New Blog

I'm blogging now at: My New Blog
This will probably be the last blog on this site for me

Standing up and being strong

So, it's almost through my Foundations of Algebra course in the summer, almost time to start up the College Algebra this next half of summer and whew... I'm tired. I've almost been swept out and was sick for a portion of the summer classes. I'm still working on my book and thinking about different research that's possible. I have so many ideas about care and helping children who were foster kids... maybe in some ways I'm trying to help myself. I feel alone inside... I keep thinking that if I give back I will find myself. Piece together the pieces. How ridiculous that is, jeeze I'm a mess. I really miss my parents, god do I miss the support. I guess inside I'm carrying this big empty black hole.

I guess I just have to grow up, brush off the pain, and keep pressing ahead.

Here's a quote:

One will never reach distant shores,
if he chooses to remain upon the dock,
In fear his little ship of dreams
may be dashed against the rocks.
-- F. Bolen.

I will succeed, it will take time and dedication.

I've been battling with sickness... I think it's a small case of bronchitis. I'm trying to fight it off and keep focused on school. I had to take off today because I was feeling really really crappy. I did, on the other hand, get my acceptance package for the ALB program.

Just wanting life to be more simple.

Often, I try to approach life with positive understanding but right now I'm in another rut. I feel desolate and alone. I feel like I don't matter and I just am existing. I wish I were happier and I wish that I sometimes would just stop wanting things I'm not good enough to have... ugh, I guess I should get back to my priority list.

So alone...

I'm coping with life in a weird way. I've been strung around, hurt, and left to fend for myself most of my life. Right now I'm in a rut and people don't see it but I am. Sometimes, I really really want to give up. I'm fallen into some sort of depression and well, I know that I have to work on getting through my assignments and fulfilling the goals I set for myself but inside I'm fucking alone and I feel really depressed because I'm trying so hard and I have no one to rely on but ME. I just want to scream sometimes but instead I cry into my pillow because I don't want people to see my tears. I get treated like crap by girls when all I do is give my heart out and I'm so sick of it and sick of trying so hard in life and ugh... I just wish I'd get a break once in a while... oh well, I'm going back to studying.

Struggles and the definition of hurt.

Hurt as Princeton defines it, "suffer: feel pain or be in pain." This is what I'm dealing with right now. I've struggled through challenges all of my life but nothing compares to that of right now. I'm wondering where my life is headed and how strong I have to be to overcome all of these obstacles. I'm becoming less concerned with material possessions which some could construe as depression... very well may be. I'm wondering where I fit in the scheme of life and the strings of occurrences.
I guess these are the times we grow the most. Amidst the cold darkness we find our true selves.

I was engaged for a short time. A girl ended up destroying my life... I now am taking 3 classes at Harvard and basically I'm doing well in one but the other two I'm dwindling... B-'s are alright I suppose in some ways... but I still have more time to bring them up... I just need to find the strength.

struggles and challenges

Well, lately I've been hit by a few challenges in life and it's hurting me inside but i have to keep my mind on the Lord and know that I have much work to do. God will help us overcome any situation.

Here's a quote:


"Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win."
-Bernadette Devlin

My New Book

I'm actually starting to begin a book pretty much with the preface of helping out foster children. Stay tuned as I'll add more information as I complete portions of the book!

Here's the table of contents:

Chapter 1:My Story.............................................................................................1
Chapter 2: Why am I in Foster Care?.................................................................2
Chapter 3: What is my future going to be like?...................................................5
Chapter 4: Who can help me?.............................................................................7
Chapter 5: Can I go to College?.........................................................................9
Chapter 6: How will I pay for College?.............................................................11
Chapter 7: Your Story..........................................................................................50
Chapter 8: Where to go from here........................................................................60
Appendix.............................................................................................................xv

Office of the Child Advocate

I'm thinking of volunteering or doing an internship at this organization if possible.



