December 2023 Issue 69

Holiday Events for the Family

Looking for holiday family fun that won't break the bank? There are major holiday events happening around the state in the coming weeks. Here is a list of upcoming events with free admission (may cost for activities, etc.) for your family to enjoy. There are plenty of opportunities to get out of town and explore new communities!

Foster Care Review Board

Aviva Children's Services Gift Distribution

Sign Up Closes 12/8
Volunteer Sign Up

Run Home Camps

RUN HOME CAMPS - DECEMBER 27-31 2023 BOYS AGES 9-12 IN FOSTER CARE

There is NO cost to attend Run Home Camps. Applicants will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis until the camp is full.

Camp will be held in Glendale, AZ December 27-31 and is an overnight camp. It's for boys in foster care only. They have professional baseball players and volunteers who have a camp, learn and play some baseball, have fun and create childhood memories.

The boy DOES NOT need to have any baseball experience (as many children in foster care haven't played sports).

www.runhomecamps.org

Sign Up Here

Reminder: Social Security Number Requests

Tax season is coming up quicker than any of us want it to, so start preparing now! Ask the DCS Specialist for the social security numbers of the children in your care to ensure that you have the information before taxes are due!

Per DCS Policy Chapter 4: Section 6: If requested for a lawful purpose, the Department shall provide a foster parent or kinship caregiver with the social security number of a child in the foster parent’s or kinship caregiver’s care within 90 days of the foster parent’s or kinship caregiver’s request (verbal or written).

If a child does not currently have a SSN assigned, the request to have one assigned by the Social Security Administration can take around 60 days. However, if the child also does not have a birth certificate, that will need to be requested and received before the SSN request can be submitted. An in-state birth certificate should only take about 30 days to process and receive, unless the child was not born in a hospital or is a foundling. That process can take much longer, depending on the information that is available. The timeframe for out-of-state birth certificate requests varies by state and can take several months.

Per DCS Policy Chapter 4: Section 6: Within 30 days of the child entering out-of-home care, the Department shall request a birth certificate for a child who is in the custody of the Department and in out-of-home care, unless the child is returned to the custody of the child’s parent within that 30-day period.

If you have requested the social security number and have not received it within 60 days of the initial request, please follow up with the DCS Specialist. If the process is not moving along as it should and you feel the need to elevate the issue, please follow the Complaint Management Procedure as outlined in DCS Policy Chapter 7: Section 17: Complaints should be resolved among those most familiar with the situation and who have the ability to resolve the complaint. Case-related complaints should be first addressed with the DCS Specialist and may be elevated to the DCS Specialist's Supervisor if not satisfactorily resolved. After attempting to resolve the complaint with the DCS Program Supervisor, the complainant may elevate the concern to the Program Manager. After attempting to resolve the complaint with the Program Manager, the complainant may elevate the concern to the Office of the Ombudsman through the Online complaint form (www.azdcs.gov), by telephone (602-364-0777 or toll-free at 877-527-0765), or by email Ombudsman@azdcs.gov. If you need the contact information for the DCS Specialist or Supervisor, it is listed in Guardian under your Service Approvals. Warmline can also assist in providing the information or facilitating communication: 877-543-7633 option 3.

DCS Policy and Procedure Manual

Free Course: Navigating the Maze of Special Education

Register Here

Mentor Program

Arizonans for Children have mentors available for kiddos between the ages of 5-18 with an open DCS case in Maricopa County. Children can be in any placement setting, including licensed, kinship, and congregate care. Children cannot have a current safety plan due to behavior, as volunteers are not professionally trained to manage that level of need. Anyone on the child's team can complete the application, as long as they have sufficient information on the child's case.

Apply Here

PAXIS Institute Training

Did you know...PAXIS Institute is partnering with AHCCCS to provide fully-funded trauma-informed evidence-based trainings to caregivers, human service professionals, and teachers across Arizona?

We are now also offering our school-based trainings specific to early childhood Educators and educators of adolescents! If your child fits into one of these groups, please consider forwarding these free training opportunities to their teachers and administrators:

Click below to register for an upcoming PAX Good Behavior Game Teacher training!

PAX GBG for Early Childhood Teachers

PAX GBG for Adolescent Teachers

To register for a free PAX Caregiver Workshop, email info@paxis.org or visit www.paxarizona.org!

Foster Cooperative

Foster Cooperative is an open-sourced online community powered by Foster Arizona for anyone helping children and youth facing adversity to find connections, peer support, quality resources and training, community events, and innovative communication methods to be empowered with tools needed to succeed.

More Info

Boys & Girls Clubs - Free After School Programming

Register

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.

Upcoming Events
More Info

The Foster Alliance

The Foster Alliance provides essential needs for children in foster care in an effort to help every foster child feel safe and loved. Our programs provide beds, clothing, hygiene items, birthday packages, backpacks filled with school supplies, licensing safety items, foster footlockers, and more. Our services are open to kinship and foster families with a current Notice to Provider.

