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policy

What Is a Resource Family?

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Published on the Lilliput Families blog on August 8, 2018

Following the approval of a state Assembly bill in 2015, California’s child welfare system began to embrace a host of new policies and terms in the foster care arena. Among the many changes brought about by AB 403, the Resource Family Approval program has stood out as a point of confusion for many. While talk of resource families and RFA requirements sounds daunting at first, the concept behind the new legislation is not so complex.

Foster parents and foster families still exist in California, but they go by a new name: “resource families.”

Put simply, a resource family is any individual, couple or family that has been approved to take children into their care. Whether someone is looking to adopt, foster or temporarily open their home to a child, they will first need to become a resource family by way of the RFA process.

In order to receive a resource family designation, each applicant must pass a home inspection, background check, and family evaluation. Resource families also receive mandatory training that prepares them to create safe and nurturing home environments.

Prior to AB 403, different types of caregivers received different levels of training and support. The RFA program provides a statewide standard of approval for all caregivers—short-term or long-term, relatives or non-relatives—to ensure that each is equally equipped to meet the needs of a child who has been displaced. Under the new system, people fostering children can become adoptive parents without undergoing an additional home study.

The push for a uniform approval process comes on the heels of a statewide effort to establish stability in the lives of foster youth. Lawmakers agreed that children deserve to grow up in a family setting, and the new legislation calls for less reliance on group home care and more effort toward placing youth with resource families. This will not only put foster youth on a more promising path to permanency, but get them adequate support to realize their full potential. In situations where children are not ready to live with a family, group care facilities may still be appropriate options for short-term treatment.

With an increase of children coming into foster care, the need for carefully trained families is at a high. Whereas old family approval processes could take several months, the RFA program aims to complete assessments within 90 days. Currently, one of the greatest challenges with the RFA program is assisting families through the approval process within the 90-day window, but as agencies adapt to new procedures, the vetting and training process is becoming more streamlined.

Lilliput Families has been at the forefront of the RFA program since its early conception. In 2016, Lilliput was one of five private agencies—known as “early implementers”—selected by the state to test the program prior to widespread implementation. Lilliput has also been a leading resource for relatives going through the RFA process. If you would like more information about becoming a resource family, reach out to one of Lilliput’s experts, Angie Nevin, at anevin@lilliput.org.

Tags adoption, foster care, LGBTQ, lilliput, nonprofit, policy, queer

education

Alumnus of Note: Matthew Engle

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Published in the Spring 2018 issue of Westwind Magazine

Twelve years ago, if someone had asked Matthew Engle about his career aspirations, becoming a teacher wouldn’t have made the list. “Teaching was the last thing I ever wanted to do as a career,” says Engle. More than a decade later, however, what was once the unlikeliest of professions has become one of his greatest successes. In December, Engle was awarded the 2017 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching.

Struggling with direction while a student at Walla Walla University, Engle decided to take a gap year and serve as a student missionary in Palau, where he taught a class of eighth-graders. Before long, he realized that teaching was right up his alley.

“I had a handful of kids who came to me at the end of the year and said they always hated math, and they connected with it after having me as a teacher,” Engle recalls. “That was probably the thing that inspired me to teach math specifically.” By the time he left Palau, his perspective had changed. He returned to college with an unexpected plan in place.

After graduation in 2010, Engle found work teaching in China then in Montana. He now teaches math at Monterey Bay Academy in Watsonville, California. At the start of the 2017–18 school year, Engle spent long hours outside of class applying for the Rosenthal Prize.

The Rosenthal Prize, sponsored by the National Museum of Mathematics in New York City, recognizes fourth- through 12th-grade math teachers who aim to reinvent the classroom and promote hands-on learning. Applicants write a series of essays. Those who advance to the final round must design and submit a classroom activity that creatively demonstrates an important mathematical concept.

Engle’s winning 22-page submission, titled “Bringing Similarity into Light: Experiencing Similarity and Dilations Using Shadows,” explores geometric concepts surrounding similar figures and equal ratios. The lesson plan extends beyond math, guiding students into a deeper discussion about collaboration and appreciating others. “Everyone’s perceptions together are closer to the truth than our individual perception alone,” his submission reads. “We need to strive to understand each other’s viewpoints so we can grow together in our communities and the world.”

