A publication dedicated to making foster care and adoption in North Carolina the best they can be
The Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina is excited to announce its Summit series, Together We Can! Our first summit was held Sept 21, 2019 in Gaston County and was a great success. Thank you Gaston County DHHS for all of your hard work and dedication in leading and holding this event. We are currently scheduling two summits for spring
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by Britt Cloudsdale • Misty Taylor and her husband have been fostering since 2012. She’s always had a passion for children, and when she and her husband had trouble having a biological child, Misty felt God was calling them to parent children who need them most. So far, she and her husband have had a total of 18 placements, including
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by Claudia Kearney It is not talked about much, but teen dating violence is extremely common. Nearly 1.5 million high school students a year are physically abused by a dating partner. The violence is not always physical—it can also be sexual or emotional. Statistics show that one in three adolescents is a victim of physical, sexual, or emotional violence in
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by Jeanne Preisler “A smile can make all the difference.” I bet you have heard that expression before. Smiles are powerful. For most of us, our day gets a little brighter when someone smiles at us. You may have even heard that smiles can be detected over the phone. A study from the University of Portsmouth demonstrated we actually can
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The last issue of Fostering Perspectives talked about what resource parents can do to promote the physical health of the children in their care. Physical health is critical, but there are other dimensions of well-being to think about, including social and emotional health. One way to touch on these other facets of well-being is to focus on healthy relationships. There
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Resource parents have a big influence on the children in their care—especially when it comes to their health. After all, every day offers opportunities to model and teach children about nutrition, exercise, and caring for their bodies. On top of that, resource parents take children to appointments and provide hands-on care to help them manage colds and more serious medical
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When I tell people I’m a foster parent, they often respond by saying they could never foster because it would be too hard. I want to encourage people to foster, but I also want to be honest with them about its challenges. What are some good responses? It is true that foster parenting is not for the faint of heart.
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by Jeanne Preisler There are a few times in life that have a distinct before and after: getting married, for instance. Becoming a parent. Becoming a grandparent. I believe parenting a traumatized child is another example. It’s difficult to explain to others what parenting a traumatized child feels like. How much emotional and cognitive effort it demands. How draining that
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by Deena M. Murphy As people who care, so much of our time and energy is focused outwardly. How can I be of service? What more can I do? Can I help in some way? This drive is what motivates us to be foster parents, to be social workers, to make a difference to those around us. But what about
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by Rick Zechman David and Rodney first met Blake when they provided respite for him in April 2015, just before they were licensed as foster parents in North Carolina. A few months later, Blake came to live with them. Today Blake is a 16 year old junior in high school, where his grades have been stellar. After school he has
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