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Today's Diet & Nutrition
 
Editor's E-Note
It is challenging enough to be in foster care as a child or a caregiver, but when children with disabilities are in this situation, the challenges multiply. It is not uncommon for a child to require large treatment teams with care provided by multiple specialists over an extended period of time, as well as accommodations at home, in school, and in the community. That is the nature of treatment foster care.

In this month’s E-News Exclusive, the director of treatment foster care at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Maryland discusses the special needs of foster children with disabilities and their caregivers and how treatment foster care strives to meet those needs in the most comprehensive way. He also addresses how social workers are involved in treatment foster care and what they need to know to be important contributors to multidisciplinary treatment teams.

Enjoy the e-newsletter and follow Social Work Today on Facebook and Twitter!

— Marianne Mallon, editor
E-News Exclusive
Treatment Foster Care: Addressing the Needs of Children With Disabilities
By Robert Basler, MSW, LCSW-C

According to a 2001 position paper by the American Association of Pediatrics, 80% of youths in foster care have some form of chronic medical condition and 30% have three or more conditions. In 1997, the Child Welfare League of America estimated that 30% to 40% of foster youths have physical health problems and that 20% of foster youth have been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities or some other developmental disability.

These results warrant questions about whether youths with developmental and medical conditions in foster care are receiving appropriate intervention and treatment.

Youths with disabilities are in foster care longer, have more placement changes while in care, and are less likely to be placed with a relative or reunited with parents.

Full Story »
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Other Social Work News
Health Benefits of Therapy Dogs Keep Getting Better
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Is Violence at California Psychiatric Hospitals the Norm?
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National Day of Service Planned for September 11
USA Today reports on organizations and corporations planning to honor the National Day of Service with volunteer events on September 11.

Veterans' Courts Helping Recover Lives
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Tech & Tools
National Database for Autism Research Announces First Data Release
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) researchers can now use data from more than 10,000 participants in ASD studies. A portal was designed to provide tools to define and standardize data collected by different laboratories under different protocols. It was also built to ensure a collaborative approach and open data access to the whole ASD research community. Learn more »

Health Information Network Connects Rural Providers to VA
The Utah Health Information Network has a pilot program to connect rural healthcare providers in the Moab, Utah, region with the VA to improve access and coordination of patient care for veterans and service members living in rural areas. This is the fifth in a series of nationwide pilot programs to expand services to veterans through access to the Nationwide Health Information Network. It is the first pilot program with the explicit mission of extending services to rural areas and among the first to enable the electronic exchange of VA patient data between VA and non-VA clinicians across the state. Learn more »

Army Releases Learning Resource for Families Caring for Soldiers
The Army Warrior Transition Command has released an online learning resource for family members and caregivers who support the Army’s wounded, ill, and injured soldiers. The tool focuses on informing families about the Comprehensive Transition Plan (CTP) that supports the Army’s 8,500 soldiers at Warrior Transition Units. The CTP Learning Module for Families educates caregivers on the seven-part CTP process for soldiers, elements of the soldiers’ individual recovery plan, and the role loved ones play throughout the entire process. Learn more »
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