|
7/25/08
Six-Hour Training
Opportunities for Parents
IFAPA is offering 10 trainings in August and
September around the state. There may be limited
training opportunities available during the months of
October through December. If your license needs to be
renewed before the end of the year, it is recommended that
you complete your training prior to the end of September.
View Training Schedule
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7/24/08
IFAPA's July 2008 E-Newsletter
The July
2008 E-Newsletter has been posted on the IFAPA website. To
view this newsletter, click on the following link:
http://www.ifapa.org/news/E-News/July2008E-News.pdf.
This issue contains IFAPA's training schedule, free
information booklets from IFAPA, Rusty Johnson concert
details and so much more!
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7/22/08
Iowa's Sales Tax Holiday - August 1st &
2nd
On Friday, August 1st and Saturday, August
2nd Iowa will be holding it's annual tax-free weekend on
selected clothing and footwear. For more information
about this holiday, visit:
www.iowa.gov/tax/educate/holiday1.html
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7/17/08
IFAPA Appreciation Day for
Foster/Adoptive Families
Saturday, September 6, 2008 -
Adventureland Park - Altoona
Iowa
The Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents
Association is offering foster and adoptive families a day
of fun at Adventureland! The park will be open 10am to 8pm
on Saturday, September 6th. IFAPA will be mailing out the
ticket order forms to families at the end of July. If
you want to order your tickets ASAP, click here for the
Adventureland Ticket Order Form.
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6/19/08
Series of Attempted Child Abductions
Incidents Being Investigated in Central Iowa
Des Moines, IOWA --- The
Iowa Department of Public Safety, Intelligence Fusion
Center, in cooperation with several central Iowa law
enforcement agencies, has received information on a number
of child enticement incidents in central Iowa that appear to
be related. In each of these incidents, an unidentified male
has approached female children in an attempt to assault or
lure them away. Law enforcement officials believe this
suspect may continue to target young girls in the region and
are providing the following information as a precautionary
measure. The primary suspect is described as a male with
short dark hair, thin build, who is driving a new model,
dark colored car.
Click here for the full press release
Know the Riles: Abduction & Kidnapping
- Prevention Tips for Parents & Guardians
June is National Internet Safety Month;
Educate Yourself and Your Kids
The
Internet offers an array of entertainment and educational
resources for children but also presents some risks. The
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is
committed to helping all audiences — from kids to parents
and guardians to law-enforcement officers and educators —
learn the aspects of Internet safety. You can't watch kids
every minute, but you can use strategies to help them
benefit from the Internet and avoid its risks. NCMEC
urges you to do one of the single most important things to
promote safety — talk to kids about the rewards and risks of
Internet use.
For more
information on child safety, visit:
www.missingkids.com
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6/19/08
Iowa Foster & Adoptive Families Affected
by the Flooding
If you were affected by the
flooding, please call Erica Zito to let her know what your
needs are. She was contacted by a national organization
that might be able to help foster and adoptive families.
She would like to start a list of families and their needs
to pass on. Call Erica at the number listed below.
Erica Zito
Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association
1711 Grande Ave. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
319-366-0439
888-366-0439
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6/17/08
Cedar Rapids Adoptive Family Loses Home to
Flooding
The National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) has been in
constant contact with folks in Iowa and have identified only
one family at this point that needs our assistance. The
Langer family lived in Cedar Rapids and were not even on a
flood plain, but they lost EVERYTHING, and have no flood
insurance – FEMA will not even cover the entire cost of
their mortgage. So, today, we are asking that you notify
people in your community to send much-needed items to the
Langers.
Ship items or financial contributions to:
Dawn and Greg Langer
1015 Summit Street, Box 79
Center Point, Iowa 52213
Needed clothing:
· 17 year old girl – size 9 clothing, shoes size 10
· Boy, 7, - size 6 clothes, size 2 shoes
· Girl, 5 – size 4 clothes, shoes size 10 ½
· Boy, 4 – size 4 clothes, size 10 ½ shoes
· Mom – size 10 clothing, shoes size 8
· Dad – shirts XL, pants 33x34, shoes size 10 ½
Other needed items:
Bedding, linens, Dishes, Toys and games, Personal care items
NFPA is sending $1000 Wal-Mart gift card to help the family.
