Listen23 December
UK
Adoption system ''is not fit for purpose''
The adoption system in England needs urgent reform, the government has
said, because the current system builds in unnecessary delays and checks
that mean around 1000 children cleared for adoption every year are
unable to find new families.
The coalition's adoption adviser, the former Barnardo's man Martin
Narey, has been tasked with drawing up plans to put a rocket under the
"painfully slow" process. Social workers have defended the current
system, saying that the delays are an essential part of making sure
matches between children and adopters are as sound as possible so that
disruptions (family breakdowns) are minimised. However, the British
Association of Social Workers (BASW) did not have any suggestions of its
own about how the system could be improved.
According to the government, children wait on average for two years and
seven months to be adopted. At the same time, approving people as
adopters takes around nine months to a year. The latest figures showed
that 3,660 children under one year old were in care but just 60 had
found adoptive families. While most children waiting to be adopted are
aged between 2 and 5, there is massive demand for babies and toddlers
and critics say having 3,600 under-ones sitting in foster care for a
year is nothing short of scandalous.
The Children's minister Tim Loughton said: "The assessment process for
people wanting to adopt is painfully slow, repetitive and ineffective.
Dedicated social workers are spending too long filling out forms instead
of making sound, common-sense judgements about someone's suitability to
adopt. Children are waiting too long because we are losing many
potentially suitable adoptive parents to a system which doesn't welcome
them and often turns them away at the door. We cannot afford to sit back
and lose potential adoptive parents when there are children who could
benefit hugely from the loving home they can provide."
Narey said: "The parental assessment process is not fit for purpose. It
meanders along, it is failing to keep pace with the number of children
cleared for adoption, and it drives many outstanding couples to adopt
from abroad."
He added that councils' adoption services tended to be suspicious of
would-be adopters and deliberately built in delays.
However, BASW's chief executive Hilton Dawson told the BBC: "I don't
think that the government should emphasise speed over the quality of
assessment. Adoption is for life, this isn't something that people
should enter into lightly."
Of course, nobody is saying that anybody enters into adoption "lightly"
and that rigorous checks should still not be the norm, but equally
nobody who professes to care about the welfare of children in the care
system could be satisfied that there is not room for considerable
improvement in the existing approach to adoption.
Last month Nottinghamshire County Council, near the bottom of the
adoption 'league tables', said that if building in delays for checks
meant "waiting a couple of years so that families can be kept together
or a disabled child gets the right family then we will continue to do
so".
UK Public Service
22 December 2011
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=18377
___
21 December
US
Social Media Magnifies Exposure to Alcohol for Underage People
Underage people are endangered by the increasing exposure to the “alcohol experience” because of lax regulations for alcohol marketing on social media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, a university watchdog group said Monday.
The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) published a new brochure and released a four-part Youtube movie that analyzes the alcohol industry’s push into digital marketing, and raises questions on whether the industry’s self- regulation is sufficient in protecting young Americans from drinking.
CAMY is a part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The group’s analysis found that the top ten leading alcohol brands have more than 16.5 million people “liking” their Facebook brand pages as of November 2011, and these ten brands have uploaded 35,725 photos and 377 videos to their Facebook pages.
The brands also highly appeal to young people. Fans have taken the brands’ messages viral by uploading more than 15 thousand photos and nearly 100 videos to the alcohol brands’ Facebook pages.
Scrutiny on Industry Practices
Furthermore, images of Santa, toys, sexually suggestive photos, and those suggesting binge consumption of alcohol have flooded the industry’s social media sites, despite industry guidelines.
The center also tested the validity of the industry’s “age affirmation” technology that is supposed to prevent exposure of inappropriate marketing to underage youth, but says it found it essentially pointless because currently, a social media site user needs to state their age, but the age is not verified.
“Over and over again, youth are more likely to hear, read or see alcohol ads in mainstream media, and brands are now taking their messages from their branded sites to social media platforms such as YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook," said David Jernigan, Director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth in a statement.
