Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day—February 13
Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day—February 13
We are asking everyone in the adoption community to take part in the first grassroots Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day. Unfortunately, many adoptive families are still not aware that this tax credit exists. It is our goal to help ensure that all adoptive families who are eligible to receive this benefit are informed about how to claim the credit.
We are asking everyone, including professionals, advocates, state agencies, families, and others to help broadcast the existence of the adoption tax credit on one given day—February 13. You can either copy this text into an e-mail or print flier you share with others or download a flier to distribute.
Save the Date: Plan now to be part of the Adoption Tax Credit Awareness Day on Monday, February 13, 2012—a national effort highlighting the federal tax credit available to adoptive families.
Play Your Part: Join with adoption organizations, state agencies, adoptive families, advocates, and other interested parties to raise visibility of the adoption tax credit. Help spread the word collectively, through website postings, e-mail blasts, newsletters, social media, and other informational outlets, so eligible families that may not be aware of this benefit can be sure to access the credit. Families who adopted as far back as 2005 may still benefit if they haven’t already. Be sure to include non-internet based strategies since some adoptive families do not have access to the internet.
The Facts:
Since 2003, families who adopted a U.S. child with special needs from foster care could claim a federal adoption tax credit even if they had no adoption expenses (as long as their income was below the fairly generous income requirements).
Children who receive adoption assistance/subsidy benefits are considered children with special needs. Even families who receive a deferred subsidy ($0 per month but medical coverage through the subsidy program) are eligible.
February 17: Comedy for a Cause
Doors open at 7:00 PM Friday, February 17, at the Woodside Bible Church, 6600 Rochester Road, Troy (North of Square Lake Road). This special Comedy for a Cause features comedians Anthony Griffith and Ron Pearson and raises funds to benefit long-time Federation Member Promise Village Home for Children.
Download the attached flyer for more information.
Child Fatality Webcast 1 and 2
The DHS Office of Family Advocates' Stacie Bladen and Seth Persky present a video case review of a child fatality. This month's example involves a 5 month old who died as a result of accidental suffocation. In addition to reviewing areas of interest in this fatality, they reinforce infant safe sleep practices.
To view the video click here.
The DHS Office of Family Advocates' Stacie Bladen and Seth Persky present a video case review of a child fatality. This month's example involves a teen male who died as a result of suicide. To view the video click here.
Stacie Bladen
Director, Office of Family Advocate
Department of Human Services
Housing program gives homeless youth a boost
Detroit News— It was just a few months ago that LaKeisha Johnson and her small children slept in a car when they couldn't count on a relative or a friend to provide them with a place to stay.
On Thursday, Johnson, 24, showed off her new two-bedroom apartment at Oakman Place Apartments, part of a program to house young, homeless adults, as well as those who have aged out of the state's foster care system.
"This is beautiful," said Johnson, as she showed off the expansive ground floor apartment, fully furnished with new furniture. "It doesn't seem real."
The 24-unit, three-story complex on Oakman Boulevard near Woodrow Wilson includes gated parking and a washer and dryer in each apartment.
The $5.1 million development is the result of a partnership that includes Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, Focus:HOPE and Michigan State Housing Development Authority MSHDA.
Robert G. Miles, president and CEO of Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, said the Oakman Place program provides adequate housing and other support services for homeless youth and those who "age out of the welfare system."
"Very few of our own children make the transition into adulthood without ongoing support and supportive services," Miles said. "Through this development, we have become more sensitized to the number of families who are challenged to find adequate, safe and affordable housing."
Miles said Thursday he hopes the residents will "love each other, support each other and become a community."
Selecting the first families to live in Oakman Place was a difficult task for social worker Carolyn Rayford, the deputy regional director for Lutheran Child & Family Service.
Teens in Foster Care Face Elevated Risk of Becoming a Teen Parent
Teens in foster care face considerable individual and family challenges that place them at an elevated risk of becoming a teen parent. Child Trends has released a new research brief, Teen Parents in Foster Care: Risk Factors and Outcomes for Teens and Their Children, which reviews existing research literature on teens in foster care and examines analyses of primarily regional data to assess the extent to which teens in foster care are at risk of teen pregnancy and parenting. Existing studies suggest that teens in foster care have higher rates of teen pregnancy and parenthood than youth not in care. More than 160,000 of the children in foster care were over 12 years old in 2009.
