September/October 2008 PuttingPutting CChildrenhildren FFBest practicesirstirst in Kenya Immigrant Families Interviews with California social workers McCain vs. Obama Where they stand on children’s issues Improving Your Agency Becoming a higher performance organization Volume 17, Number 5 September/October 2008 page 16 Features 26 Putting Children First Departments New Life Homes is Supporting the 4 Editor’s Note 10 changing cultural attitudes Nation’s Future toward adoption in 5 Leadership Lens Kenya through best 6 Spotlight On practice care for infants. 8 National Newswire 22 Exceptional Children: Navigating Special Education and Learning Disabilities WWW.OBAMA.SENATE.GOV WWW.MCCAIN.SENATE.GOV How to gauge your teen’s A comparison of where readiness for college. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama stand on the 25 Down to Earth Dad well-being of America’s children. Fathers can make positive changes by becoming engaged with their children. 16 Helping California’s Immigrant Families 40 CWLA Short Takes Four state social workers talk 42 End Notes about their experiences with immigrant parents and children. 45 OneOnOne A conversation with David Roth, Senior Fellow, ManagementMatters CWLA Mid-Atlantic Region Becoming a Higher Advertisers Index Performance 44 Association for Childhood Organization Education International 24 Child Care Exchange CWLA consultant 21 Children’s Voice Paid Subscription Jeffrey Bormaster 48 Child Welfare Journal Subscription helps agencies improve 38 CWLA Giftables 33 CWLA National Conference with his assessment, 46 CWLA Protect America’s Children training, and 39 CWLA White House Conference consultation page 15 Centers for Disease Control matrix. 47 Defran 34 19 Father Source 23 Furniture Concepts 2 Handel Information Technologies 37 National Adoption Day COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY SHENK www.cwla.org ■ Children’s VOICE 3 EditorsEditorsNoteNote Children’s Voice Steven S. Boehm Director of Publications Emily Shenk Editor-in-Chief Meghan Williams Contributing Editor Marlene Saulsbury Art Director Karen Dunn Advertising, 703/412-2416 By publishing a diverse range of views on a wide array of topics, Children’s Voice seeks to encourage public discussion and debate among those who are committed to helping children and families. Articles and advertis- ing published in Children’s Voice do not necessarily reflect the views of the Child Welfare League of America or its member agencies and do not represent an endorsement of opinions, products, or services. Children’s Voice (ISSN 1057-736X) is published bimonthly by the Child Welfare League of America. PHOTO BY TONYA FOWLER Annual Subscriptions: US and Canada: $34.97; Single copies: $15. Foreign: $64.97; Single copies: $18. To ast spring, I stepped cautiously into my new role as editor-in-chief of subscribe: Call 800/407-6273 or 770/280-4164; fax Children’s Voice, the magazine that former editor Jennifer Michael crafted 703/412-3194; e-mail [email protected]; order online at into a crucial resource in the child welfare field. With most of the summer www.cwla.org/pubs; or mail to CWLA, PO Box 345, L Mt. Morris, IL 61054-9834. issues already set, I began planning this September/October issue immediately. It Missing Issues: Nonreceipt of any issue of Children’s is with much humility that I introduce myself, and my first issue, to you—people Voice must be reported within 12 months of publica- working to better the lives of children every day, and people who I greatly admire. tion or the single-copy price, plus postage, will be I’ve already had several conversations with our team about what they’d charged to replace the issue. like to see in the Voice and where they see it going. We want to provide you, Address Corrections: Send corrected address labels our members and subscribers, with new information that you can use in to Children’s Voice at the address below. your work every day, while continuing to highlight innovative programs being Permissions: For permission to photocopy or use explored around the country to inspire and reenergize you. I see this magazine material electronically from Children’s Voice, contact as a platform for not only the issues of our nation’s most vulnerable children, Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers MA 01923; 978/750-8400; www.copyright.com. but also for you to share your stories—what’s made your agency successful and how you’ve improved your work with families. Copyright 2008 CWLA. All Rights Reserved. When I joined CWLA in January 2007, we were five weeks away from our Children’s Voice is a registered trademark of the Child national conference in Washington, DC. I found myself in the middle of our Welfare League of America. busiest time of year here, scrambling to get materials ready for the following