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Volume #, No. # |
NEWSLETTER | March 2007 | ||||
April is Child Abuse Awareness MonthAdoptive and Foster Families of Maine would like to take this opportunity to heighten awareness and help combat a recent form of child abuse: internet predators. The "information super highway" has proven itself time and time again to be a wonderful tool for communication, information and education. Access is available to locations and experiences around the World that a few years ago would have seemed like something from a science fiction novel. The world has become a smaller, thanks to the internet. Unfortunately, as is the case in so many situations, some have chosen to use this opportunity for the wrong reasons, and consequently, children are getting hurt. Anyone who has been able to watch the Dateline NBC series "To Catch a Predator " has witnessed the avenue that sexual predators are taking. In the three latest "To Catch a Predator" stings, 80 men showed up to the sting house. These are adult men, all of varying ages, incomes, and ethnic backgrounds, all arriving at the house with one thing in common: the intention of having sex with a child. During this one show, these 80 were just the individuals who were able to fit the meeting into their schedules, there were over 100 more who wanted to but could not arrange it. The show is difficult to watch, but it brings much needed attention to a growing problem not only in America, but around the World: internet safety for our children. As adults, what can we do? There are a few basic and simple steps you can take to protect your child. The first thing to keep in mind is that most children have no intentions of attracting adult attention, it is they who are sought out and targeted by the predator. A simple way to monitor your child's computer experiences is to keep the computer in a central location in the house. By doing such, any adult walking past can quickly assess the appropriateness of the internet site or conversation occurring, without making the child feel like you are constantly checking on them, or that you do not trust them. Another tool that parents can utilize is the "control h" feature available through most internet browsers. By compressing the control button and the h key while on line, a history log of website visits will be displayed. If you notice certain chat services appearing often, try visiting those rooms to see what they are like. If you find sites for your local community, find out what kind of sites those are too. Keep in mind that history logs can be easily deleted, so the log may not represent all the surfing done. You may see a child or teenager typing furiously during an instant message (IM) session, and when you peek over their shoulder, you see only short or fractured words. It almost looks like an entirely new language! What does it mean? These abbreviated words, known as online lingo, are shorthand for common phrases used in spoken English. A few examples of this are:
these are just a few examples of this new cryptic language (for a more complete list of online abbreviations, visit our website at www.affm.net). Small things, like how your children react when you come into the room, should be noticed. Are they closing chat windows when you walk by? If they are, there is a chance that this is something that should be looked into by an adult. Remember, the majority of the children who have been hurt by internet predators had no intentions of seeking a relationship with an adult online. They were innocently participating in chat room conversations, and were "groomed" by these twisted individuals who know just what to say. Statistically, twenty percent of kids who set up a meeting with a pedophile that they met on line had chatted with the man for less than two hours! Obviously, these people know just what to tell children, and parents must be aware of who their child is "talking" with. The most important step to protecting our children is communication. Spending time with your kids will encourage the dialogue needed to get to know your children better. Knowing them better and developing trust with them is the best way to make sure you notice early warning signs before they develop into dangerous situation. These situations are scary, and it is important to remember that the internet is not bad, but if your child is getting in trouble online, chances are that it will be because of something that happens in a chat room. Millions of children engage in chat and instant messaging every day and the overwhelming majority are not victimized. Still, a number of the leads reported to the
» National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) As adults responsible for the well being of children, it is important that we be aware of the dangers that can potentially reach them. For more chat room safety tips, please visit our website at www.affm.net. |
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New members of the AFFM Discount Card Program
AFFM wishes to thank Karen Grant-Tolman. Karen promoted the Discount Card to her » Mom to Mom of Mainegroup, and all of the above businesses responded. Thank you so much, Karen! If you know of a business that is willing to be a participating member of the AFFM Discount Card program, or know of a business that you would like us to approach for participation, please contact the AFFM offices at 1-800-833-9786. |