"As teens are early adopters of social media and there are viral elements of this media, parents need to be more aware of this marketing and to educate their children about the real harms of underage drinking in spite of the industry's message of glamour and allure," Jernigan added.
The center noted that in 2003, industry groups for beer and distilled spirits pledged to place alcohol ads in media venues only when underage youth makes up at most or less than 30 percent of the audience. CAMY says 14 longitudinal studies have shown that “the more young people are exposed to alcohol marketing, the more likely they are to start drinking or, if already drinking, to drink more.”
The CAMY brochure states that although the industry has reduced youth exposure in magazines and radio, youth exposure on television grew 71 percent between 2001 and 2009.
With the rapid expansion of digital media, more alcohol brands are swiftly moving toward the digital space to market their ads, and this raises concern according to CAMY.
According to Consumer Reports, more than 30 percent of minors on Facebook inflate their ages to sign up because Facebook does not permit users below the age of 13, and youth are overrepresented on Facebook in the United States.
While 13-20 year olds make up only 13.6 percent of the 13 and older population, as of October they made up nearly 22 percent of Facebook users.
Policy Implications
“The alcohol industry’s digital and social media marketing tactics are blurring the boundaries between advertising and content with unprecedented sophistication,” said Jeff Chester, the executive director for Center for Digital Democracy in a statement last year.
"The FTC and state attorneys-general should launch an investigation into this new threat to young people online," Chester added.
"Today's young people are living much of their lives online," said Kathryn Montgomery, a professor of communications at American University who co-authored an analysis, "Alcohol Marketing in the Digital Age" in 2010.
According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, alcohol is used by more young people in the country than any other drug, and alcohol consumption is associated with approximately 75,000 deaths per year.
"With concerns about binge drinking and other dangerous behaviors among underage youth, public health professionals and policy makers must investigate these aggressive new alcohol marketing practices on social networks, mobile phone and other digital media so popular with children and teens," Montgomery said in the report.
Medical Daily
19 December 2011
___
19 December
Moving Them Off the Streets:
Homeless Youth Program Helps Get At-Risk and Homeless Youth to a Safe
Place
Cleveland-area kids forced out due to varying circumstances find
compassion, care from Bellefaire JCB
It happens – right in our own backyard. Teens forced to "couch-surf" after losing their homes to foreclosure. Young adults kicked to the curb because of their sexual preference. Children running away to find safety from violent, abusive households. According to The National Center on Family Homelessness, more than 32,900 children were homeless in Ohio in 2010: from the eastern suburbs, across the city to the western suburbs, youth homelessness is an issue within the community: Fortunately, there is help.
For five years, Bellefaire JCB (Jewish Children's Bureau) has provided assistance to at-risk and homeless youth through its Homeless Youth Program, a service designed to get children, teens and young adults to a safe place and provide them with the short-term care they need to work through a crisis or issue at home. These crises can include drugs & alcohol, physical & sexual abuse, violence, gender/sexual identity issues, and more.
The Homeless Youth Program has two facets: one that provides short-term care, with the goal to stabilize the crisis, reunite youth with their families (if safe and appropriate), arrange shelter for up to 14 days with a trained respite family, and assure 24-hour case supervision for youth under the age of 18. The second facet has the team hitting the streets – literally – to help those in need who are 21 or younger.
About a year ago, the Homeless Youth Program expanded to include a Street Outreach Program that encourages at-risk youth to "run with your feelings, not your feet." Program staff members are available at libraries, 24-hour coffee shops and other teen-friendly locations to provide help and hope to runaway and homeless teens.
Staff members hit the streets on Thursday and Friday evenings, and then host activity-centered programs on Saturday afternoons. These drop-in locations provide youth with a safe place to hang out, get help and access to resources, and find someone to listen to their stories. On average, Saturday activities attract 40-60 youth – they have an open mic, play games, watch movies, make crafts, and eat, while learning that there is help available.
