How to Speak Up for Kids in Foster Care a quick guide to approaching government leaders
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How to Speak Up for Kids in Foster Care As you advocate for kids in foster care, you may discover that approaching leaders can be hard. Knowing what to do or what to say to get a leader’s attention can be difficult. This guide has been created to give you some practical advice from those that have been there. Read through it now and keep it around as a refresher before you meet with an elected official, a staffer, or other government leader to speak up on behalf of kids and families in foster care in your community.
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5 Tips From Current & Former Government Leaders 1 2
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Demonstrate humility.
A stance of humility, graciousness and genuine interest in the person always goes a long way — perhaps especially when the person is on the “other side of the fence” from you. Also, as you sense what matters a lot to the leader, you’ll be able to connect your issue with their priorities.
Be succinct.
Be prepared to explain the problem and your proposals with few words. Pair this with a simple story or a visual such as a chart or a physical object that “embodies” your message. This can make your message more understandable and hard to forget.
Be solutions-oriented.
Bemoaning problems likely won’t accomplish much unless you also present a positive vision for how change is possible. And even if you want government to do more, always include thoughts on what can be done outside of government.
Be both innocent & shrewed.
Political leaders are pulled in many directions. Most genuinely want to make the world a better place, but they also need certain things to fuel their future work — including positive news stories about their efforts, support from organizations and networks, votes and/or financial support for their campaigns. Consider how their support for your proposals could be a “double win” for them.
Demonstrate your long-term commitment to the issue.
Some government leaders may be cautious about working with someone representing the faith community and may make certain assumptions about you. It’s important to demonstrate your long-term commitment to the issue and to working with them in a collaborative way to find solutions. 3
5 Ways to Get your Message to an Elected Offical 1. Meet face to face with a legislator or legislative staff
2. Write a letter to a legislator
3. Make a call to a legislator
4. Testify before a committee
5. Write a petition
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5 Steps to Effectively Approach Leaders 1. Identify the problem you are trying to solve
Take the time to identify as many problems as you can. No problem is too large or too small! Then, identify connections between the problems you have identified to find one issue that could address more than one problem. As a group, decide which problem you will chose to address. Take into consideration the size and experience of your group.
2. Collect data on the problem
To get started, check out our national map at CAFO.org/FosterMovement.
3. Develop recommended solutions for the problem you are trying to solve
Don’t forget to include your partners and supporters in this step as it may require additional research to determine what solutions would be effective.
4. Develop a strategy for the process of approaching these political leaders
Determine what boxes you want to check and how to check those boxes!
5. Reflection and review
After you’ve approached a political leader, sit down and decide what worked and what did not.
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5 Types of Legislative Staff Legislative Assistant
You will come into initial contact with the Legislative Assistant. Their responsibilities include coordinating face-toface meetings, setting the legislator’s schedule, and determining who keeps in touch with constituents.
Committee Administrator
If you ever go before a Legislative Committee, this is who you will need to get to know as they coordinate the meeting’s schedule.
Counsel & Research Staff
These staff members are available to all legislators and are nonpartisan. Their role includes researching issues, drafting bills, and advising legislators. You may be asked to work with these staff members together on proposals or bills related to your issue.
Legislative Services (Caucus) Staff
These staff members help legislators in a variety of ways doing what legislators and other staff do not have time for. Most likely, you will not have much interaction with these staff members. However, it is still beneficial to know who they are.
Other
There are lots of other staff members that help legislators. Even though you may not interact with “other” staff members often, always be respectful!
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Additional Resources You can play a vital role in providing more than enough for kids and families in foster care in the county where you live. Here are just a few of the things we’ve created to help you get there:
Church & State Partnerships in Foster Care
Six places where it’s working This short booklet provides six vignettes of places where church and government partnership is working around the country.
Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn
A story about 344 people working together to solve a big, big, big problem Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn is a children’s book about 344 people working together to solve a big, big, big problem. AND it’s illustrated by 344 kids, adoptive and foster parents, child welfare professionals, pastors, organizational leaders, recording artists, and authors who are all counting on the power of unity to bring hope to over 400,000 kids in foster care.
The Foster Care Prayer Guide
24 groups of people to pray for in your community Jonathan Edwards wrote, “There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the works of God and advance the kingdom of God as by prayer.” The Foster Care Prayer Guide equips you with prayer requests to do just that on behalf of kids and families in your community. the foster journey Often a winding road. Always a trip.
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members working together 1
The Foster Journey
Often a winding road. Always a trip. The Foster Journey is designed to be your companion as you consider foster care and prepare to be a great foster parent. With wisdom and humor, it walks you through both the initial decision to become a foster parent and provides a road map through the certification process.
The Foster Movement Podcast
The Foster Movement Podcast, featuring the stories of former foster youth, provides powerful insights to help you provide more than enough for kids and families in foster care where you live.
These resources and more can be found at: cafo.org/fostermovement 7
You can play a vital role in providing more than enough for kids and families in foster care in the county where you live. We can help you get there. To learn more, visit: cafo.org/fostermovement
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Š2018 Christian Alliance for Orphans