Media

 

KMBZ Radio Show with Cary Hall Spring 2011

• Segment 1
• Segment 2
• Segment 3
• Segment 4

KMBZ Radio Show with Cary Hall Fall 2010

• Segment 1
• Segment 2
• Segment 3
• Segment 4

Independence Examiner

• Grain Valley woman fosters her own version of motherhood

Annual Report

• 2009-2010

 

Newsletters

 

MFCAA Newsletter:
2011 January February March April May June July August September October November December	2010   February March April May June July August September October November December	2009 January February March April May June July August September October November December	2008 January February March April May June July August September October November December
Strengthening Families Newsletter
2010 February March April May June July August September October November December		2009 August November

 

 

State Foster Care Advisory Board Minutes

2010 January March June September

2009 January March June September

2008 January March June September

 

 

Articles

 

TAX TIME TIPS:

Thanks to the St. Louis Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition (www.foster-adopt.org) for pulling together the following helpful information for foster/adoptive families during Tax Season:

The Missouri Tax Credit can only be applied to non-recurring, non-reimbursed adoption related expenses. Since the State of Missouri offers adoption subsidy which covers legal fees, home study, etc., most families who adopt a child from foster care do not qualify for this tax credit. Additional information on the tax credit can be found on-line by visiting:  http://dor.mo.gov/tax/taxcredit/atc.htm.

The Federal Adoption Tax Credit is available to families who adopt a child from foster care without needing to incur or document their expenses, like the Missouri Adoption Credit. This tax credit is based on an individual’s tax liability. The North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) has additional information on the Federal Tax Credit available on their website:   www.nacac.org/postadopt/taxcredit.html.

There are also various tax considerations for foster parents and relatives/kin. The National Foster Parent Association has produced a booklet that further provides tax information for those individuals. The booklet can be downloaded from their website, www.nfpainc.org.

If you need additional information, please call MFCAA at 816-350-0215

 

 

Letter From the Executive Director/April 2009
Abuse of Power Revisited

 

Dear Friends;

Just over three years ago, in March of 2006, MFCAA published a president’s letter that I had written addressing a pressing concern at that time:  abuse of power in the child welfare system.  That article sparked much interest and debate. 
READ MORE

 

 

Letter From the Executive Director/March 2009

 

Dear Friends;

 

April is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month.  All over the United States public and private efforts are made to raise awareness of the problem of child maltreatment. In our area, the Kansas City STAR publishes a calendar of child abuse prevention activities each year in April.

READ MORE

 

 

Special Article from Foster Parent Janet Richardson/March 2009

 

On the JCFAP email loop, at MFCAA conferences, and in other situations, the subject of ‘open’ foster parent licensing records has been raised by foster parents who are concerned that the very personal details about their families which might be released if anyone in the general public should request them.     

READ MORE

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Legislation

 

House Budget Updates

 

House Budget Committee Approves Severe Cuts to Health, Mental Health and Social Services for Vulnerable Missourians     Updated
March 24, 2009

The House Budget Committee passed the Committee Substitute Budget bills prior to the Legislative recess that began upon adjournment on March 12. While some restorations to critical funding needs were included in the bills, the substitute bills continue to include severe cuts to services funded through the Departments of Health & Senior Services, Mental Health and Social Services.

READ MORE

Mo. House Budget Chair Amasses Power

Monday March 16, 10:55 am ET

Analysis: Missouri House budget chairman gains greater power over state spending
By David A. Lieb, Associated Press Writer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Twenty-nine members of the House Budget Committee met in a morning-to-midnight marathon in Hearing Room 3 to hash out the details of Missouri's $22.8 billion budget.

But the real work already had been done behind the closed doors of State Capitol Room 306. That's the office of House Budget Committee Chairman Allen Icet, whose power over Missouri's money has grown stronger because of an evolution of House rules and tradition.
READ MORE

 

Republican House budget leaders are proposing to cut spending for public health and social services rather than earmarking federal economic stimulus dollars to fill gaps in those programs.

Budget details made public Friday show Republicans are proposing cuts to county health clinics, substance abuse treatment, senior meals programs and inspectors for hospitals, nursing homes and child care centers, among other things.

READ MORE

 

Proposed Budget Cuts - Action Needed

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2009 Legislative Priorities

• Define the Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board in statute.
• This board should draft policies and review policy changes in the current foster care and adoption processes.
• This would provide the state with more “real-time” information and help increase communication between the state and the foster care community, resulting in better coordination of care for foster children.
• Revise the current Foster Parent’s Bill of Rights to strengthen provisions related to the appropriate care of children in foster care and to ensure the respectful treatment of foster parents.

