Adoption Trainings - Pg 2

Child Welfare League Award - Pg 3

Cultural Identity/Awareness - Pg 4

Foster Care Month Event - Pg 7

Foster Care Respite - Pg 3

IFAPA's 2000 Conference - Pg 1

‰ IFAPA Liaisons - Pg 5

Legislative Breakfast - Pg 1 

Legislative Training - Pg 4

‰ Maintenance Check Codes - Pg 3

Methamphetamine Facts - Pg 2

NACAC Conference - Pg 7

Net Surfing - Pg 2

Preventative Practices - Pg 5

Raising Relatives - Pg 7

‰ Respite Training - Pg 3

Time and Talent Survey - Pg 6

The Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association and the Des Moines Foster Care Committee are taking foster parents throughout the state to the Iowa Cubs baseball game at 7:05 p.m. on May 20 at Sec Taylor Stadium in Des Moines. The FREE Foster Care Month celebration will feature a gift for all foster children, snack money and tickets into the game. Parking is $3 per car. 

Registration for this event requires an RSVP by May 1, 2000 to the IFAPA office. If you no longer have the registration form mailed to you in April, please include your name, address, phone number, number of adults, number of children over 3 years old, and the number of children 3 years and under who will sit on someone's lap during the game. You may fax your reservation to Kristy at 515-289-2080 or mail it to: IFAPA, 6864 N.E. 14^th St., Suite 5, Ankeny, IA 50021. 
 
 

FYI: KidSake events and activities are listed by each DHS Region on the 

KidSake web site (www.iakids.org.) calendar under "What's Happening". 
 
 

Now you can support the Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association when you shop online. By registering at either www.iGive.com or www.CharityMall.com from three to 30 percent of the purchase price of the product you buy will be forwarded to the IFAPA, if you designate it the charity of your choice. 

The great news is that you do not pay any more for any item plus you become eligible for online mall discounts and specials. You also have access to well-known sites, such as J.C. Penney, Dell, American Greetings, Barnes & Nobles, Spiegel, GAP, J Crew, Espirit, Leggs, Hickory Farm and Omaha Steaks. Plus, you can shop for personal, home, business or leisure items at these online malls. Some sites even waive shipping fees and both malls are continually adding new shopping sites. 

The only requirement is that you register at each site and begin your shopping from the charity sites so your donation to IFAPA can be tracked. Both sites offer privacy and security features. Although each site is easy to use, each operates slightly differently. Please take a few minutes to read through the member instructions so your efforts can be fully applied. 

Your participation in member opportunities, like online shopping, makes difference in how quickly the association can grow and respond to member needs in the areas of training, information, support and public advocacy. 

If you have any questions about the online shopping and donation program, please call the IFAPA office at 515-289-4567 or 800-277-8145 or e-mail us at ifapa@ifapa.org. Your support of the association is appreciated.

www.adoptnet.org 

www.adoptamerica.org

www.webcom.com/~kmc/ 

www.calib.com/naic/ 

Foster Care Web Sites:

www.fostercare.net 

www.fostercare.org 

www.flocdc.org

www.accessone.com/~delindam

www.geocities.com/heartland

www.kidscampaigns.org/hot/fostercare 

www.arvinpublications.com

IFAPA is looking for articles for future News and Views Newsletter articles. If you have a parenting tips you would like to share with other foster and/or adoptive parents or a success stories about a foster or adoptive child, please submit your idea or story to IFAPA, c/o News and Views Ideas, 6864 N.E. 14th Street, Suite 5, Ankeny, Iowa, 50021 or e-mail your information to ifapa@ifapa.org. Your input is appreciated.

If any foster parents did not receive the Foster Allegation Information (FAIR) Brochure or the Child Abuse Handbook, they may contact Julie Agena at 800-277-8145 or 515-289-4567 for copies.

