Raif Walter and Mandy Baldwin on the cover of "From Place to Place" DVD.

“From Place to Place,” a documentary that follows the sometimes heart-rending tales of young adults who age out of the foster care system, is complete and available for purchase, said Matt Anderson, a Montana social worker who produced the film.

Social workers gave a 15-minute excerpt of “From Place to Place” positive buzz at the first Social Work FilmFest in Washington, D.C. in March.

“‘From Place to Place’ is a great tool for social workers all over the country,” Matt said. “Whether doing clinical work, case management, community organizing or policy work all social workers come into contact with the foster care system at some point in their careers.”

Former foster children face a variety of hurdles. Many have little or no contact with birth families and are at higher risk of becoming single parents or living with mental illness. According to a University of Washington School of Social Work study, 60 percent of male former foster children will be convicted of a crime and 40 percent of the women will end up on public assistance.

 Anderson, who is co-owner of the Porch Productions film company and a National Association of Social Workers member, used “From Place to Place” to follow underdogs Mandy Baldwin and Raif Walter as they set out to change the foster care system that raised them.

 Despite facing the all too common struggles of life post foster care, they are determined to not only make it but to change the system for the next generation of kids in care. Mandy and Raif go to Capitol Hill to meet members of Congress and present to the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, which released a Call to Action on comprehensive child welfare reform.

 Later the pair go to Philadelphia and New York City to share their message.  ”If every foster child had a voice I believe the system would literally change overnight,” Mandy said.

 To view the film’s trailer and purchase your copy you can go to: www.fromplacetoplacemovie.com.

Ted Bogosian

 The three-hour FilmFest, which is sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers Washington, D.C. Metro Chapter, will kick off at 6 p.m. It is organized by the chapter and SocialWorkersSpeak.org, a NASW Website that gets social workers talking about and influencing how they, and the issues they care about, are portrayed in the media.

 The FilmFest also comes at the start of Social Work Month, a period dedicated to educating the public about myriad services social workers provide.

 ”Respected filmmakers such as Bogosian are creating films that highlight valuable services provided by social workers and we want the public to get a taste of these works,” said NASW Washington D.C. Metro Chapter Executive Director Joyce Higashi, LICSW, LCSW-C, LCSW, DCSW. “People may also be surprised to learn that social workers are also expert filmmakers.”

Leslye Abbey

Bogosian, who has done work for PBS and HBO, will show his latest documentary “What is Love: Pathfinders.” That film follows a cancer care program created by NASW member Tina Staley, MSW, LCSW, that is used at Duke University and in Staley’s home state of Colorado.

Leslye Abbey, MSW, a clinical social worker who runs the Snowflake Video film company, will show “Experiencing Aging.” This film looks at the aging process from the perspective of social worker and educator Catherine Papell.

 Matt Anderson, MSW, who is co-owner of the Porch Productions film company, will let the FilmFest air a 15-minute excerpt of his upcoming documentary “From Place to Place” about the challenges facing foster children who age out of the system.

Matt Anderson

These films demonstrate how social workers are heavily involved in helping the aging, those with chronic illness, and young people.

If you are interested in attending the event email Greg Wright at gwright@naswdc.org. To learn more about how social workers can celebrate Social Work Month in March, click here to visit the National Association of Social Workers’ guide on activities you can do in your community!

The National Association of Social Workers Communications Network Advisory Committee. Top row from left: Sherry Amatenstein, George Anderson and Matt Anderson. Second row from left: Matt Conn, Kirstin Downey and Suzanne Dworak-Peck. Third row from left: Antwone Fisher, Kathy Gurland and Jenna Mehnert. Bottom row from left: Oren Moverman, Maribel Quiala and Terrie Williams. Not pictured: Ellen Rostand.

The National Association of Social Workers is announcing it has formed an advisory committee of Hollywood writers, award-winning journalists, social workers involved in the media and others to educate the public about social workers and increase awareness of the profession.

