Blog Archives - Page 19 of 36 - The New York Foundling

Press Release: ACS Announces Awards Selected to Operate its ‘Family Assessment Program’

The New York Foundling was awarded contracts by the NYC Administration for Children’s Services to operate services within its Family Assessment Program, beginning July 1, 2021. We are proud to partner with ACS in providing support to families in our community, and to add our voice to the press release below:

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES ANNOUNCES AWARDS SELECTED TO OPERATE ITS ‘FAMILY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM’
ACS “Family Assessment Program” Provides Support to Families With Young People In Crisis, Including: Truancy, Substance Misuse, Behavioral Challenges & Others

NEW YORK, NY – The New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) today announced the organizations selected for awards to operate the Family Assessment Program (FAP). FAP provides support and interventions to families with youth who are at risk of out-of-home placement and present with behavioral challenges, such as: truancy, antisocial or criminal activities, substance misuse and other behavioral and mental health challenges. Each year, FAP serves approximately 3,500 families.

ACS selected five organizations for fifteen contracts: Children’s Aid, The Children’s Village, Community Mediation Services, JBFCS and New York Foundling.

“We understand the many challenges parents face when raising teenagers, and we want to be sure they receive the support they need to address adolescent behaviors,” said ACS Commissioner David A. Hansell. “Through the many services and supports, the Family Assessment Program helps to strengthen and further improve the lives of New York City’s families. These efforts – especially during the pandemic – are part of our mission to help families stay safely together.”

“Keeping teenagers at home, with family or with adults who love them, in school and engaged in community is the right approach,” said President and Chief Executive Officer at The Children’s Village, Jeremy Christopher Kohomban, Ph.D. “We are thrilled to partner with ACS in this very important effort.”

“Today’s teens are facing myriad challenges brought upon by the pandemic and remote learning, compounded by the impact of racial injustice that youth and families of color, particularly Black male teens, routinely face.” said Executive Vice President at Children’s Aid, Georgia Boothe. “Through the Family Assessment Program, we can bring much-needed crisis intervention strategies and family therapy to support teens by addressing trauma, preventing truancy, reducing and preventing involvement in the justice system, as well as increasing family communication and functioning. We are proud to partner with ACS in this work to ensure we can help youth and families learn and grow.”

“The New York Foundling is proud to provide evidenced-based preventive services to communities across the city as part of the Family Assessment Program,” said Senior Vice President of Child Welfare and Behavioral Health at The New York Foundling, Shannon Ghramm-Smith. “These services will ultimately decrease the family to child welfare pipeline, and the juvenile justice to criminal legal system pipeline. We look forward to working with ACS as we partner together through and beyond the pandemic, and will continue to think critically on innovative approaches to service delivery and continuing efforts to broaden tele-health and tele-care into our work.”

FAP plays a key role in fulfilling ACS’ ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for adolescents by connecting youth and families to appropriate interventions in times of crisis. ACS implemented FAP in 2002 to divert adolescents at risk of out-of-home placement through Family Court via the Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) process. FAP and the providers of these services work to resolve crises, stabilize families, and connect youth to the support they need. They also offer caregivers the skills and tools they need to provide the guidance and structure that promote adolescent success. FAP has significantly reduced the number of youth entering foster care via the PINS process. In 2019, FAP prevented a PINS foster care placement for 98% of the families served. Approximately, 3,500 families accessed the FAP program and only 70 youth entered foster care through the PINS process.

Families who engage with FAP have youth that are generally between the ages of 11 and 18 years old, with the majority between the ages of 14 and 17. Some youth may have previous involvement with the juvenile justice system; and many may face several challenges, including truancy, illegal substance use, curfew noncompliance, negative behavior among peers, mental health concerns and absence without permission. In many instances, parents may need support in order to strengthen their ability to manage adolescents who are presenting with challenging behaviors, including their capacity to provide appropriate supervision and discipline.