Many thanks for spreading the word.
If there are others in need of help,
please contact:
National Foster Parent Association:
800-557-5238
Erica Zito (IFAPA) at 888-366-0439 or
319-366-0439.
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6/16/08
Disaster Preparedness & Flooding
Information
Unfortunately, many Iowans have experienced flooding
first-hand this Spring and Summer. It is one of many
disasters that Iowans might be facing now or in the future.
As a precaution, it is always better to prepare for a
disaster ahead of time. Are you prepared? Please
use the information below to help your family through the
flooding this season and to be ready if another disaster
should it happen in your area.
Disaster Preparedness for Families
with Children with Special Needs
Disaster Resources for Families &
Organizations
Flooding Information
Flood Waters & Wells
Post Storm Risks
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6/10/08
Father's Day Frosty Weekend - A Good Treat
for A Good Cause
Celebrate Father's Day and help a child find a forever
family. For every Frosty product purchased on June 14 and
15, Wendy's will donate 50 cents to the Dave Thomas
Foundation for Adoption. Please join us for Father's Day
Frosty Weekend at a participating Wendy's near you!
Proceeds support the mission of the Dave Thomas Foundation
for Adoption to dramatically increase the number of
adoptions of waiting children in North America so that every
child will have a permanent home and loving family.
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6/6/08
2008 Elevate Desire to Inspire Conference - Saturday, July
19
The
elevate Desire to Inspire Conference is an opportunity for
youth to join together in a day of learning, growing, and
connecting with others. Foster and adoptive
caregivers, as well as other interested professionals, can
attend their own sessions that also qualify for foster
parent training hours. Returning this year is elevate
Idol...a chance for youth to showcase their talents and
abilities. The conference will be held at the AIB
College Activity Center at 2500 Fleur Drive, Des Moines.
Desire to Inspire Conference - Saturday, July 19 (8:30am -
4:30pm)
Adult Registration Form & Workshop Options
Youth Registration Form & Workshop Options
For more info, visit
www.elevate2inspire.com
or call 515-697-7903.
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5/27/08
University of Phoenix First Chance Scholarship Program
Through a
partnership with University of Phoenix and the National
Foster Parent Association, NFPA will be providing 50 full
tuition scholarships redeemable at University of Phoenix for
youth in foster care affiliated with NFPA. Recipients
may choose any campus they want to attend, including online.
Applicants must reside in a foster home, group home or in
kinship care. The application deadline is July 7,
2008. For eligibility requirements and an application,
visit the following link:
www.nfpaonline.org/uploads/NFPA_First_Chance_Application.pdf
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5/27/08
Celebrate Foster Care Month at the Capitol
on Thursday, May 29
Iowa KidsNet will
host a celebration of National Foster Care Month on the
steps of the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines from
4pm to 5pm on Thursday,
May 29, 2008. Families, state employees, Iowa
KidsNet staff, judges, and everyone involved in foster care
are invited to attend the event, where the First Lady Mari
Culver will present a state proclamation declaring May
National Foster Care Month. Iowa KidsNet leaders and other
key individuals will also address the crowd, thanking Iowa’s
everyday heroes for the care and support individuals provide
kids and families. We will also ask attending families to
tie a blue ribbon to a tree in honor of the kids in foster
care. There is designated visitor parking clearly marked
around the grounds of the Capitol. Additional parking
information can be found at:
http://das.gse.iowa.gov/events/parkinginfo.html. If it
rains, the event will be held inside the Capitol, First
Floor Rotunda, in the East Wing. Join us to uplift foster
care and everyone involved!
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5/22/08
NACAC Has Two $2,500 Scholarships Available
for Youth Adopted from Foster Care as Teens
PLEASE NOTE: Application
Deadline June 30, 2008
If
you or someone you know was adopted from foster care as a
teen and needs a little extra money for post-high school
education, keep reading.