The NASW Communications Network (NCN) Advisory Committee members include author and Pulitzer-winning Washington Post reporter Kirstin Downey; Academy Award-nominated director and screenwriter Oren Moverman; social worker, anger management expert and movie consultant George Anderson; author and screenwriter Antwone Fisher; and social worker, author and national columnist Sherry Amatenstein.

“Social work is an exciting and rewarding profession that sometimes does not get the notice and respect it deserves in media and society,” said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH. “We are thrilled that the members of our new advisory committee want to help attract civic-minded students to the profession, help more people find and support social work services in their communities, and include social work perspectives in a variety of media.”

The NCN Advisory Committee will identify ways to promote social work roles in television and film, position more social workers as consumer education experts, inform public policy debates with social work research, and increase interest among youth about the social work profession.

Below is a list of advisory board members. Please click on their names to read full biographies:

• Sherry Amatenstein, MSW, LMSW: Social worker, author, columnist and talk show guest.
• George Anderson, MSW: Social worker, anger management firm owner and movie consultant.
• Matt Anderson, MSW: Social worker and documentary film producer.
• Matt Conn: Communications director at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work and university admissions expert.
• Kirsten Downey: Author, award-winning journalist and former Washington Post reporter.
• Suzanne Dworak-Peck, MSW: Past president of NASW and International Federation of Social Workers, NASW Communications Network founder.
• Antwone Fisher: Author of “Antwone Fisher,” Hollywood screenwriter and former foster child.
• Kathy Gurland, MSW: Social worker, founder of “Peg’s Group” cancer consulting service, national columnist  and former actress.
• Jenna Mehnert, MSW: Social worker, NASW-Pennsylvania executive and former political staffer.
• Oren Moverman: Oscar-nominated movie director, screenwriter and former reporter.
• Maribel Quiala, MSW, LCSW: Social worker, women’s health and Latina issues media expert.
• Ellen Rostand, MBA: Assistant dean of communications, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University. Former health care communications executive.
• Terrie Williams, MSW: Social worker, author, PR firm and Stay Strong Foundation founder.

NASW’s new media advisory committee builds upon the work of NASW Past President Suzanne Dworak-Peck, who founded NCN in the early 1990s. Part of the NCN’s activities include acting as a Hollywood referral source. NCN has now been incorporated into the multi-year National Social Work Public Education Campaign, which is made possible by donations made to the NASW Foundation.

Since the awareness campaign launched in 2005, NASW has placed print ads in national women’s magazines, conducted national consumer issue surveys, placed billboards around state capitals and in Times Square, implemented social media campaigns, aired a national video, built a series of educational websites, and connected hundreds of media professionals with social work experts. NASW recently expanded its earned media strategy to develop new relationships in the entertainment industry and offers three public education sites:

• Help Starts Here.org provides consumer tips on a range of social issues
• SocialWorkersSpeak.org provides a forum about social work portrayals in film, TV and news
• BeASocialWorker.org offers students information on how to pursue a social work career

Matt Anderson

Matt is a social worker and filmmaker living in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Missoula, Montana.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Matt was drawn to Big Sky Country by its natural beauty and quality of life. Matt  eventually earned his master’s degree in social work from the University of Montana in 2008.

Matt’s background is in youth engagement and youth leadership as well as non-profit management. Since completing his maste’r's degree he has focused on developing his clinical skills as a psychotherapist, and his community organizing and policy analysis skills through child welfare reform and filmmaking.

 In 2009 Matt became the co-owner of the award-winning film production company, Porch Production “where good stories are told”. Porch has produced feature and short documentaries about homosexuality and religion in the Deep South and poverty and community health in Haiti.

