Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren, have adopted several children. They would like to see more families consider adoption.

This year, during the Super Bowl’s half-time, families have the opportunity to learn more about adoption and the orphan crisis. Tony Dungy said “The big win on Super Sunday would be to raise awareness about the millions of children who need a family. I would love to see thousands of local community groups and circles of friends gathering together to stop and consider how they can help,”

To participate, families can go on-line to www.adoptionjourney.org/dungyhalftime and watch a 3-minute video featuring Tony and Lauren Dungy and then also participate in a family discussion on the video. Lifesong is providing a complimentary Video Halftime Kit for all participants. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to learn and share about adoption and to begin discussing the possibility of adoption with their loved ones.

http://adoptionjourney.org also provides additional adoption resources for those interested in learning more about adoption and how they can assist families interested in adoption.

We encourage you to watch and share this video on Superbowl Sunday and beyond!

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. To promote healthy children and strong families, communities and individuals across Oklahoma are invited to participate in the fourth annual “Building a Blue Ribbon Tree for Kids.” The blue ribbon is the international sign for child abuse prevention. It serves as a reminder that all individuals have a responsibility in helping to protect children.

The Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) ACTION Committee would like all participants to have the Blue Ribbon Trees up and on display before April begins or any time during the month of Aprils. Trees can be registered with the official Tree Registry by sending in the registration form and no more than two photographs. Tree photos received by Tuesday, March 27, 2012 will be featured during CAP Day at the Capitol on April 3, 2012 and also featured in the 2012 CAP Month Scrapbook. Tree photos might also be displayed on the ‘Child Abuse Prevention Awareness’ website and Facebook.

To submit a tree, individuals can mail, fax, or e-mail the completed form and tree photographs to Sherie Trice, M.S., CCPS, CBCAP Grant Coordinator. Entries can be mailed to Family Support and Prevention Service, OSDH 1000 NE 10th St., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73117-1299. To fax an entry, please send the form to 405-271-1011. To email an entry, please email SherieT@health.ok.gov.

The Child Abuse Prevention Awareness site also offers ideas on building a blue ribbon tree with preschool aged children or grade school aged children. Children can also color their own Blue Ribbon Tree. More information on the 2012 Child Abuse Prevention Awareness, including the Blue Ribbon Tree Packet, Blue Ribbon Tree Photo Release, and Blue Ribbon Tree Postcard, please visit the Child Abuse Prevention Awareness site.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services recently developed several new online training courses to help Bridge Resource Families for fostering and adoption access the information they need.

Resource families will be able to access these courses on the web at http://www.okbridgefamilies.com/training/online/ any time and generally take about 1 hour to complete. Resource Families may also request a DVD copy of the online training courses from their local county office. Upon completion and assessment of the online training courses, Resource Families will be eligible to receive one hour of yearly in-service training credits per training.

The newly available training videos include: A Resource Parent’s Guide to Their Contract and Handbook, Trauma Informed Care: An Introduction for Bridge Resource Parents, Legal Processes for Bridge Resource Parents, Visits: A Guide for Bridge Resource Parents, and Psychotropic Medications. These trainings provide valuable information about the work you do on a daily basis and are good for new resource parents or those needing a refresher.

The Office of Child Abuse Prevention is now accepting nominations for the 2012 ITF Awards. The ITF Awards recognize individuals who demonstrate commitment and dedication to the prevention of child abuse. The awards include 2012 Outstanding Elected Official Award, the 2012 Marion Jacewitz Award, the 2012 Mary Ellen Wilson Award, and the 2012 Outstanding Child Abuse Prevention Program Award.

The 2012 Outstanding Elected Official Award is presented to an elected official for their service on behalf of children and families in Oklahoma. The official should be a person who strives to enhance the quality of life for children of all ages and their families either in the individual’s neighborhood, community, or across the state.

The 2012 Marion Jacewitz Award is presented to an individual Oklahoman who made significant contributions to the prevention of child abuse on a statewide level. To be considered for this award, an individual must participate in at least one creative and innovative child abuse prevention program, have demonstrated leadership in promoting the prevention of child abuse statewide, have demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of life for children and their families, and have also been involved in the field of of child abuse prevention for at least two years.

