for an exclusive preview of the new film! Proceeds benefit Angels Foster Care. If you'd like to be placed on our mailing list for this event, please click here to   send us an email requesting updates on the Twilight Event.

Happy Summer to everyone! It is already beginning to fly by. I can't believe June is almost over!

It has been busy lately here at Angels. Many of our families have been finalizing adoptions, which has been a pleasure to celebrate with them! We've also been busy with several new placements over the past month or so.  We are now at a total of 91 children that have been placed in our foster homes. 100 is just around the corner....

Statistics on Foster Care in Santa Barbara County

Check out these statistics from kidsdata.org Taking a look at Santa Barbara County specifically, and also California at large.

Number of Children in Foster Care: 1998 - 2010 

Number of Children in Foster Care, by Age: 2010

Santa Barbara County	Number
Under 1	20
Ages 1-2	82
Ages 3-5	104
Ages 6-10	140
Ages 11-15	151
Ages 16-20	76
Total Children in Foster Care	573

California	Number
Under 1	3,115
Ages 1-2	7,406
Ages 3-5	8,605
Ages 6-10	11,986
Ages 11-15	15,321
Ages 16-20	11,579
Total Children in Foster Care	58,012

Number of Children in Foster Care, by Race/Ethnicity: 2010

Santa Barbara County	Number
African American/Black	40
Asian/Pacific Islander	1
Caucasian/White	153
Hispanic/Latino	376
Native American	3
Total Children in Foster Care	573

California	Number
African American/Black	14,946
Asian/Pacific Islander	1,497
Caucasian/White	14,375
Hispanic/Latino	26,365
Native American	778
Total Children in Foster Care	58,012

First Entries into Foster Care, by Reason for Removal: 2007-2009

Santa Barbara County	Percent
Neglect	87.2%
Physical Abuse	8.4%
Sexual Abuse	1.6%
Other	2.8%

California	Percent
Neglect	79.7%
Physical Abuse	11.0%
Sexual Abuse	3.5%
Other	5.8%

May is National Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care Month...You Can Change a Lifetime!

Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity to shine a light on the experiences of the more than 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system. The campaign raises awareness about the urgent needs of these young people and encourages citizens from every walk of life to get involved – as foster or adoptive parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways. With the help of dedicated people, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will either reunite safely with their parents, be cared for by relatives or be adopted by loving families. Many children would not have to enter foster care at all if more states provided support and services to help families cope with crises early on. Thanks to the many advocates, child welfare professionals, elected officials and support groups around the country, the total number of children in foster care has decreased over recent years.  But more help is needed. Every year, approximately 30,000 young people leave the foster care system without lifelong families – most at age 18. On their own, these young adults must navigate a weakened economy offering fewer jobs and less support for vital services such as housing. They need – and deserve – caring adults who love and support them. We call on all Americans to join us in helping to change a lifetime of a child or youth in foster care. No matter who you are or how much time you have to give, you can help create permanent, lifelong connections for these children and youth. All children — including the 424,000 American children and youth in foster care — deserve a safe, happy life. Young people in foster care especially need nurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them. Source: http://www.fostercaremonth.org/Pages/default.aspx For more information on National Foster Care Month click here

Material Donations

Angels Foster Care receives regular inquires about the donation of material items. We appreciate the generosity of those in the community and are touched by how many people want to help! It does make a difference. Please read more to understand how we use material donations and what types of material donations we are able to accept. 

Often times when children arrive to our foster homes they come with nothing. Through the support of donations, Angels is able to provide each foster family with a "placement kit" when they welcome a child who is in need into their home. This placement kit provides the family with some of the basic immediate needs so they don't have to rush out right away just to buy a onsie or a pack of diapers! Placement kits typically include a starter supply of:

Diapers

Wipes

Bottles

Clothing

Blankets

Burp Clothes

Swaddle Clothes

Organizations such as the Lions Club and the Assistance League have also donated car seats to Angels. This has allowed each of our families to have immediate access to a brand new, safe, and age appropriate car seat. 


However, please note that material donations are accepted on a case by case basis and we limited in what we are able to accept. There are several reasons behind this:


1) State regulations require that the items that we provide to children under are care are new, so we are not able to accept used items.  

2) Once a child  is placed with an Angels family their foster parents are responsible for providing for their material needs. All foster parents do receive a fixed amount of financial assistance from the State in order to re-imburse some of the costs related to caring for a foster child. Truth be told, our homes are so great- most of the time are kiddos are showered with love and are probably some of the best dressed kids in town! 

3) There is a lot of baby stuff out there and we have limited storage space in our offices! 

We are ALWAYS accepting monetary donations, which make a tremendous impact in supporting children in need and supporting the work we do here at Angels Foster Care. Please go to this link if you wish to make an online donation http://www.angelssb.com/donate/index.htm. 

Please continue to contact us if you are ever interested in making ANY type of donation! Different needs arise at different times and it can never hurt to ask! 

Angels Foster care receives grant from Women’s Fund; Discovery Museum celebrates ‘National Kite Month

Recent Press in the Santa Maria Times. Click here.

We're so grateful for all of our donors! We wouldn't be here without your support!