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In case you missed it, last Friday Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) joined with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, DEA District Agent in Charge for the State of Utah Brian Besser, the DEA 360 Program, and others to host the 5th Annual Solutions Summit: Instead – Connecting for a Cure.
Senator Lee has hosted the Solutions Summit annually since 2013, focusing on a different topic each year. This year, Sen. Lee chose to work with his fellow co-chairs on the Utah Opioid Task Force to put together an all-day event focusing on the opioid crisis. The decision was made to focus on the crisis as it touches all states, all classes, and affects all of us.
You can read local coverage of the event below. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like more information on the summit or the Senator’s efforts to combat the crisis.
“That opioid addiction is real was quickly clear when Jim Wahlberg asked those who have lost a family member or friend to addiction to stand. Like that, roughly half of those in the arena were on their feet.”
“Faith in God and serving others, [Bob Woodson] said, is missing in many discussions about drug addiction and suicide. Feelings of emptiness and lack of meaning in life causes people to destroy themselves and others, he said.
Woodson also said looking to those who have overcome addiction or survived crime-infested neighbors would provide mentors for young people”
ABC 4 Good4Utah – “Annual Summit hosted by Senator Lee to focus on opioid crisis.”
“Last year, our state reversed the trend and saw fewer opioid-related deaths. It's a positive step, but there is still a tough road ahead. Senator Lee's summit is about traveling that road together because the opioid epidemic knows no boundaries.”
Deseret News – In our opinion: Answers to opioid abuse must be local in nature.
“But the answers to this nationwide scourge must be local in nature, in order to be effective. That’s why the Utah Opioid Task Force, including government, medical and law-enforcement professionals, has seen success. The same holds for groups such as the Utah Coalition for Opioid Overdose Prevention and the Other Side Academy.”
Communications Director
Conn Carroll
(202) 224-5444
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Dear Friends of FMC,
Today we published the results of our investigation into America’s capacity to house the children taken into foster care. Incidentally, this is not something the federal government tracks very well.
In the course of that work we put numbers to a steady, long-running outrage. If it weren’t for family members stepping up to take care of their relatives in foster care, the whole system would be in utter crisis. What reward do these families get? In 23 states federal data shows that more than half of these families receive no assistance from the foster care system at all.
You can check out Who Cares: A National Count of America’s Foster Homes and Families at www.FosterCareCapacity.org. On the interactive site, you can explore our extensive state-by-state data and read our analysis of the data. There, you’ll also find related news coverage from The Chronicle and other outlets. Needless to say, I am very proud of the team for putting this information – unavailable anywhere else – together.
The data paints an interesting picture of the foster care landscape across the country. Among findings that stand out are the aforementioned surge of kin care placements and an uptick in the use of congregate care, despite new federal law calling for dramatic reductions in group home placements. And, after six years of a ballooning national foster care population, we project a decrease in youth in care in 2018. The reasons for this reduction are myriad, but does it suggest that the opioid crisis, which has reportedly strained the foster care system, is abating. We’ll be investigating this idea further — keep your eye out for that story soon.
Starting tomorrow, we’ll be taking our report on the road for a series of Who Cares events across the country:
All events are free and open to the public. If you’re in Los Angeles, Chicago or Atlanta, please come out and join us!
Until then, please check out the report and let us know what trends you find most interesting, and the stories you think we should be telling from the numbers. We’re always eager to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Daniel Heimpel, FMC Publisher
We're proud to share our new report on the capacity of America's foster system to care for the hundreds of thousands of kids in need. On our interactive site, you can explore data around the types of placements available to kids in each state, the number of kids in care, and the demographics of foster families and kids state-to-state.
Our annual magazine round-up of the laws and policies impacting children has hit the stands — and Capitol Hill. FMC's Bryan Curiel is in Washington, D.C. this week hand delivering a copy to each Senate Office. You can order your copy, including digital access, here.
Last week, a judge ruled the 40-year-old Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) unconstitutional for the first time in the law's history. The Chronicle's Christie Renick and John Kelly were among the first to break the story and provide important context about the law's origins.
Check out some of our comprehensive coverage:
Indian Child Welfare Act Under Fire: Federal Judge Strikes Down 40-Year-Old Law, Appeals Could Lead to Supreme Court
by John Kelly
Tribes Will Seek Stay on Indian Child Welfare Act Ruling, Feds Response in Limbo
by John Kelly
The Nation’s First Family Separation Policy
by Christie Renick
As a nonprofit news organization, we rely on our supporters and donors to fund the important coverage of vulnerable children and families. We are proud to be one of more than 150 nonprofit newsrooms that will participate in this year's NewsMatch, a national gift matching campaign.
In 2017, NewsMatch helped to raise more than $4.8 million from individual donors and a coalition of private funders. This year the number of nonprofit news organizations participating has jumped by more than 40 percent.
Between November 1 and the end of the year, NewsMatch will double all donations made to Fostering Media Connections and The Chronicle of Social Change. This is a fantastic chance for supporters of our journalism to help guarantee the future of our child welfare and juvenile justice coverage.
Learn more about the campaign here.
