July 2024 Issue 76

One Last Summertime Hurrah

Schools across Arizona are starting up in the next few weeks, and summer break will come to an end. If you're looking for one last family outing before closing out the summer, check out these events around Arizona. (NOTE: DCS is not affiliated with nor do we endorse any of these activities or organizations. This is simply for informational purposes.)

The Great Garden Express - Tucson Botanical Gardens - June 1 to September 30 - The Great Garden Express brings classic model trains to life! Walk under elevated tracks and spot engines pulling passenger cars and freight through tunnels and over bridges; listen as the trains chug through the Arizona landscape and beloved National Park landmarks.

Apple Annie's Orchard - Willcox - Multiple Events - Apple Annie's is a family farming operation that began in the 1980s with 6,000 apple trees. The farm has grown and now hosts a variety of events each year, including Sweet Corn Extravaganza (July and August), Taste of Summer (July), Peach Mania (July and August), Green Chili Roast (August), and Apple Harvest Celebration (August and September).

Saturday Morning Summer Rides - Verde Canyon Railroad, Clarkdale – Tuesdays and Saturdays through September - Summer in the Sedona area is the perfect time for early morning excursions, and Verde Canyon Railroad offers eye-opening morning runs. The train pulls out at 10:30 a.m. when the day is new, and the adventure is just beginning. These morning trips feature amazing appetizers and a Champagne toast. Start your day off with a fresh canyon view, and have the afternoon to explore other activities in the Verde Valley area.

Summer Safari Nights - Reid Park Zoo, Tucson – July and August - Beat the heat and explore the outdoors with Reid Park Zoo’s Summer Safari Nights on Saturday evenings! Each week will feature keeper chats, animal encounters, artifact stations, giraffe feedings, carousel rides, crafts and games. Face painting and glitter tattoos will be available for purchase. Refresh with dinner and a cold drink at the Flamingo Grill, listen to live music by some of Tucson’s best bands. Take a ride on the Cox Jungle Carousel, and play games with Tucson Parks and Recreation’s ‘Ready, Set, Rec!’ There will be a different theme each week, so every visit brings something new and plenty of photo opportunities to remember a great evening.

Prescott Frontier Days – July 1-7 - There is no better way to spend a summer evening than at the World’s Oldest Rodeo. Rodeos have been thrilling crowds since the 1800s. Across the country, people have enjoyed watching everyday ranch skills transformed into high-level competition. Contestants tackle daring feats and prove their grit to tame the wild west by displaying courage and grit. The rodeo experience at Prescott Frontier Days, Inc. is as exciting as it is unique! Learn what to expect between the roping and the rodeo action!

Payson Book Festival – July 13 - The seventh annual Payson Book Festival will showcase about 90 Arizona authors who signed and sold fiction and non-fiction books of many genres and promoted literacy at a celebration of books for readers of all ages. New this year, we also have the Rim Country Artists on site to talk about and sell their art of all kinds. Activities include: Kid Zone sessions for youngsters, author presentations, cowboy poetry and songs, and entertainment.

Annual Hopi Arts & Cultural Festival - Flagstaff - August 24 - The Hopi Festival brings to Flagstaff public education by way of art, traditional social dances, and information on Hopi culture. The event is a bridge that allows the City of Flagstaff and surrounding communities to come together and learn from one another through unity, happiness, and stewardship of the earth from all people of different walks of life.

Foster Teens, Foster Hope

Often, the thought of fostering children older than elementary age can be scary. Typical teen hormones plus trauma is daunting. But even with the extra care that these kiddos need, teens are the best age range to foster! Why?

1. You can provide family dinners for a teen who has never had them.
2. Teens sleep through the night. And sometimes half the morning.
3. You can provide a home to come back to, after teens go to college.
4. Teens will let you know when your old clothes are back in style.
5. You get to make a difference and see the impact you’ve made as your teen grows and matures.
6. Less time on the phone with tech support; your teens can help with your I.T. issues.
7. Great reason to go to all the high school football and basketball games again.
8. You won’t have to read teens the same book fifteen times every night.
9. You can practice your patience, kindness, and empathy.
10. You’re younger now than you would be when a baby becomes a teenager, so you get to enjoy fun teen activities before your body hurts all the time.
11. You won’t have to guess what they need, because they can tell you themselves.
12. No diapers.
13. Everyone deserves to be special to someone.