Matt is producing Porch’s newest feature documentary about America’s foster care system. From Place to Place gives voice to the 30,000 kids who age out of foster care every year by spending two years in the lives of six young adults who recently aged out. Through filmmaking Matt has found a creative outlet to utilize his integrated practice training to simultaneously work towards social justice at the individual, community, and policy level. It is Matt’s belief in the power of story and reverence for life that bridges the gap between social work and filmmaking.

Biography and photo courtesy of Matt Anderson.

TV shows such as ABC's "Find My Family" (top), the CW's "Life Unexpected" (center) and "The Locator" on WEtv touch on foster care and adoption.

May is National Foster Care Month. So SocialWorkersSpeak.org, the Web site that gets social workers talking about and influencing media, assembled a panel of social work experts to get their take on how foster care is depicted on television.

At least one drama, “Life Unexpected” on the CW, has a foster child as its main character. Other reality-based programs, including “Adoption Stories” on Discovery Health and “The Locator” on WEtv, occasionally address foster care.

The experts are:

• Jennifer Tackitt, MSW, a regional manager for the Indiana Department of Child Services.
• Matt Anderson, MSW, a Montana social worker who works with foster children and the producer of the upcoming documentary “From Place to Place” about the challenges of foster children who age out of the system.
• Elizabeth Edwards, MSW, RCSWI, a resident supervisor at Henderson Mental Health Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Edwards was also placed in foster care when her drug-addicted mother could no longer care for her children. Edwards, who aged out of the system, was bounced from foster home to foster home. “I stopped counting at 15,” she said.

Q: How do you feel about the recent slate of television programming that deals with foster care and adoptions? Do you think these programs are making the public more aware of adoption and more willing to become involved in foster care?

TACKITT: I do believe that putting foster care and adoption issues in the limelight can only increase public awareness and bring about additional people interested in this work and these children. It is a difficult task especially in this economy to solicit the need for foster parents. The vast majority of the public have no idea how to access this system. Having public awareness raised through television is a definite benefit.

EDWARDS: These programs are superficial and lack the underlining problems both within the system and the youth population they serve. They minimize the impact that the system plays in the core and underlining factors that the majority of foster care youth face – especially the ones aging out of the system.

ANDERSON: Any of these shows is definitely raising awareness about foster care and adoption issues. I think that’s important and a very good thing if done right — meaning that it is an accurate portrayal and a realistic portrayal. I haven’t seen any that are as raw as what I’ve experienced. They don’t show the reality that I’ve experienced. I don’t know if people want to see that or if people want to make that kind of show. Our film will put out some pretty heartbreaking stories and some pretty real and raw life experiences. But if we put the truth out there then it’s there for us to do something about. If we reveal the truth we can work toward the solution and improve the lives of kids and families.

 Q: “Life Unexpected” deals with former foster child “Lux” who is reunited with her birth parents after years of moving from one home to another. How realistic is that scenario? Do foster children often try to reconnect with birth families when they age out of foster care? In your experience are the results usually good or not so good?

ANDERSON: In my experience the majority of kids want to know about their families and most of them would want to have a relationship with their families. I think for way too many kids in the foster care system the design of our (foster care) systems — the policies and finances of the system — isolate kids from their families and I think that has to change. Our funding, our laws and our services have to support connection to family and ensure that kids have the support of people who are permanent in their lives and care about them forever.

 TACKITT: Yes. It is a natural process for children to find their birth families after spending time separated. Many times this is the plan from the get-go. We fail to prepare them for what they might encounter by not acknowledging their long-term plans. Because the system works with children aging out, it is imperative that we seek out supportive essential connections prior to their eighteenth birthday that can guide and assist them throughout their life. In the best case scenario we would have assisted them in creating positive, life-long supports that will help them navigate their search and guide them through what dysfunction or risks may still exist for them. Given the prior preparation, reuniting with birth families can be extremely positive or extremely negative. It is, however, predictable so it would behoove us not to ignore it and prepare these young adults.