In
association with the January publication of
Three Little Words: A Memoir
by Ashley Rhodes-Courter*, publisher
Simon & Schuster is sponsoring two $2,500 scholarships
for youth adopted from foster care. The scholarships,
administered by the North American Council on Adoptable
Children (NACAC), are intended to help offset higher
education tuition costs.
Eligibility
To be considered for a scholarship,
applicants must be:
+ Youth ages 17 to 25
who were adopted from foster care at or after the age of 13
+
Accepted or enrolled full- or part-time at an accredited (by
the
Council for Higher
Education Accreditation) college, university, community
college, or vocational/technical
school
+ Responsible for
$2,500 in tuition costs
+ Capable of
documenting foster care status, adoption, school acceptance
or enrollment,
and tuition costs
+
Able to meet the June 30, 2008 application
deadline
Application
To apply, each applicant must:
+
Submit the documentation listed above
+
Complete a brief
application form
+
Compose an essay about his or her reason for pursuing higher
education (future goals,
how past experiences affect
his or her ability to attain the goal, and what he or she
hopes to gain from
additional education)
Decision Process/Timing
Members of NACAC’s staff and board,
as well as Ashley Rhodes-Courter, will review the
applications, and select two scholarship recipients by the
end of July.
*Twenty-two-year-old Ashley
Rhodes-Courter cycled through 14 foster placements in 9
years before finally being adopted at age 12. She penned
Three Little Words to assemble the fragmented pieces of her
past and praise the dedicated, caring parents who step
forward every day to help and heal traumatized children in
and adopted from foster care. A staunch adoption advocate,
Ashley hopes the book will also inspire more adults to
consider adopting older children and encourage other foster
youth to rise above their hardships.
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5/16/08
IFAPA's May 2008 E-Newsletter
The May
2008 E-Newsletter has been posted on the IFAPA website. To
view this newsletter, click on the following link:
http://www.ifapa.org/news/E-News/May%202008%20E-News.pdf.
This issue contains an update from DHS regarding foster
parent training, a list of upcoming appreciation events for
families and a list of locations for IFAPA’s Mandatory
Reporter Training on June 12.
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5/15/08
FREE Cultural Connections Conference for
Parents & Professionals
Are you parenting
a child of another race? Or do you work with families that
parent transracially? IFAPA is hosting a Cultural
Connections Conference on June 13 & 14 in Des Moines.
This conference is an excellent training opportunity for
foster parents, adoptive parents and professionals who work
in the foster & adoption arena. Ever wonder if you’re doing
enough in your transracial family for your children to have
a strong cultural/racial identity? At this training, you
will here the personal stories from transracial adoptees and
their transracial adoptive parents. You will learn the
importance of racial identity to youth in foster care and
children who have been adopted transracially. This
conference is funded by Polk County Decategorization and is
FREE to all foster/adoptive parents and
professionals. There will be 6 hours of foster parent
training credit per day and social worker CEUs will also be
available. Professionals can attend the one-day conference
on Friday, June 13 and parents are free to attend either day
(June 13 or 14) of the conference.
View Conference Schedule, Trainings &
Speaker Information. TO REGISTER: Contact
Crystal at IFAPA (800-277-8145 ext. 5) or e-mail
ifapa@ifapa.org.
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5/8/08
Legislative
Agenda Update
Read the latest legislative updates on foster care
maintenance payments, adoption subsidy, Medicaid, additional
DHS Workers, etc.
Click here to read the May 2008
Legislative Update.
Mark your calendars for the 2009 IFAPA Legislative Breakfast
- Tuesday, February 17, 2009.
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5/6/08
UPDATE FROM DHS: Changes to Training for
Foster Parents
Important changes are happening at the Iowa Foster and
Adoptive Parents Association (IFAPA). The Iowa
Department of Human Services, Division of Child and Family
Services has announced that they plan to release a request
for proposal (RFP) for Support for Resource Families later
this year. It is anticipated that a contract for these
services would be effective October 1, 2008. The RFP,
once released, will be available on the Iowa Department of
Administrative Services website at
www.bidopportunities.iowa.gov.