Currently, there are 8,490 youth in DCS care, with 1,493 (18%) of those children in group homes. One of DCS's major goals for 2024 is to decrease the number of youth in congregate care to no more than 10%, meaning we need family foster homes for 644 youth. The quickest, easiest, and most successful way to do this is for our current licensed foster families to open up their age range to include older youth. There are absolutely going to be challenges with teenagers (puberty, hormones, etc.) that will come sooner rather than later, but there are resources available to educate and support families through the adjustment.

There are infinite approaches to parenting teens, and what works for one child may not work for another, particularly when it comes to youth in care. Listed below are some training options to help build your skills. Some are free, and some have fees; some are in person, and others are virtual. None are reviewed, required, or recommended by DCS; the information is simply being made available to families. Check with your agency to see if any of these would count toward your recertification hours. And if you're interested in fostering teens, reach out to your licensing agency to get started on a license amendment!

Child Crisis Arizona offers both in-person and virtual trainings including: A Guide to Healthy Teen Dating, Anger Management for Children, Drug Trends, Healing Trauma, and so much more. There are also courses on-demand, so they can be completed on your schedule!

Empowering Breakthrough offers Trauma Informed Approach Workshops, the objective of which is for each participant to understand and recognize the basics of trauma, how it can affect themselves & others, learn tools to help gain cooperation & prevent escalation, along with resilience & self-care techniques to promote the student’s positive mental health while dealing with traumatic events and those affected by them.

ParentArizona offers Love and Logic training, which is a very popular parenting style based on the books Parenting with Love and Logic and Parenting Teens with Love and Logic. They also offer a class for parenting children with ADHD, Autism, and other developmental delays.

Leadership Society of Arizona offers a parenting course based on the book No-Influence Mentoring: Understanding Teenagers and Encouraging Their Success. The virtual course teaches parents how to help teens with stress management, goal-setting, and personal discovery. The organization also offers leadership camps and online leadership programs for teens.

Arizona Youth Partnership offers a variety of programs, including the Stronger Families Project, which builds a positive relationship between parents and their youth; Youth Mental Health First Aid, a program designed to teach caregivers how to help an adolescent who is experiencing a mental health challenge or is in crisis; Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience, which supports the healing process in young people who have experienced trauma; and 360 Substance Misuse Training, a research-based curriculum to raise awareness of the prescription problem, the risks of misuse, resistance strategies, and methods for proper storage and disposal.

Parent Encouragement Program has classes for all age groups at all price points. Their teen classes include: Defusing Sibling Rivalry, Creating Healthy Sleep Habits with Tweens & Teens, Exploring Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity, Breaking Masculinity Stereotypes to Raise Emotionally Resilient Boys, and so much more.

Priceless Parenting has created an 11-lesson, self-paced course targeted to parents of children ages 13 to 18. The course will show parents how to guide teens rather than trying to control them, know how to calmly respond rather than emotionally react, and set healthy limits that keep kids safe without over-restricting them.

Creating A Family offers virtual, on-demand courses with topics such as Trauma-Informed Parenting: Practical Applications of TBRI, Impact of Loss on Foster Kids and Foster Parents, How to Raise an Anti-Racist Child, and several others.

Foster-Training offers an annual subscription for unlimited training, which includes courses such as Helping your Teen Cope with Traumatic Stress and Substance Abuse, Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents, How Birth and Foster Parent Partnerships Can Help Families Reunify, and several trainings focused on various mental health and developmental disorders, including Autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, RAD, eating disorders, and others.

FosterClub offers courses including Supporting Higher Education Success, Health Care for Transition-Age Foster Youth, Fostering Young People of a Different Race, Helping Youth Prepare for the Transition to Adulthood, and more.

Foster Parent College has an extensive library of online courses available to expand your skill set. Topics include Preparing Teens for Postsecondary Education, Reducing Family Stress, and trainings about specific behaviors and issues.

Therapeutic Foster Care Licensing

There is always a need for more licensed caregivers. Currently, the need for specialized caregivers is at an all-time high. Therapeutic Foster Homes are caregiver homes that are licensed with a maximum capacity of three foster children, and each caregiver has received specialized training to provide care and services within a support system of clinical and consultative services to children with special behavioral health needs, as identified by the Department.