EDWARDS: Unfortunately, there are several factors to consider here: race, culture, and other circumstances surrounding the separation of the child from her parents. Statistically, the probability of foster care youth locating their biological parents, having a supportive and welcoming reunification, and having biological parents who are financially, emotionally, and mentally stable and able to accept and nurture the return of a foster or adoptive child is like watching a Disney movie. But that does not mean it can’t happen. Realistically, many of the foster care and adoptive clients that I serve expressed at one point in treatment their dreams of reuniting with their family and it being this wonderful life. And because it’s so wonderful, they can’t understand why they are in foster care or why their parents gave them up. I have been privileged to undergo personal experience and those with other friends from foster care who have attempted to locate their biological parents. While I cannot speak from their point of view, I still cry. But I found closure. Whether or not I wanted to hear or see my possible life environment, it was what I needed to begin my healing process.

Q: The television show “Find My Family” helped adoptees and their birth parents find each other. Some social workers who left comments at SocialWorkersSpeak.org did not think such a sensitive scene should be televised. Do you agree? “Find My Family” was cancelled but the “The Locator” on WEtv is similar.

TACKITT: I actually do not agree that such scenes should not be televised. I believe that pain and difficult times should be transparent to this world in order to gain a better understanding. We should not shelter the community from how difficult this can be. Awareness can often bring about change and television is the best way to do that. More people may be willing to help during these situations if they are aware of how important it is to these children and families. I do believe that sensitivity should be used and all parties should be prepared. Adults need to be fully informed before allowing the world access to their emotions. I would hope that similar shows should be created. The more light shed on these issues, the more empathy our world could have.

EDWARDS: I agree with Ms. Tackitt on this.  Sensitive or not, it needs exposure. I can name several sensitive issues that continue to receive air time. If a topic arises that is an area that the client wishes to address, then it is the social worker’s responsibility to address it in the treatment plan. The Social Worker Code of Ethics clearly states this.

ANDERSON: I think if that reunification is done for the purpose of media and for the benefit of a TV show, it probably is not good. If we are doing it for the purpose of the well-being for a person of a family and they are willing to put that out there for the world to see I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

Q: Matt, you are both a social worker and a filmmaker so we will ask you this closing question. Foster care seems like such a controversial and complete topic. Do you think screenwriters can really create a drama that addresses this issue fairly or is it better to use reality shows and documentaries to get out the word?

ANDERSON: First of all I want to say we just can’t hide from the truth. And I think we should do all of those things — dramas, documentaries and reality shows. If there is going to be real change in our child welfare system there must be a public and political will for that to happen. It’s hard to move people on an issue and inspire them do something about it. If you show real stories and allow people to see the human side of it, that’s a powerful way to effect change. Social workers say the first thing is, “do no harm.” Putting these stories out does no harm.

To learn more about how social workers help foster children, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.

Raif Walter (left) and Matt Anderson at Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Montana social worker and documentary producer Matt Anderson stood in the back of a cavernous hearing room in the Senate Dirksen Building on Monday afternoon, beaming with pride.

“What happened here today was amazing,” said Anderson, who is a National Association of Social Workers member.

A roomful of Congressional aides, officials from child welfare organizations and reporters had watched a 12-minute clip from his unfinished documentary, “From Place to Place.” The film follows the plight of six young adults who must learn to fend for themselves after “aging out” of Montana’s foster care system.

Two former foster children featured in his film — Raif Walter, 20, and Mandy Baldwin, 21 — also participated in a roundtable discussion after the film viewing. The heart-rending stories from Walter, Baldwin, and former Georgia foster children Sherena Johnson-Wilson and Tarkiyah Melton made Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) voice choke with emotion as she spoke to the audience.

“I think the system is pretty much broken,” she said.

Anderson hopes screening his film in Congress during National Foster Care Month will help generate more funding to complete his documentary and prompt foster care reform. He and colleague director/producer Paige Williams also plan to use footage from Monday’s roundtable and later meetings with lawmakers and  Congressional staff in the final version of “From Place to Place.”

