About Us:
V.O.I.C.E.S. is the Youth Advisory Board for Children’s Home + Aid’s Metropolitan Region. Children’s Home + Aid is a statewide agency dedicated to giving children help, hope and opportunity. V.O.I.C.E.S. was established in the summer of 2007 to assist in fulfilling the agency’s vision to build a better life for youth in care.
V.O.I.C.E.S. was created to help improve foster care through input from youth in care. V.O.I.C.E.S. provides youth whose cases are managed by Children’s Home + Aid with a voice on issues that impact them. V.O.I.C.E.S. empowers youth, advocates for the needs of all youth in substitute care, and helps youth develop individual skills in order to build a better life for children and adolescents in care throughout the state of Illinois.
Mission:
Our mission is to provide voices to make life better for youth in care.
Goals:
Our goals are to speak out about needed changes and to improve communication between youth and the child welfare community (agency staff, court system, school, etc.).
Announcements:
Congratulations to the new V.O.I.C.E.S. Executive Board!
President: Robert
Vice President: Brandon
Secretary: Dion
Sergeant at Arms: Vacant
Treasurer: Ebony
Meetings
V.O.I.C.E.S. will meet the second Wednesday of every month from 5 to 6:30pm. Meetings will be held at the Children’s Home + Aid office at 5958 S. Marshfield, Chicago. The next meeting is on February 8, 2012.
Your Resources
Your Rights as a Youth in Care (PDF)
A Youth’s Guide to the Circuit Courts of Cook County, Illinois (PDF)
Helpful Links
Putting it all Together: A Handbook for Youth
The handbook is intended to: Answer some of the questions you may have about being in foster care
Describe what may happen after placement
Describe what you can do in different situations, such as in court or DCFS care
Describe the responsibilities of the people involved at this time
Provide phone numbers and names of people you can call for help
Provide definitions of terms you may hear while in DCFS care and in court
<<LINK IS DEAD – NEED NEW LINK TO DCFS DOCUMENT>>
Office of the Cook County Public Guardian
This website briefly explains the Child Protection Court Process and includes descriptions about the various court hearings. The Frequently Asked Questions page highlights some questions you may have about Juvenile Court.
http://www.publicguardian.org/juvenile/about/child-protection/
Get Goal’d Web Site
The purpose of this website is to provide you with access to all of the services DCFS provides to current and former youth in substitute care. It is designed to make it easy for you to find the information and services you need.
http://www.youthincare.illinois.gov/
Get Goal’d
This brochure highlights the specific resources available to you through DCFS.
http://www.youthincare.illinois.gov/PDFs/GetGoald_Brochure.pdf
FosterClub
FosterClub is the national network for young people in foster care. Their website serves as a communication tool for young people. It provides a means for young people to connect in a safe, monitored environment. The website also serves as a hub of information relating to foster care, including articles, frequently asked questions, message boards, contests, discussion of foster care topics, and even biographies of famous people who grew up in care.
http://www.fosterclub.com/
Executive Board + Membership
Board Members
The following individuals serve as members of the V.O.I.C.E.S. Executive Board:
President: Robert
Vice President: Brandon
Secretary:Dion
Sergeant at Arms: Vacant
Treasurer: Ebony
“I enjoy my job as President of V.O.I.C.E.S. At first I thought it was going to be hard but once you get used to it, it’s pretty easy.” – Former V.O.I.C.E.S president
Membership
All Children’s Home + Aid youth between the ages of 11 and 21 that are in or have been in substitute care can participate in V.O.I.C.E.S.
V.O.I.C.E.S. will provide Children’s Home + Aid youth with opportunities for:
- Personal Development: Life Skills, Character Building
- Professional Development: Strategic Planning, Leadership Skills
- Community Involvement: Volunteerism, Civic Participation, Advocacy
Requirements To Serve On The Executive Board
- Members must attend two consecutive meetings before being elected to serve as a member of the Executive Board.
- Elections for Executive Board will take place in January each year.
- Executive Board members will serve their positions for 12 months.
- If an Executive Board member misses two consecutive meetings, the V.O.I.C.E.S. members can decide to remove that member from office with a simple majority vote.
“I like being a member of the youth board because I enjoy being able to help others who are in foster care and experiencing some of the same things that I experienced. I hope to accomplish things so that others will have a chance to voice their opinions to make foster care better.” – Johnta C., Former Executive Board Member
Duties of the Executive Board Officers
