A publication dedicated to making foster care and adoption in North Carolina the best they can be
Cason (age 13) This handsome young man has quite the personality. Cason is described by those that know him best as affectionate, funny, and inquisitive. He is outgoing, with an upbeat personality and always willing to engage. Cason is athletic and displays interest in a variety of sports. Cason loves being outdoors, hunting, fishing, and camping. Cason desires to be
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Every child and youth deserves the chance to grow up in a family that can provide them with love, hope, and stability. In North Carolina, when a child or youth is in foster care and neither reunification with birth parent or primary caregivers nor adoption is a good fit, legal guardianship is another way to find a forever home. Unlike
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by Jodi Franck • Our entire world changed drastically and quickly with the emergence of COVID-19 in the United States and North Carolina. Licensing of foster homes had to change and adjust, too. After Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency in March 2020, foster care agencies and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) began identifying
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The NC Division of Social Services is proud to offer fosteringNC.org, a learning site for our state’s resource parents. This site features online courses, webinar recordings, videos and podcasts, and answers to frequently asked questions. Free courses include: Human Trafficking 101 for Resource Parents. This 90-minute course explains what human trafficking is, how to recognize it, and how North Carolina
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by Jennifer Nehlsen • Guardians ad litem serve as the voice of the abused and neglected children in their community while the court works to determine the most appropriate permanent plan. Guardians ad litem (GALs) should have direct and sufficient contact with the child-client to carry out an independent and valid investigation of the child-client’s circumstances and to know the
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by Jonathan Rockoff • During the pandemic, child welfare agencies have worked hard to ensure the safety of children and families. To get an inside view of this effort, I spoke with two North Carolina child welfare professionals. Myca Jeter, Foster Care Director for Access Family Services, says after the pandemic hit her immediate concern was for resource families and
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When agencies evaluate child welfare social workers, they seldom ask for input from children and youth in foster care. Yet many are only too qualified: they have seen enough child welfare professionals come and go to know what good social work looks like. In an effort to draw on this untapped expertise and to celebrate the successes of North Carolina’s
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November is National Adoption month! We use this month to honor families who have adopted and raise awareness about the urgent need for adoptive families for children and youth in foster care. When reunification is not possible and an alternative plan is required, adoption is one way to achieve permanency. Right now there are hundreds of children and youth waiting
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