Many former foster children have little or no contact with their birth family and are at higher risk of becoming single parents or suffering from depression. Sixty percent of men will be convicted of a crime, according to a recent study from the University of Washington School of Social Work. Forty percent of women who were formerly foster children will be on public assistance, the study said. And only six out of 100 former foster children will be attending community college, it said.

Walter and Baldwin said they were happy to be able to tell their stories through the documentary and in person on Capitol Hill. Social workers often go beyond the call of duty to help foster children. However, social workers and other professionals can ignore the wishes of foster children, they said.

Mandy Baldwin and Raif Walter.

“There are a lot of kids in foster care — they are living, dwelling, thinking human beings,” said Walters.

“Being in this film is kind of a big deal for all of us,” said Baldwin, who was placed in 14 different foster homes over seven years. “A lot of the youth don’t have very much of a voice or say in what goes on in their lives.”

Landrieu and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who are co-chairs of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, hosted the Monday roundtable and viewing of Anderson’s film. The event was moderated by Gary Stangler, executive director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.

 It also attracted officials from influential organizations that help children, including Casey Family Programs and Annie E. Casey Foundation, Child Trends, the Child Welfare League of America, Voice for Adoption, the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, the American Public Human Services Association, the National Foster Care Coalition, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Center for Family Finding and Youth Connectedness.

Landrieu said she and Grassley will introduce “radical” legislation to fix problems in the foster care system.

“I’d like to see her in the White House,” Walter quipped.

The audience burst out in laughter.

For more information on how social workers help foster children, visit the National Association of Social Worker’s “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here. And to find out more about National Foster Care Month click here.

Alan Gilsenan. Photo courtesy of the Meath Chronicle.

The Irish Times recently asked award-winning filmmaker Alan Gilsenan his 10 most important rules for making a documentary.

Item No. 4 was a slap against social workers. Gilsenan wrote:

“Social workers have all sorts of notions about ‘managing the media’ (much of which is well-intentioned and understandable, as mostly the ‘media’ are mean-spirited and exploitative of the vulnerable people in their care). However, if you’re trying to make a decent documentary, truth and honesty are your only tools, and participants in that documentary are best served by being honest and true to themselves rather than spinning some politically correct platitude dreamt up by the dreaded social worker. (Other key enemies in this vein are PR consultants, media managers, spin doctors and other fraudulent professions.) And, while we’re on the subject, remember that documentary-makers are not social workers either. Their films may shine a light on an important area or even, occasionally, effect some social change, but documentary-making is not social work.”

Sorry, but we beg to differ!

Social workers make great sources in documentaries because they follow many of the social issues issues covered in these films. Social workers also make great documentary filmmakers because they often spotlight issues not generally on the public radar.

For instance, New York-based social worker Leslye Abbey has won awards for her films and Montana social worker Matt Anderson is raising funds to finish a documentary on aged-0ut foster children.  Anderson’s work has already been endorsed by well-known Hollywood writer and producer Liz Tigelaar (click here for more).

“

Mark Courtney

The outlook for the 30,000 foster children in the United States who ”age out” of the system each year is bleak, according to a study led by University of Washington School of Social Work researcher Mark Courtney. Many have no family support.

A New York Times article citing the study said only half will be employed by the time they reach their mid ’20s. Sixty percent of men will be convicted of a crime. Four out of 10 women who were formerly foster children will be on public assistance. And only six out of 100 former foster children will be attending community college.

To read the full article click here.

Possible solutions for this problem include encouraging birth families to stay involved with foster children and using mentors to help guide newly emancipated youth.

To learn more about how social workers help visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web pages by clicking here. NASW member Matt Anderson is also working on a documentary on the plight of aged-out foster children. To find out more click here to read his interview with SocialWorkersSpeak.org.

Liz Tigelaar

One aim of SocialWorkersSpeak.org is to engage social workers with people who make film and television programs.

