MAFF Fall Newsletter

 

In this issue: Sexting: What Foster Parents Need to Know, Upcoming Events, Adoption Tax Credit Information  View this email in your browser Share   Tweet   Forward to Friend   Sexting: What Foster Parents Need to Know   Sexting—or sending a sexually explicit message, photo, or video through a text message or email—is becoming increasingly common among teenagers. Could it be happening in your house? It's more prevalent than you may think. According a recent study, 57 percent of teenagers have been asked to send a naked photo of themselves to another while 28 percent of teens have sent a naked photo of themselves to another. Experts have seen sexting begin with children as young as nine years old. "For today's foster youth, sexting is a normal part of their everyday life. It is today's form of flirting.  For other children, it is a way of having fun.  Some may send sext messages to another due to what they perceive is peer pressure, while others do it to improve their social status.  Then, there are those children who sext in order to hurt or humiliate another as a form of bullying," said Dr. John DeGarmo, foster parent and author of the book Keeping Foster Children Safe Online. While sexting may seem harmless to a teenager, it can have long-term consequences. Once a photo is sent, the sender has no control over where it goes. It can be passed along to other teenagers or posted more publicly on the internet. Even if an image is deleted from social media sites or timed photo messaging applications like Snapchat, it may have already been copied or saved. This opens children up to bullying or blackmail from peers, embarrassment, and the attention of sex offenders searching the internet for photos. Images could resurface in the future, when a young adult applies for a job. Sending explicit photos of underage children is also illegal, and teenagers can be prosecuted for this offense.  "It's important for foster parents to talk with children about what is and is not appropriate to send to others. Make sure they understand the consequences of sexting and know that they can talk to you if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable," said Michele Benkis, Director of the Kid's Net Program. Kid's Net will be holding trainings covering sexting and other internet safety topics this fall and winter. Contact your regional Kid's Net Director if you are interested in this training.   The Latest Word from MAFF   Dear MAFF members, It has been a very challenging and  hopeful year for both the Department of Children and Families and Massachusetts' foster families.  We would like to express our gratitude to our former Commissioner Olga Roche and the social work staff for their dedication and support during this time and to welcome our newly appointed Commissioner, Erin Deveney. As an organization, we are committed to continuing our efforts to improve the foster care system, to recruit, support, and honor our foster families and to support all efforts to nurture and develop strong healthy families in the context of strong healthy communities.  As you may be aware, Governor Deval Patrick commissioned the Child Welfare League of America to examine the DCF system of care and provide recommendations for improvement.  Some changes have already been implemented!  New policies are already in place.  The legislation has expanded the DCF budget to include a raise in the foster care daily reimbursement rate and an increase in the number of social workers.  This is also the first time that the legislature has fully funded college monies for our teens.   I would like to thank everyone, including the legislatures, MAFF board members and MSPCC staff who teamed up with us to move these things forward.  Special recognition is also extended to our MAFF Secretary Sue Cox and her family for spreading the word about the important role of foster parents in their community! The Burlington Union published an article profiling the Cox family's dedication to children in their care. Their story was so poignant that it inspired several people to consider becoming foster parents! You can view the article at www.mspcc.org/news.  MAFF is very excited for the upcoming conference on October 24. Please see below for details.  I hope to see you there! Sincerely, Cheryl Tellier-Haddad President, Massachusetts Alliance for Families   The Latest Word from the Kid's Net Program   Dear MAFF members, It's hard to believe that summer is over and the kids are back to school.  By now you should have received your fall/early winter training calendar from the Kid's Net Program.  From September through January we have scheduled 218 trainings across the state on a variety of topics that you told us were important to you.  They range from Positive Parenting to Stress Reduction and everything in between.  We hope you will take a break from your busy schedule and join us to learn something new and connect with other foster parents. We will also be offering trauma training for foster parents in the spring for the Boston and Southern Regions as part of the Massachusetts Child Trauma Project. Foster parents in the Northern and Western Regions, who received the training last spring, felt they gained an increased appreciation and understanding of the impact of trauma on the development and behavior of the children in foster care.  Your Regional Kid's Net Director will be notifying you of the schedule for these trainings. Last spring, MSPCC's Access to Justice Fellow, Paula Mackin Esq., provided trainings on foster parents' right to be heard in court.  If you missed the training, you will have another chance to learn about this important topic at our biennial conference in October!  We are fortunate to have Judge Britt Hammond as our keynote speaker and Paula Mackin as a participant. I had the pleasure of hearing Judge Hammond speak at the New England Foster Care Association conference in Vermont and was impressed by his understanding and unequivocal support for foster, adoptive and kinship parents.  He not only traces the roots of foster parenting, but also shares his view of their current critical role in the child welfare system. This is an opportunity that you should not miss. See below for details. On behalf of the Kid's Net staff we would like to thank you for all that you do for the children of the Commonwealth. Sincerely, Michele Benkis Director, Kid's Net Program, MSPCC   UPCOMING EVENTS   MAFF/Kid's Net Conference Opportunity to be Heard: Advocating for Children in your Care WHEN: October 24, 2014, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. WHERE: Holiday Inn 265 Lakeside Avenue Marlborough, MA REGISTER: Please contact your region's Kid's Net Director to register by October 15. ABOUT: Learn about the rights of foster parents when it comes to advocating for foster children in court from Keynote Speaker Judge Britt Hammond.   