• Protect and/or increase funding for foster care maintenance and fix the disparity issue between the foster care and adoptive reimbursement rates.
• For older children or kids with significant emotional, behavioral or medical problems there is a much larger incentive to leave the child in foster care rather than adopting
• The difference in subsidy for adoption rather than maintenance for fostering is between $150 and $800 per month less for adoptive children.
• Foster youth who “age out” without being adopted cost millions of dollars each year in unemployment, TANF, Medicaid, and sometimes prison expenses.

• Protect and/or increase funding for Post Adoptive Resource Centers.
• There are only two of these centers in Missouri; Midwest Foster Care & Adoption Association in Kansas City and the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition in St. Louis
• Should receive credits under Children in Crisis and may be able to divert some CD funding for recruitment toward PARCs to address issues of recruitment and retention.
• Missouri Health Net
• Continue to work to protect adequate and accessible mental health treatment for children in foster care and adoptive homes
  
  
• Educational Issues for foster care children.
• Fixing the McKinney Vento provisions in Missouri Law to provide better services for foster youth.  Support the Foster Child’s Educational Bill of Rights. 
• Older children aging out of, or adopted from, foster care should be provided reduced or free tuition to in-state colleges and universities

 

 

2009 Legislative Wrap-Up

During the 2009 legislative session, the focus of debate in Missouri (as was the case everywhere) was the struggling economy, and the difficult issues related to health care.  Still, several child welfare related issues were addressed during this session.  Finally, after three long years of trying, Senator Jolie Justus’ Educational Bill of Rights for Foster Children, passed as a part of two different pieces of legislation: (SB 291), and (HB 154).  The Educational Bill of Rights provides foster children with an educational liaison in each district, who will be responsible for ensuring that foster children’s school records are transferred timely, that foster children receive a full day of education, and that they don’t miss out on credit for time they must be absent due to child welfare meetings and court hearings.  The bill also provides for foster children to remain enrolled in their original school, so that educational stability can be provided even though home stability is at risk.

Additionally, Rep. Rachel Bringer passed a bill (HB 481) which provides for state colleges and universities to offer a college tuition waver for students in foster and adoptive care.  This is an idea that MFCAA has strongly supported for a number of years, and is a benefit that several other states offer to their foster and adopted youth.  Unfortunately this bill is approved subject to appropriations, and funding for this program has not been appropriated at this time.  Still, it’s a good step in the right direction.

 

Rep. Marilyn Ruesterman passed (HB 154) which instructs the Children’s Division to make “diligent efforts” to find and contact grandparents when children are brought into foster care because of abuse or neglect.  The goal of this legislation is to prevent trauma to children and to increase kinship placements as a first option when kids need to be removed from their homes.   Research shows that relative placements are substantially more stable than placements with unrelated foster caregivers.  MFCAA supports this practice, and believes that it will reduce the number of children who must be brought into foster care, allowing for better placement matching for children who have no willing or capable relatives.

 

Rep. Bob Dixon created a Child Witness Protection Act (HB 863) which passed this year on its second try.  This bill provides a more child-friendly environment for children who must testify in child abuse criminal cases.  It allows for age appropriate questioning, comfort items for the child, and a support person to be in close proximity to the child during testimony.  This bill will encourage courts who may not have given much thought to the needs of abused children, the opportunity to provide them with an experience that is substantially less traumatic.

 

And finally, this session, thanks to the Federal Economic Recovery and Stimulus funding, Missouri foster parents will receive an increase to the state’s clothing and diaper allowance funding for foster children.  Currently the funding is restricted to the stimulus package, so this increase is predicted to be a ‘one time’ thing, however child advocates and state administrators will work to have this increase included in next year’s budget for ongoing funding.  Stay tuned to MFCAA’s website for information on exactly how this increase will be disbursed and when you can expect to see it in your mailboxes. 

 

If predictions hold true, the 2010 legislative session may be even more frightening than the session this year.  Budget experts are predicting a substantial decrease in state general revenue tied to the state’s increasing unemployment rates and the collateral decrease in taxes collected.  The latest news is that several hundred state jobs may be cut within the next year as a result.  It will be more important than ever for you to make the effort to call or email your elected officials and start speaking to them now (while they are back home near you) about the important work done by foster and adoptive families here in Missouri.  We’ll need everyone to join together to protect the services that our children and families need. 

