LINK Families

Project Plans

New Realities

Legal Foundations

Keys to Success

LINK Home

The NYS Citizens' Coalition for Children, is working to establish a network of knowledgeable foster parents to serve as supportive resources to other families facing the new realities and challenges of permanency planning in the post-ASFA world. Volunteer LINK families have been recruited in all 14 NYS Office of Children and Family Services Region III counties to:

1. Participate in no-cost training activities to expand their knowledge and understanding of strength-based, family-centered permanency planning practices and principles that focus on children's safety, permanency and well being.

2. Develop and/or participate in local information networks to inform, advise and support foster parents in their local community. LINK families:

• Agree to serve as the identified LINK contact for local foster parents, agencies, and other Region III LINK parents.
• Obtain and maintain contact information for local foster parents.
• Establish and/or participate in a county specific "LINK Plan" to develop or enhance existing foster parent information networks. An individual county's LINK plan may include a broad diversity of projects such as a newsletter, a telephone warm line, an email network, or a foster parent association.
• Establish and maintain relationships with local agencies and other child welfare partners to implement the local networking plan.

3. Serve as a county contact and consultant for project staff regarding local foster parent training and service needs. Activities include participation in and/or distribution of project surveys and consultation regarding local district practices as requested.

NYSCCC project activities are designed to 1) provide LINK parents with the resources and training opportunities to educate themselves and others about concurrent planning practices, and 2) empower foster parents to establish information networks which inform and support each other to meet the new realities and challenges of changing foster parent roles. NYSCCC's primary role is to provide LINK families and local foster parents with the necessary technical assistance to develop, implement and communicate their own action plans to meet those challenges.

10/14/02