The recently announced awards for FAP programs offer a continuum of service interventions targeted for families. The models procured in the current FAP Request for Proposals include:

Family Stabilization (FS) programs that provide services tailored to the needs of families and children through case management, resource navigation, service referrals, parenting skills, and support with concrete needs, as well as regular in-home assessments of child safety and well-being. Within a 90-day period, staff support family members as they collectively develop a plan.
Functional Family Therapy (FFT) provides therapy in the home with family therapy intervention for the treatment of violent, criminal, behavioral, school, and conduct problems with youth and their families. Both intra-familiar and extra-familial factors are addressed. Therapy takes place over an intensive four-month period including 30 one-hour therapeutic sessions.
Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) includes clinical features, such as enhanced use of motivational interviewing and skills-building with caregivers to increase impulse control and decrease dysregulation; high sense of urgency regarding child safety through weekly and long-term goal-setting and enhanced safety assessment protocols. Therapists visit the home multiple times per week and are available by phone 24 hours a day.
Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) is a brief family intervention for children and youth with serious behavior problems and/or drug use. The intervention works well for families with behavior management challenges and problematic relationships. The intervention identifies patterns of family interaction and improves them to restore effective parental leadership and involvement with the youth. The treatment takes place in a combination of in-home, in-school and in-clinic sessions over the course of two to five months.

In addition to the recently procured models, the FAP program also continues to provide the Mentoring and Advocacy Program (MAAP) and Respite care. MAAP is an individualized strength and advocacy-based program that provides wraparound supports for youth between the ages of 12 and 18. Each youth is matched with a mentor whose focus is to provide guidance in developing better self-esteem, creating healthy relationships and making positive life choices. Respite Care is a non-mandated program where a family agrees to engage in services while the youth is temporarily placed in a foster home for 21 days.

ACS is committed to delivering services in a socially just and culturally competent manner. As part of the award process, the organizations selected to deliver FAP services are required to implement strategies to address equity. For instance, strategies may include: establishing a racial equity committee within the organization, conducting ongoing assessments of equity, developing strategies to address equity in hiring practices and more. Organizations are also required to adhere to ACS’ policies regarding the equitable and sensitive treatment of Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth and their families. Additionally, services through FAP are provided through staff who are responsive to the culture and character of the population served and are fluent in the languages spoken by participating youth and family members. Staff are also trained in balancing the task of delivering information to families while being responsive to their cultural beliefs and immediate circumstances.

For more information or to learn about the FAP services go to Family Assessment Program.
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April 22, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Education

The Power of Giving Back: When We Can’t Always be Together, our Junior Board Finds a Way to Volunteer and Provide Career Support

Our passionate and diverse Junior Board is united by their shared commitment to support The Foundling’s work, and is dedicated to volunteering their time with the children, adults, and families we serve across New York City and surrounding counties. As we celebrate National Volunteer Week this year, we spoke with Greg Novick and Anna Liu from our Junior Board. These members helped devise a unique way to give back virtually when in-person opportunities were put on hold because of the pandemic. Below you’ll read about their experiences and the long-lasting impact they’ve made for some of the teenagers in The Foundling’s programs.

“This has been a challenging year on many levels,” said long-time Junior Board member Greg Novick. Involved since 2018, Greg is now in a leadership role within The Foundling’s Junior Board. “The circumstances surrounding 2020 and beyond have forced us to change the way we work together. Thankfully, the Junior Board has discovered effective ways to navigate these circumstances and continue to push towards our mission of helping those in need. Shifting to all virtual meetings has enabled us to consistently discuss ideas and stay in touch.”

For Anna Liu, who joined The Foundling’s Junior Board this year, her experience has only been virtual, but she quickly felt The Foundling’s warmth, inclusivity, collaborative spirit, and dedication to responding to the needs of our community. “Everyone is so proactive and willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved. The Foundling has been a leader in finding special and creative virtual opportunities for each of us to give back,” she said.

One of these inventive opportunities is The Foundling’s “Career Corner” – an ongoing schedule of virtual career-focused events created to engage young people in our Mentored Internship Program. Greg and Anna both participated in this initiative and found it extremely rewarding.