“A lot of math classes are boring really, and old and irrelevant,” he says. “I believe learning must be at the core of education, but many classrooms are focused on answer-getting instead.” Engle values intuition over memorization, and he uses math to help students develop reasoning skills and think critically about the world around them. “Education is for using information, not just having it.”

Engle received a $25,000 cash award with the Rosenthal Prize, and his lesson plan will be made available to teachers across the country. He accepted the award at a ceremony in New York City in February.

Tags education, Profile, teaching, Walla Walla University, westwind, WWU

policy

State Senate Internship

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The 2018 Washington state House and Senate interns convene for a Mock Floor Debate. February 26, 2018.

Allison Banks speaks on the Washington state House floor during a mock floor debate.

What do you get when you cross social work and senate? Ask Allison Banks, a senior social work major who spent winter quarter in Olympia, Washington, interning for Sen. Rebecca Saldaña. Banks, who was senate parliamentarian last year for the Associated Students of Walla Walla University, is one of about 70 students from across the state that were admitted to the State of Washington Legislative Internship Program this year. The annual program allows ambitious college students to assist legislators and learn about lawmaking for the duration of the legislative session.

In a sea of political science majors, Banks was the only intern majoring in social work. “I viewed my major as a weakness going into this,” Banks said. “When you look around and you’re the minority major, it’s difficult not to think ‘This program was designed for a different group of students.’” Despite some initial doubts, Banks quickly learned that she was right where she belonged.

On her first day of work, Banks looked through the bills that Saldaña was sponsoring. The first bill she saw called for increased healthcare benefits for Washington residents from the Marshall Islands, the Federation of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. Banks served as a student missionary in Palau three years ago, and two of her former students now live in Washington state, making this a very personal topic. “I had this moment where I just froze. … I thought, ‘There’s no way that I’m coming into this new office and the first thing I read is about Palau,’” Banks recalled. “How is it possible that I got matched with the one senator who prime sponsored a healthcare bill to protect Palauans?”

Banks (left) on the Washington state Senate floor beside Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, who she interned for during the state’s 2018 legislative session.

Settling in and standing out

In the weeks that followed, Banks made Saldaña’s office her home. Most days involved answering emails and phone calls, but, she added, “the flow of that can vary widely.” A day at a senator’s office might start out slow, but if a bill drops and constituents have questions, the staff goes into overdrive to do research and give informed responses. “You’ll come into work and you have no idea what you’re going to be an expert on by the end of the day.”

Aside from the daily office work, Banks sometimes paged on the Senate floor, allowing her to witness lawmaking up close. She was impressed by the passion of the state senators and noted that they restored her hope in government.

Throughout the term, Banks and the other interns also attended seminars and participated in mock committee and floor-debate exercises. The committee and floor-debate simulations offered each intern the chance to role-play and walk through the full, bipartisan legislative process. Everything that legislators do for real, the interns did for fake, Banks noted. But fake as it may have been, the issues discussed were serious. The interns did their part to come to each meeting prepared—especially Banks, who was elected co-chair for the Democratic Party caucus. In that role, Banks worked for more than two weeks to keep up the morale of about 40 peers as they debated on the Washington state House floor.

During the caucus exercise, Banks used her social work knowledge to analyze bills in a way that other students couldn’t. One of the most dense bills that the caucus debated dealt with issues regarding juvenile justice. “Even having minimal experience discussing topics like recidivism and reentry … made me one of the most informed people in the room,” Banks said. “Social work provided additional context when dealing with these issues, and my unique perspective made me better equipped to lead in conversations and problem-solving.”

Prior to the internship, Banks planned to take some time off after graduation to prepare for law school. Now that she’s seen the link between social work and lawmaking up close, she wants to pursue a master’s in social work first. Banks encourages other WWU students to take a risk and apply for the same internship next year. “It’s reaffirmed my passion and commitment to the social work field,” she said, “as well as motivated me further to go to law school with the goal of returning to policy reform.”

Looking at a career, Banks likes the prospect of bringing social work and law together in a policy counsel position, helping legislators make informed policy decisions related to the human services field. Nothing is set in stone though, and when it comes down to it, she just wants to be a part of the lawmaking process. “There’s so much to work on.”