The 2012 Mary Ellen Wilson Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated commitment and dedication to child abuse prevention activities in his/her community. To be considered for this award, an individual must participate in at least one creative and innovative child abuse prevention program, have demonstrated leadership in promoting the prevention of child abuse in his/her community, have demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of life for children and their families, and have also been involved in the child of child abuse prevention for at least two years.

The 2012 Outstanding Child Abuse Prevention Program Award is presented to a community program that focuses on child abuse prevention. To be considered for this award, the program will be considered based on its comprehensiveness, innovative program design, flexibility of services, success in relationship within the community, and providing services for at least two years.

The nominations must be received by Wednesday, February 22, 2012. The individual or organization making the nomination must ensure the nomination is no more than five single-sided 8 ½ x 11” pages. This includes the letter and supporting materials. The name and contact information of the nominating person or organization should be included. Each nomination must be entered in only one category. The nomination can be mailed or emailed as an attachment.

The nomination forms for all awards can be viewed and printed here.

To mail the nomination, please send all required information to Sherie Trice, CBCAP Grant Coordinator; Family Support and Prevention Service; Family Health Services/Oklahoma State Department of Health; 1000 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299. To email the nomination, please send all required information to sheriet@health.ok.gov.

The voting for the ITF Award winners will be held at the ITF meeting on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 10:00am. The ITF Award will be presented in a special ceremony during the annual Child Abuse Prevention Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 3, 2012.

Oklahoma Employers Credit Union hosted the 3rd annual Toy Drive to benefit OK Foster Wishes and the more than 8000 children in foster care. The goal was simple – collect as many toys as possible in an effort to bring Christmas cheer to children not spending the holidays with their family.

On Thursday, December 8, guests who donated at least one toy worth $10 or more filled the lobby of OECU where they enjoyed live music, drawings for door prizes from local businesses, food from Rococo’s and a free Keep It Local Card valued at $10. Santa was also in attendance offering free pictures for both children and adults.

The donated toys surrounded the fully decorated Christmas tree and spilled out into the OECU lobby. OECU also plans to accept donations until the Monday before Christmas, December 19.

Lisa Feist, the Executive Director of OK Foster Wishes was also in attendance accompanied by her four children. Ms. Feist talked about the partnership OK Foster Wishes has with OECU and how there seemed to be more community involvement this year. OK Foster Wishes also organizes other programs such as the Flux Graduation Party.

The newest efforts of OK Foster Wishes include 1MORE. 1MORE is “an effort to serve kids in foster care through a partnership with the OKDHS volunteer coordinator,” according to Ms. Feist. After interviewing the Director of the Oklahoma County shelter, OK Foster Wishes became aware of the need for school age children to be taken out on day trips while staying at the shelter, and 1MORE was created.

The Oklahoma City Public Schools now act on a year round school calendar. With this new calendar, children placed in the emergency shelter have longer breaks and tend to become bored in the shelter. With 1MORE, families are able to take children on outings.

The children eligible for the outings will be verbal, school age children staying in the emergency shelter. The children will have no known high risk behaviors. There will be a safety plan in place, and families will have an emergency DHS contact available. Families will also be given the child’s case worker’ contact information in order to follow up with any concerns or inquiries about the children.

OK Foster Wishes also works with other local organizations like Citizens Caring for Children, Joshua’s Hope, and Anna’s House. To learn more about the organization, please visit http://okfosterwishes.com.

The 14th Annual Native American Heritage Celebration was held November 21, 2011 in Oklahoma City. Native Americans, including tribal leaders, from across the state were in attendance.

Jayme Howard, OKDHS Area III (Oklahoma and Canadian County) supervisor, and Larry Brown, Area III recruiter, also attended the event. Ms. Howard and Mr. Brown spoke with those in attendance and manned a recruitment booth. Their hope was to encourage attendees of the event to consider providing Native American Bridge resource homes for the Native American children currently in OKDHS custody.

Deloris Ferguson, County Director for the OKDHS 55H Human Services Center, was presented with the State Spirit Award at the event. Ms. Ferguson received the award for “her leadership work in the Completing the Circle Event” according to Mr. Brown.

The Completing the Circle Event is an annual event which is hosted by OKDHS. The event strengthens the ties to Native American heritage for Native American children in foster care.

Ms. Howard stated she enjoyed the event and commented that “the Indian princesses were beautiful” and “the winning student essay was impactful.” Ms. Howard seemed very pleased to have attended the event and hopeful that the event also inspired those in attendance.

