Child Welfare Archives - Page 10 of 12

Keeping Families Together at The Foundling

At The Foundling, we trust in the power and potential of people, and work to ensure that all of our neighbors have the tools to thrive.

That’s why we’re committed to evidence-based and research-backed programs that provide the support that allow our community members to weather tough times and work toward success. We believe that this approach is key to keeping our community whole and families intact and successful. These programs provide critical tools and support, and build a strong foundation for lifelong growth.

Nadia, who serves on our Board of Trustees, would agree.

When she became pregnant at 15, she knew she needed a supportive place to live, and guidance on how to care for her daughter. Through our residential Mother Child program, she found a safe home, parenting assistance, life skills training, and the encouragement to pursue her own aspirations.

Our caring staff provided Nadia with the support to be a great mother, as well as the motivation to pursue her education and career goals.

Now a Managing Director at a top professional services firm, Nadia is grateful that The Foundling provided her a helping hand when she needed it. Through her work on our Board, she enjoys giving back to The Foundling, and is proud to help support the next generation of parents, their children, and others in our programs.

This work helps people like Nancy, a mother of four who needed help after escaping an abusive marriage.

With the support of Foundling counselors and therapists in our Healthy Families program, she was able to work through her past trauma, adjust to life changes as a single parent, and provide the communication and stability needed for her four children to succeed. Now, she is an independent role model for her children, and her family is thriving.

“My experience with Healthy Families has been amazing,” Nancy says. “Family therapy helped me realize how to be a better parent. We are able to communicate better, manage time better. I’m able to keep up with my family because I got that help.”

The Foundling serves over 30,000 people each year, including many more like Nadia and Nancy – parents and families who are working to reach their full potential and transform their lives for the better. Throughout our 50+ programs, we provide this support to community members facing numerous obstacles – parents undergoing change, adults with developmental disabilities, youth in the child welfare system, and more. However, we can only do this important work with the help of supporters like you.

This holiday season, consider making a donation to make a difference in the lives of everyone the Foundling serves.

Interested in getting involved or learning more?

Take Action: Donate to the Foundling, Explore Volunteer Opportunities, or Become a Foundling Therapist

December 11, 2019/by Elefant Design

The New York Foundling Awards Scholarships to NYU Silver School Students Pursuing Careers in Social Work

NEW YORK, NY – October 17, 2019 – The New York Foundling, one of the city’s oldest and largest social services providers, today announced that $60,000 in scholarships will be awarded to a group of five Master of Social Work (MSW) students at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work during the 2019-2020 academic year to encourage talented young people to pursue careers in social work and child welfare. It is the second consecutive year that The Foundling has provided such scholarship support for child welfare-focused NYU Silver MSW students.

The rising costs associated with graduate education can be a deterrent to students pursuing careers in the social services. These scholarships are intended to reduce some of that financial pressure and empower students with the drive and the desire to work in child welfare to pursue their passion.

“Social work is a rewarding, fulfilling career path that allows individuals to make a tremendous difference in the lives of the children and families who most need a helping hand on their journeys to stability, strength, and independence,” said Bill Baccaglini, President and CEO of The New York Foundling. “This scholarship lessens the financial burden associated with higher education and incentivizes motivated, purpose-driven students to be a part of this transformational work and be a positive force in their communities.”

The recipients of the scholarships, who are known as The New York Foundling Fellows, have also been assigned internships at programs run by The Foundling, with one each at The Foundling’s Crisis Nursery, Home of Integrated Health, Mott Haven Academy Charter School, Supportive Housing Program for Youth Aging out of Foster Care, and TFCO Program.

“We are grateful to The Foundling for this critical scholarship funding, which will support five future child welfare practitioners and leaders in pursuit of their career goals.” said NYU Silver Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor of Social Work Neil B. Guterman. NYU Silver is known for its excellence in clinical training and Dr. Guterman is himself among the School’s cadre of faculty experts in the area of child welfare. ”I am confident that The Foundling’s investment will reap benefits not only for the fellows, but to numerous vulnerable children and families whom they will serve in the decades to come.”

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About The New York Foundling

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. From bold beginnings in 1869, our New York-based nonprofit has supported a quarter million neighbors on their own paths to stability, strength, and independence. The New York Foundling’s internationally-recognized set of social services are both proven and practical. We help children and families navigate through and beyond foster care. We help families struggling with conflict and poverty to grow stronger. We help individuals with developmental disabilities live their best lives, and we help children and families access quality health and mental health services core to building lifelong resilience and wellbeing. For more information, please visit www.nyfoundling.org.

