Yasmeen Collins Capstone

Throughout this year I have been working with Wordsworth to complete my capstone. The community umbrella agency changes the lives of families and guarantees that they will have a safe and healthy life. Wordsworth has the ability to help children conquer different behavioral problems, emotional, physical abuse, homelessness, and more. They provide homes for children and a safe environment for parents to come to when they need to see their children. My capstone consists of me working side by side with one of the directors to host an event for children who are traveling from home to home and need the basic toiletries to carry with them (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) I had hoped that I would be able to have the gift bags set up on a table and as the families came in for a visit I could hand them out. However, after having a meeting with my mentor I found out that I was unable to take pictures of the families and personally give them the gift bags due to restrictions around confidentiality. Therefore, I left them at the agency and throughout the course of the week case managers brought a gift bag to each of the children. After completing this capstone project I have given a deeper thought into “it’s the little things that matter” because after coming back to see how everything went the families were grateful and the children were happy to have something of their own. In the end that made me feel good because I was able to be a catalyst for change.

Bibliography:

• "Turning Points for Children Community Umbrella Agency Services | Philadelphia, PA, Child Abuse Prevention, Foster Care Services." Turning Points for Children Community Umbrella Agency Services | Philadelphia, PA, Child Abuse Prevention, Foster Care Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

I included this source because it directly relates to my capstone. I am working with this agency and giving the baskets filled with toiletries to the case managers. They will hand them out to the families during “supervision” which is the time that a parent has to spend time with their child. This agency finds placement for children and offers opportunities for children to live better lives. As we know, these children are experiencing lot’s of different changes that aren’t necessarily positive, but having the necessities they need will be helpful and make them feel more comfortable when going to a new place.

• Statement:

This statement explains how the Community Umbrella Agency is helpful and this event will be beneficial to the children. It also gives a brief overview of some positions people have at the job and how they support the children. I am working side by side with the director to grasp an understanding of how things work, what days will be good to host the event, etc. Also, this statement written by my outside menor gives some insight on how my capstone is personally useful and puts them at an advantage. I selected this source because I thought this was interesting a different type of source to include into my bibliography.

• "ACF Family Room Blog: New Data will Benefit Foster Children and Adoptive Families." Child Welfare Information Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

This source provides information about child welfare and foster care among children in America. I selected this source because it gives a better explanation of what the agency's purpose is and how my capstone can be applied. It explains the process and how things work within the organization. Lot’s of resources are incorporated into this source and it allows you to view the different types of data and statistics. This source is helpful if you are trying to understand the procedure. This source isn’t directly related to my project, but it gives some background of the overall point of this source.

• Article: CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

This source provides information about how foster children have little to no support and resources in their lives. Often foster children are moved from home to home until they reach 18 and they aren’t given anything. My capstone provides small toiletries (soap bars, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) so that they have some things to travel with. This will ensure that they are more comfortable and have some things for themselves. I found this source useful because children aren’t always comforted properly when going through these different changes in their lives so they need all the help that can be given to them.

• University, Princeton. "The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children."  - The Future of Children -. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Children who are in foster care are more at risk when it comes to behavior problems and expressing their emotions. Often they travel from home to home and have nothing of their own. My capstone gives them a chance to have somethings with them and make their stay at different places more pleasant. This source also fits into my interests and life goals because I want to reach out to the community and be able to perform outstanding works of community service. I feel like I could improve the community service and this project would be a great way to get involved.

• "For reasons of poverty: a critical analysis of the public child welfare system in the United States." Choice Reviews Online 27.10 (1990): n. pag. Web.

This source is in a form of a book and it explains the safety permanency and well being of children in the Philadelphia county child welfare system. This book includes different fields pertaining to social work, psychology, sociology etc. I selected this source because it helps to clarify several different concepts related to my topic. Having sources that aren’t directly related, but still apply are important because they give an overview of everything. This will provide the audience with some evidence of the job description and how children are put into place for different things. Also, books give a deeper understanding of things and make you view things from a different perspective.

• Kortenkamp, Katherine, and Jennifer Ehrle Macomber. "The Well-Being of Children Involved with the Child Welfare System: A National Overview." Katherine Kortenkamp. The Urban Institute, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

I selected this source because the children experience a lot of trials and tribulations throughout their life. They are forced to leave their homes and move from place to place without any of their belongings sometimes. Having my capstone at this place will help the children to feel more secure and like they have something of their own. Children in the welfare system don’t usually feel at home and experience a lot of emotional issues. Creating baskets filled with toiletries and taking time to focus on them individually will mean a lot and be very useful. These children should be put first.

• "Minority Children and the Child Welfare System: An ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2017.

Even when children are put into the system they aren’t always treated the best. If they have some type of support then they can feel like they can depend on someone. I selected this source because it has some statistics, research studies, and more. It provides information about foster children in general and how the process works and what happens. My senior capstone is for all children and on this website it talks about discrimination that occurs between the children and other negative things. This article makes good points about children in the welfare system and examines many different things.       

• Robertson, Marjorie J. "Homeless Youth: Research, Intervention, and Policy." N.p., n.d. Web.

Children who are apart of the system have experienced some type of abandonment and have to learn to cope with that. These children experience different types of abuse, go through intellectual problems, and more. Although my capstone won’t fix these issues it will assist them when it comes to needing something and having that feeling of knowing someone cares. This policy that I read talks about mental health, different studies, and homelessness among children. This isn’t exactly a source that would usually be used for my topic, but it does have a few points that talk about problems, changes, history, etc.

• "Homeless Children and Youth." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

I selected this source because unlike the source above it is in a form of a book so it’s more personal. It identifies the youth; struggle and more. Many people overlook the type of baskets I’m going to prepare for the children, but in reality they are much needed. The agency I’m working with is open and focused on the well being of children and making sure they are first. The agency is involved with the families and interacts with them often so that everyone that comes in feels like they have a place. Working side by side with this agency is beneficial to them and also helps me.