<p> The purpose of the project was to fund a medical respite program for homeless adults discharged from hospitals; too stabilized to remain in a hospital, and with recuperative needs too severe to remain on streets, or in a traditional shelter. This program will collaborate with other programs at the Weingart Center Association and local service providers to support homeless individuals. The Weingart Center Association, the hosting agency of this project, is located in Los Angeles County, California.</p><p> After conducting a review of the literature, the grant writer designed a medical respite program providing 24 hour shelter; access to care management; case management; access to medical professionals; nutrition needs; and psychosocial supports. After researching funding sources, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation was determined to the most applicable match for funding of the project.</p><p> Actual submission and funding of the grant were not required for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this policy analysis was to examine Article 10: Dependent Children-Judgments and Orders, Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 361.5, which describes the criteria for offering or denying visitation and reunification services to incarcerated parents or guardians with their children in out-of-home care. This analysis begins with a historical overview of the incarceration explosion in the past decades, and its relation to children in out-of-home care. The policy analysis identifies systemic challenges faced by incarcerated parents as they make efforts to reunify and preserve their child-parent relationships. The analysis is based on Gil&rsquo;s (1992) original nationally recognized framework and updated by Jimenez, Pasztor, Chambers, and Fujii, (2015). Limitations and alternative policy recommendations that could best meet these objectives are provided.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to raise awareness for one of the most lucrative and fastest growing social problems in the United States, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST). The goal of this grant proposal is to promote awareness of DMST through a school-based prevention program where junior and high school students can be informed about the signs and risks of trafficking and ways in which help can be provided. The host organization is Western Youth Services (WYS) in Orange County, CA which is committed to advancing awareness, cultivating success and strengthening communities through integrated mental health services for children, youth and families. A potential funding source is provided along with staffing, implementation guidelines, and a budget. Implications for policy, practice, and advocacy are offered. Actual submission and/or funding was not a requirement for the completion of this project.</p>

<p> The core of this proposed grant is implementing a mindfulness-based self-care training program for child welfare professionals working for Families Uniting Families, a non-profit foster care agency located in Long Beach, California. Through practicing mindfulness-based self-care, the child welfare workers at FUF will gain mindfulness skills to prevent and combat compassion fatigue. </p><p> The grant writer reviewed literature on compassion fatigue and mindfulness-based interventions in the helping profession. The grant writer made a case for the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based curriculum to reduce and prevent compassion fatigue for child welfare workers. After searching for potential funding sources, the grant writer located the Weigngart Foundation as the most potent funder.</p><p> The actual submission of the grant proposal is not a requirement for the completion of this thesis.</p>

Integrated primary and behavioral healthcare (PBHC) programs are a recent development in the field of mental health. The purpose of these programs is to combat the sizeable health discrepancies among persons with serious mental illness (SMI), who suffer from more comorbidities and lower life expectancy than the general population. Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a common SMI diagnosis that is associated with a substantial health burden. Research has shown that Bipolar disorder (BPD) responds well to medication, but clients with BPD often struggle with adherence to a medication regimen. Side effects and other health-related factors are often cited by clients as a reason for nonadherence. This cross-sectional, descriptive study used data from 241 de-identified individuals receiving care through an integrated PBHC program to examine associations between relevant health and psychosocial characteristics and different types of medication for BPD in persons with BPD. The current study used novel coding schemes to organize and analyze psychiatric medications for BPD.

<p> The purpose of &ldquo;Helping Foster Parents and Kinship Caregivers Support High School Graduation for Children in Their Care: A Self-Instructional Workbook&rdquo; is to help parents and caregivers with the young people in their care to navigate the crucial last 2 years of high school and graduate. It is renamed &ldquo;Guidelines to Graduation&rdquo; to be more user-friendly. This project included a literature review and a rationale for a self-instructional design. Activities include: true/false questions about the benefits of graduation, identification of strengths and positive traits, personal resources, and strategies for motivating youth.</p><p> Foster and kinship caregivers may work individually, with family members, or with child welfare workers. The design aims to: (a) accommodate foster and kinship caregiver&rsquo;s busy schedules; (b) allow for caregivers to learn at their own pace; (c) skip or go back to sections that are predominantly helpful; (d) provide a suitable and comprehensive guide that enhances parenting abilities.</p>

<p> Individuals and families experiencing homelessness experience a variety of hardships while living in temporary housing, in homeless shelters, and on the street. These can include mental health and substance use challenges and unawareness of lack of access to information regarding eligibility for MediCal, Medicare, and Veteran benefits. The purpose of this project was to develop a street-based program and seek potential funding to serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the city of Compton, California. The proposed program will provide street-based services on a weekly basis. Services include the provision of crisis intervention, education and linkages regarding benefits, and basic survival need items such as food, clothing, and personal hygiene products. The potential funding source for this grant is the Weingart Foundation as the goals of this foundation coincide with the goals of this proposed program. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not required for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> There have been several federal and state legislations that were passed to ensure children in foster care receive educational equality. More specifically, federal and state laws are in place which requires child welfare agencies and school districts to ensure children in the child welfare system to continue at their school of origin. However, frequent school mobility remains an ongoing challenge. As a result of sudden separations from their birth and resource families, children experience educational instability and a disruption in their natural mentorship network. Furthermore, children and youths who experience frequent school transfers result in decreased school attendance, low academic performance compared to their peers, and a lower rate of successful high school graduation. The purpose of this project was to develop a grant for the Miles for Education Transportation Program: transportation and natural mentorship program for children and youths in the child welfare system to continue at their school of origin and preserve relationships with their natural mentors in the school setting. The overall goal of the program is to ensure minimal school disruption, increase the high school graduation rate of youths in the child welfare system, and the preservation of natural mentors in the children and youths&rsquo; education social network. The actual funding and submission of this grant proposal were not requirements for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> African American students who come from low-income communities and attended underfunded schools are at increased risks of not graduating from high school, an outcome that has negative lifelong implications. Research documents that develop supports for these students increases the likelihood of attaining academic success. The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal for a community project that Success In Challenges Inc., located in Long Beach, California that can recruit at risk African American students and provide individual, familial, education and community supports. This grant proposal includes staffing, implementation time lines, evaluation, and a budget. A suggested funder is included. Implications for social work policy, practice and advocacy are discussed. The actual submission for funding was not required for successful completion of this project.</p>

No description available.