In addition to meeting the requirements for a regular license, the caregiver for a Therapeutic Foster Home shall:

• Be at least 21 years of age
• Have at least one of the following minimum experience or education: one year’s experience as a licensed foster caregiver; three months "successful experience in child welfare, foster care, behavioral health, education, or a related profession" as approved by OLR (DCS's Office of Licensing and Regulation); a bachelor's or graduate degree in health care, social work, psychology, or a related behavioral health field
• Not have employment or commitments that interfere with the caregiver's ability to meet the child's special behavioral health needs
• Provide the child with opportunities to participate in developmentally appropriate community-based activities on a regular basis
• Develop and follow an alternate supervision plan, approved by the Child Placing Agency and the licensing agency, if the caregiver is not available to provide primary care and supervision for a child with treatment needs
• Complete training to care for the special needs of a child, as indicated in the placement agreement
• In addition to the training specified under R21-6-303, complete a minimum of 24 hours of training prior to license renewal. The Department shall approve the training curriculum and coordinate the training curriculum through a licensing agency. The training shall include: positive behavior development and de-escalation techniques, the purpose and safe use of medications, and overview of medication interactions and potential medication reactions.

The agencies that provide Therapeutic Foster Care licensing are listed below. As with regular licensing, do your research and choose an agency that is the best fit for your family.

• A New Leaf
• AASK
• Arizona Faith and Families
• Arizona’s Children Association
• Catholic Charities Community Services
• Catholic Community Services of Southern AZ
• HRT
• Human Services Consultants
• Intermountain
• La Paloma
• Pathways of Arizona
• Rise

Special Allowances

As we move into the new fiscal year on 7/1/24, children in out-of-home care become eligible for the Special Allowances once more: Books/Education, Emergency Clothing, and Special Needs. Some DCS Specialists will request these items automatically as the fiscal year begins. However, there is no standard practice regarding the allowances, so be sure to reach out to the assigned Specialist to request the allowances that the child needs.

Mercy Care Training

Mercy Care and Southwest Human Development are hosting a virtual training series about understanding the mental health, developmental, social and emotional needs of young children from birth to five years.

Supporting young children with developmental disabilities or delays

• DATE: Thursday, July 25
• TIME: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

This training session will focus on:

• The importance of relationships in early childhood development
• Safety and security in attachment relationships to support development
• Communication and collaboration between the children’s systems of care and families
• Resources for young children

Foster Adoptive Kinship Training Series

Foster Adoptive Kinship Training Series (FAKTS) Trauma Informed Care (TIC) sessions:

• September 3, 2024 1:00-3:30 PM TIC09032024
• November 12, 2024 2:00-4:30 PM TIC11122024

What you will learn during the training:

• An understanding of what Trauma Informed Care (TIC) means for you and the children in your care.
• What are the key elements to Trauma Informed Care and how they apply to you
• The impact of Adverse Child Experiences (ACEs)

As a result of experiencing this course, you can:

• Apply TIC to help build your relationship with children
• Empathize with a child who has experienced trauma
• Describe the importance of relationships in trauma recovery

FREE Family Fun Pool Party

Your family is invited to join Foster Arizona for a FREE Family Fun Pool Party!

• DATE: Saturday, July 6
• TIME: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM (must arrive by 7:00 PM)
• LOCATION: Hamilton Aquatic Center, 3838 S Arizona Ave, Chandler 85248
• REQUIREMENTS: Adults are required to stay with registered child(ren).
• REGISTRATION: Each adult & child must be registered.
• COST: FREE (includes pizza & a treat)
• Families must have one child in foster, kinship or guardianship care, or be recently reunified.
• Immediate family only.
• Maximum of TWO adults per registration.

All Girls Matter EmpowHERment Conference

This empowering event aims to provide a safe and supportive space for girls to explore their dreams and boost their self esteem and address mental health challenges. Through engaging workshops, inspiring speakers, and interactive activities, attendees will gain valuable tools and resources to navigate their journeys with confidence.

Keynote speakers include renowned mental health experts, successful entrepreneurs and influential role models who will share their personal stories and strategies for overcoming obstacles. Topics covered will include mental well-being, self-care practices, goal-setting, and building resilience.

• July 20, 2024
• 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
• Phoenix Community College
• Registration is FREE for Girls Ages 9-18 (Chaperones are also FREE)
• For more information contact us at (312)544-0980 or via email at americasbigsis@gmail.com.