Greg Novick

Greg spoke to five teenagers about his career journey, which has led him to work for Major League Baseball! “I shared the importance of networking, making an effort to meet new people and offering your help to others in a professional setting. You never know when an exciting opportunity can present itself and people remember when you pay it forward. I was impressed with the thoughtful questions asked by the participants and was happy to share my own experiences and any welcomed advice. I serve on the Junior Board because I want to leave an impact on the lives of young people and help steer them on a path to success. Contributing my time was really rewarding.”

Anna Liu

“I want to support and empower young people in The Foundling’s programs to follow their passions,” said Anna. “And, it’s okay to sometimes feel discouraged by the intimidating world of internships, jobs, and networking – but it’s important to continue being your best advocate and persevere. I discussed the significance of building a strong personal brand through professional engagements and platforms like LinkedIn with the students in the Mentored Internship Program. I can relate to entering the workforce as a young person. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in their position, wishing I participated in more events like these for encouragement. It felt exciting to answer questions about my career and offer advice as they embark on their professional journey.”

April 20, 2021/by Elefant Design

Juvenile Justice, Media Coverage

BronxNet: The Bronx Social Justice and Anti-Violence Forums

On local television channel BronxNet’s Bronx Social Justice and Anti-Violence Forums, our CEO and President Bill Baccaglini sat down with host Daren Jaime to discuss The Foundling’s juvenile justice and mental health programs. Watch the interview below:

Read more on BronxNet

April 19, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare, Press Release

The New York Foundling Announces the Opening of its Flagship Strong Families and Communities Training Center

New York, NY (April 19, 2021) – The New York Foundling is proud to announce the opening of a first-of-its-kind training and resource center in partnership with New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The Strong Families and Communities Training Center (SFC Training Center), which officially opened its doors in October of 2020, provides workshops for front-line social service workers across three core areas: training and technical assistance, implementation support for evidence-based practices, as well as coalition building and community engagement. These areas equip, support, and train both service providers and community members with best practice techniques and date-driven approaches to positively impact the communities they serve across The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

The Center is grounded in the Communities that Care organizing model, an evidence-based framework that elevates community voice to see strengths in a community and have community picked services. In the difficult time of COVID, a key goal of the SFC Training Center is to train CBO family-serving staff in evidence-based parenting models to better serve parents, communities and families who are experiencing a great deal of stress.

“We are proud to be able to share our evidence-based best practices with social service workers and community organizers across other New York City-based agencies and organizations,” said Elizabeth Tremblay, Assistant Vice President at The Foundling and Director of The Foundling’s Strong Families and Communities Training Center.

“Opening The Strong Families and Communities Training Center in partnership with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is a critical step toward ensuring that The New York Foundling’s incredible work reaches every corner of the city. Importantly, we are thrilled to be building on The Foundling’s 150-year-long legacy of helping communities thrive and reach their full potential,” added Shannon Ghramm-Smith, Senior Vice President of Child Welfare and Behavioral Health at The New York Foundling.

The SFC Training Center’s unique approach includes open trainings that are based on community feedback and listening sessions to discuss training needs and topics to better serve families. Featuring expert peers with years in the field, the SFC Training Center adapts their programming to ensure the information is applicable and helpful for the peer workforce.

“The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is proud to partner with The New York Foundling on this important effort,” said Dr. Myla Harrison, Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Mental Hygiene at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “Strengthening the capacity of front-line staff to deliver high quality services to parents/caregivers and families in our communities will help promote children’s mental health and well-being.”

The SFC Training Center, which aims to train and upskill workers outside of The Foundling’s own staff, marks a new chapter for the organization’s robust set of social services helping children, families and people with developmental disabilities. By equipping practitioners from other agencies and organizations with their time tested and proven approaches to social services, The Foundling continues to demonstrate its strong commitment to broadening its impact on communities across the city outside of just its own services. To date, The SFC Center has trained over 200 care workers across various agencies and organizations in New York City.

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 of our 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 about The New York Foundling, please visit www.nyfoundling.org.