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S.A.F.E. is now accepting applications for new memberships.S.A.F.E. (the Statewide Association of Fostering Enterprises) is a low cost food program designed to assist foster, adoptive, and kinship families. The program does have income guidelines that need to be met, but the eligibility guidelines have increased since November 2006, so families who were not eligible in previous years are encouraged to re-apply. Also, foster and adoptive reimbursements are not considered as income for the qualification process. S.A.F.E. has 6 drop sites throughout Maine. For more information or to request an application, please » email Vicky Decker or call 207- 445-2017 |
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Maine Youth Transition CollaborativeThe Maine Youth Opportunities Initiative, (MYOI) with grant funding from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities The most significant change is the integration of the Opportunity Passport TM into JMG. JMG is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1993 as a school-to-work high school program that has matured into a Statewide organization serving more than 2,500 students per year in more than 50 school-based sites. Beginning in May of this year, MYOI will start to transfer the existing Opportunity Passport TM (OPTM) participants to JMG and JMG will begin to train youth in financial literacy and enroll eligible youth into the OPTM. By April of 2008, JMG will be responsible for the financial literacy education, enrollment, maintenance and asset purchases for OPTM participants across the State. Another change involves how youth leadership and engagement activities for youth in care and former youth in care will happen across the State. The MYOI Youth Board functions and activities will be integrated into the existing Youth Leadership Advisory Teams (YLAT) around the state. Each of the 5 YLAT groups will have youth who serve as Resource Brokers, serve on a Statewide Resource Development Committee and are a link between YLAT and the local Friends of Youth Networks across the State. If you would like more information about either Opportunity Passport™ or the Friends of Youth Networks, please |
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New Dental Center Opens As Children's Dental Health Month draws to a close, Maine Oral Health Solutions (MOHS) is pleased to announce the opening of their third pediatric dental center, the Western Maine Children's Dental Center, in Auburn, Maine. The Western Maine Children's Dental Center is located at 11 South Main Street in Auburn, Maine. The Western Maine Children's Dental Center is currently scheduling dental appointments and accepting new patients, ages 1 to 20 years old. The dental center is slated to open April 1, 2007 and can be reached at 784-2300. |
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PBS documentary seeking peopleWGBH and Spy Pond Productions are seeking people to be involved with a 90 minute PBS documentary and a website called Adoption Families. The project will explore many sides of adoption, including: open adoption, international adoption, adoption through the foster care system, and people's quest to learn their background. Built around intimate stories of adoptive families, they will create a high-profile television program for national broadcast. The film will center on approximately five families, or individuals, whose situation and experiences reflect many of the faces of adoption. If you are in the process of…
and are interested in participating in this project, please contact Spy Pond Productions at (617)562-1755, or you can email Eric Stange, Senior Producer estrange@spypondproductions.com |
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Scholarship Opportunities"The end of foster care shouldn't be the end of caring," said Ruth Massinga, President of Casey Family Programs. "As young people in foster care reach the age of 18, most face the world alone with few permanent connections and little family support. Our scholarships will provide both the funds they desperately need to continue an education as well as caring adults who share their dream of the future." The Casey Family Scholars Program, which is administered by Orphan Foundation of America, provides scholarships of up to $10,000 to young people, under the age of 25, who have spent at least 12 months in foster care and were not subsequently adopted. The scholarships were awarded for the pursuit of post-secondary education, including vocational/technical training, and are renewable each year based on satisfactory progress and financial need. In addition to the money, Casey Family Scholars will receive ongoing support through the OFA's vMentor (virtual mentoring) program. For more information about Casey Family Programs, visit www.casey.org. Scholarship opportunities and eligibility guidelines are available by visiting http://www.orphan.org/scholarships.html Many (but not all) young people who are eligible for OFA/Casey Family Scholars funding are also eligible for federal Education and Training Voucher, or Chafee, dollars. Visit www.statevoucher.org to find out more about this program. |
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2007 STATE PARK PASSES ARE NOW AVAILABLE! PLEASE CALL THE AFFM OFFICE AT 1-800-833-9786 TO REQUEST YOURS. |
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Meet Allyssa...