What does this
mean for IFAPA and foster and adoptive
parents? DHS is extending IFAPA's current contact
until September 30, 2008. Along with other agencies,
IFAPA will be able to submit a bid on the Request for
Proposal, which has not been issued. Due is the fact
that there will be a transition period (no matter who the
successful bidder is) there could be a temporary
impact on the amount of training opportunities for foster
and adoptive parents in October and November 2008. DHS
and partners intend to work hard to prevent any disruption.
It is recommended that all foster and adoptive parents
should take full advantage of available classes now by
completing needed hours prior to September 30, 2008.
Below are
different options available to complete your foster parent
training hours prior to September 30, 2008. IFAPA is
currently making arrangements for six-hours trainings to be
held in September. Please watch the
training section of our
website for more details. To register for a training,
call IFAPA at 800-277-8145 ext. 5.
IFAPA’s 6-Hour Trainings
5/17/08
My Brother, My Sister
Des Moines
5/17/08
Teaching Life Skills
Fort Dodge
6/7/08 Life Long
Connections Ames
6/7/08 Preventative
Practices Cedar Rapids
6/7/08 Teaching Life
Skills Davenport
6/7/08 My Brother, My
Sister Des Moines
6/7/08 People of Color: Skin &
Hair Care Sioux City
6/13/08
Cultural Connections Conference Des Moines
6/14/08
Cultural Connections Conference Des Moines
6/14/08 Life Long
Connections
Dubuque
6/14/08 Working with Birth
Families Des Moines
6/14/08 My Brother, My
Sister Waterloo
6/21/08 Parenting Traumatized
Children Ames
6/21/08 Surviving the
System Coralville
6/21/08 People of Color: Skin &
Hair Care Council Bluffs
6/21/08 Life Long
Connections
Burlington
6/21/08 Life Long
Connections Des
Moines
6/21/08 Life Long
Connections
Waterloo
Support Groups Trainings
Many foster and adoptive support groups offer
two-hour trainings opportunities during their meeting.
Online Trainings
Foster parents can earn a maximum of 3 credit
hours online trainings, the remaining three hours must be
completed in a face-to-face training.
Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training
IFAPA will offer a
Mandatory Child
Abuse Reporter Training class across Iowa on
June 12 2008. If you
cannot attend this training and need to complete this course
soon, the IFAPA website includes a link to an online course
offered by CE Solutions Group for Mandatory Child Abuse
Reporter Training. There is a small fee to complete the
course online.
Asian Heritage Festival in Des Moines
The annual Asian Heritage
Festival will be on the East Campus of the State Capitol
Complex, 400 East 14th Street in Des Moines. The
festival runs from 10am to 8pm on Saturday, May 17th
and features food, music, dance, games and traditions of
many Asian cultures. There will be fashion shows and talent
contests as well as crafts and historic demonstrations,
visit:
www.celebrasian.org.
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5/5/08
May is
National Foster Care Month
IFAPA would like to thank all Iowa’s foster families for
caring for Iowa’s children in care and helping them to
safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by
relatives, or be adopted by loving families. Thank you for
making a difference!!
In honor
of foster care month, Governor Culver is sending a thank you
letter to all of Iowa’s foster families.
Read Governor Culver’s letter to
foster families.
IFAPA will hold our annual
appreciation day for foster and adoptive families on
September 6TH at Adventureland Park in Altoona.
Watch your mail for more
details.
Iowa
KidsNet will hold appreciation events throughout Iowa this
May, including a special celebration on the steps of the
Iowa Capitol building on Thursday, May 29 at 4:00 p.m. Keep
checking out their
events page for upcoming
details. Iowa KidsNet is creating an online family photo
album in celebration of National Foster Care Month. To
participate, visit their online
family photo album. You
will also have a chance to win a $50 Casey’s gas card! For
more details visit:
www.iowakidsnet.com.
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4/21/08
IFAPA News and Views
Newsletter
The May 2008 issue has
been added to our website. Read
May 2008 Newsletter.
Click Here to Read past issues of IFAPA newsletters
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4/18/08
Free Camp
Scholarships for Kids
Visiting Nurse Services in Des Moines is
offering free camp scholarships to families living in Polk
County and with DHS Child Welfare or Juvenile Justice System
involvement.
Click here for scholarship application.