This series highlights the internships of three Walla Walla University social work majors during the 2017-18 academic year. (Part one of three.)

Tags Feature, policy, Profile, Social Work, Walla Walla University, westwind, WWU

education

Toy Hack Workshop

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Published on Walla Walla University’s digital newsfeed on January 14, 2018, and in the Spring 2018 issue of Westwind Magazine

Children with special needs face obstacles that most kids never will. Common toys that line the shelves are often incompatible with disabilities. When Brian Hartman, assistant professor of education at WWU, learned about toy adaptation programs that make toys more accessible for children with special needs, he decided to bring the idea to student clubs on campus. “Since special needs children don’t have any of these resources in the valley, I thought it would be a great program to start,” Hartman said.

On Nov. 16, the Education Club and the Society for Biological Engineering Club hosted a toy hack workshop in Kretschmar Hall, where students modified a dozen toys to make them more functional for children with disabilities. For example, they added large external buttons to an electronic alphabet toy and an air-powered ball popping toy, both of which came wired with difficult-to-access control buttons.

The Education Club led fundraising efforts for the event and purchased the toys using donations from Walmart, the WWU Center for Educational Equity and Diversity (CEED), and other private donors. The Society for Biological Engineering Club prepared tools for the event and provided technical aid to the hackers.

The 12 toys that were altered during the workshop were placed in a toy library, located in the CEED offices on the first floor of Smith Hall, where parents of children with special needs can check out toys free of charge.

The November toy hack was the first of many to come. “We intend to continue to grow the program and hope to involve engineering students in their senior projects in the future,” Hartman said. He estimates that there are 40-50 families in the valley with preschool-aged children with special needs. His goal is to build the library to 50 toys over time so that there are plenty of options for everyone.

Tags engineering, Walla Walla University, westwind, WWU

history

A history worth celebrating

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Published on Walla Walla University’s digital newsfeed on December 19, 2017, and in the Spring 2018 issue of Westwind Magazine

Walla Walla University first opened its doors on Dec. 7, 1892, under less-than-ideal circumstances. On that cold Wednesday morning, a small community of dedicated Seventh-day Adventists gathered in the snow to consecrate an unfinished building that lacked central heat, running water, and functional kitchen stoves. They knew that conditions would be rough for a while, but they celebrated anyway, because that bleak morning represented a bright future.

Flash forward 125 years to Dec. 7, 2017. At 8:30 a.m., students, faculty, staff, and guests trudged across icy walkways to gather in front of the Administration Building where they reflected on the past and celebrated the future. Terrie Aamodt, professor of history and English, and alumnus Don Weaver ’56, took the crowd back to opening day, speaking in character as 1892 matron Sallie Sutherland and WWU benefactor and former Walla Walla mayor Nelson G. Blalock. The crowd then sang “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow” as did the small community in 1892 on the first day of classes. At the close of the birthday commemoration service, ASWWU Campaign Committee chair Paul Rhynard presented WWU with a check for $185,035 from former student leaders for the new Student Life and Ministry Center project.

The morning commemoration program was just one of many events that took place throughout the day. The WWU School of Nursing Portland campus celebrated the anniversary two days earlier with a birthday lunch, and the College Place campus continued the birthday events into the evening.

All day, Yogi Burgers at The Express were $1.25 off, and three pop-up parties appeared across campus with snacks for all to enjoy between classes. At noon, key participants in the Bowers Hall renovation project participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the recently transformed space for the School of Business, and the doors opened to the public for the first time. During lunch, signature WWU dishes and birthday cake were served in the Kellogg Hall dining room. Later in the afternoon, the Havstad Alumni Center hosted an open house to keep people warm until the evening finale—the College Place Winterfest—where the City of College Place teamed up with WWU for a parade down College Avenue, a tree lighting at City Hall, and a firework show on the edge of campus.

In spite of the freezing fog that loomed in the air during the quasquicentennial celebrations, the community turned out to be a part of something special. “It’s good to remind ourselves of who we are. We didn’t just happen,” said Aamodt. “This place didn’t just sprout up out of nothing for no reason. It’s bigger than any one of us; it’s bigger than any day of the year or any department or any particular classroom or any particular teacher.”

Tags history, Walla Walla University, westwind, WWU