FosterParentTraining.comNews and other information of interest to foster parents.
In June, 2013, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed into law The Sibling Bill of Rights which went into effect in October, 2013. The new law, which went into effect in October, was created in collaboration with Nevada Life, the statewide youth advisory board. You can read the Nevada’s Sibling Bill of Rights here.
We’ve added another 2.5 hours of of training. Check them out under E-Learning Modules.
E-Learning Modules: Adolescent Development [ 1Hr], Fatherhood [ 1 Hr], Talking with Teens About Reproductive Health [ 30 Mins]
As of 2013, in an attempt to stem identity fraud, Federal law now requires all agencies to obtain an annual Credit Report for any youth in foster care from age 16 until they age out or discharged. We’ve added 4 hours of training credit for our members dealing with this topic under “Youth and Credit”. The training addresses how to obtain a credit report and protecting the credit of foster care youth.
“Viraj Puri, a 13-year-old schoolboy from Virginia, is hoping to harness the power of digital information – to tackle bullying. He showed the BBC’s Jane O’Brien the website – currently in development – which would enable families to pinpoint bullying incidents.”
From BBC News Magazine – Living Online. View the story here.
“Cyberbullying increases isolation and impacts on mental health more than other forms of bullying,” says Luke Roberts, national co-ordinator of the UK’s Anti-Bullying Alliance.
From BBC News. Read the full article here.
From the Children’s Defense Fund
January, 2014 Newsletter
“Did you know New Mexico is the worst state for child hunger and Massachusetts tops all states in nearly every ranking of public school students’ reading and math proficiency? Check out CDF’s new report, The State of America’s Children® 2014, to find out how your state compares to other states. The report provides state-by-state data and comparisons on all indicators of child well-being. Additional resources provide a look at the 10 best and worst states for children in categories ranging from extreme poverty to health coverage to enrollment in early childhood development and learning programs.”
The teen years are an exciting time, but these years can also be filled with worry and struggle. Parents really matter to teens, even if teens don’t always act like it. They need your love, guidance, and support each day to help them become secure, healthy, and happy young women.
You can help your daughter through these years. Build a relationship with her that includes trust, honesty, open lines of communication, and setting limits.
With the busy lives we lead today — how can you do this?
It’s normal for a teen to want to try new things. When your daughter is angry with you, she may rebel by making poor choices. Turn her mistakes into lessons, show her you still love her, and point out the good things she does. Teach her not to be ashamed of having a problem with stress, grades, weight, drugs, or alcohol. Learn about teen depression, suicide, alcohol, bullying, and drug abuse. Use the resources in this section to find out what you can do as a parent.
Even though you might feel upset and tired at times, everything you do will make a difference in your daughter’s life…and at some point down the road, she will thank you!
From: GirlsHealth.gov
Something else we need to caution our children & youth about regarding inappropriate use of their cell phones. See our other post: Sexting: An open letter from parents to teenagers
From the BBC, 13 Jan, 2014:
“A teenager in Canada has been found guilty of possessing and disseminating child pornography after sending text messages containing naked images of her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.”
Read the story here.
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Smartphone App Connect Icons are the handy symbols you click on that take you directly to an Application (or “APP”) or web site without having to open a browser, search for a web site name, or type in a URL (like http://www.FosterParentTraining.com).
You can “create” your own FosterParentTraining.com short-cut App Icon on your smartphone.
This should work with most smartphones and browsers.
1. Open a browser on your smartphone.
2. Type in http://www. FosterParentTraining.com or search for FosterParentTraining.com and click on the link so our Home page appears on your browser screen.
3. When our Home Page appears, click on your phone’s Menu Key. On many phones, this is located at the bottom right corner of your phone, below the screen.
4. Click on “Bookmark This Page”.
5. Under “Options”, click on “Save to Home Page”.
6. You should now have an app type icon similar to the FPT icon that displays in your browser tab when you connect to our site.
For a YouTube video demonstration of the above instructions, Click Here. This video is for an Apple phone but it also works with an Android phone.
Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund, writes a weekly column entitled “Child Watch”. Her column also appears each week in The Huffington Post.
In a recent posting, Mrs. Edelman proposes how treating gun violence scientifically like a health epidemic can overcome many of the obstacles and objections.
This is how the epidemic of teen deaths in the 1960’s from auto accidents was addressed, saving an estimated 325,000 lives over a 35 year period.
Read Mrs. Edelman’s column “Its Not Rocket Science” here.
ADDITIONAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Youth & Child Deaths from Gun Violence vs Worldwide Deaths form H5N1 Avian “Bird Flu”.