That mission appears to be yielding some results.

We asked Liz Tigelaar, creator of the CW’s critically acclaimed series “Life Unexpected,” to endorse an unfinished documentary from National Association of Social Workers member Matt Anderson. Matt is working on “From Place to Place,” a film that follows aged out foster children in Montana.

Some of these young people are grappling with unemployment, mental illness and drugs and reconnecting with birth families.

The issue of foster care resonates with Tigelaar. She was adopted and her program ”Life Unexpected” is about Lux, a foster child who reconnects with her birth parents.

Tigelaar said she was “tearing up” just reading our interview about Matt’s film. When asked if she would endorse the documentary she said through Twitter, “Of course!”

Thanks for your endorsement Liz! We hope it will help Matt get the funds to complete his work.

Former foster child Micah, 19, appears in a scene from "From Place to Place." Inset: Producer Matt Anderson.

Montana social worker Matt Anderson is on a mission to educate the public about the pitfalls of American foster care, especially older children about to age out of the system .

Many of these young people do not have family or public support. They are at higher risk of going to jail, suffering from depression, getting pregnant, becoming homeless or other problems.

Anderson is working to complete the documentary “From Place to Place” that follows teenagers who have turned 18 and left foster care. SocialWorkersSpeak.org sat down with Anderson, who is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, to talk about why he is so passionate about this issue. Here’s the interview:

Q: What made you get involved in social work? Where did you attend school and where do you work now?

A: I came into social work because I always imagined being a therapist but felt as though psychology or other tracks were too narrow in their approach and professional opportunities. Before I went back to graduate school I was a program director and doing some community organizing work with youth, so I was drawn to social work because I believed it would better suit my interests and better prepare me for a diverse career. I received my masters in social work from the University of Montana in 2008. Their program uses an integrated practice approach that allowed me to explore my clinical interests alongside my community organizing interests, which I think ultimately led me to documentary film. Right now I am the co-owner of Porch Productions with Paige Williams. I am also employed part-t ime by Partnership Health Center in Missoula where I work as a therapist with individuals’ involved with the Department of Corrections. I am about a year away from (becoming a licensed clinical social worker).

Q: How did your filmmaking hobby develop?

A: I would be hard pressed to say that I am a filmmaker. My role is actually more of a producer. My partner Paige is the trained filmmaker, but you could say that it takes both of us to do what we do. As I envisioned becoming a therapist, I also saw myself balancing being a therapist with something that was creative, entrepreneurial, and in concert with my values. When I started working with Paige and Porch Productions I realized that filmmaking was that something. I think the connection between film and therapy for me is found in my interest and curiosity in people’s stories and my belief that our stories can be powerful forces for change. Furthermore, I have always felt drawn to the untold, forgotten, or misrepresented stories. A long time ago I heard Russell Simmons say, “Hip-Hop gives voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless.” I feel like documentary filmmaking can do the same thing.

Q: How did you become interested in foster children? Was it through meeting Codie, the foster child  in your documentary who had been through 17 homes in seven years?

A: My interest in foster children was in part random and unexpected, but was also just the next thing that was supposed to happen. I had always been working with teenagers and when I was in graduate school I had a colleague who was working with kids aging out of foster care. I was looking for a paid practicum during my final semester so she set up an interview with her supervisor and I was hired to run a transitional living program. Codie was one of the first kids I worked with. I stuck with this work because I developed a relationship with these kids. But I also became increasingly aware of some of the problems within our system that cares for our most vulnerable children, particularly the older teenagers in care. One of the things that I realized is that our requirement to focus on permanency of placement can distract us from focusing on permanency of relationships. The teenagers who I worked with all had been in care for at least six years and their average number placements were about 15. Consequently, they had an endless trail of disrupted relationships and very little contact with their biological families. Since aging out, many of these kids have gone on a journey to find their families. Unfortunately, the trail of disrupted relationships has continued. Human beings have an undeniable need to be connected and our most natural connection systems are our families. But when kids enter the system they often become very disconnected, which I believe is at the root of their behavioral outbursts, emotional instability, academic struggles, etc. Until we can effectively address their trauma and their need for connection I am not sure that our kids in long-term foster care will ever be okay. This is one aspect of our foster care system that has captured my interest and has kept me committed even though my career has moved in a different direction.