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2008 Legislative Priorities

 

• Educational Issues for foster care children
• Fixing the McKinney Vento provisions to provide better services for foster youth.  Last year, an Educational Bill of Rights was introduced, which is similar to the bill currently in Congress
• Older children aging out of or adopted from foster care should be provided reduced or free tuition to in-state colleges and universities                    

• Define the State Foster Care and Adoption Advisory Board in statue
• At a minimum, this board should review policy changes to the foster care and adoption processes
• This would provide the state with more “real-time” information and help increase communication between the state and the foster care community

• Fix the disparity issue between the foster care and adoptive reimbursement rates
• For older children or kids with significant emotional, behavioral or medical problems there is a much larger incentive to leave the child in foster care rather than adopting
• The difference in subsidy for adoption rather than maintenance for fostering is between $150 and $800 per month less for adoptive children.
• Foster youth who “age out” without being adopted cost millions of dollars each year in unemployment, TANF, Medicaid, and sometimes prison expenses.

• Continue to support funding for Post Adoptive Resource Centers
• There are only two of these centers in Missouri; Midwest Foster Care & Adoption Association in Kansas City and the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition in St. Louis
• Should receive credits under Children in Crisis

• Missouri Health Net
• Make sure that mental health treatment for children in foster care and adoptive homes is not limited

• Promote legislation to improve legal representation for children in state custody.

 

Child Abuse Roundtable 2008 Legislative Priorities

 

TIER ONE:

1. Support full accreditation for the Children’s Division by August 28th, 2009 in accordance with RSMO 210.113.
1. Support annual budget and FTE recommendations that provide adequate resources to meet this goal.

1. Support and promote legislation that will protect access to physical and mental health services for Missouri’s abused, neglected, or at-risk children.
1. Oppose any new restrictions to eligibility and access for MC+ for Kids, including decreasing income eligibility standards, increasing the affordability provision, and increasing premiums or co-pays.
2. Expand funding for home visiting programs for at-risk children?
3. Oppose any restrictions or limitations on the mental health services for high-risk children.

 

1. Support and promote legislation that will improve access to quality early care and education programs for Missouri children at risk for abuse or neglect and guarantee the safety of those children.
1. Support increasing the child care subsidy income eligibility to at least 135% of the federal poverty level in 2008 and to 185% of FPL by 2012.
2. Increase incentives for registered and license-exempt providers to become licensed and move toward accreditation.
3. Support training incentives for child care providers who care for abused and/or neglected children
4. Support comprehensive background checks for all child care providers to ensure that there is no prior history of child abuse or neglect committed in other states

1. Support initiatives that will positively impact children in the custody of the state or child protection system.
1. Support increased foster parent payments to the national average of $470 per month and that increases in these rates be linked to the cost of living.
2. Support elimination of the disparity between the foster care rate and the adoption subsidy which has the impact of an adoption disincentive.
3. Oppose any reductions in eligibility for adoption and foster care subsidies.
   
2. Monitor legislation relating to mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect and support legislation that will strengthen the child welfare system.

 

 

FINDING FAMILIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN:
The Role of Race & Law in Adoption from Foster Care

Policy & Practice Perspective
May 2008
Prepared & Funded by: The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
2008 © Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
120 E. 38th St.
New York • NY• 10016
(212) 925-4089 • www.adoptioninstitute.org
New York:

 

 

 

 

Foster Care MARC (Minimum Adequate Rates for Children)

Issue Brief
December 2008
Lori Ross, Executive Director
Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association
3210 S. Lee’s Summit Road
Independence, MO 64055
816-350-0215

1. The Missouri state government has a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all children and youth who have been placed in its custody through the foster care system.  When a child is removed from his or her home to be protected by the state, the state assumes the responsibility to parent the child.  For about 10,000 Missouri children this is best accomplished through a partnership with ‘substitute’ foster families.  The state of Missouri should consider any investment in its children an economic development project.  These children are Missouri’s future human capitol. Effectively parenting these children results in creating more Missouri taxpayers.  When the state fails these children we increase our populations of unemployed adults, prisoners, and addicts. Additionally, their children become our next generation of foster kids.
2. Nationally, many foster parents are woefully under-funded. A recent study done by Children’s Rights,  The National Foster Parents Association and the University of Maryland School of Social Work was able to establish for the first time the actual reasonable costs of caring for foster children all over the United States. Costs considered included: food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, school supplies, personal incidentals, liability and property insurance, and travel to and from the child’s home for visitation.
3. Missouri ranked in the BOTTOM five states in the nation in terms of it’s proximity to hitting the MARC (Minimum Adequate Rates for Children) in what it currently pays to foster care providers.  Despite small rate increases in FY07 and FY08, Missouri must still raise its foster care rates by more than 100% to reach the Minimum Adequate Rate for Children in Missouri.
4. Actual costs of care for foster children in Missouri vs. what Missouri currently provides are:

Child’s Age                    Actual Costs           Missouri Currently Provides         
(Age 2)                                    $627                            $282
(Age 9)                                                 $719                           $335
(Age 16)                                  $788                            $372