By His Excellency

DEVAL L. PATRICK
GOVERNOR
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 494

ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF THE CHILD ADVOCATE

WHEREAS, one of the highest duties of the Commonwealth is to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of all its children;

WHEREAS, it is critical to ensure the highest level of accountability within agencies that are charged with the care and protection of the Commonwealth's children; and

WHEREAS, independent and effective oversight of agencies responsible for the care and protection of children is essential to fulfilling the Commonwealth's responsibility to its children;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution, Part 2, c. 2, § 1, Art. 1, do hereby establish the Office of the Child Advocate as follows:


ARTICLE I. Purpose and Scope of the Office of the Child Advocate

1.1 The Office of the Child Advocate shall:

(a) seek to ensure that children involved with agencies within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (Executive Office) and, in particular, children served by the child welfare or juvenile justice systems receive timely, safe, and effective services;

(b) examine, on a system-wide basis, the care and services that agencies of the Executive Office provide to and for children; and

(c) advise those at the highest levels of state government, as well as the public, how the Commonwealth can improve its services to and for children.

ARTICLE II. Appointment of the Child Advocate

2.1 The Office of the Child Advocate shall be established within the Executive Office and shall be under the direction of the Child Advocate.

2.2 The Governor shall appoint the Child Advocate to a term coterminous with that of the Governor, except that the Child Advocate shall continue to serve following the end of a governor's term until a successor is appointed.

2.3 The Child Advocate shall report directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

2.4 The Governor shall select the Child Advocate from three names submitted to him or her by the Ad Hoc Committee to recommend a Child Advocate.

2.5 The Ad Hoc Committee shall consist of the following members: the Secretary of Health and Human Services; the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services; the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services; a pediatrician experienced in treating child abuse designated by the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; a child psychiatrist designated by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society; a child psychologist designated by the Massachusetts Psychological Association; a representative from the Massachusetts Association of Mental Health; a representative of an organization which advocates on behalf of children at risk of abuse and neglect, designated by the Children's League of Massachusetts; a lawyer experienced in care and protection cases designated by the Massachusetts Bar Association; a
social worker designated by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers; a person with experience in the juvenile justice system designated by the Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court Department; and a representative of organized labor to be designated by the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development.

2.6 The Child Advocate shall devote full time to the duties of his or her office.

2.7 The Ad Hoc Committee shall recommend three names to the Governor no later than February 28, 2008.
2.8 A vacancy occurring in the position of Child Advocate shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, except that if the Child Advocate ceases to serve for any reason, the Governor shall appoint an acting Child Advocate who shall serve until the appointment of a successor.


ARTICLE III. Powers and Duties of the Office of the Child Advocate

3.1 The Office of the Child Advocate will be empowered to investigate, review, monitor and evaluate "critical incidents" of child abuse or neglect. A "critical incident" is one in which (a) there has been a fatality or near fatality of a child who is in the custody of or receiving services from the Executive Office or one of its constituent agencies; or (b) the circumstances of the incident are such that there is reason to believe that the Executive Office or one of its constituent agencies failed in its duty to protect the child and, as a result, the child was at imminent risk of, or suffered, serious injury.

3.2 The Office of the Child Advocate will be authorized to review any agency investigation of a critical incident and conduct its own independent investigation of any critical incident, if needed. The purpose of the critical incident investigation shall be to determine (a) the circumstances surrounding the child's death or near fatality; (b) if the agency's activities and services provided to the child and his or her family were adequate, appropriate, and complied with agency
policies; and (c) whether the agency's policy, regulations, training, and/or provision of services can be improved in any way.

3.3 Before investigating any critical incident, the Child Advocate shall determine whether an investigation is being conducted by a law enforcement agency, an agency within the Executive Office, and/or the Department of Early Education and Care, and if so, the Child Advocate may defer to such agency's investigation and/or coordinate efforts to minimize the impact on the child, family and/or staff of the executive branch agency involved. In every case, the Child Advocate shall ensure that the Commissioner of the relevant executive branch agency has been notified of the Child Advocate's involvement before the Child Advocate begins his or her investigation.




3.4 The Child Advocate shall be empowered to receive complaints regarding Executive Office agencies' provision of services to children, if such complaints have not been resolved, within a reasonable time, at the agency level. Before investigating any complaint, the Child Advocate shall consider whether the complaint can be addressed through other means.

3.5 Subject to applicable federal and state law, the Child Advocate or his or her designee shall have access at any and all reasonable times to any facility, residence, program, or part thereof, that is operated, licensed, or funded by an agency within the Executive Office, and to all relevant records, reports, materials, and employees in order to better understand the needs of children in the custody of the Commonwealth or who are receiving services from an agency within the Executive Office. The Child Advocate shall be bound by any limitations on the use or release of information imposed by law upon the party furnishing such information.

