A publication dedicated to making foster care and adoption in North Carolina the best they can be
Questions to ask the child welfare worker about taking responsibility for the children: Who has legal custody of the children? What rights and responsibilities does legal custody give? Physical custody? May I receive a copy of the signed voluntary placement agreement? (when applicable) May I be involved in developing the service plan and receive a copy of the plan? Will
Read more
by Kate Murray • Many children in kinship care have experienced complex trauma. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) defines complex trauma as children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events (such as physical and sexual abuse) from a young age. These traumatic events often occur within their caregiving relationship and have long-term effects on a child’s behavior and development. When
Read more
Alexis (age 14) There is something that attracts others to be around this beautiful young lady. It may be her engaging personality or that stunning smile. Alexis is a pleasure to be around and she never meets a stranger. Alexis dreams of joining a family she will be able to connect with, that will love her unconditionally, and provide her
Read more
We are struggling with raising our nephew, who is placed in our home. The child welfare agency has made some effort to support us, but it is not helping. We are completely overwhelmed and thinking about giving up. Help! It shows great strength to reach out for help. It sounds like you’ve made it through some milestones but need additional
Read more
by Donna Foster • If I were to ask you to tell me about your life, where would you start? Would it be the time you broke your arm in a car accident when you were 17? Or the time your family moved, leaving your grandparents and friends behind? You were only eight years old then and you felt so
Read more
by Rochelle Johnson • The initial placement of a child in our home is often an exciting time. For many of us, it is the first introduction to a young person that will be living with us for days, months, or sometimes years. In a perfect world, the logistics of welcoming that child into our family would be clearly presented
Read more
by Bob DeMarco • Transitions can be hard. On our best days we handle them well. But on a bad day, or if there is inadequate preparation, hunger, stress, skills, thirst, exhaustion, etc., our ability to cope diminishes quickly. Often, kids who’ve been through trauma have several obstacles stacked against their ability to cope with transitions. I invite you to
Read more
Children and youth in foster care sometimes have trouble with transitions at school, especially if they are switching schools due to a foster care placement. To learn what schools and resource parents can do to support these students, we spoke with Molly Pitman, a school social worker in Buncombe County, NC. How can schools support students in foster care who
Read more
by Kelly Sullivan • Human development is phenomenal. We enter this world completely reliant on others for survival, yet eventually we become self-reliant. This is not a smooth process. Instead, development is often a bumpy road with nail-biting detours that can give caregivers gray hair. Developmental transitions for children and youth in foster care can be even more erratic due
Read more
Youth in foster care face unique challenges as they transition to adulthood. To learn more about what it takes to support youth during this critical time, we spoke with North Carolina foster parents Tony and Wanda Douglas. In their 17 years as foster parents, the Douglases have fostered over 100 children and adopted four. They also train foster parents on
Read more