5. The number of people willing to serve as foster parents is declining dramatically both nationally and in Missouri.  When there aren’t enough foster parents, children frequently have multiple foster placements (as foster parents are overburdened and unsupported in meeting their needs).  As a result, children are often placed in residential treatment settings which are substantially more costly than foster care. Research demonstrates that children who have experienced multiple placements or residential treatment stays are less likely to be successfully reunified with their birth parents or placed in loving adoptive homes.
6. Missouri must act now to begin to move foster care rates toward the standards established by the MARC study.  It is our responsibility as a state to provide for those who, through no fault of their own, have become the state of Missouri’s children.  Missouri must live up to that responsibility and invest in a stable future by helping Missouri families to effectively parent these kids.

 

 

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2007 Legislative Session Begins

The Missouri Legislature convened its 2007 session on January 3, 2007.  The Governor will be giving his State of the State Address later this month.  Child advocates are pushing for increases in funding toward Child Welfare Accreditation for the Children’s Division, increases in rates of pay for foster care, Medicaid coverage to extend for youth aging out of the foster care system to age of 21, an increase in eligibility limits for child care subsidies for working poor people, and the maintenance of appropriate medical and mental health services for abused and neglected children as Medicaid is restructured toward the goal of the 2008 sunset of the current Medicaid program.  MFCAA is also working with child advocates toward a specific goal of funding for Post Adoptive Resource Centers, which will provide comprehensive services and support to families adopting children in Missouri. 

MFCAA staff will be closely monitoring the child welfare issues this session and will attempt to keep you informed timely through this website and through e-alerts on critical issues as we go forward.  To subscribe to MFCAA e-alerts, please send your contact information to kim@mfcaa.org .

 

 

Foster Care and Adoption Federal Legislative Issues Summer 2007

While the Missouri legislature is out for the year, with the exception of a possible short fall session, the US Congress continues to work.  There are currently four key issues we’d like to bring to your attention this month.

The Kinship Caregiver Support Act (Senate Bill 661 or House Resolution 2188) is a piece of bi-partisan legislation that would:

• Amend the Social Security Act so that states can provide federally subsidized guardianship maintenance to kinship caregivers
• Establish a kinship navigator program to guide kinship caregivers to supports and resources in their states
• Provide relatives with prompt written notice when their relative children are placed in foster care
• Allow states to have separate licensing standards for kinship caregivers, providing that the standards are adequate to protect children
• Expand eligibility rules so that kids who leave foster care to a guardianship option maintain access to financial aid for college (currently available through Chaffee).

The reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act has created an option for improving educational outcomes for children in foster care.  Through amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act/ Education, Title X, Part C of the No Child Left Behind Act to:

• Broaden the definition of homeless youth to include children and youth in out of home care in the custody of the public child welfare agency, including foster family homes, kinship care families, group homes and child care institutions, thus entitling them to the same protections for education access currently available to homeless youth.
• Clarify who can make educational decisions for children and youth in out of home care
• Add to the section about disputes, language that says that the written decisions about educational disputes, appeals, and transportation, which must currently be provided to the decision maker, should additionally be provided to the child welfare agency and the court of jurisdiction.

The Senate has passed the Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act as a part of the Higher Education Access Act of 2007.  The House version did not include the foster/adopt clause from the Senate version, but efforts are underway to correct this exclusion in the conference committee on the bill.

• This act encourages teenage adoptions by correcting provisions in the current FAFSA process that allows youth who ‘age out’ of foster care to qualify for virtually all loans and grants, but penalizes those who are able to be adopted by including their adoptive parent’s income and assets in their determination of eligibility for financial aid.

 

Finally, national child welfare advocates are encouraging changes to the Social Security Act, Title IV-E program to better protect children and ensure them nurturing families. This advocacy effort aims to:

• Support the full range of services necessary to prevent child abuse and neglect
• Ensure that all children who have been abused and neglected, including those in foster care, have the services and supports they need to heal
• Guarantee children have access to critical post-permanency services by amending Title IV-E of the Social Security Act
• Promote investments in a broad continuum of services.
• Ensure federal and well as state, financial support for all children by eliminating the income eligibility criteria of Title IV-E that was set in 1996.

As always, you can use your voice to advocate for kids.  To reach your member of congress you can call 202-224-3121.  Mailing addresses for senators are:  The honorable [Senator’s name], U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, 20510.  For representatives, address your letter to:  The Honorable [Representative’s name], U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, 20515.  To find your Representative’s direct address, phone number or e-mail, visit http://www.house.gove/writerep , or for Senators, go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm .
 

 

 

 

 

 

HITTING THE M.A.R.C.
Establishing Foster Care Minimum Adequate Rates for Children