Learn More

Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents

AZAFAP wants to support you and the children in your family (foster, kinship, adopted, biological). We are a non-profit, statewide organization that serves families who adopt children and provide foster and kinship care. Working in partnership with child welfare professionals and the community, our purpose is to support, educate, empower, and provide a unified voice for Arizona’s foster and adoptive families, with the goal of increasing the well-being and stability of Arizona’s most vulnerable children. AZAFAP’s programming is open to all foster, kinship, and adoptive families in Arizona. Basic membership is free and includes a subscription to our monthly newsletter with information and resources, our online support groups, and some of our training. Premier membership is available for an annual fee of $75 for two-parent families and a discounted rate of $50 for single-parent families. Premier members are eligible to participate in all program activities. Our programming includes Family Connections events like camps, picnics, and staycations, Family Support Services such as training, Children’s Basic Needs with new shoes, jackets, toys, bikes, and Community Awareness events. Join us today before the Family Camp registration opens! Visit www.azafap.org/membership for more information.

Sign up on our Event Calendar! If you aren’t a member yet, check out our free membership so you can sign up! Ever need adult conversation during the week? We also have weekly drop-in chats on the calendar on Tuesdays and Fridays!

Request a Mentor
Email Michelle
Membership

Christian Family Care Training

Family Care Learning

Helen's Hope Chest

At Helen's Hope Chest, our mission is to engage the community to provide for the basic needs of children and teens in foster and kinship care. Helen's provides more than just clothes for kids in care. It is important that every youth who comes through our door feels a sense of confidence, acceptance, and dignity. Our boutique environment allows kids to choose their favorite items and feel like they are in a regular store, all at no cost to the foster/kinship family.

Families with a current foster or kinship placement are encouraged to call us at 480-969-5411 to schedule an appointment.

Learn More

A Mighty Change of Heart

A Mighty Change of Heart provides FREE duffle bags to foster children with new, age-appropriate items inside: 2 outfits, shoes & socks, underwear, a book, diapers/wipes, hygiene items, and more. These bags have the children’s names embroidered on them and are something that they can call their very own. They have delivered over 3,500 bags across the state.

Please check out their website for more information: www.amchaz.com. If your family, business, church group, or school would be interested in holding a donation drive, please contact A Mighty Change of Heart. Items are always needed.

Request a Bag

Aviva Children's Services - Tucson

More Than a Bed - Tucson

More Than A Bed

Spreading Threads - Tucson

Spreading Threads is a grassroots, nonprofit community clothing bank that provides free clothes to foster youth in southern Arizona. The organization was founded by two foster moms in Tucson who have fostered and adopted several children in Arizona. Your donations go directly to local children in need. On the second Saturday of each month, foster, adoptive, and kinship families can visit the clothing bank. A Notice to Provider will be needed. The clothing bank events are held at 2945 N Flowing Wells in Tucson.

Spreading Threads Events

STEP Training- Tucson

Support, Tools, and Education for Parents (STEP) is designed to build positive relationships between family members. It provides a safe space to discuss topics that may be too difficult to talk about at home. These conversations are about peer pressure, stress, and the importance of working together as a team. When caregivers and children work together, it creates a stronger family! The Children’s Advocacy Center understands that family does not always mean a biological parent and child. STEP is a program that will benefit the whole family, including biological, foster, kinship, and adoptive families.

Families enrolled in STEP will meet virtually each week. Each session consists of different topics, such as communication, stress management, substance abuse prevention, and how to talk to your child about difficult topics (identifying potential child abusers, child abuse, healthy and concerning sexualized behavior), each session building on the next. Child care will be available when classes are offered in person again. For questions, please contact Jackie Ballesteros at jballesteros@soazadvocacy.org or 520-724-2148.

More Info

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 and contact information in order to receive a call back.

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.

Keonte

If you want an active sports fanatic, Keonte is your guy! Keonte spends much of his free time playing on his school's basketball team, flag football, and running cross country. He is also very academically gifted! Keonte is even learning to play the cello at school. When he's not at school or practicing with his teams, you will find him playing with friends.

Keonte was born in 2010.

Learn more about Keonte

Oscar and Omar

Meet Oscar and Omar! They share a strong bond and enjoy playing video games and working out together. While Omar used to play football and basketball, he's now into volleyball. They both really like collecting Pokemon and enjoy Chinese food. Pop and rap music are their favorites. Omar looks out for Oscar and takes on the protective role. Their favorite family activities include watching movies, playing board games, and going on hikes.

Omar was born in 2008, and Oscar was born in 2010.

Learn more about Oscar and Omar

Shenelle

Shenelle is a loyal and goofy young lady who has such a creative mind! She has a passion for singing, and if she trusts you, she will share this hidden talent of hers. When Shenelle grows up, she desires to put this talent to work and become a professional singer. Her other hobbies include basketball and origami. Shenelle dreams of going to Disney World and riding the Tower of Terror and eating Jack Cookies. Shenelle would like to attend GCU when she gets older.

Shenelle was born in 2010.

Learn more about Shenelle

AZ Families Thrive is published monthly by the Arizona Department of Child Safety to inform foster, kinship, and adoptive families across the state. Rhiannon Schaudt-Hobkirk created this edition. Please feel free to email with questions, comments, or content you may be interested in seeing in future editions. Sign up to receive email updates when new issues are posted.

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent? Call us: 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633) or email us: FosterAdoption@azdcs.gov. Visit us online: www.azkidsneedu.gov.

To report child abuse or neglect: 1-888-SOS-CHILD