Q: Your film follows three girls and three boys who were in foster care. How did you build such a trusting relationship with them?

A: Well, I worked with Codie, Raif, Micah, and Ralyn before they aged out so there was already the foundation of a trusting relationship. Mandy and I met through her brother Micah and Kirstin and I met through our jobs. I think it is in my and Paige’s nature to be compassionate and respectful and to put people at ease. I think this helped them trust that we would do their stories justice and portray them on film with fairness and sensitivity. But more importantly the trust came from our willingness as filmmakers to truly listen and validate their experiences. The first theme that emerged in their interviews is that they never felt like they had a voice in the system, which I can imagine must be a very scary and powerless feeling. Furthermore, they knew we were going to act on their stories and they saw that their voice would be heard by people who were in a position to make the system better for the next generation of kids in care. So I think the trust came from within them, they could trust their experiences and trust that we would make their voices heard.

Q: What are some of the problems children face as when they age out of foster care?

A: The problems that these kids face when they age out are many and the weight of the challenge can often be crushing. In the words of Raif, “it’s raw and it’s cold and it’s harsh and it will hit you hard.” Their struggles can be described as homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, lack of education and job skills, depression, drug abuse, unplanned pregnancy, and the list goes on. I think the problem can also be understood in terms of trauma and disrupted relationships. Not only do the individuals experience problems, they also put a disproportionate strain on our mental health system, criminal justice system, welfare system, etc. We have seen all of these things but we have also come to know six people who have good hearts and a ton of potential but have been profoundly hurt by the experience of growing up going from place to place. In the words of a colleague, “we move them from a situation of risk to one of danger when we place them in these temporary systems that’s just made worse when temporary becomes forever.” So our focus should not necessarily be put on extending foster care services to age 21 or 25 or creating better transitional programs. I believe our focus should be on improving our ability to respond to families’ needs the first time a report is made so that we can keep that family together. And for those kids who do come in to care, we should improve our ability to effectively treat their trauma and keep them connected to permanent, caring adult relationships.

Q:  You are looking for funding to complete your film. How is that going?

A: It is going well right now, but we definitely need additional financial support to produce the highest quality and most effective film possible. We have been successful in raising enough money to get us through the majority of production and produce an extended trailer, which can be viewed at FromPlacetoPlaceMovie.com. However, we are still looking for funds to finish filming and editing, and ultimately to create a highly produced film. The film’s website has a list of sponsorship opportunities for businesses and individuals who are interested in supporting the film. Porch Productions is enrolled in a Fiscal Sponsorship Program with the International Documentary Association so all contributions are tax deductible. We are also working on partnerships with national child welfare and/or foster care organizations that share a similar vision and would like to attach their name to our film. We believe that we have unprecedented access to incredibly important, yet all too invisible stories. These stories are relevant on a national level and speak to the urgent need for reform within in our foster care system. This film is very timely and the issues being addressed seem to have hit a nerve with people all around the country. The trailer has already played at conferences in Montana, California, and Virginia and has been shown during training sessions in many other states. There are also organizations who are linking the film’s website to their own so that more people can view the extended trailer. So far we have found a strong audience within the child welfare profession. We feel that additional funding will allow us to produce a high quality and powerful film that will reach an even larger audience within the general public and increase it’s impact. If anyone has questions or would like to talk about how they can support this important film please do not hesitate to contact us: Porch Productions, 406-544-0201, or matt@porchproductions.net.

To learn more about how social workers such as Matt Anderson help foster children, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.