Fostering Connections

Greetings!
  

This is the inaugural edition of Fostering Connections, a monthly community newsletter established to share ideas and innovations, problem solve and develop relationships among all parties involved in Mecklenburg County foster care.

Our primary goal is to maintain and broaden communication for foster care parents, including improving the flow of information on policy changes, opportunities and limitations of the Department of Social Services in Mecklenburg

Sincerely,

Mary E. Wilson

Director

Mecklenburg County Social Services

 Mary Wilson

 

President's Corner - Mecklenburg County Foster Parents Association

 

       As foster parents, we play an integral role in helping develop children that come in to our care.  MCFPA's goal for 2011 is to meet with foster parents and children, Judges, Guardian ad Litem volunteers, and Youth and Family Services, to support each other, and address concerns involving foster families and the children we foster.  I hope you will join me in this endeavor to continue to improve the lives of young people in foster care. 

         The MCFPA and Coffee Talk Support Group meets quarterly to share information, and we invite key parties involved in foster care as speakers.   It is open to all Mecklenburg County licensed foster parents and there is no membership fee to join.   

         The next meeting is scheduled from 10:00 -12:00 on Saturday, April 30, at the YFS Charlotte East location at 5800 Executive Center Drive Additional information about past meetings can be found at www.MCFPA-NC.COM.         

  I look forward to meeting you! 

  

Sincerely,

Katherine 'Susie' Taylor-Richards

President

 

 

Meet the YFS Leadership Team!
  

  A message from YFS Division Director  - Paul Risk

PaulRisk

"Every child deserves nothing less than a happy ending to their story.  As a foster parent or kin caregiver you have the opportunity to change the outcome for a child into a story that is filled with love, happiness, security and success for the future. 

Foster parents and family members who provide a temporary home for children in DSS custody are a critical part of the team that surrounds a child.  The primary goal of this team is to create the opportunity for children to return to their family. 

The parents, the foster parent or kin caregiver, and DSS must work together to meet the needs of the child in care.  A huge part of this is the work of foster parents to meet the daily needs of children. An equally important part of a foster parent's role is the passing on of the knowledge and experiences they have to the biological family through shared parenting. 

I hope you continue to work with us as we strive to help children reach their full potential, build stronger families, and achieve safe and stable homes for the children entrusted to our care."

 Meet the rest of the YFS team HERE 

 

Information You Can Use
 
School Transportation Policy

 The Fostering Connections Act of 2008 requires foster youth to maintain in their schools of origin.  Maintaining connectedness to their community improves outcomes for youth taken into foster care while also lessening the trauma of being removed from their family.

Foster parents/relatives  travelling 20-50 miles per week to transport a youth to their school would invoice YFS for $50/month to be paid in addition to their standard board rate.  Foster parents/relatives travelling 51+ miles per week would invoice YFS for $100/month. 
If multiple children are placed in the foster home, the stipend will apply to each child in a separate school placement.  If multiple children attend the same school, only one stipend will be paid. 


 

Emergency Clothing Closet - Starting Spring 2011
                    

    Many times, when children come into the system, they are placed in foster homes having only the clothing on their backs.  The few items that they do bring with them usually consist of pieces of clothing in grocery bags.   The Mecklenburg County Foster Parent Association is in the process of implementing an Emergency Clothing Closet at the Bob Walton Plaza.   We hope to have the closet up and running by April 1, 2011. 

 

    Our goal is for every child that comes into the system to have a suitcase, book bag or over night bag.  Should a caseworker have a new placement that is in need of these items, they can contact MCFPA President, Susie Taylor-Richards at (704) 287-1766 or me at (704) 604-5604.  We will arrange a time to meet the caseworker at the Closet to pack an over night bag for the child prior to placement.    

 

     Donations to stock the items will come from consignment shops, GAL Vista program and clothing drives.

 

            For more information about the Clothing Closet, contact me at (704) 604.5604. 

 

Karen Hicks, Chair

MCFPA Emergency Clothing Closet

In This Issue
President's Corner
Meet the YFS Leadership Team
Information You Can Use
Emergency Clothing Closet
Foster Care

Join us!

We host an informational meeting on the fourth Tuesday of every month on the 4th floor 5800 Executive Center Drive Charlotte NC at 6:30 PM.

 

Upcoming dates include: February 22, March 22, April 26, and May 24. 

Inner Strength Counseling Services PLLC is offering FREE Tutoring and Mentoring for grades 3-8th

 Please call to register

 Tutoring will be provided at our office Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-7:30pm

Trained tutors will focus on reading, writing and comprehension when assisting your child. The tutors will also provide mentoring to help your child with self development!

Give us a call or email us to get these FREE Services!

704-566-3633

[email protected]
 
Mecklenburg County DSS

Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services

 301 Billingsley Road / Charlotte, N.C./ 28208 / 704-336-3000