Judge Hammond will discuss the critical and evolving role of foster, kin, and adoptive families in the child welfare system and provide parents with his tips for testifying in court.  His extensive background as an attorney in the child welfare system and a juvenile court judge has made him an expert on educating caregivers about their right to be heard in the courtroom.  The program will also include attorney Paula Mackin, who is leading MSPCC's Opportunity to be Heard Project. The conference is provided at no cost to parents by Kid's Net and DCF.   National Adoption Day WHEN: November 21, 2014 WHERE: Courthouses across the state ABOUT: Along with courts across the nation, judges throughout Massachusetts will open their courts to legalize the adoptions of hundreds of children from foster care and to celebrate all adoptive families. More information.   Foster & Adoptive All-Star Parent Awards   On June 1, the 29th Annual Foster and Adoptive Parent Recognition Awards were hosted by the Department of Children and Families, MAFF, and MSPCC in Framingham. The annual brunch celebrates the contributions of foster and adoptive parents, and recognizes individuals by region for outstanding work as foster parents and advocates. MSPCC President and CEO Mary McGeown said, "Foster and adoptive parents fulfill an extraordinary need in communities throughout the state: stepping in when children need a home and a family in place of their own. I am so happy to honor these generous men and women for the gift of their homes and hearts." More than 40 families were honored with Foster Parent All-Star Awards, and four families were recognized as Adoptive Parent All-Stars. The 2014 Goldie Rogers Memorial Award, named for foster parent and child advocate who died in a fire in 1989, was presented to June and Walter Littlefield of Lynn. The Littlefields have been foster and adoptive parents for 30 years, caring for more than 50 children, who are never identified as birth, foster, or adoptive—they are all just members of the family. The Lisa Anne Jenkins Award, named for a passionate child advocate and foster parent who died at 53,  is given each year to a policy maker who exemplifies her commitment to improving the lives of children in DCF care and preventing abuse and neglect. The 2014 recipient is the Honorable Gail Garinger (ret.), the first person to hold the position of the Child Advocate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "This day is an opportunity to convey our profound thanks to those who provide foster and adoptive homes to children who need them," said MAFF President Cheryl Tellier-Haddad. "We recognize what an enormous commitment they make and the great good they do for others."   Going to 'Great Lengths' for Kid's Net Greenfield foster mother Amy Proietti has always worn her hair short, each month using clippers to cut it herself. Now, she won't be cutting her hair for nearly two years. Why? It's not for the sake of a new look, but for that of a good cause. "After letting my hair grow a little, one idea led to another until my wife suggested a fundraiser. Right then I knew I had to do it to raise money for Kid's Net," Proietti said. She asked her community to donate to Kid's Net, and for each $25 donated, she promised to keep her hair growing for another week. She never imagined how successful her "Hair Raising Experiment" would be. After raising more than $2,000, Proietti has vowed to grow her hair until the end of 2015.  "The folks at Kid's Net have been such a great support for us," Proietti said. "To know that the money is going to a cause that is very close to me, to know that it's making a difference with kids, I felt was very important." Proetti and her wife Jessica are the proud foster parents of 2-year-old Joe, who suffers from muscular dystrophy. Joe joined their family when he was 8-months-old, forming an instant bond with their then 6-year-old daughter, Marina. The couple hopes to adopt Joe, making him a permanent member of their family, and continue to open their home to foster children for years to come.  "People have ways of giving back, for us giving back as a foster family made the most sense. And it's been awesome," Proietti said.   Adoption Tax Credit Information Information from Adopt Fund, Inc.   Did you finalize an adoption in 2011? Was the adopted child in the foster care system? Do you earn less than $225,000 per year? If so, you may qualify to receive a one-time federal income tax credit of $13,360 for that adoption. The adoption credit is refundable to adoptive families, even if they have no income or pay no taxes. The credit for adoptions finalized in 2011 expires in April.  Credits are also available for adoptions finalized in more recent years. To benefit from the Adoption Tax Credit, the following requirements must be met: A family must have adopted a child from the foster care system. The adopted child(ren) must have received a monthly post-adoption subsidy from the state after the adoption was finalized. A family should have a total modified gross income of under approximately $225,000 in order to receive an adoption credit. The exact amount of income varies from year to year. The IRS requires certain documents to review and approve the credit reimbursement: Adoption Order or Final Judgment of Adoption for each qualifying child A signed post-adoption subsidy agreement issued by the state or other certified document that you receive or have received confirming assistance from the state Copy of last year's Federal Tax Return For more information, please visit www.AdoptFund.com or the North American Council on Adoptable Children at www.nacac.org.   The MAFF Book Corner   Local author Irene Smalls has written a number of books focused on the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. These might be especially nice for kinship families to read together.      Facebook Twitter MAFF Website   Copyright © *|2014|* *|MSPCC|*, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

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