About NYU Silver School of Social Work

NYU Silver School of Social Work provides a robust and engaging environment for the education of professional social workers, offering undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degree programs. The School serves as a major postgraduate training center for practicing social workers and offers master’s students intensive learning opportunities in family and children’s services, mental health, integrated health, substance misuse and co-occurring disorders, palliative and end-of-life care, restorative justice, and other innovative and emerging areas of social work. MSW students also have the opportunity to pursue global learning with NYU Silver programming in New York, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and other cities around the world. Founded in 1960 and renowned for a strong tradition of excellence in direct social work practice and dedication to social justice, NYU Silver has provided rigorous training to over 18,000 social work practitioners and leaders in every area of the field. The School’s faculty are on the leading edge of scholarly research and address society’s most intractable problems with a focus on proactive approaches and preventive interventions that transform lives. For more information, please visit socialwork.nyu.edu.

October 17, 2019/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

TIME: The Childcare Crisis

Note: As of 2020, The Crisis Nursery is no longer operated by The Foundling.

Affordable childcare is at once one of the most tantalizing promises of contemporary American life, and the most broken. Our modern economy cannot function without a system for the nurturing of our youngest citizens—as of 2017 there were nearly 15 million children under 6 in this country with all available parents in the workforce. But for everyone except the very wealthy, childcare is ruinously expensive.

October 10, 2019/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

The Wall Street Journal: Adopted Children Need Permanent Homes

“Of the more than 25,000 children in foster care in New York state, some 3,500 are waiting to be adopted. But legislation that passed the state Assembly and Senate in June could make it much harder for these children to find permanent homes.

Introduced by Bronx Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner, the Preserving Family Bonds Act would let birthparents whose rights have been terminated by the court apply to visit their children. They would be entitled to a hearing to argue that their continuing contact is in the child’s best interest…”

Read more, including insight from our President & CEO Bill Baccaglini, at The Wall Street Journal here.

September 5, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

Fatherhood Fun Day on Staten Island

Written by Foundling Intern and Guest Blogger, Lattisha M.

The Foundling is proud to now operate and run the city’s Staten Island Community Partnership Program (which became official earlier this year!). Each year, the program hosts an annual Fatherhood Family Fun Day and Resource Fair. Saturday marked the 9th year of the event and hundreds of families attended, including adoptive parents and foster parents.

Over 40 community partners and city agencies participated and included the following organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC; Families on the Move of NYC, Inc.; Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Plus; The New York Public Library; Primerica Financial Service; RUMC Head Start, Literacy Inc; Healthcare Education Project; ACS’s Family Assessment Program and their Safe Sleep Initiative; Public Health Solutions Nurse Family Partnership Program; and CABS Homecare. Thank you to these partners, and everyone else who joined us!

Resources and giveaways were distributed to families and kids—with special items for all of the dads and male role models who attended—and everyone enjoyed games and activities. New York’s radio station, Hot 97, also helped to promote this community event and encouraged attendance across all of Staten Island!

Other attractions during this signature event included a bounce house, face painting, a fitness demonstration, a magic show, and a presentation of an FDNY smoke house (and a demonstration on what to do in case a fire breaks out in your home). The Staten Island Zoo was also in attendance with their outreach table and live animals.

The New York Foundling officially became the backbone organization for the Staten Island Community Partnership Program (SICPP) to work in partnership with the New York City Administration of Children’s Services, Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships to support and strengthen opportunities for children, families, and multi-generational Staten Island residents.

June 17, 2019/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

New York City Advocates Ask De Blasio For $50 Million for Foster Youth Life Coaches

Dozens of human services agencies and foundations, including The New York Foundling are asking Mayor Bill de Blasio for a $50 million boost to the budget for foster care next year. The funding would go toward full-time life coaches and tutors for current and former foster youth from middle school through age 26, a model that nonprofit foster care agencies say has shown promise for teens in their care.READ MORE

March 1, 2019/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

Youth Today | California Foster Students Get Patchwork of College Support

This article is part of a yearlong series examining higher education for youth in foster care, made possible in part by The New York Foundling. READ MORE

January 14, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

The New York Foundling Scales Back Child Abuse Prevention Program Due to Lack of Funding

NBC New York’s Melissa Russo reports on The Foundling’s Child Abuse Prevention Program and its funding troubles.

The New York Foundling’s one-of-a-kind Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) has been forced to scale back the number of in-school Child Safety Workshops for the remainder of the school year due to a lack of funding — a move the organization regretfully informed principals of on January 9.

“As a private, nonprofit agency, The Foundling can simply no longer sustain covering the $530,000 annual cost of the program without support from the Department of Education. As a result, we must significantly reduce the number of workshops scheduled for this semester,” the letter from Foundling leadership to elementary school principals explained.