Although Allyssa enjoys studying history (and would like to visit Egypt someday!), her favorite subject in school is science. She enjoys the hands on activities and experiments she gets to do in science class. Allyssa works very hard in school and is proud of what she has accomplished there. Her love of singing is put to good use in the chorus, another activity that Allyssa enjoys at school! In her free time, Allyssa enjoys being outdoors. Her favorite activity is swimming in the lake. She has developed some peer relationships in her current home and enjoys spending time with friends. Another activity that Allyssa enjoys is horseback riding, and it is her hope that her forever family have horses, or will let her continue to ride. Allyssa would do well in a home where she is the only child or where there are younger children. Ideally, the family for Allyssa would have a stay-at-home mother who could help to provide her with the nurturance, structure, stability and consistency that Allyssa needs. Allyssa has contact with a sister and former foster parents, and she feels these are important connections to Adoption subsidy may be available for the most appropriate family. Please contact Gina Tirone, Adoption |
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Grandfamilies: Relatives Stepping in to Raise Children Presented by Barbara Kates and Sue Burgess.
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Legal Education Round TablesTalk with lawyers (for free) about guardianship, adoption, and child protection
Registration is required. Please call 1-866-298-0896 by April 27th. |
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Maine Agencies Have an Official Website!www.211maine.orgThis health and human services directory is very useful in learning about other agencies and finding resources in your area. Agencies are encouraged to make sure they are enrolled in this free service. (The site has a form that needs to be completed, but they will use this information to include in their website to fully describe the services you provide). The toll free number is 1-877-463-6207 |
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Adoption Announcements
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Maine Youth Leadership SummitBy Hugh Sipowicz On February 21st and 22nd the 10th annual Youth Leadership Summit for teens and young adults in foster care in Maine was held at the BlackBear Inn in Orono. The theme for the Youth Summit was "Telling Our Stories." 35 youth leaders from all parts of the state attended the Summit along with 16 staff people from DHHS and the USM Muskie School. Training on how to tell your story was facilitated by Cathy Plourde. The youth broke into four different training and presentation tracks as the youth prepared to address their issues and concerns about the foster care system to members of the top management team of the DHHS Office of Child & Family Services who came to be part of the "Listening Panel" on the second day of the Summit. First Lady Karen Baldacci joined the panel of James Beougher, Director of OCFS, Dan Despard, Acting Director of Child Welfare, Francis Sweeney and Martha Proulx, Directors of OCFS District Operations, and Virginia Marriner, Director of Child Welfare Policy and Practice. The youth did an incredible and very impressive job of expressing their concerns with respect to the child welfare system as well as a number of proposed solutions. The members of the panel were visibly moved by the youth's articulate and poignant messages about their lives in the system. One suggestion that will be followed up on is for the youth to work on developing a "Youth Bill of Rights." Our youth are a powerful voice and effective agents for making positive changes for the benefit of all children and youth in care in the child welfare system. Maine's Youth Leadership Advisory Team is nationally recognized as being one of the best leadership groups in the country. |
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Happy Retirement Hugh Sipowicz!We will all miss Hugh Sipowicz as he retires on March 30, 2007. Hugh has had an impressive career in service to youth in foster care, as an adolescent children's services caseworker and for the past 10 years as the Independent Living Program Specialist for DHHS in Central Office, Hugh has single-handedly made it possible for youth in care to realize the dream of a college education. He has helped youth develop a voice to be heard in the Legislature and throughout Maine. He is a strong supporter of keeping youth connected so they can achieve their potential. "There are lots of people who will miss Hugh in this role. Hugh was always there at the other end of the phone, with his encouragement and skill at making the system work well for youth." (Penthea Burns) We all wish Hugh the best. |
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FAMILY TIES the Newsletter of Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine, Inc. Published with support from
: the Maine Dept. of Human Services
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Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine Do you have your: child care, hotel accommodations, funding? |
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VICTORIA ROWELL
"HALL OF FLAGS"
"BLUE RIBBON EVENT"
SMART Child & Family Services Opens Branch Office
WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS:
Allyssa is a fun loving 14 year old with a great sense of humor! She enjoys arts
and crafts, dancing, and singing. She enjoys being active, and has many interests
and strengths.