"Our goal is to find at-risk youth, help stabilize their situation, build trust and then connect them with additional services for ongoing support," said Karen McHenry, LISW, LCDC program director. "We meet them where they are, listen and hear their story, and then work to get them to a safe place."
A Homeless Youth Hotline also serves to identify potential at-risk youth. At minimum, this hotline receives one call per day from parents or other family members, concerned neighbors, teachers and other school officials, etc. At-risk youth are also prone to reach out for help, sometimes phoning staff members several times before asking for help.
The police are involved, too. McHenry conducts roll call training with various police departments to help them identify at-risk youth and understand when to call the Homeless Youth Program to intervene.
Even the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is lending a helping hand through Safe Place®, a "national outreach initiative [that] provides youth immediate access to a network of safety and support services such as food, shelter and family counseling." Kids in need can approach the RTA operator, who will radio for assistance and transport the youth to the care of a designated Safe Place agency, such as Bellefaire JCB.
"Once on the streets, these kids can fall victim to: drug and alcohol abuse; drug dealing; physical and sexual abuse; prostitution or 'survival' sex; violence; anxiety disorders, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); or even suicide," said McHenry. "The mission of the Homeless Youth Program is to stabilize the situation and then leverage partnerships with necessary community resources and services to provide continued short- and long-term care."
Since the Homeless Youth Program's inception in 2006, more than 140 youth have been helped. However, this number does not include the kids who have called the hotline or received case management services through this service – for example, in 2010-2011 the Homeless Youth Program received 566 calls on the hotline. The Street Outreach Program, which started in October 2010, has served more than 1,300 kids, and has distributed more than 2,050 food/drink packages and more than 650 health/hygiene kits to homeless and at-risk youth.
For more information on Bellefaire JCB or the Homeless Youth Program, please visit www.bellefairejcb.org or find the program on Facebook.
About the Homeless Youth Program
Through education, Bellefaire JCB's Homeless Youth Program is
committed to preventing youth from leaving home and homelessness among
youth. When needed, the Homeless Youth Program initiates an immediate
response to help at-risk or homeless youth, delivering crisis
stabilization, providing emergency respite care, reuniting youth with
their families – when safe and appropriate – and assuring 24-hour case
supervision.
About Bellefaire JCB
Founded as an orphanage in 1868, Bellefaire JCB provides behavioral
health, education, and prevention services for children, adolescents and
their families. Services include: Counseling in the home, community and
school; Adoption; Foster Care; Homeless Youth Program; the Monarch
Center for Autism, which includes a day school and residential services;
the Jewish Big Brother Big Sister Association; Preschool Programs; and
Residential Treatment for youth with behavioral and emotional issues.
Visit www.bellefairejcb.org .
SOURCE Bellefaire JCB
Press release: MarketWatch
16 December 2011
___
16 Decermber 2011
Dr. William Jenkins,
Co-Founder of Scientific Learning, to Speak at International Conference
on Child Development and Learning
...
Hong Kong conference brings together leading researchers in
children's learning disabilities to discuss ways to improve language
development and reading
Dr. William Jenkins, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Scientific Learning Corp. /quotes/zigman/74119/quotes/nls/scil SCIL -1.54% , will be a featured presenter at the International Conference on Child Development and Learning on Dec. 17 at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Scientific Learning is the creator of the Fast ForWord(R) and Reading Assistant(TM) family of products, neuroscience-based educational software products used in more than 40 countries around the world.
The International Conference on Child Development and Learning brings together researchers working in the fields of linguistics, neuro-cognitive science, psychology, speech therapy, and language education, with a focus on how to help children with delays in language development and reading. Conference attendees will include professionals in education, second language acquisition, speech science, and teacher training.
In his presentation, Jenkins will explain how brain plasticity research has shown that the brain can be exercised to improve its function and to take advantage of whatever content is presented to the learner. He will demonstrate how children can improve their capacity to learn by building memory, attention, processing rate, and sequencing -- cognitive skills essential for learning and reading success. Participants will learn how schools around the world are using acoustically modified speech technology to accelerate language and reading development for students across a wide spectrum of ages and abilities.
