International Foster Care Alliance

SINCE SEPTEMBER 2013, THE US AND JAPAN FOSTER YOUTH TEAMS HAVE TRAVELED TO EACH OTHER'S COUNTRY ONCE EVERY YEAR AND COLLABORATED ON MORE THAN 50 EVENTS THAT DREW OVER 5,500 PEOPLE. THESE TWO TEAMS' UNIQUE CROSS-CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP PROMOTES PERSONAL GROWTH AS LEADERS, STRENGTHENS YOUTH'S VOICE, AND REFORMS BOTH COUNTRIES' FOSTER CARE SYSTEMS. AS A RESULT, IN JAPAN, THE CONCEPT OF "YOUTH VOICE" HAS STARTED TO TAKE ROOT. IN 2019 AND IN 2020, THE ORGANIZATION HELPED ITS PARTNER IN JAPAN TO PUBLISH FIVE BOOKLETS THAT ARE ABOUT YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND ADULT PARTNERSHIP AND PERMANENCY FOR FOSTER YOUTH WHO ARE LEAVING CARE. IFCA HAS INTRODUCED A SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN FOSTER PARENT SUPPORT AND RECRUITMENT MODEL CALLED THE "MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY MODEL" IN JAPAN, WHERE 85% OF FOSTER CHILDREN STILL LIVE IN LARGE FACILITIES. CURRENTLY, WE HAVE FIVE "CONSTELLATIONS (CAREGIVER AND CHILDREN GROUPS)" IN THREE SEPARATE REGIONS RECEIVING SERVICES FROM THE MODEL AND THIS PROGRAM IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THESE COMMUNITIES BY PREVENTING PLACEMENT DISRUPTIONS AND CAREGIVER BURNOUT.IFCA ALSO HELPED OVER 480 JAPANESE THERAPISTS LEARN TRAUMA-FOCUSED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY [TF-CBT], ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE TRAUMA TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN, BY INVITING EXPERT AMERICAN TRAINERS. THESE THERAPISTS ARE WORKING WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM TRAUMA, INCLUDING ORPHANS IN THE AREA AFFECTED BY THE GREAT TSUNAMI DISASTER IN EASTERN JAPAN IN 2011. IN FEBRUARY 2020, MIYAKO SHIRAKAWA, MD PROVIDED 40 CLINICIANS IN SAPPORO, JAPAN WITH THE TF-CBT INTRODUCTORY TRAINING.