Vol. 17, No. 1 • November 2012

Books on the Nightstand

by Becky Burmester

Yes, there are books on the nightstand. But I've added my laptop to the stack as well!

Getting the Support You Need
Support is key to being able to "keep on keeping on." Support can be found in a variety of forms, but it is seldom found in relationships with people who are not and never have been foster parents. Foster parent support groups, conferences on foster care, training specifically for foster and adoptive parents, and books and online resources are what give us tools we need to do our jobs and maintain our sanity.

The Toolbox
One such resource I highly recommend is The Foster Parenting Toolbox (EMK Press, 2012). Edited by Kim Phagan-Hansel, the price of this book is a not insignificant $29.95, but it is well worth it.

The Toolbox should be in the library of every licensing social worker and every foster parent support group. The articles it contains are grouped into 16 categories ranging from "Why Foster?" to "Reunification, Adoption, & Beyond" with "Family Impact" and "Trauma & Abuse" in between. The book itself is nearly 450 pages, but each article is brief (usually less than two pages).

At the back of the Toolbox are continuing education quizzes your licensing agency may let you to use toward training hours.

You may not agree with every bit of advice in every article in the Toolbox, but as you read these articles you will feel understood. The information is by people who have walked in our shoes and know our struggles firsthand. There is comfort and strength in being certain that you are not the only one with a problem.

Volunteer Advocate Academy
Now to the laptop perched precariously atop my stack of books and the Volunteer Advocate Academy (http://www.volunteeradvocateacademy.com). In a word, this online curriculum is amazing.

Picture yourself participating in a really well done training session with great examples and immediate measurement of how well you are "getting" the information. Picture being in your PJ's with a hot cup of tea and this becomes almost perfect learning material. For $24.95 you can log in, listen, watch, read, and take challenging quizzes.

Although the focus is on dealing with teens, I think I could have used this material to become a better foster parent to children in the upper elementary grades and perhaps even younger children. I did get frustrated at times, because my computer slowed way down and sometimes would not advance through the curriculum smoothly.

However, this is some really valuable information. This is a resource you will refer back to again and again.
What's on your nightstand? Share your ideas with me at [email protected] or 919-870-9968 and keep learning.

~ Family and Children's Resource Program, UNC-CH School of Social Work ~