About Scientific Learning Corp.
We accelerate learning by applying proven research on how the brain learns. Scientific Learning's results are demonstrated in over 240 research studies and protected by over 55 patents. Learners can realize achievement gains of up to two years in as little as three months and maintain an accelerated rate of learning even after the programs end.
Press release: MarketWatch
15 December 2011
___
14 December 2011
A Fragile Child's Cry – True
Story of a Father's Unselfish Love
and Rescue of an Abused Foster Child
In today's fatherless generation where many dads are absent from the
lives of their children, 'A Fragile Child's Cry' shows a different
perspective. It is a heartfelt true story about a father's undying love
for a child who was a victim of severe child abuse. Author H. L.
Stampley shares his emotional journey with readers of the challenges he
faced with the bureaucracy of the child care system through the adoption
of a special needs child resulting from a horrific case of Shaken Baby
Syndrome (SBS).
There are over 3 million cases of child abuse reported in the U.S. each
year. SBS, a severe form of head injury caused by the forcible shaking
of a child, is said to be recognized as the most common cause of
mortality and accounts for the most long-term disability in infants and
young children due to physical child abuse.
In writing A Fragile Child's Cry, Stampley states, "Oftentimes the
personal challenges were so insurmountable and unimaginable; I just
prayed that I would make it through this part of my life. I had to find
the strength to carry on."
A Fragile Child's Cry, published by Street Positive Publishing, is
available at streetpositive.com. A portion of the proceeds from the book
will benefit programs for foster youth, abused and children with
disabilities.
Stampley's mission is to be a voice for innocent victims of child abuse
everywhere, like his foster son Tavarius, by raising awareness about
this growing epidemic and the current flaws in the foster care system.
Stampley and Boykins can be heard on 'Speak Life' Blog Talk radio show
live interview on Thursday, December 22nd at 5:30 p.m. (PST). Listeners
can call in at 646-381-4443 or logon to blogtalkradio.com/1821speaklife
to join in this very important and compelling subject of child abuse and
the effect its having our our children.
About Street Positive
StreetPositive.com, a division of 4Positive Knowledge (1997), was
originally established in 1999 to promote child safety among elementary
school students.
Press release: PR-CANADA.net
13 December 2011
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=485143&Itemid=36
___
12 December 2011
US
Children Falling Through the Cracks
For children living in foster care, the trauma and mental health toll can be tremendous. Many studies have shown that up to 80 percent of them have developmental or mental health problems.
Yet most do not receive psychiatric or psychological care until their situation reaches a crisis point – and sometimes not even then.
The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry reports that while 60-85% of the children being served by the child welfare system meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis, most do not receive appropriate mental health care until their situation reaches a crisis level, if at all.
"States have a duty to protect children in their care," said AACAP President Martin Drell, M.D. "The use of coordinated community-based services should also be implemented to ensure comprehensive care, resulting in a unique set of services and supports individualized for that child and family."
There are approximately a half-million children living in the foster care system in the United States, and many have been exposed to psychological trauma including abuse, neglect or maltreatment, parents with mental disorders or substance abuse, and high levels of violence in their homes.
In addition, they've often been subjected to adverse biological factors such as premature birth, prenatal drug or alcohol exposure and more. Placement in foster care only subjects them to further stress by disrupting attachments and their living and school situations.
Without the help they need to address these problems, it is unlikely they will overcome them. Their communities and families have often been characterized by inadequate health care, education, housing and social support. As a group, these youth are over-represented in special education programs and the juvenile justice system.
AACAP has released a list of recommendations to try and improve the services for children living in foster care. The recommendations include:
Access to formal screening and diagnostic assessment for psychiatric symptoms
Treatment with a full range of psychosocial and psychopharmacologic interventions
Careful screening of foster parents and their access to education and respite care
Supervision of a Board eligible/certified child and adolescent psychiatrist for treatment
Daily Rx
9 December 2011
http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/mental-health-services-missing-kids-16395.html
___
9 December 2011
CANADA
Volunteering Vital, but Debate over Children and “Volun-tourism” Exists
While the world showed its appreciation for the role of volunteers in peace and development yesterday, academics have demonstrated wariness about “volun-tourism,” particularly as concerns orphans and vulnerable children.