The Foundling turned to the NYC Department of Education asking for much-needed help funding this highly impactful, life-saving program, but has yet to know whether they’ll back the program that ensures thousands of children’s safety.

NBC New York’s Melissa Russo has been following the story, and spoke with Bill Baccaglini, CEO and President of The Foundling, about the cuts — and the potential consequences. Due to the cancellations, he told Russo, more than 4,000 children across New York City schools will be missing out on age-appropriate education that would enable them to put an end to physical and sexual abuse.

That translates to roughly 60 children who could continue to be abused due to lack of education, Baccaglini and program director Marion White estimate in their letter to schools.

The program, which uses life-sized puppets in its workshops, has been at the forefront of child abuse prevention education since it began in 1986. Its Child Safety Workshops educate approximately 20,000 3^rd and 4^th grade students per year on inappropriate touch and how to speak with adults about suspected abuse. Last year alone, these in-school presentations resulted in 165 calls to New York State’s child abuse hotline.

While the future of CAPP is still uncertain, The Foundling is hopeful that negotiations with the city’s Department of Education will result in support for this unique program that protects children and puts their safety first.

Learn more below:

January 10, 2019/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

NYN Media | A New York Foundling Staffer Talks About Firsthand Experiences as Teen in Foster Care

A Q&A on The Foundling’s website tells how Trystan worked his way through adversity as a teen to earn a master’s degree from New York University, where he then interned with the same organization that helped him as a foster care youth. READ MORE

January 10, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

Employee Spotlight: The Journey from Foster Care to Interventionist with The New York Foundling

Trystan, an interventionist with The Foundling’s STEPS (Strengthening, Teaching, and Educating People Through Support) foster care prevention program, has a longtime connection to The New York Foundling. As a teen, he spent time with The Foundling while he was in foster care.

Inspired to study social work, he beat the odds of many teens in care when he went on to college, eventually earning his master’s degree from New York University. During his last year of college, he interned with The Foundling’s Therapeutic Foster Care unit. Shortly after graduation, he found his way back to working with The Foundling. Today, he’s using a highly effective evidence-based family therapy model to help families in Staten Island tackle complicated familial challenges to avoid foster care placement.

Trystan answers a few questions about his personal journey and how it has influenced his work today.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in social work?

It definitely wasn’t my first choice when I started college. In high school it was kind of drilled into my head that college wasn’t for me.

During my junior year of college, I thought about what I would want to wake up every day and enjoy doing. I always enjoyed helping people.

What really sold me is when I had an internship with the Upward Bound (college prep program) working with the teen population. It was just being able to relate to some of the same issues and problems as them. I had a unique mindset compared to people who don’t know what it’s like to be in the foster care system.

Q: Statistics show that foster youth in America face additional challenges when it comes to graduating high school and pursuing a college degree. What was the toughest part of being a youth in foster care and navigating education for you, and what do you wish more educators understood about this population?

Education, for me at least, was the easy part. You do a paper and follow the directions and get a good grade. Life doesn’t follow that type of model. I think the hardest part for me was making the time for those studies. School systems plan for the youth’s future, but fail to acknowledge that the youth is focused on surviving the now. In retrospect, what sounds better? Going to a class to acquire a job 3 to 4 years down the line, or skipping that class to pick up a shift to put food on the table for yourself or any siblings you may have? It’s hard to plan for a successful future when the present is falling apart. I think educators need to understand that youth aren’t worried about 3 to 5 years down the line. They are focused on today and tomorrow to even be alive in 3 to 5 years.

This causes a multi-dimensional problem, but the educators that stuck with me were the ones that let me feel like I was in control of my life. They let me tell them what I wanted to do and found resources based off that. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter of the choice was a good or bad one. They supported my passions and took a step back for me to learn and make my own mistakes.

Q: How do you feel your personal experiences being a youth in care have influenced the way you work with families in your career today?

Since I’m not working directly working with teens in care (currently), it doesn’t always come up. But I do talk with parents who might be expressing and sharing certain emotions with the family, and without saying why, I can pick up on that emotion easier than others.

Q: What is most rewarding part of the work you do with The Foundling?

It’s definitely most rewarding when I work with a family and I’ve been addressing a very difficult case, and I leave the session feeling like a change was made. There’s less yelling, less negativity. Even when you see you’re actually making a difference to the family — maybe in the smallest of aspects — and you slowly see progress through the program, and it gets better and better. It’s rewarding when there are difficulties and (I think), “How do I address that using different techniques with different families?”

In addition to working with The Foundling as an interventionist, Trystan is a published poet. He aspires to be an advocate for teens in the foster care system, and he volunteers his time with the Foster Youth Heroes program at City University of New York.

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January 4, 2019/by Elefant Design