IFAPA is sponsoring trainings, at no cost, in each region of the state for adoptive and foster parents. Trainings will address adoptive parent issues such as: attachment; angry children; family systems; ongoing issues of fetal alcohol syndrome and its affects; and teen issues. Though preferences for these trainings will be for adoptive parents, all trainings will be open to foster parents as space allows. Speakers will include nationally known presenters, as well as Iowa trainers. Additional trainings fo will be scheduled beginning this fall. Call IFAPA's Training Coordinator at 800-277-8145 to register for any of the following scheduled trainings:

June 17, 2000 Council Bluffs - Ongoing Issues of Fetal Alcohol 

DES MOINES REGION:

May 12, 2000 Des Moines-Ongoing Issues-Fetal Alcohol 

May 13, 2000 Marshalltown_Ongoing Issues-Fetal Alcohol 

June 2, 2000 Ames - Dance of Attachment 

SIOUX CITY REGION:

June 16, 2000 Sioux City - Ongoing Issues of Fetal Alcohol 

WATERLOO REGION:

June 3, 2000 Waterloo - Dance of Attachment 

CEDAR RAPIDS REGION:

May 5, 2000 Davenport _ Dance of Attachment 

May 6, 2000 Cedar Rapids - Dance of Attachment 

June 2, 2000 Burlington - Ongoing Issues of Fetal Alcohol 

June 3, 2000 Ottumwa - Ongoing Issues of Fetal Alcohol

In May all licensed foster families in Iowa will receive a survey designed to measure your satisfaction with providing foster care. If you were licensed then, you may remember receiving surveys in 1993 and 1994 as part of an effort to help IFAPA and the state understand what issues are important to recruiting and retaining foster families. 

This survey is very important. The results will be used by IFAPA in a number of ways: to evaluate our programs and services, to provide data to the state, and to help us advocate for changes you want. IFAPA can only represent you if we hear from you. Please take the time to complete and return the survey when it arrives. 

IFAPA has several new trainers for its Preventative Practices classes and modules. Please call now to schedule the Building Strengths Modules for your summer and fall support group meetings. In addition, if you would like a Preventative Practices Training scheduled in your area, please contact Julie Agena, Training Coordinator, at 800-277-8145. 

Help Out a Fellow Foster Parent - Do Respite

Your help is needed. You could help out a fellow foster parent by offering to provide respite. Call 800-789-7466 to register for the Respite Program. If you do not currently have a placement, or have a temporary opening within your licensing capacity, you could provide respite for another foster parent.

As a foster parent, you are entitled to 24 days of respite every calendar year. Are you feeling overwhelmed, burned out or just need a break to enjoy the warm weather? If so, call and request respite today. 

Conference planners have asked IFAPA to get the word out to foster parents to encourage their foster, adopted or biological children to participate. The Governor and First Lady are very interested in hearing from young women with a variety of perspectives and life experiences. Kids should have access to the contest information at their schools, or can call our office for the materials. Essays are due May 30.

The Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association recruits and retains quality foster and adoptive families by promoting support, training and public awareness in conjunction with other public and private organizations. The Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association advocates for foster and adopted children and families.

The IFAPA State Conference provided over 275 foster and adoptive parents across the state with 12 hours of training during the two and one-half day Des Moines-based conference held in mid-March. 

Rolando Leal, a native Texan who, along with his wife, has adopted 14 children, kicked off the conference with his keynote address entitled, It Doesn't Matter Where You've Been, It Matters Where You Are Going. The audience shared laughter and tears with Leal as he walked through the process of gaining and losing personal friends, successes and set backs with children, and the reasons why parenting is the most rewarding occupation. 

Leal also drew large numbers to his breakout sessions on, Getting It Together…Together and Thanks for the Memories. In fact, one parent commented, "…Above any class in my 36 years of foster care, this man is a gift to foster parents and our children…He's a wealth of wisdom, a gift of heart and mind." 

Other sessions of interest addressed topics such as: drug identification, concurrent planning, child welfare mediation, termination of parental rights, adoption strategies, transitional living skills, educational success and child protective assessments. 

Executive Director Lynhon Stout received a recognition award for her efforts in moving the association forward and in obtaining the National Foster Parent Association of the Year Award. Immediate Past President Marvin E. Ferneau, Jr. was also recognized for his contributions over the last four years in leading and growing the association. 

A family dance, a quilt raffle and door prizes throughout the event provided family time and fun. Thank you to everyone who participated in the quilt raffle. It raised $ for the Friends of Iowa Foster Children, a non-profit organization that provides music lessons, band instruments, sport equipment, bikes and other extras to foster children throughout the state. 

