‘News’ Articles
2011 Annual Child Welfare Law Update Conference Handouts
Follow this link to see the latest information available regarding child welfare laws and policy in Hawai`i. There you will find the handouts from the 2011 Annual Child Welfare Law Update Conference that was held on August 12, 2011.
Kapiolani Mentoring Program has Openings for Foster Youth Mentees
Kapiolani Mentoring program, lead by Dr. Steven Choy, offers Hawai`i foster youth on Oahu support, stability, and enriched social experiences to help them overcome their past traumas, take control of their lives, and prevent the cycle of abuse and neglect. This program pairs off foster youth mentors with mentees and has openings for mentees!
Understanding Adolescent Stress and Depression
One in 8 adolescents in America suffers from depression which can lead to school failure, substance abuse and suicide. Hawaii Public Radio broadcast a report on the workshop “Understanding Adolescent Stress and Depression” with Mary Jadwisiak from Washington state and Dr. Evie Yanagida, clinical program manager for The Sex Abuse Treatment Center, a program of [...]
SPIN’s 2011 Parent of the Year
Ginny Wright, a former resource caregiver (formerly referred to as a foster parent) for the Hawai`i Department of Human Services, was awarded, “Parent of the Year” at the 2011 SPIN Conference. Ginny is a mother of five adopted children, two of whom have a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Ginny has been a pioneer in [...]
A New Tool to Help Families Keep Children Healthy
The University of Hawaii-Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine, Hawaii Initiative for Childhood Obesity Research and Education, and several local health care organizations have launched a campaign called the “Hawaii 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go Initiative” to tackle childhood obesity.
Longtime local foster parent kept kids safe from horrors
Follow link for the story of one of the State of Hawai`i Department of Human Services resource caregivers, referred to as foster parent in this article, Linda Dean. ”There is no happy circumstance by which a child is placed in foster care. But for nearly 900 kids over the past 19 years, there has at [...]
Adoptive Family Gets a $54,000 Tax Refund
This year, because the Adoption Tax Credit became refundable, qualifying adoptive families are getting previous years’ Adoption Tax Credits in a lump sum.
Former Foster Youth’s Story of Hope
A regular column on Steve Weber’s website features stories that profile individuals who admirably demonstrate Gumption, stories of real people who overcome personal challenges. One of Hawaii’s former foster youth, Wendy Peltier, is featured in this article. In Wendy’s case, her Gumption allowed her to first survive, then break the chains of addiction, break the [...]
New Resource on the Fostering Connections Act
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections has launched a new online resource on the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. The site features news and updates on the law, as well as policy and guidance, and links to related resources.
April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, there are five protective factors that serve as buffers for child maltreatment that are linked to a lower incidence of child abuse and neglect. They are: nurturing and attachment; knowledge of parenting and child and youth development; parental resilience; social connections, and concrete support for parents.