For additional questions, contact Shelly Lombardi at
558-9975 or
shellylo@vnsdm.org.
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4/10/08
Light of Hope
Event - Remembering the Victims of Child Abuse
This event serves as a remembrance for
children who were victims of abuse in 2007. An empty
pair of shoes will be displayed to remember each of the
innocent victims.
Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 5pm
Blank Children's Hospital, Hill Auditorium
Guest Speakers: Judge Joe Smith (Polk
County Juvenile Court) & Dr. Rizwan Shah (Regional Child
Protection Center) Give the light of hope to a child.
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4/9/08
IFAPA
E-Newsletter - April 2008 issue
The April 2008 E-Newsletter has been added to the IFAPA
website. To view, click on the following link:
http://www.ifapa.org/news/newsletter.asp.
In this issue, you will find information about the Walk Me
Home event on Saturday, May 3, upcoming trainings
opportunities and info about preparing older children for
adoption.
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4/8/08
Expanded
Access to College Financial Aid for Former Foster Youth
A new federal law removes a financial disincentive to
adopting teens in foster care
How Will the New Law Help Youth?
The new law will make it possible for teens in foster care
to be adopted without losing access to college financial
aid. Under this new law, youth who are adopted from foster
care at any point after their 13th birthday will not have to
include their parents’ income in the calculations for
determining their need for financial aid. The
Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act became
law as an amendment to the College Cost Reduction and Access
Act (Public Law 110-84). This law includes a revised
definition of an “independent student.” Currently, youth who
were still in foster care as of their 18th birthday are
considered to be independent students, meaning that they do
not need to count parental income for determining their
eligibility for college financial aid. The revised
definition of “independent student” will extend to youth who
were in foster care on or after their 13th birthday, even if
they have subsequently been adopted.
When Will This Change Take Effect?
This expanded definition of “independent student” will go
into effect in July 2009, to apply for the 2009-2010 school
year. The provision will apply to youth even for adoptions
that were finalized before the law was passed in 2007. Youth
who meet the new definition will need to indicate their
status as an independent student when they fill out the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for college
financial aid.
Legal reference: Section 604(a)(2) of Public Law 110-84
amends the definition of an independent student in federal
law at 20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d) to include an individual who: “is
an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the court, at any
time when the individual is 13 years of age or older.”
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4/4/08
Waiting
List for IFAPA Training
The following training on Saturday, April 19 (Parenting
Traumatized Children in Des Moines) have no openings available. Because this
class is full, IFAPA has established a waiting for
parents interested in attending. If you are registered
for an IFAPA training and can no longer attend, please
contact IFAPA (800-277-8145 ext. 5) to cancel your spot in
the class.
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3/18/08
Elevate
Our Youth to Adulthood Day - A Day for Inspiring Hope
Every year
in Iowa, 500 youth age out of foster care. On Thursday
April 24, Elevate is hosting the first-ever Elevate Out
Youth to Adulthood Day to raise awareness for and celebrate
with local youth on the difference they are making in the
child welfare system.
Victoria Rowell will be the
Keynote Speaker at this dinner. She is an accomplished
actress and author who found fame as Drucilla Winters on
The Young and the Restless along with various other
television and film roles after being raised in the foster
care system. Victoria will be holding a book signing
after dinner.
For ticket prices and more
information on how to help, visit:
www.cfiowa.org
or call 697-7986
Elevate Our Youth to Adulthood Day
Details:
Thursday,
April 24, 2008
6:00 -
8:00pm
Holiday Inn
& Suites at Jordan Creek
6075 Mills
Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines
Donate Items for Apartment Makeovers
Wish lists for the apartment makeovers are posted on the
elevate website as well as the information for each dinner.
Visit the following link for more info:
www.elevate2inspire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=78
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3/17/08
IFAPA
E-Newsletter - March 2008 issue
The
March 2008 E-Newsletter has been added to the IFAPA
website. To view, click on the following link:
http://www.ifapa.org/news/newsletter.asp
In this issue, you will find information about the Walk Me
Home event on Saturday, May 3 and helpful updates about
available scholarships and financial aid for students.
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3/13/08
Stay in
the Loop!!!