April 19, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Education

New and Expanding Educational Initiatives Coming this Year for Students in Foster Care

Written by:
Reïna Y. Batrony Cine, LMHC, Vice President, Community Based Services
Joni Rivera, MSEd, Assistant Vice President, Educational Services

For years, education has been at the forefront of our work at The New York Foundling. In fact, it’s a promise we make to each child we serve in our Foster Care programs. Through our collective work opening Mott Haven Academy Charter School in 2008, designing a one of a kind tutoring program in 2014, and creating a college success initiative with CUNY and ACS in 2016, we have remained focused not only on the safety and well-being of those who walk through our doors, but on education and the bright future it holds.

We are excited for what’s in store for the students we work with across New York City.

One of our biggest initiatives for 2021 is expanding the reach of Road to Success. This work began last year and is growing even more. We are now tutoring students in kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. Our Afterschool Allies program, which began in 2019 as a small pilot program serving grades K-5, has now been folded into Road to Success, which will allow us to double our enrollment of elementary-aged students—from close to 25 to 50 students—by December of this year. A student’s ability to read at grade-level is strongly predictive of their future academic success, and we’re excited to reach more children once they enter kindergarten. The sooner we close the learning gaps that we often see with children who enter foster care, the sooner we can improve academic outcomes as they enter middle school, high school, and plan for college.

Additionally, we launched Road to Success Citywide with the goal of providing a long-term tutor to every 7^th–12^th grade student in foster care across New York City (making our efforts city-wide!). As a member of Fair Futures, a city-wide coalition of social services agencies that provides coaching, mentoring, and advocacy for children in foster care from middle school through age 26, we hope to reach more young people in the years ahead. If we can secure enough funding from the City, the Fair Futures initiative will be a gamechanger for all teenagers and young adults in foster care. Both Road to Success and Road to Success Citywide were founded in partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation—a steadfast supporter of The Foundling since 2013.

Another new initiative planned for 2021 is a 12-week STEM program for students in grades 6-12 who are enrolled in any of our tutoring programs. Participants will complete virtual classes each week to learn computer literacy skills, including how to code and create digital art. In the final weeks of the program, students will take the skills they learned to work on a project for their college portfolio – from the creation of a game to digital artwork.

We believe that the path to a better, brighter future for children in foster care is with education. 2020 was a challenging year, yet our students continued to grow, showing a testament to their perseverance and the efficacy of Foundling-run educational programs. We look forward to seeing even more success this year—and in the years to come.

The Foundling’s tutoring and educational support programs for young people in foster care are generously supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Foster Care Excellence Fund in The New York Community Trust, Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, Blanche T. Enders Charitable Trust, and Con Edison.

April 12, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

Together, We Can End and Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect

In 1869, we opened our doors and became a safe, stable, and loving home for infants and babies who couldn’t be cared for by their parents. More than 150 years later, The Foundling has maintained its commitment to keeping children healthy, supported, and protected from abuse, maltreatment, and neglect. Our legacy has not only continued through the years, but has grown stronger by working together with our community and our supporters. We help 30,000 of our neighbors each year across New York and Puerto Rico, with the goal of keeping children and families safe, supported, and together.

Initiatives like Healthy Families partner with new parents and provide guidance and linkages to community resources that promote positive childhood development. And Families Are Stronger Together uses an evidence-based approach to therapy that helps families experiencing crisis work through conflict and challenges and avoid a potential foster care placement. When there’s a clear risk and threat to a child’s health and safety, our Foster Care program pairs children with committed and loving relatives or foster parents. And, our innovative Child Abuse Prevention Program uses life-size puppets to teach elementary-age students how to detect and report abuse in their homes, while the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection leads the charge in advocacy and education against corporal punishment.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month—and you can help us expand and grow our reach and impact as we share updates and information about our life-saving work.

How it works: Simply follow or add @TheNYFoundling to your social media accounts!

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

For each new follower we gain between April 1-30, an anonymous donor will contribute $1 to support our services and programs that keep children safe.*

Throughout April, we’ll be posting informative content on ways to recognize and prevent abuse and neglect. Not only will following The Foundling on social media allow you to hear about our latest news and updates, but you’ll help The Foundling secure additional funds to support children in our community through our $1 matching donation!*

In addition to following us on social media, please consider also making a direct donation to the Foundling’s child abuse prevention activities.