month. The Child Welfare League of America is the nation’s oldest One of my first assignments was to write about our Kids-to-Kids award winners. and largest membership-based child welfare organization. We are committed to engaging people everywhere in As I was researching the accomplishments of one of the winners, Annabeth promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their Barnard, I went to the website of the organization she’d raised money for, the families and protecting every child from harm. Amani Children’s Foundation. I was inspired by Anna, who had raised $50,000 for orphans in Africa, and also by the foundation. After talking to Anna and her Child Welfare League of America mother at the conference and learning more about Amani and New Life Homes, 2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 250 ■ Arlington VA 22202 703/412-2400, Fax 703/412-2401 I decided to find out about the project firsthand. A year later—this past E-mail [email protected] ■ www.cwla.org March—I was on a plane to Kenya. I’ve written about this experience on page 26. It is this idea of communication—connecting people involved in child wel- Ross E. Wales Board Chair fare all over the country, and seeing how their work ties into that of others— Christine James-Brown President and CEO that the Voice should promote. I encourage letters to the editor, so please send Dana Wilson Vice President of Professional feedback about this issue and every issue of the magazine to [email protected]. Development and Or, if you have ideas about what the Voice should cover in the future, let us Publications know. I want this magazine to be a tool that you use to exchange ideas; and A list of staff in CWLA service areas is available on from these ideas, positive changes for children will emerge. the Internet at www.cwla.org/whowhat/serviceareas.asp. LeadershipLens Christine James-Brown his edition of Children’s Voice number of immigrant children and the time to learn what has worked for reminds us of the universal families. This is just one of many chal- our international colleagues. Tnature of our work. People lenges that require us to include all of In a prior issue of the Voice, we across the world share a concern the world’s children in our vision of reported that our child welfare system about the health and well-being of improved outcomes. We also face the ranks low on an international United children and the importance of strong reality of international adoption, and Nations survey. Surely we have as families and communities, as demon- the fact that there are thousands of much to learn from other countries strated in the One on One interview American children living outside of as we have to teach. “Supporting the with CWLA Senior Fellow, David Roth. the United States who could be in Nation’s Future” describes where the Roth talks about the significance of need of protection or support. presidential candidates stand on the the Convention on the Rights of the There are thousands of knowledge- well-being of America’s children. Child for improving outcomes for the able social workers and community Both Senator McCain and Senator two billion children under 18 through- workers around the world who have Obama have focused on important out the world. This interview—along developed innovative ways to sup- ways to improve life circumstances for with the article “Putting Children port families and children that could children. But clearly they—and we— First” by our exceptional new editor inform our work. Prior to joining need to do more. CWLA, I worked CWLA has called for a White for an interna- House Conference on Children and “People across the world tional organization Youth to be held in 2010. This confer- where I traveled ence and the hundreds of commu- share a concern about the health to more than 30 nity meetings that will be held in and well-being of children.” countries and connection with the conference will saw children and set the agenda for how our country families faced with can improve outcomes for children of the Voice—are important reminders overwhelming challenges. I also saw and its standing on the international of the struggles facing children and some incredibly creative responses to child well-being scale. CWLA will families outside of the United States. these challenges. also work with our sister agency, The reality is that even CWLA, I believe that CWLA can have a CWLC in Canada, and recommit to with its mission to serve the needs of commitment to the children and fam- its involvement with the International families, children, and youth in the ilies in the United States and also to Forum for Child Welfare so that we United States, cannot fully carry out children and families in other coun- can realize the full power of an inter- this mission without having a major tries.