Two Key Findings on LA Times Article

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All homes need to meet similar measures. RFA is a child based parent endorsement that assembles components of the current foster parent: licensing, relative approval, and approvals for adoption and guardianship processes. RFA: takes out the duplication of different procedures, unifies approval standards for caretakers. It initiates an extensive psychosocial assessment, home condition checks, and training for all families. It gets families ready to address the issues of helpless youngsters in the child care framework. Which enables a smooth progress to permanency.

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RFA creates a framework for all families, including relatives, and resource families to receive the same information, training, and opportunities for support. A resource family completes one approval process, and once approved. They have the option to provide care on a short- or long-term basis. Once approved resource families, will not have to undergo any additional approval or licensure if they choose to adopt a child in foster care. There are certain family qualifications. It consists of: capacity to meet developmental safety, permanency and well-being needs of children, capacity to act as a prudent parent.

Ability to cooperate with agency and service provider, ability to provide and maintain financial stability, ability and willingness to incorporate the child into the family, availability of a support system.

The RFA process improves the way caregivers care for the children in foster care and are approved and prepared to parent vulnerable children, whether temporarily or permanently. Overall it is a comprehensive approval. The process is not linear it is intertwined process. At some point it can be a linear process; in cases like emergency and compelling cases.

In emergency basis children must be with a relative or nonrelative extended family member, may occur prior to completion of home environment and or permanency assessment; home environment process must be initiated within 5 business days and within 10 days’ lives can and background have to be done. All this needs to occur before anything else has been done. In compelling reason, for the safety of the children there needs to be a home environment assessment completed.

RFA focuses on the lifelong relationship and quality parenting- no additional approvals for adoption or guardianship. It considers the ability to meet the needs of vulnerable children. Achieves results for children and families. Families will be better prepared and supported, there will be training, and support for all families more stability and fewer moves. It is all about efficiency to eliminates duplicative processes.

In September 2012, when Gabriel was 8, Pearl decided she wanted him back. The day before Halloween, Gabriel confided in Garcia: His mother had hit him with the metal part of a belt, drawing blood (LA Times, 2013). In another article, it states that he was repeatedly called gay, and was punished for playing with dolls and was forced to wear girl clothes to school. In connection with this article, there was another incident in June. A man was charged with killing a 10-year-old boy who came out as gay. It is devastating to see crimes like these. Gabriel was tormented and abused for months and everyone turned their back on a helpless boy. Cops think it is a social workers job to intervene, but they fail to consider that they are mandated reporters too. They shouldn't treat these crimes like second class crimes. Just like any other crimes child abuse incidence end up in death as well. There were clear signs of abuse and neglect, yet no one did anything. The only person who truly cared and tried helping Gabriel was his teacher Ms. Garcia.

On May 22, 2013, sheriff's deputies responded to a call from Gabriel's mother and found that the boy was not breathing. Pearl claimed he had fallen while playing with his siblings and that the bruises on his body were self-inflicted. She said the missing skin on his neck came from vigorous scrubbing with a washcloth (LA Times, 2013). These were all lies. His mother knew he was being beaten and tortured and did nothing to stop it. A mother is supposed to protect her child from anything and anyone and Pearl did none of that. Now she has to live with the fact that if she had it in her heart to stop the abuse then her son would not be dead. The only person who he was able to turn to for safety was a simple bystander watching the abuse happen until it ended in a tragedy. Law enforcement nor social workers did anything to prevent an innocent’s boy death.

Six Substantive Connections to Textbook

Foster care: provides support services and substitute care for children requiring out-of-home placement due to child maltreatment enacted by the parent or guardian, and circumstances in which parents or guardians are unable or unwilling to provide adequate care for their children. The United States federal government defines foster care as 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians (Klika & Conte, 2018, p.216) According to the APSAC handbook on child maltreatment foster care protects kids by giving temporary out-of-home care when essential until the point when the child can securely return home, permanently be placed with a relative, or be set in a legitimate guardianship, or another permanency course of action is resolved. As for connections, Micah, Raif, Mandy, and Zoe were all placed in foster care. One thing they all had in common besides that they were foster children. They all disliked the system. These individuals lacked love and support from others. They never had the chance to be placed with a relative who cherished them.