We are
asking families to keep IFAPA in the loop with mailing
address, phone number and e-mail address changes. We
want to keep everyone informed with the latest details in
the foster care and adoption arenas. We are getting
many pieces of mail returned to us without a forwarding
address. If you have recently moved or are planning to
or have a new e-mail address, please e-mail Crystal Thomason
cthomason@ifapa.org
or call 800-277-8145 ext. 195 with those updates.
Thanks for helping up keep you in the loop!!
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3/12/08
Orphan Foundation
Scholarships
The Orphan Foundation of
America, which administers the Casey Family Scholars
Program, is now accepting applications for the 2008-2009
academic year. Scholarships up to $10,000 per year are
available to eligible former foster youth who are
pursuing post-secondary education.
Have been in foster care
for one consecutive year at the time of their 18th
birthday or high school graduation OR have been
adopted or taken into legal guardianship out of
foster care after their 16th birthday OR
have lost both parents to death before age 18 and
not been subsequently adopted.
Applications are available
on the Orphan Foundation of America website,
www.orphan.org. Check out the March 2008
IFAPA
E-Newsletter for more details on upcoming
scholarship opportunities.
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3/11/08
Class
Cancellations
IFAPA has
cancelled two classes scheduled for Saturday, March 15.
They are Lifelong Connections in Carroll and West Union.
We apologized for the inconvenience.
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3/10/08
Invitation to a Technical Assistance Meeting with Lorrie
Lutz
Please see the announcement below from Iowa KidsNet regarding
upcoming meetings in Sioux City and Independence.
Other meetings have previously been held in Des Moines and
Ainsworth. Foster parents are invited to attend and participate in the
second portion of each meeting.
The Department of Human Services and Iowa KidsNet invite you
to a Technical Assistance Meeting with Lorrie Lutz, National
Consultant to the National Resource Center for Family
Centered Practice and Permanency Planning and AdoptUsKids.
The first 2 hours of each meeting welcomes the Recruitment
and Retention Service Area Advisory Committees to discuss
service area specific recruitment and retention strategies
and needs. Most of these meetings occur over lunch- please
bring your own lunch. A snack will be provided.
The following 3 hours of the meeting are open to resource
families, birth families, DHS social workers, Iowa KidsNet
staff, IFAPA, and Service Area Advisory Committees. This
conversation will include new recruitment efforts and
understanding new roles of recruitment with Dual Licensure,
and ongoing partnerships and roles between resource
families, birth families, DHS, and Iowa KidsNet staff.
Snacks will be provided. Dates and times for the Technical
Assistance:
SIOUX CITY
March 20, 2008
10:00-3:00pm
Location Boys and Girls Home, Community Room
2101 Court St. Sioux City, IA
712-293-4700 (Boys and Girls Home Office)
10:00-12:00pm R and R Service Area Advisory Committees
12:00-3:00pm Resource & Birth Families, DHS and Iowa KidsNet
staff, IFAPA
INDEPENDENCE
March 21, 2008
10:00-3:00pm
Location TBA
10:00-12:00pm R and R Service Area Advisory Committees
12:00-3:00pm Resource & Birth Families, DHS and Iowa KidsNet
staff, IFAPA
Three hours of foster parent training credit has been
approved for the second portion of the Iowa KidsNet meeting.
Sponsored by AdoptUsKids and the Iowa Department of Human
Services.
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2/27/08
Want to
be a PS-MAPP Leader?
Applications
are now being accepted by Quakerdale for spring
certification training, held on March 25-28 and on April
8-10 in Ankeny from 9am to 4:30pm.
Click here from application details.
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2/15/08
IFAPA News and Views
Newsletter
The March 2008 issue has
been added to our website.
Read March Newsletter.
Read past issues of IFAPA newsletters
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2/14/08
Class
Cancellation
The Life
Long Connections class in Ottumwa on Feb. 16 has been
cancelled. We apologized for any inconvenience this
may have caused you.
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2/13/08
February E-Newsletter
The
February 2008 E-Newsletter has been added to the IFAPA
website. To view, click on the following link:
http://www.ifapa.org/news/E-News/February%202008%20E-Newsletter.pdf.