Millions, perhaps billions, of people across the world volunteer their time to support community wellbeing, often during times of development and environmental or humanitarian distress. Yesterday, was International Volunteer Day, which is celebrated every year on December 5th to show appreciation for volunteers and highlight the important role they play in peace and development.
The United Nations’ own voluntary arm, UN Volunteers (UNV), released its flagship report State of the World’s Volunteerism in light of the occasion. For the first time, the report presents empirical evidence of the crucial role that volunteers have played in the global arena.
“We hope through this report that everyone will recognize volunteerism as an essential and as yet under-utilized sustainable, renewable,” said the report’s senior writer, Robert Leigh, yesterday.
“We cannot ignore this largely untapped asset that can be a powerful force for the future of development,” he added.
General Assembly President, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, also noted the vital role of volunteerism in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Volunteering “strengthens trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens. It empowers change from the grassroots up, “ he added.
Volunteering has blossomed at the global scale. In Canada, respected organizations such as Cuso/VSO, World University Service of Canada, Canada World Youth and Youth Challenge International—among others—send volunteers overseas to work in poor countries and contribute meaningfully to their development.
The subject has also been the topic of numerous scholarly studies. Some of the results indicate that care must be taken when volunteers are working with vulnerable populations, such as orphans.
In many cases, volunteering has become a tourist activity for young people in particular. An article by Linda Richter and Amy Norman published last year in the journal, Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, commented on the potentially worrying trend of “AIDS orphan volunteerism.”
Many people recognize that sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an orphan crisis, including a crisis of care for these children. But, the authors warn that “short-term attachments formed between children in group residential care and volunteers may worsen known impacts of institutional care.“
Globally, residential care in the form of large institutions is not the preferred solution to the crisis of care among AIDS orphans—instead, family and community-based solutions are favoured. But, residential institutions continue to exist, many of them unregistered and operating outside the law, posing their own risks to their child inmates.
“Repeated disruptions of attachment and abandonments in the form of ‘AIDS orphan tourism’ exacerbate these risks,” they note.
The authors aim to eliminate the exploitation of young people by commercial tour operators. Young people who wish to volunteer, say Richter and Norman, should be fully educated on children’s development and special vulnerabilities. They should be given “guidelines on how to manage relationships to minimize negative outcomes for young children.”
According to the UNV’s report, the last decade has seen increasing numbers of volunteer engagement, with international volunteerism become a prominent part of development activities. They also observed a shift toward short-term placements as globalization facilitates the ease and affordability of travel. The debate over the benefits to local communities and strain on local resources by the “volun-tourism” industry is debated.
Overall, however, the UNV does note that volunteering programmes are most effective when there is continuity between volunteers, training is provided (including cultural sensitivity), placements respond directly to community needs and maximize contributions.
Press release: SOS Children's Villages
6 December 2011
___
7 December 2011
Boys and Girls Homes of North
Carolina Becomes Nationally Accredited
by the Council on Accreditation
Lake Waccamaw, NC, December 05, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc. (B&GH), a non-profit organization offering in-home and out-of-home placements for vulnerable children, announces today that it has been awarded national accreditation by the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA is an international, independent, not-for-profit, child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization.
Boys and Girls Homes has had EAGLE Accreditation for many years. EAGLE accreditation (Educational Assessment Guidelines Leading Towards Excellence) is also a best practice approach to working with children and families in need. “While we have served our children and families well with the standards of EAGLE, the COA accreditation raises the bar of service even higher and is the preferred accreditation by funders and placement agencies throughout the state of North Carolina and the nation,” says Gary Faircloth, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Homes.