Make plans now to join us next year on March — in Des Moines for another great conference packed with hands-on training and networking opportunities.

The Foster/Adoptive Parent Liaison Program has been up and running since 1994. There are 15 Foster and Adoptive Parent Liaisons throughout Iowa. It is their job to provide peer support to foster and adoptive parents. This includes providing information and assistance to families regarding foster care and adoption concerns; contacting newly licensed foster parents; and visiting area support groups. The liaisons also maintain contact with DHS to provide valuable information regarding systemic concerns and to learn of DHS issues of concern to foster parents; and share these concerns, information, and suggestions with IFAPA. The Foster/Adoptive Parent Liaisons are working as private contractors and their positions are part-time. Therefore, many times it may be necessary to leave a message on their answering machines, but they will return your call as soon as possible. Foster/Adoptive Parent Liaisons are anxious to hear from you. The Foster/Adoptive Parent Liaisons are listed below by region:

Lelaine Anderson, 800/484-6664 (code 3869) or 515/332-4078. Lelaine serves Woodbury county. 

Diane Anfinson, 800/484-9722 (code 4230) or 712/546-4902. Diane serves Lyon, Sioux, Osceola, Dickinson, O'Brien, Clay, Plymouth and Cherokee Counties. 

Lynnda Purcell, 800/484-6670 (code 7721) or 515/532-3672. Lynnda serves Humboldt, Wright, Ida, Hamilton, Kossuth, Emmet, Palo Alto, Sac, Pocahontas, Calhoun, Webster, Buena Vista and Crawford counties. 

Mike and Christie McGuire, 800/720-9850 (code 62) or 515/923-2618 Mike and Christie serve Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth Counties. 

Dianna Seedorff, 888/622-4521 or 319/235-2534. Dianna serves Black Hawk Co. 

Margaret Trullinger, 800/484-9490 (code 8707) or 319/334-4241. Margaret serves Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette, Clayton, Buchanan, Delaware & Dubuque Co. 

Dot Clark, 877/261-9996 or 515/261-0099. Dot serves western Polk County, Madison County and Warren County. 

Linda Dodson, 888/491-3456 or 515/953-0515. Linda serves Eastern Polk County, Jasper County and Marion County. 

Jo Myers-Walker, 888/700-8010 or 515/268-9298. Jo serves Hardin, Boone, Marshall, Story, and Dallas Counties. 

Carol Brockmann, 800/484-9599 (code 9070) or 712/325-0960. Carol serves Harrison, Guthrie, Shelby, Audubon, Greene, Carroll, Pottawattamie & Monona Co. 

Anne Akers, 888/447-8209 or 515/446-8209. Anne serves Adams, Adair, Cass, Clarke, Decatur, Fremont, Mills, Page, Montgomery, Ringgold, Taylor, Union and Wayne Counties. 

Vickie Hoffman, 800/587-0230 (code 32) or 319/256-6153. Vickie serves Cedar, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Van Buren and Washington Counties. 

Valarie Lovaglia, 888/551-3138 or 319/351-3138. Valarie serves Johnson, Jones and Linn Counties. 

Julie Seemann, 800/484-6676 (code 5754) or 515/673-4049. Julie serves Mahaska, Keokuk, Appanoose, Davis, Wapello, Monroe, Poweshiek, Iowa, Tama, Benton and Lucas Counties 

Judy Silverman, 888/817-9913 or 319/391-2017. Judy serves Clinton, Jackson and Scott Counties.

Preventative Practices training will offer foster parents strategies for minimizing the risk of child abuse allegations in their home. The training is designed to be personal, effective, informative, and easy to implement. Training sessions are team-taught by both a practicing social worker and a licensed foster parent and is approved for 6 hours of training credit. You will learn the basic facts and patterns in child abuse allegations in foster care in Iowa. You will also learn what situations put foster parents at risk for abuse allegations and how to identify specific placement practices, which will minimize your risk of a false child abuse allegation. The who, what, when, why, where and how of reporting and documenting about situations occurring in your home will be discussed. 