To view past IFAPA newsletters, visit the following link:
http://www.ifapa.org/news/newsletter.asp
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2/12/08
Winner of FREE Conference Registration
All
conference registrations received prior to February 1, 2008
were entered into a drawing to win a free conference
registration. Congratulations to Marilyn Beary from Lovilia
for winning a free registration to IFAPA's Conference on
March 7 & 8.
It is not too late to
register for the IFAPA Conference:
View IFAPA Conference Booklet and Registration Form
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2/11/08
2008 Legislative Breakfast - Tuesday,
February 19
IFAPA would like to invite
your family to the 2008 Foster and Adoptive Family
Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday, February 19, 2008.
The Breakfast will take place from 7:00am to 9:00am in the
Legislative Dining Room on the Ground Level of the Iowa
State Capitol in Des Moines. Please join us in
advocating for improvements in the child welfare system.
You can make a huge impact by telling your story and
educating legislators on the importance of supporting foster
and adoptive families.
Here are the six priorities
important to families:
#1 Meeting children's special
needs
#2 Access to medical and dental
care
#3 Enhance subsidized
guardianship
#4 Improve the ability and
responsibility of guardian ad litems to protect and promote
children's well-being
#5 Expand record availability
and access to information for youth in care
#6 Increase the number of DHS
social worker staff
Below are some helpful reading materials
regarding the Legislative Breakfast:
How the Legislative
Breakfast Works
Getting to Know Your
Legislators
IFAPA's 2008
Legislative Agenda
If you cannot attend the Legislative
Breakfast, you can still share your story with legislators:
How to Write an Effective
Letter to Your Legislators
If you plan to attend, please RSVP parents’ names &
number attending to Phyllis Pierce at
ppierce@ifapa.org or call 800-277-8145 ext.
165
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2/10/08
Tax Guide for Foster/Adoptive/Kinship Parents
The Federal
Tax Benefit Guide for Foster/Adoptive Parents and Kinship
Caregivers is now available online! The guide includes
important tax information and links to all forms needed to
complete your taxes. You can find this guide through the
website of the National Foster Parent Association.
View Federal Tax Benefits Guide
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1/31/08
Lorrie Lutz Trainings Cancelled
The Department of Human Services and Iowa KidsNet scheduled
two Technical Assistance Meetings with Lorrie Lutz, National
Consultant to the National Resource Center for Family
Centered Practice and Permanency Planning and AdoptUsKids.
Those trainings were to take place in Sioux City on February
5 and Independence on February 6, 208. Due to an
illness, these training have been cancelled and they will be
rescheduled for a later date.
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1/25/08
Inclement
Weather – IFAPA Class Cancellations
During the
winter months, bad weather can happen. We try our best to
avoid cancelling trainings. If the trainer is able to make
it to the training location, IFAPA will still hold the class
for those families that need to get their training hours
completed. If you feel the weather is too dangerous, please
stay home and you can register for a different upcoming
class. If a class needs to be cancelled, we will make every
effort to notify all attendees of the cancellation via phone
and on our website if time allows. IFAPA will also list all
class cancellations on our Training Coordinator’s
voicemail. If you would like to find out if any classes
have been cancelled due to weather, please call 800-277-8145
ext. 155.
Resource Forms Beneficial to Foster
Parents
The Department of Human Services and Iowa KidsNet invited
foster and adoptive families to a Technical Assistance Meeting with Lorrie Lutz, National
Consultant to the National Resource Center for Family
Centered Practice and Permanency Planning and AdoptUsKids.
There were four meetings planned: West Des Moines (Jan. 14),
Ainsworth (Jan. 15), Sioux City (Feb. 5) and Independence
(Feb 6). Below are some of the helpful forms
distributed to foster parents at these meetings.
Questions Kids Want Answers for When
Entering Foster Care
Resource Family Profile Form
(Family Introduction Form)
All About Me Form (Foster
Child Introduction Form)
Celebrate Me Form (All
About the Foster Child)
Developing a Permanency Pact for
Foster Youth
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1/24/08
February 1st Deadline for Early
Registration Prize
All conference registrations received by
IFAPA prior to February 1, 2008 will be eligible to win a
FREE REGISTRATION. The drawing will be held and
the winner notified the week of February 4, 2008.