3.6 At the request of the Governor or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Child Advocate will perform oversight functions to ensure that agencies serving children are fulfilling their obligations in the most effective and efficient manner. The Child Advocate will report and make recommendations, as appropriate, with respect to system-wide problems that might reduce the effectiveness of the care
and services provided to children and their families, including suggested legislative and regulatory changes.

3.7 The Child Advocate may share with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Commissioner of the Executive Office agency involved, or other agency personnel the report of, or the results of, a critical incident or other investigation involving that agency. Any executive branch employees who receive or read such a document will be bound by the confidentiality provisions of this Article and any other applicable federal or state law.

3.8 The Child Advocate, in consultation with the Executive Office and its agencies, shall develop internal procedures appropriate for the effective performance of his or her duties.


ARTICLE IV. Reports

4.1 The Child Advocate shall report annually to the Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Senate President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the activities of the Office of the Child Advocate, priorities for children's services, and recommendations regarding how the Commonwealth may better provide services to and for children. This report shall be made public.
ARTICLE V. Miscellaneous

5.1 To ensure the effective coordination and cooperation between the Office of the Child Advocate and agencies serving children, the Governor hereby directs each such agency within the Executive branch to make every reasonable effort to communicate and cooperate with the Office of the Child Advocate.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 20th day of December in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven and of the Independence of the United States two hundred and thirty-one.

DEVAL L. PATRICK
GOVERNOR
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN
Secretary of the Commonwealth

Working Paper on Child Advocacy

According to the AFCARS report of fiscal year 2005, the number of children entering foster care was 311,000 with thirty-five percent of those being between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.(AFCARS)These are startling statistics and one must be aware of these grave problems. Children in Foster Care mostly don't understand the system and more often than not need to be guided and assisted because without parents there is a term called "foster care drifting". Tackling giant problems starts with a look at the core of them... the fundamental people who are being hurt: the children. Foster Care affects the quality of life of children by damaging children's self-worth, changing their perspective on the world, and decreasing their chances at attaining higher educational goals.

The effects of foster care and child educational policy should not end up damaging children's self-worth. The American Academy of Pediatrician's Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption and Dependent Care recently wrote,

"Every effort should be made to make foster care a positive experience and a healing process for the child. Threats to a child's development from abuse and neglect should be understood by all participants in the child welfare system. Pediatricians have an important role in assessing the child's needs, providing comprehensive services, and advocating on the child's behalf."(Pediatrics, 2000)

This something that is very important and should be looked at. Children are drifting in foster care and feel that no one cares. It would be helpful to involve these children in better social situations to integrate them into the system in a phased way and more often to help the children understand what is going on. Integration is something which must be analyzed. As a former foster child, I remember being whisked away and not knowing what was going on and even having to fend for myself in getting information or even knowing about the process. That's not fair. When children enter foster care they should be given some information to guide them in the process. Children also have differing views of the world when they are in foster care and work should be done on this subject.

Foster Care changes children's perspective on the world. The infant-parents Institute reprinted a foster child's view in their journal where the child says, "When some of the people who took care of you were called "foster parents" and you didn't know what that meant except something about they weren't going to stick around." and also,

I'm not saying I was some cherished treasure or anything in my family. But what were you thinking when you sent big men in uniforms to grab me out of my screaming father's arms at eleven o'clock at night, scaring me to death? Or when you sent me to a foster home without telling them about the special ways I needed to be handled because I had never stayed anywhere long enough to get attached to anybody?(Trout)

Children end up believing they have no one who cares about them and that they are on their own. This is something which should be dealt with because with low positive outlook comes a higher likelihood for depression. Foster Care also has a lot to do with whether someone becomes educated.

Will Continue this Later

Works Cited

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report13.htm

Pediatrics Journal

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;106/5/1145

The Premise of this Blog

The Premise of this blog is to guide you along my journey of making a difference in the world. I'm going to do this in a few ways. Providing up to date news on different subjects such as:

1.) University News(Harvard University and DCE(Extension))
2.) My views and papers on the status of the Foster Care System, Orphans, and Child Health.
3.) Guiding you through my journey to become a Doctor and world-changer.
4.) Giving you a personal look into my life as I go through it.

I really hope you enjoy this blog.