Care Independence Act: also known as the Chafee Act (1999) provides funding for independent living programs, including training for youth to build their employability and financial skills. Funding also covers expanded Medicaid coverage for youth and supports youth with money for education, security deposits and rent, furniture, and other household supplies (Klika & Conte, 2018, p.188). As talked about in 'The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment', un-adopted older youth experience numerous battles particularly as they leave the system, which is all reported keeping in mind the end goal is help them to effectively transition to free, grown-up living. Being able to live alone even after people leave foster care is critical. Many don't hold the abilities to have the capacity to do independent living nonetheless, know what step to take next. Care Independence Act connects with the cases of Mandy, Raif, and Micah. Once they left the system they didn't know what to do. If this Act would have been implemented in their lives perhaps Micah wouldn't be in jail for numerous felonies. Raif and Mandy would have better living coping skills. Instead, Mandy turned to her boyfriend for a home and Raif turned to the streets because that is all they knew.

Supervised independent living (SIL: is defined as “an alternative living arrangement where the child is under the supervision of the agency but without 24-hour adult supervision, is receiving financial support from the child welfare agency, and is in a setting which provides the opportunity for increased responsibility for self-care (Klika & Conte, 2018, p. 224). As indicated by the APSAC handbook SIL is for those foster children that are aging out. They provide psychosocial, educational, employment and vocational supports to help youth as they progress to their grown-up lives. It was discovered that those in SIL experience improved day by day living skills. For example, Raif and Mandy could have immensely benefited from these services. It is possible getting all the support available, their lives would not have been as devastating. Even though 8 billion dollars is spent on foster care they rarely receive the adequate care needed to move on to a better bright future.

Group Homes/Institutions is defined as a licensed or approved home providing 24-hour care for children in a small group setting that generally has from seven to twelve children and an institution is defined as a child care facility operated by a public or private agency and providing 24-hour care and/or treatment for children who require separation from their own homes and group living experiences (Klika & Conte, 2018, p. 224). In connections to the video from place to place, Mandy and Micah mention how they were in a group home. They didn’t receive the adequate care they wished for. Micah started going to group homes at the young age of nine. He was rebellious and getting himself into trouble most of the time. Children in group homes and institutional care are older and likely to be male, they suffer from behavioral and mental health issues. In Micah's case that came to be true. His life had no direction ever since he became a foster child. Not having a parent figure affected him greatly. Group homes don't constantly give the necessary care that people look for.

Adoption: Approximately 20% of children exit foster care through adoption. When the parents are unable to provide a safe home for a child, and the court finds that termination of parental rights is in the child's best interest, a child becomes eligible for adoption (Klika & Conte, 2018, p. 220). As mentioned in APSAC handbook through adoption a legal and emotional parent-child relationship is created. Upon being adopted, the child becomes a member of the family. Unfortunately, Micah, Raif, and Mandy didn't get the opportunity to get adopted by a loving family. Nor get the opportunity to build memories and live a childhood with love. Zoe got the devastation of being separated from her brother, they didn’t get adopted together because she was older.

Family reunification: occurs when children are returned to one or both of their parents. The majority of children who enter foster care exit to reunification parents are offered services to remedy the safety concerns that brought their child into out-of-home care (Klika & Conte, 2018, p. 219). As talked about in 'The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment' upon court determination the parent needs to address the safety concerns and then the child can safely return home. Family reunification need to happen within one year of the child being removed. In connection to Zoe’s case that did not happen. Her mother actually lost parental right until she could prove she was fit to raise both Zoe and her brother. While her brother was adopted by a nice family. That left Zoe alone to figure out her future on her own. Zoe didn't become a statistic and did not become pregnant or incarcerated. Instead, she bloomed and became a teacher to help others.