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1/18/08
Internet and Confidentiality Rules
DHS has asked IFAPA to inform foster parents who use
personal internet sites such as Facebook and MySpace that
they must never include the names or any personal
information about foster children in information they post,
nor should they ever post a photo of a foster child on an
internet site. Such actions would be a violation of
confidentiality standards.
DHS would prefer that foster parents not identify themselves
as foster parents on such sites.
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1/17/08
Valentine
Cards for Legislators
IFAPA has created Valentines Day cards
for Iowa's Legislators. Each card includes an invitation to
IFAPA’s upcoming Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday, February
19. We would like each card to be personalized, so Iowa’s
legislators can hear directly from the children they are
serving. The inside of each card has been left blank for
your child to color a picture and/or write a note. Please
feel free to use any of these ideas or write your own.
Don’t forget to have the child sign his/her first name.
Thank you for helping me find a forever family
Thanks for thinking of me
Thank
you for working for kids
Thank
you for remembering me in your work
Thanks for the sibling bill and all of your work for kids
Thanks for proving kids matter
Print your own card to mail to IFAPA
If you would like cards mailed to you,
e-mail Crystal Thomason at
cthomason@ifapa.org to request cards for your
child(ren) to complete. Please be sure to include your
name, mailing address and the number of cards you need.
All cards need to be returned to IFAPA
by Jan. 31. IFAPA's mailing address is:
6864 NE
14th Street, Suite 5 - Ankeny, IA 50023
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1/16/08
2008 Legislative Agenda
The 2008 public policy agenda defines issues
IFAPA members have identified as important to children and
the parents that care for them. IFAPA members are
invited to discuss the agenda with legislators during
IFAPA's Legislative Breakfast at the Iowa State Capitol on
Tuesday, February 19 from 7am to 9am. We hope you are
able to join us for this important event!
Here are the six priorities important to
families:
#1 Meeting children's special needs
#2 Access to medical and dental care
#3 Enhance subsidized guardianship
#4 Improve the ability and responsibility of
guardian ad litems to protect and promote children's
well-being
#5 Expand record availability and access to
information for youth in care
#6 Increase the number of DHS social worker
staff
Read IFAPA's 2008 Legislative Agenda
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1/15/08
Need
Lower Cost Health Insurance for You or Your Family?
Iowa’s
Foster and Adoptive Families informed us they want more
health insurance choices for their families – IFAPA has
found a company who can give you just that…more choices.
Group Benefits, Ltd. will help you find a well-known
insurance company that can protect you and your family
against high medical bills at a reasonable price. There are
times when group insurance is not an option for employees
and their families. Employees then seek out other
alternatives to provide insurance options for themselves and
their family. Group Benefits Ltd.’s (GBL) website is
designed for those who want access to individual insurance
products that meet their individual or their families’
specific needs.
Visit the GBL website
GBL
representatives are trained, licensed and appointed on every
products they sell. They will shop various insurance
companies to find the lowest priced benefits that best fit
your need. Visit their
Ask for Advice section to
obtain advice or have information sent to you.
For a free,
no obligation quote, call 1-877-899-5325. Just say
"IFAPA said to call".
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1/14/08
Board Members Needed for the Friends
Foundation
The Iowa Friends of Foster Children
Foundation is looking for individuals to serve on
their board. The board meetings are held on the 3rd
Thursday of the month in Ankeny. To learn more about
the Iowa Friends of Foster Children, visit
www.iowafosterchildfund.org.
If you are interested in participating on the Friends Board,
e-mail
friends@iowafosterchildfund.org.
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1/11/08
IFAPA Training Location Correction
In the Spring 2008 Training booklet, the Preventative
Practices class on 6/7/08 in Ottumwa will actually be held
in Cedar Rapids at the Best Western Longbranch. There
will not be any training available in Ottumwa on 6/7/08.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
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1/9/08
IFAPA E-News
The January 2009 issue of IFAPA's e-newsletter, has been
added to the website.
Read E-News
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