Refugee Portal: Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services: BRYCS created this portal to ensure that refugees have easy access to multilingual resources. The languages include: Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Somali and Spanish. Refugees may click on their language for resources on the topics of family life and parenting, early childhood, the U.S. school system (K-12), children’s books, and health/mental health. English versions of the materials are also available. Link to Portal
All posts by MiPSAC
Supporting Children of Parents with Co-occurring Mental Illness and Substance Abuse
June 2012, Research To Practice Brief, National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center:
It is well documented in the literature that children growing up in homes headed by a parent with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders are at an increased risk for a multitude of psychosocial complications. These children are commonly exposed to ongoing stressors that can have a cumulative impact on their behavior and development. In a three-year longitudinal study, researchers found that the risk of child behavior problems increased with the number of areas in which the mother reported difficulties. Unfortunately, in families with parental co-occurring disorders, multiple difficulties are commonplace. This brief suggests a number of services and supports for such families. Link to pdf Practice Brief
Michigan College Support Guide for Foster Care Alumni
This guide is for by anyone who is interested in learning more about programming and scholarship support resources on Michigan’s higher education campuses. This includes, but is not limited to:
● Youth and alumni of foster care
● DHS case managers and education planners
● Local College Access Network coordinators
● Foster parents and caregivers
● High school counselors and college advisors
Includes: Ferris State, Michigan State, University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. http://www.detroitcollegepromise.com/fostercare.pdf
Getting to Outcomes: An Approach to Implementing Systemic Change [Webinar].
2012 Spring Webinar Series of the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement. Page includes a very long list of webinars for child welfare organizational enhancement including the title webinar. You can click on the headline if the link isn’t visible in the text. Link to Page with Webinars
Realistic Job Previews (RJPs)
Links to RJP videos from different States (including Michigan). Supplemental materials to describe and enhance the information in the videos include: A one page summary explaining the development, use, and effectiveness of RJP videos on the recruitment, selection, and retention of child welfare workers and a resource list of projects, tools, and training on recruitment, screening, and selection of child welfare workers. RJPs are designed to present a balanced view of both the rewards and demands of child welfare positions in order to align the goals and expectations of applicants with the requirements of child welfare work. The goal of an RJP is to improve the fit between the applicant and the job, increasing job satisfaction and reducing the number of new staff who quit because their job roles and demands were not what they had envisioned. Link to Videos Page
New Policy Brief: Court-Based Child Welfare Reforms: Improved Child/Family Outcomes and Potential Cost Savings
This policy brief describes court-based child welfare reforms that resulted in improved outcomes for children and families, and potential state/local agency cost savings. The reforms fall into several categories. Some focus on improving family engagement, access to services, and judicial decision-making. Others improve outcomes by operating as a quality-control mechanism for the child welfare system. All successful reforms share common traits: strong judicial leadership and vision about how the child welfare system should serve families, dedicated professionals, and cross-system collaboration. Includes a piece on an Expedited Reunification Docket in Wayne County MI. Link to Downloadable Policy Brief