COUNCIL BLUFFS REGION:

None Scheduled 

DES MOINES REGION:

May 20 Marshalltown

SIOUX CITY REGION:

None Scheduled 

CEDAR RAPIDS REGION:

May 6 Ottumwa

July 15 Davenport

WATERLOO REGION:

June 17 Waterloo

FOSTER CARE INDEPENDENCE ACT EXPANDS INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM

Although federal regulations and program instructions are not expected at the state level until Spring 2000, the legislation sets forth the following: 

1. Federal funding increases from $70 million to $105 million for FFY 2000 and then to $140 million effective FFY 2001 and thereafter. Funds are allocated to states on a formula based on the number of children in foster care in the state in the most recent year for which such information is available. To date, states have not received notice on what their allocation will be (earlier projections showed Iowa receiving about double, based on the $140 million appropriation, what they received in FFY 1999, which was $451,347). 

2. Services to help youth make the transition to self-sufficiency are to focus on two groups of youth, those youth who are likely to remain in foster care until age 18 and those youth who have aged out of foster care and who have not attained 21 years of age. Mandated services to this group of former foster care youth will be the biggest change to Iowa's current program, involving much coordination and collaboration with various community-based programs (involved in housing, employment, education, counseling, etc.) 

There is no longer a minimum age of when a state can start delivering such services to a youth. So, for example, if it is expected that a fourteen year old will remain in the foster care system until they age out, based upon the readiness of the youth, age appropriate services to encourage self-sufficiency may begin with the youth. 

3. Services may include assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, career exploration, vocational training, job placement and retention, training in daily living skills. In addition, states are allowed to utilize up to 30% of their funding for room and board for youth who have aged out of foster care but have not reached 21 years of age. 

4. Training for foster and adoptive parents, group home workers, and case managers, to understand and address issues confronting adolescents preparing for independent living is now required. 

5. States must consult with public and private organizations in developing their program plan and give all interested members of the public at least 30 days to submit comments on the plan. 

As Iowa begins to design a program that not only will meet federal regulations, but more importantly, will provide the needed services to help young people successfully transition from foster care into young adulthood, it is critical that input is received not only from those who work with this population of youth, but the youth themselves. If you have not had a chance to review the legislation, you will find it on the Internet at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/publaw/106publ.html _ once at the site, scroll down to Pub.L. 106-169 (H.R. 3443). In addition, The National Foster Care Awareness Project has recently released a booklet, titled "Frequently Asked Questions About the Foster Care Independence Act and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program" which can be found on the Benton Foundation website www.connectforkids.org.

Please take a chance to review the legislation and contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions as we begin the process of developing a program that will best meet the needs of Iowa's youth. You may call me at 

(515)281-6786, e-mail me at hnoble@dhs.state.ia.us or write to me at the following address. We need your input - Thank you! 

Holli Noble 

Transition Planning Program Manager 

Iowa Department of Human Services 

Hoover State Office Building, 5^th Floor 

Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0114

The NACAC Conference is scheduled for July 27 - 30, 2000 in Baltimore, Maryland. IFAPA will be offering a limited number of scholarships to Iowa's adoptive parents to attend. Call IFAPA's office at 800-277-8145 for an application. The application deadline is May 15, 2000.

Anthony is looking for an adoptive family. He is 7 years old and currently resides at Four Oaks Treatment Center. He is an active young man who prefers physical activities and sports over board games. He loves dodge ball, baseball and basketball. Anthony has a good sense of humor and likes to joke around with adults once he gets to know them. He likes one-on-one attention, but can also play by himself. Anthony likes to be tucked in at night and asks to have stories read to him. He will ask for hugs occassionally but not until he knows you.

Anthony attends a second grade BD classroom. He responds to structure and a token reward system. Anthony takes several medications to deal with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and PTSD. His behaviors include not following directions, taking things and tantrums. 

Anthony would do best in an active family that can provide supportive structure and encourage his love of sports. Anthony has a younger sister who is already adopted that he wants to stay connected with. 

For more information about Anthony, contact Kidsake at 800-243-0756. 

The association charges annual dues ranging from $395 to$575 as well as shipping and handling. However, the program claims nonprofits can receive an average of $2,500 worth of free items from each catalogue. The 250-page catalogue is published every 10 weeks. Items include office supplies, toys, arts and crafts, clothing, personal items, housekeeping items and hand tools. 

For more information call 800-562-0955.