|
FAQ's
frequently asked
questions...
1. Why
is Connected For Life needed?
2. Who
does Connected For Life serve?
3. What
does Connected For Life do?
4. Is
Connected For Life a foster parent program?
5. Is
Connected For Life an adoption program?
6. How
will Connected For Life measure the impact of its work in the
communities that it serves?
7. How
can I help?
8. How
can I make comments or suggestions?
Why
is Connected For Life needed?
For decades, there has
been a serious lack of attention to establishing permanence for
older youth (ages 10-18) in the foster care system. Within the
social services environment itself, the common and subscribed
to belief has been that no one wants to get involved with an older
youth let alone provide the youth with a permanency option, whether
it be adoption, guardianship, or a long-term relationship. As
a result, the outcome for youth who age out of the foster care
system is dismal, and often includes high rates of homelessness,
incarceration, and victimization.
Back to FAQ's
Who
does Connected for Life serve?
Connected For Life matches
older youth in the foster care system (10-18 years old) with non-foster
families with the intended purpose of developing a relationship
of trust, love, understanding, and guidance while the youth is
in foster care and beyond. The youth remains in foster care and
does not live with the Connected For Life family.
Back to FAQ's
What
does Connected for Life do?
Connected For Life enriches
the lives of older youth in the foster care system by matching
them with non-foster families. These families supplement the love,
guidance, and nurturing youth need to successfully transition
from adolescence to adulthood. These families or caring adults,
in many cases, are the connection these youth need to avoid the
fate of so many prior foster youth who become homeless, incarcerated,
or victimized after emancipation from the foster care system.
Back to FAQ's
Is
Connected for Life a foster parent program?
No. The youth does not
live with the Connected For Life family or caring adult. It is
the intent of the program that the youth would spend 4-5 hours
per week with the family or caring adult.
Back to FAQ's
Is
Connected for Life an adoption program?
No. The youth does not
live with the Connected For Life family or caring adult. It is
the intent of the program that the youth would spend 4-5 hours
per week with the family or caring adult. However, adoption is
an option that the family and youth may mutually decide to pursue
after the establishment of their long-term relationship.
Back to FAQ's
How
will Connected for life measure the impact of it's work in the
communities it serves?
The success of the Connected
For Life program will be measured against the dismal statistics
that characterize the emancipated foster youth of today. The positive
impact of families building a life long relationship with an older
foster youth will be reflected in the increased number of youth
employed, completing high school, not homeless, not on public
assistance, and not incarcerated. The Connected For Life model
will positively impact a broad range of issues but its impact
may be felt most by reversing the saddest of all the statistics,
that today three out of 10 prior foster youth have become parents
of children who are placed into foster care.
Back to FAQ's
How
can I help?
a. Apply to be matched
with an older youth in the foster care system
b. Volunteer to help insure Connected For Life accomplishes its
mission
c. Host a House Party to educate friends, family, and associates
about the plight of older youth in the foster care system
d. Donate cash and/or in-kind to help the organization accomplish
its mission
e. Write your local congressperson and tell them you support their
efforts on AB 408 and that increased funding is needed to insure
that no youth leaves the California foster care system without
a connection to a family or caring adult.
f. Introduce a friend or family member to our website
Back to FAQ's
How
can I make comments or suggestions?
a. We want to hear from
you. We want to know how you think we can improve this site. We
want to be aware of information that we have not included that
will help you to make a decision to join us. We want you to share
your story with us about how a family or caring adult may have
changed your life.
b. Please email us at info@connectedforlife.org
Back to FAQ's
|
