Vol. 7, No. 1• November 2002

Foster Families Project: Seeking Solutions and Strengthening Families

Whenever foster families gather, they share personal stories about the joys and experiences of being a foster family. Conversations flow easily and you learn quickly that many families are fostering premature infants or children with chronic illnesses, developmental delays, or other special needs. The Foster Families Project of the Family Support Network of North Carolina (FSN-NC) is working to help meet the challenges for families—including foster and adoptive parents, grandparents, and kin—who care for children who are medically fragile or who have special needs.

Since 1990, with funding from the N.C. Division of Social Services’ Children’s Services Section, the Foster Families Project has helped meet the needs of foster families caring for children who have special needs and/or who are at risk by providing them with information and support. The project has grown to include training activities for foster families, available through the eight community-based programs that participate in the project, all of whom are part of FSN-NC. As part of a commitment to collaboration, the Foster Families Project is establishing close working relationships between North Carolina’s community-based Family Resource Centers and the local FSN-NC Programs.

Local Family Support Network programs offer training for foster families and service providers in their communities. Training topics have included attachment and bonding issues, behavior management, CPR and First Aid, helping children and parents deal with grief and loss, and dealing with education and school issues. FSN program coordinators work with local DSS staff in planning training. Many program coordinators also work directly with the NC Foster Parents Association’s (NCFPA) local chapters in planning their activities. Karen Le Clair, Coordinator of the Foster Families Project, serves on the NCFPA Board as an ex-officio member.

The Family Support Network’s central office is a part of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. This office manages the Central Directory of Resources (CDR), a resource for all of North Carolina—a large database that includes information about specific disabilities and disability-related issues, as well as information about local resources and organizations that serve children and their families. Information is available to families and service providers through a web site (www.fsnnc.org), a toll-free number (800/852-0042), and e-mail ([email protected]). Calls are answered by a team of resource specialists. Ensuring that accurate information about services and resources is available for Hispanic families across the state is a priority for FSN, so a Spanish-speaking resource specialist is available to callers.

The Foster Families Project also houses an Outreach Library with videotapes, books, audiotapes, and other printed information in English and Spanish. Materials are mailed free of charge and sent with free return postage. Materials are available on a broad range of topics related to children with special needs. The library is a resource for all foster families, DSS staff, and trainers, who are welcome to use the materials to develop training workshops for foster parents and staff providing family support and family preservation services. Many local DSS agencies are encouraging foster families to use the FSN Outreach Library materials to obtain some of the ten hours of training that are required each year. A list of Outreach Library resources can be downloaded at the FSN-NC web site.

Irene Nathan Zipper, MSW, PhD, is the new Director of FSN-NC. She brings her years of experience as a social worker and her involvement on the faculty at the UNC-CH School of Social Work to her new role and believes the Foster Families Project is exciting and innovative. To learn more about the Foster Families Project, call Karen Le Clair, Project Coordinator, at 800/852-0042.

Copyright � 2002 Jordan Institute for Families