OLR Reminders

When you begin fostering, veteran caregivers will often tell you that it is not a matter of "if" but "when" there is a licensing concern. In most cases, it is easily remedied and often preventable. Below are some reminders from the OLR Concerns Unit to help you out:

• Food hoarding is a very typical and appropriate response to past trauma and should not be punished. Instead, foster parents should work cooperatively with the child’s behavioral health team to strategize methods and techniques to assist the child with using appropriate coping mechanisms while ensuring that the child feels safe, secure, and confident that the next meal/snack is going to be provided. Inappropriate responses include locking the refrigerator and/or cabinets to prevent a foster child from accessing food (which is a violation of R21-6-308 Positive Discipline and R21-6-312 Meals and Nutritional Needs).
• Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standard (RPPS) does not apply to foster children placed in a therapeutic environment. In accordance with R21-6-306 Supervisory Responsibilities and R21-6-331 Requirements for Certification to Provide for Specialized Services, foster children placed in a therapeutic environment are required to have constant supervision; if a foster parent is unable to provide supervision, an alternative supervision plan must be developed and implemented. This includes situations such as walking to school, hanging out with friends, participating in events, or attending functions (regardless of age of foster child).
• All cribs in all foster homes for all children (regardless of whether the child is foster child, relative, friend, adopted child, or biological child) must comply with Safe Sleep guidelines as specified in R21-6-311 Bedrooms, Beds, and Bedding.
• A foster home is required to maintain compliance with all family foster home licensing rules, regulations, policies, and guidelines regardless of whether there is a foster child placed in the foster home, for the entire duration of the foster home license term. If the foster home license is valid (not closed, withdrawn, revoked, or denied), compliance must be maintained. A foster home license that has an open DCS Report and/or licensing concern is considered valid even though children cannot be placed in the foster home until OLR has reviewed and set issued final disposition (which is done on ALL DCS Reports and licensing concerns).

Your licensing agency is partnered with DCS to be your family's support throughout your fostering journey, including bumps in the road. Reach out to your licensing worker for resources, such as support groups or a mentor who has experienced something similar.

Chauncey Ranch Foster Family Summer Weekends

AASK Sibling Connection Volunteers

AASK is excited to announce the relaunch of the Sibling Program. Closed due to COVID, AASK is once again accepting referrals. It is well documented that: “When siblings cannot be placed together, facilitating regular contact is critical to maintaining these relationships. Regular contact may even affect permanency outcomes. Findings from the Child and Family Services Reviews conducted in all states found a significant association between visiting with parents and siblings and both permanency and well-being outcomes."

We are seeking more volunteers to help with the transportation of youth in care. Please see the attached flyer for "what it takes" to volunteer with us.

No Cost Service to Help Youth Prepare for Success!

Ser Kallai Shine Symposium 2024

ASA Now

ASA Now is a non-profit organization that ADVOCATES for, SUPPORTS, and ASSISTS children and families impacted by foster care. We are passionate about providing support to families and professionals by restoring hope and empowering them to better serve these children in need.

Services we offer include tutoring & extracurricular activities, food pantry, clothing, and meeting basic necessities. Other services include life skills for youth, respite care, therapeutic programs, family activities, peer-to-peer support groups, education and training on utilizing Jacob's Law to obtain behavioral health services, providing resources to families and caregivers to successfully navigate the foster care system, raising awareness, recruiting new foster families, and advocating for families and their children.

Warmline Supports Kinship and Foster Families

The Foster Parent Warmline is available for kinship families and licensed foster parents. While not an emergency number, Warmline staff can assist with information, timely communication, and support. It is not intended to discourage or replace direct and regular communication between the DCS Specialist and the out-of-home caregiver. You can reach the Warmline by calling 1-877-KIDSNEEDU (1-877-543-7633) and selecting Option 3. Please leave a message with your name, the child's name, DOB, and dates of placement/departure, as well as an explanation of the issue. You may also send an email to Warmline@azdcs.gov and include the above information.

Children's Heart Gallery

More than 70 percent of the children in need of forever families are adopted by their relatives or foster parents. For the remainder, special recruitment efforts like the Heart Gallery are used to connect them with a forever family.

The children featured in the Heart Gallery represent all ethnic groups and range in age from toddlers to teenagers. Some have special behavioral or medical needs, some are without siblings, and others are in groups of siblings.

Payton