These webpages identify external resources on specific topics of interest to foster, kinship and adoptive families.
From the National Child Welfare Information Gateway at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, this fact sheet is designed to help kin caregivers—including grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and other relatives as well as family friends caring for children— work effectively with the child welfare system.
It also includes resources, such as links to more detailed information or places to find support, to help you learn about and navigate the child welfare system.
May 2022
Fact sheet
From the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center, this fact sheet address a number of key issues kinship caregivers face when support their kin in school.
Education is high on the to-do lists of kin and grandfamily caregivers. Accessing educational services for children in their care can be difficult. Frequently, kin/grandfamily caregivers lack legal custody of the children and/or are unfamiliar with the local education system. This resource is designed to help direct-service professionals assist caregivers in ensuring the children they raise have the educational experiences needed to thrive.
January 2023
Fact sheet
Originally broadcast live on January 17, 2023, this Formed Families Forward-hosted webinar featured panelists:
Nate Sheets, Behavior Consultant and Parent Coach at Oregon Behavior Consultation, https://cognitivesupports.com/
Carson Kautz-Turnbull, 5th year graduate student at the University of Rochester, working with Dr. Christie Petrenko. ckautz@ur.rochester.edu Ms. Kautz-Turnbull shared this resource for families and educators: Families Moving Forward Connect project and related app: https://fmfconnect.com/
Kelly Henderson, PhD, Executive Director, Formed Families Forward
Additional scholarly resources suggested by Ms. Kautz-Turnbull are also provided here.
Recording of Panel webinar
Self care in Caregivers of Children with FASD
A Mobile Health Intervention for FASD Families Moving Forward Connect
Initial Feasbility of the Families Moving Forward Connect App
A meta analytic review of adaptive functioning in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and the effect of IQ, executive functioning, and age
Strengths and Positive Influences of Children with FASD
Originally broadcast on January 10, 2023. this webinar was presented by Annie Tulkin, MS, Accessible College LLC.
Webinar presentation slides
Webinar recording
Accessible College Resources from presenter Annie Tulkin
This infographic from Formed Families Forward’s Critical Crossroads resources overviews the issues around trauma impact on children and youth with disabilities.
Critical Crossroads Infographic
This federal letter from the US Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services issued 11/10/22 to State Special Education Directors clarifies requirements for highly mobile children and youth such as military-connected children, migratory children, children who are homeless, and children in the foster care system.
Specific issues addressed are:
From VCU’s Center on Transitions Innovation, this brief factsheet covers strategies for educating, collaborating and engaging families of transition-age youth and young adults with disabilities.
Transition Process fact sheet
From FFF and the WAZE to Transition project at PEATC, this fact sheet is designed for youth in foster care. It overviews individualized education programs (IEPs) and foster care transition plans.
A Spanish version of the fact sheet is also available.
Transition Planning Foster Care Fact Sheet
Spanish Transition Planning Foster Care Fact Sheet en Espanol
Presented live on October 12, 2022, this webinar presented by FFF’s Renee Myers, NCSP, offered an overview of informal and formal special education dispute resolution techniques.
Recording of webinar
Slides from Webinar presentation
Originally offered live on September 21, 2022, this webinar from FFF was presented by Nina Manganaris, Deputy Director, and Ebony Thompson, experienced bio and foster mom. The reasons behind stressful transitions as well as coping strategies were covered.
Webinar recording
Slides
From the Home and Community Positive Behavior Support Network (HCPBS), this April 2022 webinar by Dr. Robin Wilson and Mariah Tricker focuses on Sexual Offending Behaviors.
webinar recording
This webpage provides updated information about available accommodations for earning credits needed for Virginia’s Standard and Advanced Studies diplomas.
VDOE Credit Accommodations for students with disabilities
Originally broadcast live on September 6, 2022, this webinar from FFF provides an overview of ADHD, recent federal policies and strategies for formed families impacted by the condition.
Recording of Back to School ADHD webinar
Presentation slides
This Toolkit from Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC, the Virginia statewide parent training and information center) reviews policy and procedures for filing a State complaint regarding an alleged violation of special education rules.
State Complaint Toolkit
Shared in 2022, these resources from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services offers youth and families great tools for planning for key medical, housing, social, educational and other supports as youth enter young adulthood.
Virginia Supported Decision Making Agreement fill-in document
How to fill out the Virginia Supported Decision Making Agreement document
Virginia Supported Decision Making Discovery Tool
Virginia Supported Decision Making Relationship Map
Plain language authorization for education release of information
Plain language authorization for medical release of information
A product of the WAZE to Adulthood project, developed by Formed Families Forward. This fact sheet offers tips and best practices for implementing strong transition planning for youth and young adults with disabilities who are also in foster care. Virginia-specific policies and resources are provided.
Designed for parents, caregivers, professional partners and others.
From the US Office of Special Education programs, this set of guidance Questions and Answers addresses special education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA) requirements applicable to children with disabilities placed by their parents or caregivers in private schools, who are not enrolled in public school system.
This was updated in February 2022.
Q & A guidance
From the National Center for School Safety and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, this toolkit offers school personnel, families and other stakeholders guidance and strategies for implementing trauma-informed and resilience-oriented schools.
This tip sheet provides parents and allies of youth and young adults with lived experience of a mental health condition tips be able to improve their connection with them. This tip sheet was developed as a collaboration between the family member and young adult advisory boards that work with the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research at University of Massachusetts. The tips are based on advisory board members’ real experiences.
FASD United, formerly National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, NOFAS, works to prevent prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, and other substances known to harm fetal development by raising awareness and supporting women before and during their pregnancy, and supports individuals, families, and communities living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) and other preventable intellectual/developmental disabilities.