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| Monthly Newsletter Volume 7, Issue 6 |
June 2013
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 Greetings!
"A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child."
Fathers come in all different varieties with varying parenting philosophies and unique relationships with their children. We know that involved and responsible fathers who are present in the lives of their children contribute to positive outcomes for kids, families, and whole communities. Current research clearly shows that involved fathers provide practical support in raising children and serve as models for their development. Children with involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behavior compared to children who have uninvolved fathers. Committed and responsible fathering during infancy and early childhood contributes to emotional security, curiosity, and math and verbal skills.
With young children in foster care who have often experienced disrupted, tumultuous, or even absent relationships with their parents, this need for involved parenting is even more crucial. Angels' fathers give the gifts of their hearts and of themselves to their children, those who will be part of their life forever and those whose time is limited. They give because their focus is what is best for the child, not what is easiest for them. They love, guide, and take risks so that each child can experience and feel a father's love and support.
Thank you to all our fathers!
- Jennifer Mills, LCSW
Program Director
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Angels Announcements
Newly certified families: Welcome to Jim & Kelly of North Santa Barbara County and Eric & Marit from South Santa Barbara County.
New Placements: Thank you to Margot & Keith for recently accepting a toddler girl placement.
Adoptions: We are proud to announce three new adoptions in the past month. Congratulations to Netie and Charu, and big brother Sachin of South Santa Barbara County for their adoption of Nadia. And we congratulate Matt & Melissa and big brother and sister Michael and Aliyah of North Santa Barbara County for adopting Brock and Avery. We are so very happy for your families!
Angels in the Community
Many thanks to Angi and Jay for opening their home and hosting our second Foster Some Love informational session last month!
We're looking for opportunities throughout Santa Barbara County to speak about Angels Foster Care and the urgent need for foster families. If you know of a local club, group, church or synagogue that would be interested in a presentation about Angels, please contact Ellen.
Social Media
Become a Facebook friend of Angels today and receive frequent posts about our latest news.
Twitter: follow us @AngelsFosterSB
Read the Angels Blog
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Angels Parent Education
ADOPTION SUPPORT GROUP & CONTINUING EDUCATION
"Talking to your child about adoption" - support group open to current and alumni Angels parents.
South County
June 25, 7:00 p.m., location to be announced
North County
June 27, 7:00pm, location to be announced.
RSVP to Stacy at stacy@angelssb.com.
ANGELS FOSTER PARENT PRE-CERTIFICATION TRAINING
If you know of anyone who may be interested in joining our next series of training classes, please have them call the Angels' office or pass their name along to us.
Next Series of Open Training Dates:
July 9, 11, 16, 18 & 22 from 5:30-9pm.
Location to be announced
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Social Worker Corner:
New Data on California Kids in Foster Care
In California and nationwide, the declining number of children in foster care has been hailed as a child welfare success story, but racial and ethnic inequities and other challenges persist.
In 2012, 55,218 children in California were in foster care, a 49% decline since 1998. The rate at which children first enter foster care fell from 3.5 per 1,000 children ages 0-17 in 1998 to 2.7 in 2012. Overall, California children are spending less time in foster care than a decade ago, although the median number of months in care increased slightly between 2009 and 2010, to 14 months.
Child welfare experts suggest that these changes are due in part to foster care policy shifts that have sped up adoptions and improved services to families to avoid having to remove children from their homes. Foster youth who are "aging out" also receive more support than in past years, including expanded Medicaid coverage in some states until the age of 26, including in California, and new protections under the Affordable Care Act that allow them to retain their Medicaid eligibility until age 26.
The rate of first entries into foster care continues to vary by race and ethnicity, however. African American/Black and American Indian/Alaska Native children consistently have the highest rates of foster care entry, at 8.2 and 8.3 per 1,000, respectively, in 2010-12; this compares to 2.6 for Latino and white children during the same period.
Source: Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health
Contributed by Stacy Peterson, Lead Social Worker
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Angels Contacts 
(805) 264-4470
Lead Social Worker (805) 884-0012 Social Worker South County Betsy Nickels, MA, EdM (805) 884-0012
Recruiter
Outreach Coordinator
Newsletter Editor
Ellen Dameron ellen@angelssb.com (805) 884-0012
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The Last Word...
"It has been said that adoption is more like a marriage than a birth: two (or more) individuals, each with their own unique mix of needs, patterns, and genetic history, coming together with love, hope, and commitment for a joint future. You become a family not because you share the same genes, but because you share love for each other."
- Joan McNamara, adoptive parent
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