COA currently accredits 47 different service areas and more than 125 types of programs. Among the service areas are substance abuse treatment, adult day care, services for the homeless, foster care and intercountry adoption.
“In our 57-year history, Boys and Girls Homes has always maintained high standards. We are delighted to have been recognized in this way. Receiving COA accreditation validates our advocacy efforts for children across the state,” says Faircloth. “Every 18 minutes a child in America is abused and 4 die as a result of abuse and neglect each day. Now that we are nationally accredited we can look forward to branching out and reaching at-risk youth wherever our services are needed.”
Although COA accredits the entire organization, the nearly two-year process began with identifying the 13 B&GH service areas. Seven committees were formed in order to prepare the necessary documentation. Committee members were charged with demonstrating the impact of the organization’s services in each area. Committees included: Ethical Practice, Governance and Financial Management Standards; Human Resources Standards; Performance Quality Improvement and Risk Prevention and Management Standards; Administrative and Service Environment Standards; Behavior Support and Management, Clients Rights, Training and Supervision Standards; Foster Care and Adoption Services Standards and Group Living Standards. All staff members were assigned to a committee as either a working member or educational member for informational purposes.
B&GH performed a self-study, which included about 200 documents, as a way to determine eligibility. The self-study was sent to the COA offices in New York on September 27. COA analysts determined B&GH was ready for a site visit by a peer review team which took place October 30-November 1.
“Promoting a culture of excellence in which best and evidence-based practices are upheld is what we are all about,” adds Faircloth.
Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, not-for-profit, international accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and human service organizations. Today, over 1,800 organizations—public and private—are either COA accredited or are in the process of seeking accreditation. These organizations serve over 7 million of our most vulnerable individuals each year.
Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc. has been helping children since 1954. Since then, nearly 5,000 children have benefited by the services of the not-for-profit, 501(c)3 agency. Its mission is to provide a comprehensive array of services for children and youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or other family dysfunction. B&GH offers adoption, family and therapeutic foster care as well as residential care on the campus at Lake Waccamaw, NC. The campus features a SACS-accredited middle and high school, vocational education, recreation facilities, farm, chapel and cottage life. Up to 180 vulnerable children are cared for through residential and community-based services at any given time. To learn more about B&GH, visit www.boysandgirlshomes.org.
Press release: PR,Com
5 December 2011
http://www.pr.com/press-release/373803
___
5 December 2011
NEW YORK
Children's Medical Center
Calls for Early Education
to Reduce Cancer Risk in Adults
Physicians at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York fight daily to help reduce the damage that cancer does to young patients. New programs are regularly introduced to help educate young children and adolescents on how they can protect themselves. A new study from the U.S. Preventative Task Force may make that task a little easier.
According to the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, appealing to the vanity of youth may be one of the most effective ways to help young children and adolescents see how real and damaging cancer can be.
A prime example similar to those cited in education material provided by Cohen Children's Medical Center, would be revealing to young people between the ages of 10 and 20 how sun exposure over extended periods can change the appearance of skin as they age. Through proper education, physicians at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center believe that they can change the behavior of teens and young adults using counseling approaches that not only educate on the medical consequences of sun exposure, but also the cosmetic consequences.
As many parents would agree, young adults and children don't often have a solid grasp on the concept of mortality. Researchers believe this is why so few show concern for things like cancer – because it's something that seems far off. Poll a large group of teens and the general opinion on cancer is that it's not something that typically happens to younger people.
But the fact that that pediatric hematology and oncology centers even exist is proof that cancer is not just an adult-stage disease. Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center is home to one of the most comprehensive pediatric hematology and oncology centers in the northeastern United States. Their facility treats hundreds of patients each year for a variety of illnesses, including skin cancer, and they counsel countless others on preventative health measures to avoid the onset of cancer.
According to the website for Cohen Children's Medical Center, "Our Children's Cancer and Blood Disorder Center is one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area, and our cutting-edge network of treatment and support systems includes highly specialized centers and programs and the latest stem cell transplantation services."
