What child doesn’t want to play on a Little League team, go on a school field trip or sleep overnight with friends? What teen doesn’t dream of getting a driver’s license, earning money at a part time job and attending the prom? Many of us can remember how foundational these and similar experiences were in our own formative years, yet these same experiences have often been denied to children in foster care. The recent Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act includes provisions related to “normalcy” for children and youth in foster care, and “reasonable and prudent” decision-making for caregivers. What do these standards mean? How can they be implemented so that children and youth have opportunities to grow and thrive, gaining experiences, skills and memories that will last a lifetime? This session will provide basics about the law and practical guidelines for successful implementation including concrete examples and decision-making tools.
Presented by Sue Badeau, NACAC president, nationally known speaker, writer and consultant. Sue has worked closely with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Casey Family Programs and was the Deputy Director of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. Sue and her husband, Hector, have twenty-two children by birth and adoption and have also served as foster parents and kin caregivers. 2016. Created as part of the Advocates for Families First collaboration of NACAC, the National Foster Parent Association, and Generations United.