Vol. 17, No. 2 • May 2013

Maurita Miller Elected President of NC Foster and Adoptive Parent Association

In February 2013 the Board of Directors of the NC Foster and Adoptive Parent Association elected Maurita Miller as the association's new President.

To introduce you to Maurita we offer a brief biographical profile (see box at end of article) and the following interview. We believe that after reading this you will see why we are so excited that Maurita is leading the association.

An Interview with Maurita Miller

Why do you think NCFAPA is necessary?
As foster parents we often run into hurdles. That's why the association is so needed: it helps provide a positive, supportive network to foster parents in our state.

Why are you a foster and adoptive parent?
I love kids and being able to give them hope for their future. I have never been married or been blessed with having my own (birth) children but have been overflowing with blessings from the children that have come through my home.

I had a 5-year-old boy tell me one time "Ms. Maurita, you make my heart feel good!"

That is what being a parent to these children is about.

What have children taught you?
More than words can even begin to say. I have had over 50 kids in my home over the last 10 years. These kids have amazing resilience and drive to get through the situations many of them face. I have cried many tears, tears of sorrow as well as joy. I wouldn't give up on these kids for anything.

What are the top three issues impacting North Carolina's foster parents today?
Obtaining services for children through Medicaid is one of our biggest challenges. With all of the changes being made to our system, our kids are sometimes being refused services.

A second, related challenge is the changes we're seeing in NC's mental health system. We need to support our parents by providing information. We need to better understand how changes affect us and our kids.

Lastly, I think foster parents face challenges around information sharing. Foster parents need information and training to help them understand and respond effectively to the behaviors they see in their children.

Why do foster parents need training on trauma-informed parenting?
There is not one child that crosses our threshold that has not experienced trauma.

We need training that provides us, as parents, a perspective and opportunity to look back and understand what is driving the behaviors of our children. More often than not it is fear and anxiety caused by events from their past. Learning what causes behaviors in your children helps take pressure off yourself as well as the kids.

Speaking from experience, my children's behavior would often cause reactions in me that would be counter to what I was trying to achieve. The trauma-informed training I've received has helped me understand some of those things.

As foster parents, it often grieves our hearts and frustrates us when we have a child or children that can't seem to get it together and behave. There are triggers often causing this behavior. Taking the time to sit back, evaluate and understand the root of behavior enables you to provide the proper help for your child.

Doing this has made such a huge difference in the lives of me and my children. I promise that it has great potential to do the same for you and yours.

What do you want to achieve as NCFAPA's President?
We want to support foster parents and to see the quality of foster parenting increase. One way of doing this is educating the public about what being a foster parent really means and helping them understand what these kids face. Children are not in the system because of their own actions, but they do face challenges.

We need to attract to foster care people that are willing to stand by, advocate for, and believe in the future of these kids, even after they leave our care.

Do you feel supported by the State of North Carolina?
Definitely. In February we had our quarterly board meeting and we welcomed Kevin Kelley, Chief of the NC Division of Social Services' Child Welfare Services Section, and Bob Hensley, Team Leader of Regulatory and Licensing Services, to our table. Our discussions were filled with ideas and suggestions about how NCFAPA can help and support the Division and how they can help and support us.

What is your vision for NCFAPA?
We need to change the face of the association. We're known for our annual conference and that's about it. We want to change that.

Our goal is to see NCFAPA become a fully functioning organization that supports all foster and adoptive parents throughout our state. We want to support our membership by holding trainings in multiple ways, from online to conferences. We want to support our parents by being there for them to talk to when they are going through a difficult time. We want to support newly-licensed foster parents as they bring children into their homes. We want to advocate on behalf of our families in legislative and political matters related to foster care and adoption.

Describe your leadership style.
TEAM TEAM TEAM. We cannot move anything forward without working as a team. We need to recognize the strengths every person brings to the table and build upon them.

I don't expect every person to be involved in everything. But I do expect them to provide support and encouragement to our overall efforts. I expect people to follow through on commitments they make to the team.

I want to hear each and every person's perspective and opinion. I want the NCFAPA board and members to reach decisions together, recognizing that the most important thing in every decision we make is the foster parents we serve.

Profile: Maurita Miller

NCFAPA Experience. Has served as Vice President for Region 3 (Wake county area) for two years. Experience as a Foster and Adoptive Parent. Maurita has been a foster parent for 10 years; in that time she has cared for more than 50 children. She is also the adoptive mother of two teenagers. Community Service. Playing an active role in the community is important to Maurita and she has done so by: providing housing for families and single mothers in transition; serving on her employers' community support teams; volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and her church. Profession. Maurita has worked as an accountant in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications industries. Education. Bachelor's in accounting from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania (Mansfield, PA); she's currently completing a certification in nonprofit management at Duke University. Home. Maurita has lived in the Raleigh area since 1996.

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