The Imprint Weekly

As always, we were fortunate to have some amazing guests join us this year on The Imprint Weekly Podcast. In this episode we feature clips of 10 great interviews from 2023.

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Guests include:
Shelly Jackson, law enforcement policies attorney for Strategies for Youth.
LaShawnda Pittman, associate professor of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Rob Geen, founder of CWPolicy, LLC and leads the Child Welfare Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Carolyn Travis, community advocacy coordinator for California Youth Connection.
Alex Piquero, professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminology at the University of Miami and previously served as the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Serita Cox, co-founder of iFoster.
Gwen Moore, Member of Congress
Dawn Post, founder of Themis Youth Law & Advocacy.
Jerry Milner, co-founder of the Family Justice Group, and former associate commissioner of the U.S. Children’s Bureau.
Will Schneider, associate professor at the University of Illinois School of Social Work and the faculty director for the Children and Family Research Center.

Embark on a transformative journey with Jas Snell on "InnerViews," as we delve into the empowering realm of healthy emotionality amidst trauma. Explore how Jas, a Black woman with lived child welfare experiences, navigates the intricacies of mental and emotional health, cultivating resilience and empowerment. Uncover the transformative power of embracing emotions, fostering well-being, and advocating for holistic healing in oneself and the community.

Content Warning: Sensitive topics will be discussed.

On this week’s podcast we discuss the newest policy proposals from foster youth interns on Capitol Hill, new funding for racial equity in child welfare, and the newly approved guaranteed income pilot project in California that will pay up to $1,000 per month to young adults who have aged out of foster care.

Andrea Amavisca, a legislative aide to State Sen. Dave Cortese, joins to talk about how the plan became law. Veronica Vieyra, who participated in a smaller test of guaranteed income in Santa Clara County, joins us to reflect on the impact that help has had on her life this year.

Reading Room

Foster Youth Congressional Interns Present Policy Fixes to U.S. Legislators
https://bit.ly/3zJtLdD

Lawmakers Back Funding for Foster Sibling Pilot Programs
https://bit.ly/3lr4DEu

New Study Suggests Ending Group Care for Foster Youth
https://bit.ly/3rsVqMU

H.R.4502 - Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022
https://bit.ly/3rMJ9mS

California Bans Out-of-State Treatment Programs After Reporters Investigate Abuse
https://bit.ly/3BkKm9u

Far from Home | Far from Safe
https://imprintnews.org/special-series/far-from-home

California Approves First State-Guaranteed Income For Foster Youth
https://bit.ly/3xi84Qv

California County Tests Universal Basic Income to Support Youth After Foster Care
https://bit.ly/3dfmAB2

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In our final installment of Big Questions for Child Welfare, Accenture’s Molly Tierney and Daniel Heimpel of Fostering Media Connections reflect on Tierney’s 2014 Ted Talk, at which she received a standing ovation for a speech that questioned the underpinnings of what she described as the child welfare industrial complex, and measured the use of foster care up to Einstein’s definition of insanity.

For decades, child welfare systems have been receiving disability and survivor benefits owed to youth in foster care. Often these dollars are not saved for those children, or used for their unique needs.

Amy Harfeld, national policy director for the Children’s Advocacy Institute, has been among the staunchest advocates working to stop this practice. She joined the podcast to talk about the history of this issue, what states are doing to reform, and why she is optimistic about federal action in the near future.

Harfeld has served as the national policy director for the Children's Advocacy Institute since 2010. During this time, she has also spent time leading the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, the Children’s Leadership Council, the American Bar Association’s Commission on Youth at Risk, and served as pro-bono government affairs liaison for the National Association of Council for Children.

Thanks to Lyssn for sponsoring this week’s episode.

Reading Room

Foster Care Agencies Take Millions of Dollars Owed to Kids. Most Children Have No Idea.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/22/foster-care-agencies-take-thousands-of-dollars-owed-to-kids-most-children-have-no-idea

America First Policy Institute: Protecting Federal Benefits for Foster Children

https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/protecting-federal-benefits-for-foster-children

Washington Must Step Up to Protect Foster Youths’ Benefits

https://imprintnews.org/opinion/washington-protect-foster-youth-benefits/67187

Minnesota Child Welfare Officials Advise State to Protect Foster Youths’ SSI Benefits

https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/minnesota-child-welfare-report-foster-youth-ssi-benefits/258765

California Counties Siphon Social Security Benefits from Some Foster Kids

https://imprintnews.org/foster-care/california-counties-siphon-social-security-benefits/66688

Are Disabled Kids in NYC Foster Care Receiving the Social Security Benefits They Deserve?

https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/are-disabled-kids-in-nyc-foster-care-receiving-the-social-security-benefits-they-deserve/248959