Navigation Paths to Adoption Through the Alaska Foster Care System: A Resource Guide for Potential Adoptive Parents

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Project ManagementAlaska has a higher than national average rate of adoption from foster care. While just over 20% of children in foster care nationally are discharged from state custody through adoption Alaska has nearly 30% of foster children discharged from state custody through adoption. There are a number of programs and resources available for foster parents and families interested in adopting through foster care in Alaska. However, there lacks a comprehensive single-point reference guide to explore the various paths. This research was conducted to identify resources available for families interested in learning about paths to adopt from foster care in Alaska as well as what gaps are perceived by families who have begun the process of adopting through foster care. A literature review was conducted and specific adoption program information was reduced to a synopsis or flowchart to generally outline each path to adoption through foster care. The final outcome of the project was a resource guide that outlines basic requirements to adopt through foster care and a number of programs to do so. The paths covered by this guide are the ACRF Adoption Learning Path, Legal-Risk Adoptions, OCS Recruitment of Legally Free Children, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, ACRF PARKA Program, Alaska Adoption Exchange, and Tribal and ICWA Adoption.Title Page / Table of Contents / List of Exhibits / List of Appendices / Abstract / Introduction / Planning, Executing and Controlling / Research Methods / Literature Review / Path 1: ACRF Adoption Learning Path / Path 2: Foster/Adoption (Legal-Risk) / Path 3: OCS Recruitment for Adoption of Legally Free Children / Path 4: Wendy's Wonderful Kids (Legally Free Children) / Path 5: ACRF PARKA Program / Path 6: Northwest Adoption Exchange / Path 7: Tribal and ICWA Adoption / Conclusions / References / Appendice

Economics of boar taint prevention without surgical castration in the pork chain

An economic analyses of boar taint prevention without surgical castration is lacking. This paper explores currently feasible alternatives to surgical castration along the pork chain. The considered alternatives include genetic selection (pig breeding stage); altering management strategies (pig growing stage); slaughter at younger age and lower weight (slaughtering stage). Control measures relevant to these alternatives were designed and examined, using costeffectiveness and cost-benefit analysis. Results show that the option of single-sex raising of entire males is more cost-effective compared to the mixed-sex option. The breeding programs combining selection on boar taint and economics are more cost-effective than programs focusing on boar taint only, and also much more cost-effective than slaughtering at a younger age and lower weigh

Growing together: expanding roles for social work practice in early childhood settings

In the United States, interest in early childhood development has grown dramatically over the past two decades and continues to expand. Increasing public support for programs and services that address the needs of young children and their families provides numerous opportunities for social work intervention. This article describes three major early childhood systems—early intervention, Early Head Start, and early care and education—and discusses ways that social workers can strengthen programs within these systems and improve outcomes for participating children and families. Social workers' understanding of and commitment to family-centered practice and cultural competence are highlighted. Opportunities for social workers to become involved in advocating for, developing, and leading high-quality early childhood programs and implications for social work education are also discussed.Accepted manuscrip

Connected by 25: Financing Policies and Practices that Support Permanency For Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

In an effort to strengthen philanthropic investments among its membership, the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) asked a group of policy experts to provide recommendations on how foundations can work to encourage effective policy solutions on issues affecting youth in transition to adulthood. The primary challenge was to think beyond the systemic silos that so deeply shape the services and expectations of youth and move towards an overall framework that could produce improved outcomes. YTFG's work is based on the Connected by 25 framework, in which all youth reach the following outcomes by age 25:Educational achievement in preparation for career and community participation, including a high school diploma, post-secondary degree, and/or vocational certificate trainingGainful employment and/or access to career training to achieve life-long economic successConnections to a positive support system -- namely, guidance from family members and caring adults, as well as access to health, counseling, and mental health servicesThe ability to be a responsible and nurturing parentThe capacity to be actively engaged in the civic life of one's communityThis issue brief offers a summary of those recommendations, focusing on four primary transition points that often threaten the ability for youth to be connected by age 25 to the institutions and support systems that help them succeed throughout life

Financing Policies and Practices that Support Permanency for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