*$1 matched for each new follower on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn; up to $3,000 (between April 1—April 30, 2021).

April 1, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Our Work Continues

There’s a Glimmer of Light Ahead for 2021

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since COVID-19 shut down our city. This once-in-a-century pandemic shook our community and endangered the children, adults, and families we serve on a scale we couldn’t have predicted. We still mourn the loss of life here, across our country, and the world. And we long for the way of life we enjoyed before.

But we’ve been resilient, too. When COVID-19 disrupted everything we knew, and brought many aspects of our lives to a standstill, our work at The New York Foundling continued.

In the past year, our staff and community have shown tremendous dedication and strength. They overcame each and every challenge from social distancing, to navigating technology and technology accessibility, and found creative ways to adapt.

Foundling staff facilitated virtual visits between families to help maintain connection and advocated on behalf of families when the family courts closed. We kept students on track with their classes and gave everyone the tools to self-advocate when pandemic conditions created academic hurdles. The therapists in our Families Rising and our other alternative-to-incarceration programs delivered holistic treatment to families via telehealth. Staff working in our Developmental Disabilities programs alleviated the emotional burden of social distancing for the men and women in our residences and found ways to keep them engaged and active in quarantine.

We continued to provide School Based Mental Health services to help students confront the emotional burden of being away from their classmates, teachers, and friends, as well as the unique stressors and challenges presented by the transition from in-person to remote learning. The Foundling’s Medical Clinics, like other pediatrician offices around the country, never closed, and increased communication allowed families to receive information and support throughout the health crisis. And our Camp Felix at Home program kept camp magic alive for Foundling kids last summer.

The Foundling will continue to adapt as needed, although we are now seeing a promise for a better year ahead. We strive to be the beacon of light and support for the tens of thousands of children, adults, and families in our community as we navigate our way forward and out of the pandemic.

And there’s good news ahead.

Students are back at Haven Academy and our Day Habilitation sites for people with developmental disabilities have reopened—and vaccines are being administered to keep this population safe and healthy. Our frontline staff and other essential workers are also receiving their vaccines—which is even more good news we are able to share. In addition, Foundling-operated medical clinics are seeing more and more patients face-to-face, and Camp Felix is hoping to put in place an in-person camp this summer.

March 17, 2021/by Elefant Design

Health and Behavioral Health, Media Coverage

Gothamist: ‘What’s The Point?’: A Year After COVID Shut Down NYC Schools, Many Students Struggle To Cope

In a new Gothamist article, Dr. Ruth Gerson, The Foundling’s Senior Vice President for Mental Health Services, discusses the ongoing trauma that young students are facing as a result of the pandemic. One year in, young people continue to find it difficult to cope with the disruption, isolation, and stress that school shutdowns have brought on. “It can be very hard to have the psychological distance from it to try to unpack it and really do evidence-based trauma treatment,” she says.

Read more at Gothamist

March 16, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Press Release

Our 2020 Impact Report

Throughout the difficulties created by the pandemic, The Foundling continued to lead the way ahead and provide guidance, support and compassion to our community during these uncertain times. Because of our supporters, our neighbors from New York to Puerto Rico stood tall and found resilience, hope, and the strength to persevere amid an unprecedented health crisis.

We’re proud to announce Our Path: Forward and Together, The Foundling’s 2020 Impact Report, which details our collective work and contributions over the past year. From our COVID-19 relief efforts to the powerful stories showing how individuals and families overcame obstacles, we invite you to read about the impact we made together.

Browse our Impact Report here, or learn about our larger reach on our updated Impact webpage.

March 2, 2021/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage, Press Release

District Attorney NY County: “Phoenix Project” Begins Serving Young Survivors of Sex Trafficking Across New York City

In a press release, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. announced that beginning today, the non-profit organization The New York Foundling is supporting survivors of sex trafficking through its new child and youth sex trafficking intervention program, “the Phoenix Project.” The innovative program will serve approximately 50 to 70 young people ages 12 through 21 each year at locations across New York City.