Advocacy

Meet The Indiana Department of Child Services New Director

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Indiana Department of Child Services Logo

IFAAP is looking forward and meeting the Indiana Department of Child Services New Director Terry Stigdon. We will work with Director Stigdon to bring about positive changes for the Foster Children of Indiana and the families who care for them.

IFAAP Welcome’s Director Terry Stigdon! For more on this story click on this link. http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/37154004/holcomb-names-dcs-director-calls-for-department-review

 

Senator Jon Ford Authors Foster Parent Bill Of Rights

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IFAAP is EXCITED to announce Senator Jon Ford from the 38th District has Authored Senate Bill 233 FOSTER PARENT BILL OF RIGHTS.  IFAAP CEO Kristi Cundiff and members have had several meetings with Senator Ford concerning the struggles that foster parents face in Indiana while trying to provide the best possible care for their foster children. Senator Ford has always taken the time out of his busy schedule to meet with us.

To view more on the Foster Parent Bill of Rights click on this link.

 

IFAAP Members Attend Governor Holcomb Luncheon at ISU

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Kristi Cundiff, IFAAP CEO, member Kara Cook, and Suzy Roth from Hands of Hope Adoption and Orphan Ministry attend the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on the campus of Indiana State University. Governor Eric Holcomb spoke about his Workforce Development Plan. They had an informal chat, shared IFAAP, and #MajorMovement information with Governor Holcomb.

IFAAP CEO Kristi Cundiff and Senator Jon Ford Discuss Trauma-Informed Care

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Indiana Foster & Adoptive Parents CEO Kristi Cundiff and Senator Jon Ford

Thank you to Senator Jon Ford for meeting with me today. I am amazed that Senator Ford is always available to listen to our issues and concerns. He is really working hard on research and legislation for Indiana to become a Trauma-Informed Care State. We are blessed!

IFAAP Members Meet with Reps. Alan Morrison and Bob Heaton

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Indiana Foster & Adoptive Parents with Alan Morrison

A big THANK YOU to Representatives Alan Morrison and Bob Heaton for meeting today with our AWESOME MEMBERS. We discussed our three priorities going into 2018:

  1. Invest & Protect
    • Child care financial assistance, where we shared results of our IFAAP survey feedback that many foster parents would take, or consider taking, more children if there were funding for child care
    • Car seat safety and certification, to prevent car seat-related tragedies like Major Maxie’s
  2. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)
    • We discussed the importance of having school and day care personnel TIC-trained so they know how to best work with children who have experienced trauma and are unable to effectively communicate their feelings
    • We highlighted the value of becoming a TIC state to attract providers and facilities who specialize in TIC
  3. Follow the Fed
    • Talked about the importance of adhering to the SAFE Families Act termination guidelines to get children into permanent homes more quickly to give them stability

We also highlighted some of the issues the Department of Child Services is facing, how it affects the children, and our recommendations for closing those gaps. We walked away from our meeting feeling that we had been heard, and that our representatives had a much better understanding of our challenges and solutions.

Pictured from left to right are Mike and Amy Brown Cunningham, Lisa Hughes, Representative Morrison, Antoinette Williams, and Kristi Cundiff, IFAAP Administrator and CEO. Not pictured: Representative Bob Heaton and his wife, Jane Ann Heaton.

IFAAP Members Meet with John Hammond of Governor Holcomb’s Staff

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Indiana Foster & Adoptive Parents at Governor Holcomb's Office

Our Meeting at the Governor’s Office was AMAZING! We met with a key member of Governor Holcomb‘s staff, Mr. John Hammond, who oversees the operations of Indiana’s Department of Child Services, as well as other agencies. It was one of the most productive meetings yet! In the our meeting we discussed the following IFAAP priorities:

  1. Invest & Protect
    • Child care financial assistance, where we shared results of our IFAAP survey feedback that many foster parents would take, or consider taking, more children if there were funding for child care, and how the CANS assessment was never designed to put a cost on taking care of a child
    • Car seat safety and certification, to prevent car seat-related tragedies like Major Maxie’s
  2. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)
    • We discussed the importance of having school and day care personnel TIC-trained so they know how to best work with children who have experienced trauma and are unable to effectively communicate their feelings
    • We highlighted the value of becoming a TIC state to attract providers and facilities who specialize in TIC
  3. Follow the Fed
    • Talked about the importance of DCS adhering to the SAFE Families Act termination guidelines to get children into permanent homes more quickly to give them stability

We also touched on the opioid epidemic and moms who are having multiple children. As we finished, we talked about meeting with Mr. Hammond and DCS officials every three months to be problem solvers. Our voices are being heard!

IFAAP Members Meet with Senators Ron Grooms and Jon Ford

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Indiana Foster & Adoptive Parents with Ron Grooms and Jon Ford

Members of IFAAP met with Senator Ron Grooms (seated at left) and Senator Jon Ford (seated at right) at the Indiana State Capitol today. Our group was very grateful for the opportunity to share information and ideas to help support foster children and the families who care for them. We discussed the following IFAAP priorities:

  1. Invest & Protect
    • Child care financial assistance, where we shared results of our IFAAP survey feedback that many foster parents would take, or consider taking, more children if there were funding for child care
    • Car seat safety and certification, to prevent car seat-related tragedies like Major Maxie’s
  2. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)
    • We discussed the importance of having school and day care personnel TIC-trained so they know how to best work with children who have experienced trauma and are unable to effectively communicate their feelings
    • We highlighted the value of becoming a TIC state to attract providers and facilities who specialize in TIC
  3. Follow the Fed
    • We talked about the importance of DCS adhering to the SAFE Families Act termination guidelines to get children into permanent homes more quickly to give them stability

Thank you to all of our members who took time out of their busy schedules to advocate for children and make a difference.