On the basis of the research highlighted in this brief, Child Trends identifies several challenges to reducing rates of pregnancy and childbearing among teens in foster care and to preventing negative outcomes for these teen parents and their children. With this brief, we hope to increase understanding of this high-risk population; to inform strategies to reduce teen pregnancies in foster care and support teen parents in foster care and their children; and to identify issues that need further research.
This research was supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
MichFed Annual Report to the Membership • September 2011
The Federation is pleased to present its Annual Report to the Membership • September 2011. Please see the attachment below.
Child and Family Charities: Organization’s New Name and Logo Reflects Larger Vision and Mission to Help Children, Youth and Families in Mid-Michigan
LANSING, October 6, 2011 – Child and Family Charities (formerly Child & Family Services, Capital Area) publicly announced the organization’s name change and new logo with an unveiling of their new sign on Monday, October 3, 2011 at the agency’s main office building located at 4287 Five Oaks Drive, Lansing, MI 48911.
Attending the festivities were community leaders, board members, volunteers, and agency staff. This year marked Child and Family Charities’ 100 years of service to the mid-Michigan region, established in 1911 as Lansing Associated Charities. Michelle Reurink, President, Child and Family Charities Board of Directors, stated, “It was the significance of the anniversary combined with long- standing name ambiguity that compelled us to action in selecting a name that better reflects the agency’s focus and cultivates stronger community support.” Jim Paparella, Executive Director, added, “The new name and look takes us back to the very roots of our founding purpose as a charitable organization: to serve as an effective partner for social change through programs and initiatives which benefit children, families, and community. At the same time, the change recognizes years of strategic growth through collaboration and alliances, from the advent of Angel House to recent mergers with Lansing Teen Court and Child Abuse Prevention Services.”
The agency’s core divisions include Child Welfare Services, Family Services, Child Abuse Prevention Services, Juvenile Justice Services, and Residential Services. If you would like more information about Child and Family Charities, please call Demphna Krikorian at (517) 882-4000, extension 126 or email: demphna@childandfamily.org.
Debora Matthews, CEO of The Children's Center Honored for Commitment to Children with Disabilities
Detroit, MI (August 15, 2011). The Children’s Center is very pleased to announce that Chief Executive Officer Debora Matthews was selected to receive the 2011 EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to distinguished individuals as part of Disabilities Awareness Day recognition events nationwide. Debora was chosen from an impressive list of local candidates for her dedication and commitment to, and advocacy for, those with special needs.
The mission of Disability Awareness Night (DAN) is to expand awareness of the 54.6 million Americans living with disabilities, by highlighting their extraordinary achievements and the perseverance and dedication of the families, physicians, nurses, therapists, educators and other caregivers involved in their care and development. The presentation of the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award (named after the founder and former editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent magazine, EP) at each Disability Awareness Night signifies the remarkable accomplishments that can be achieved under difficult circumstances.
Debora was honored on August 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Comerica Park prior to the Detroit Tigers game. The Children’s Center took more than 50 children and their families to the park for the ceremony and game, compliments of sponsors Barbara Gill, Principal, Seymour Gill Financial, a MassMutual agency and their Special Care program and Exceptional Parent Magazine.
According to Debora Matthews, “This award is truly an honor. I get the greatest reward seeing hope on the faces of children when they finally understand their so-called disability really gives them the ability to strive for a greater future.”
Nominations open through September 15 for 2011 Child Welfare Awards
On an annual basis, the Michigan statewide Foster Care Review Board recognizes one jurist (judge or referee), one foster care case worker, one lawyer-guardian ad litem (LGAL), a single foster parent or foster parent couple, and one parent attorney for exemplary service to abused or neglected children in the Michigan foster care system. Nominations for the 2011 Child Welfare Awards are now available. Click the category to make the nomination; you may have to press and hold the CTRL key while making your selection:
Jurist of the Year: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
Foster Care Worker of the Year: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
LGAL of the Year: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
Foster Parent of the Year: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
Parent Attorney of the Year: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
Deadline for submission is September 15, 2011. Recipients of all awards will be recognized at the FCRB Annual Training Conference on November 10, 2011, in Southfield, MI.
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