A single day can change a child’s life. Thanksgiving Day 2011 was a day that changed many children’s lives as families in Tulsa County opened their homes for children currently placed in the Laura Dester Shelter. Ashley Campbell and her family opened their home to two little boys. You can read her account of Thanksgiving Day 2011 here.

Christmas Day 2011 is quickly approaching. With so much success from Thanksgiving Day 2011, many counties are hoping that families will also open their homes for children placed in the shelters over Christmas. Please contact your local county to inquire about celebrating Christmas with children in foster care.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway is a website available for child welfare staff and related professionals. The Information Gateway provides comprehensive information and resources that assist in protecting children and strengthening families. The information provided covers all aspects of child welfare including, but not limited to, prevention, permanency, child abuse and neglect, foster care, and adoption.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway is a service of the Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Administration for Children and Families. This service provides access to a variety of publications including print and electronic publications, databases, online learning tools, and websites. The information is used to improve child welfare practice and can be shared with families.

The Children Welfare Information Gateway does not intervene or provide advice on case-specific or personal situations.

Individuals interested in learning more about adoption can find information here (http://www.childwelfare.gov/cwlibrarian/index_act.cfm?topicId=8&pubMonth=11&pubYear=2011). Information provided in this issue includes the foster care and adoption related legislation in 111th Congress, fostering cultural development from the prospective of foster parents, standby guardianship, and more.

Individuals interested in learning more about permanency can find information here (http://www.childwelfare.gov/cwlibrarian/index_act.cfm?topicId=5&pubMonth=11&pubYear=2011). Information provided in this issue includes the transformation of the Independent Living Program in California, antipsychotic treatment among youth in foster care, and child welfare policy on perspectives on education.

Other recent articles include Young Adult Outcomes Of Youth Exiting Dependent Or Delinquent Care In Los Angeles County (http://fosteryouthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Young_Adult_Outcomes_of_Youth_Exiting_Dependent_or_Delinquent_Care_in_LA_County_Report.pdf), Employment Programs and Life Opportunities for Youth (EmPLOY): Findings from a Two-Year National Project. (http://www.casey.org/resources/publications/employ/nationalproject.htm http://www.casey.org/resources/publications/employ/pdf/National_2Year.pdf), and Find, Seek, and Secure: Supportive Adults and Permanency Resources (http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/publications//Pub5119.pdf). For more resources, please visit http://www.childwelfare.gov. An individual can also subscribe directly to the Child Welfare Information Gateway by visiting http://www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe/##page=subscriptions&page=subscriptions.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) now offers a new Health Passport web application for Bridge resource parents and other placement providers. The Health Passport link is found on the http://www.okdhs.org home page under the “Quick Links” section on the left. The Health Passport can also be accessed at https://eportal.okdhs.org/.

The Health Passport was created to assist Bridge resource parents of children in the custody of OKDHS and the tribes. This website will allow Bridge resource parents and other placement providers to gain current and updated information regarding the children in their care. The information available will include the child’s health history known to OKDHS and other pertinent information. Other pertinent information includes child’s family/kin relationships, child assessment, child’s education information, court hearing information, attorney information, and contact information for the case workers assigned to the child’s case. The information will be available to the current Bridge resource parent or other placement provider of the child at anytime through the website.

Bridge resource parents and other placement providers will be able to log into the website and view the Child’s Passport Report for any child currently in their care. Bridge resource parents can also generate a hard copy of the Child’s Passport Report in the convenience of their own home. This will allow the Bridge resource parent and other placement providers to have the most current and readily available documentation. Bridge resource parents and other placement providers can then provide this information to the child’s medical provider.

If an individual has any trouble accessing the Health Passport, they can contact the Helpdesk at 405-325-8400 or 1-800-522-0223 option 7. If an individual has problems or questions regarding the data in the Child’s Passport Report, they will need to contact the child’s case worker.

The Connections Newsletter is published quarterly by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services Division and the National Resource Center for Youth Services. The newsletter is focused on OKDHS Bridge Resource Families for fostering and adoption and provides information on many topics including: events, resources, tips, tools, and ideas on caring for children in foster care. The newsletter also provides information on training and the Foster Care and Adoption Association of Oklahoma. The fall quarterly also has stories on Internet Safety, Child’s Passport, and the new Tdap vaccine requirement and can be accessed at http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/connections-fall-2011. More information on the Connections Newsletter can be found here.