This strategy brief is one of a series of briefs exploring strategies for financing supports and services that help foster youth make successful transitions to adulthood. It was written by The Finance Project with support from the Foster Care Work Group. The Foster Care Work Group (FCWG) is one of three work groups of the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), a collaboration of foundation leaders dedicated to improving the lives of the nation's most vulnerable young people. Foundation leaders participating in the YTFG are committed to achieving a common vision -- ensuring that vulnerable youth are connected by age 25 to institutions and support systems that will enable them to succeed throughout adulthood. The FCWG brings together foundation leaders with a shared interest in preparing youth in foster care for their transition out of the child welfare system and providing them pathways to lifelong economic well-being

Deterrence in Competition Law

This paper provides a comprehensive discussion of the deterrence properties of a competition policy regime. On the basis of the economic theory of law enforcement we identify several factors that are likely to affect its degree of deterrence: 1) sanctions and damages; 2) financial and human resources; 3) powers during the investigation; 4) quality of the law; 5) independence; and 6) separation of power. We then discuss how to measure deterrence. We review the literature that use surveys to solicit direct information on changes in the behavior of firms due to the threats posed by the enforcement of antitrust rules, and the literature based on the analysis of hard data. We finally argue that the most challenging task, both theoretically and empirically, is how to distinguish between “good” deterrence and “bad” deterrence

What works? A review of actions addressing the social and economic determinants of Indigenous health

Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to review evidence relating to ‘what works’ to influence the social and economic determinants of Indigenous health, in order to reduce health inequities, and ultimately contribute to closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We outline a conceptual framework for understanding how social and economic determinants influence health and wellbeing, and identify a number of key determinants of health. We review evidence relating to how each determinant is associated with Indigenous health and wellbeing, and then consider specific actions designed to improve Indigenous outcomes in each of these areas in order to determine the characteristics of successful initiatives. Based on our conceptual framework, we link successful actions which result in positive outcomes for Indigenous Australians in each of the key determinants to ultimately improving health and wellbeing and contributing towards ‘closing the gap’ in health and wellbeing. We note that many actions we consider only aim to improve the situation for Indigenous Australians in regard to that specific area (for example, education, housing) and were not devised to take direct action to improve health, even though the evidence indicates that those actions may be likely to contribute to improved health over the longer term

Evaluation Research and Institutional Pressures: Challenges in Public-Nonprofit Contracting

This article examines the connection between program evaluation research and decision-making by public managers. Drawing on neo-institutional theory, a framework is presented for diagnosing the pressures and conditions that lead alternatively toward or away the rational use of evaluation research. Three cases of public-nonprofit contracting for the delivery of major programs are presented to clarify the way coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures interfere with a sound connection being made between research and implementation. The article concludes by considering how public managers can respond to the isomorphic pressures in their environment that make it hard to act on data relating to program performance.This publication is Hauser Center Working Paper No. 23. The Hauser Center Working Paper Series was launched during the summer of 2000. The Series enables the Hauser Center to share with a broad audience important works-in-progress written by Hauser Center scholars and researchers

Foster Parent Training for the Delivery of Independent Living Skills

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2013Although training is made available to foster parents when they volunteer to share their homes with children in need, the required ten hours for single parents and fifteen hours for coupled parents does not provide enough training for foster parents who are working with youth preparing for independent living to give them the skills they need to succeed. There are many programs designed for youth, but fewer programs are readily available in Fairbanks, Alaska to teach foster parents how to deliver the skills to the youth. Youth leaving foster care continue to have lower outcomes in education, employment, housing, and fiscal management after exiting foster care than children who were raised in traditional homes. The outcome of this literature review is a pamphlet that will assist agencies in educating the parents of foster youth aging out of the foster care system. It will also provide quick access to resources and learning centers that offer training opportunities for foster parents working with youth preparing for independent living

Assessing New York City's Youth Gun Violence Crisis: Crews - Volume II - CompStat for Violence Prevention Programs: Collecting Program Specific Data to Manage Performance and Inform Policy

The success or failure of community strategies to address the youth gun violence crisis is often attributed in part to how well the problem is understood and diagnosed. With support from The New York Community Trust, the Crime Commission has undertaken an analysis of youth gun violence and crew activity -- violent turf rivalries among less-organized, smaller and normally younger groups than traditional gangs -- in select New York City communities. Our initial findings from available data, existing research and interviews with stakeholders are presented in a series of papers titled, "Assessing New York City's Youth Gun Violence Crisis: Crews.