Outreach and education is often as important as the treatments. Comprehensive facilities like Cohen Children's Medical Center, a division of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, are stepping up to provide early education to adolescents and young adults. Topics like heart health, diet and exposure to cancer-causing conditions help prepare young people and children to take better care of themselves as they age.
In cases of skin cancer, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force believes if you point out that premature aging and wrinkling are side effects of sun exposure in addition to skin cancer, you'll gain a much quicker response. While it's important to educate on skin cancer itself, it's also apparent that understanding the audience is key to getting a message across. We live in a world where beauty and glamour hold the attention of youth, and research shows us that young people are more apt to respond when shown pictures of sun-damaged skin or if they're shown sun-related changes on their faces using a UV camera.
For more information on protecting the body from the sun and skin cancer, visit the North Shore-LIJ Health System pediatric hematology and oncology website today.
About the Steven and Alexandra Cohen
Children's Medical Center of New York:
For the fifth consecutive year, US News & World Report has ranked the
Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York as
among the nation's best children's hospitals. Cohen Children's Medical
Center, under the parent umbrella of North Shore Long Island Jewish
Health System, is the preeminent children's hospital on Long Island and
is the largest provider of pediatric services in the state of New York,
including pediatric hematology and oncology. Established nearly 30 years
ago, the pediatric hospital has evolved continually to keep pace with a
growing population. The vision of Cohen Children's Medical Center is to
become a national leader, recognized for providing outstanding
family-centered, quality-focused and academically-based care while
conducting research committed to finding cures and innovative treatments
for childhood diseases.
For more information, visit www.northshorelij.com/ccmcny/home
Press release: World News Report
2 December 2011
http://world.einnews.com/247pr/250525
___
2 December 2011
"The Mouse Who Went Surfing
Alone", an Internet Safety Book for Young Children, Now Available on
Amazon Just in Time for the Holiday Season
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, has
spent her career crusading for the safety and security of children. And
one way she is doing this is by educating young children on Internet
safety. Ferman, a nationally recognized anti-child abuse advocate, knows
from experience how easy it is for children to surf into dangers waters
online so she decided to create a resource for parents to teach kids
about the importance of surfing the web safely. That's how the idea of
The Mouse Who Went Surfing Alone was born.
The book, already widely popular in Philadelphia and Montgomery County,
in now available for purchase on Amazon for $12.95, just in time for the
holiday season.
The Mouse Who Went Surfing Alone is not only an educational guide about
the dangers lurking online when children use the internet without
parental supervision, but also a colorful child-friendly book complete
with stickers and tips. Children, age's preschool-first grade, and
parents can both share in this holiday gift together.
The book tells the story of Wesley, a young mouse who loved to surf.
Despite his parents' warnings, he went surfing alone and encountered
numerous predators such as a barracuda and a shark disguised as a
dolphin. With quick thinking and common sense, Wesley avoided dangers
and returned home safely. Wesley's adventure surfing on the high seas
serves as a metaphor to surfing on the Internet, educating young
children about safe browsing habits.
To purchase the book please visit Amazon. All proceeds benefit Mission
Kids, a local non-profit organization aimed at easing the criminal
justice process for abused children. For more information on Mission
Kids visit www.missionkidscac.org .
About Mission Kids
Mission Kids is a 501(c)(3) corporation located in Norristown,
Pennsylvania. Founded in March 2007, Mission Kids was created by the
collaborative effort of the Montgomery County District Attorney, the
Police Chiefs of Montgomery County, and the Montgomery County Office of
Children and Youth to stop the cycle of abuse and improve the outcomes
for abused children and their families. Mission Kids serves as a
child-friendly facility where medical professionals, social workers,
police officers and lawyers come together to streamline the
investigative process and provide victims with the necessary support
services to help them begin to heal.
Press release: MarketWatch
30 November 2011
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-mouse-who-went-surfing-alone-an-internet-safety-book-for-young-children-now-available-on-amazon-just-in-time-for-the-holiday-season-2011-11-30
___
