Parenting Kids in Care – Page 4 – Fostering Perspectives

It’s complicated: Parenting a child with complex trauma as a kinship caregiver

October 21, 2019 fptemp

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

Help us find families for these children and youth

October 21, 2019 fptemp

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

A reader asks
Where can kinship caregivers find support?

October 21, 2019 fptemp

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

How Will I Remember My Life When Moving from One Home to Another?

May 16, 2019 fptemp

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

How to Make Initial Placements Easier

May 16, 2019 fptemp

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

Parents Can Help Transitions Go More Smoothly

May 16, 2019 fptemp

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

Navigating School Transitions

May 16, 2019 fptemp

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

Is this Normal? Navigating the Sometimes Surprising Developmental Transitions of Children and Youth

May 16, 2019 fptemp

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

Reflections on Promoting Independence
An Interview with Resource Parents Tony and Wanda Douglas

May 16, 2019 fptemp

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

Resource Parents Feel It, Too: Managing Your Grief When a Child Leaves Your Home

May 16, 2019 fptemp

by Jonathan Rockoff • “So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” This poignant line is from E.A. Bucchianeri’s Brushtrokes of a Gadfly, a novel about coping with grief, loss, and trying to get on with daily life despite the hardships happening around you. This is something anyone can relate to—especially

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 51 »