Child Welfare League Provides Resources to Help Hurricane Victims
Louisiana foster parents displaced by the hurricanes can call 800-259-3428.
Online you can go to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and check the “Hurricane Rita” box for important information including Hurricane Rita Question and Answers, office closings, and more.
The Department has established a toll-free 24-hour phone number for Texas foster care parents, licensed child care providers, kinship, and relative caregivers to call and report their location at their evacuation from Rita. The number to call is 800-233-3405.
Calls from other states regarding children in placement from storm-impacted areas in Texas should be made to the office at 512-438-3312.
The National Institute for Mental Health has information under “Coping with Hurricane Katrina” and gives ways survivors and responders are affected by the events.
The Child Welfare League of America has posted a number of links to information that can help professionals as they work with traumatized children including their own.
The American Psychological Association (APA) is offering free materials to the public on managing traumatic stress after the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The aftermath of Katrina is addressed also with articles and resources from the ChildTrauma Academy to assist caregivers and professionals working with Katrina victims.
The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence at the Yale Children’s Center has released guides they developed to help service providers and parents address concerns of children following the effects of Katrina and other disasters. The Providers Guide gives relief workers ways to help children address their concerns and worries arising from displacement and loss associated with natural disasters. The Parents Guide is not intended for children and families who have been directly impacted by Katrina but for the wider group of children and families throughout the country.
The Parents Trauma Resource Center has information in English, Spanish, and Arabic from the National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children. The institute provides information for professionals helping families and children cope, including new articles for New Orleans, Louisiana, Cajun, and Creole cultures.
At hunter.cuny.edu/, professionals provide safety tips for children displaced in natural disasters and their caregivers.
The National Association of Social Workers is posting information about how licensed social work professionals can provide assistance on a voluntary basis.
