Permanency Tip of the Week: Permanency for One, but not the Other
Sometimes in our Permanency efforts, we are able to find Permanency for one sibling, but not for another. This unfortunate situation often leads to a series of challenges for the Youth as well as for us as professionals / caregivers. For the Youth who has found Permanency, they may feel conflicted in terms of celebrating what they have found and grieving both the loss of their birth family and the sibling that is not coming with them. For the other Youth, they may be grieving the impending loss of their sibling as well as a sense of loss that they do not have any Permanency. These different levels and experiences of grief and loss need to be affirmed and supportively processed with the Youth.
Permanency Story of the Week: Canada: 200th Child Adopted through Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Program Wendy’s Wonderful Kids
Today, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – Canada proudly announces an incredible milestone — 200 children have been adopted into forever families through the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Program. The program uses child-focused recruitment strategies and finds permanent homes for the children who have traditionally waited the longest for adoption, or are most likely to age out of care — older youth, sibling groups and children with physical or emotional challenges. This program has proven that the term “unadoptable” is unacceptable and that every child can have a loving family.
Current Permanency related articles:
Foster Child’s Questions: Is This My House? Is This My Home?
Meghan Moravcik Walbert – My 3-year-old foster son, Blue Jay, is playing on the living room floor, running toy trains around a track, when he suddenly looks up and asks: “Is this my house? Is this my blue house?” I look back at him in surprise. We’ve had a bit of a rough morning and I’m surprised to see his scowl suddenly replaced by this new, perplexed expression. “It sure is, honey,” I tell him. “We all live here. Me, Daddy, Ryan and you. This is our home.”
He frowns for a moment; I know he is not quite convinced. He asks again: “I live here? This is my home?” “Yes, it is,” I tell him. “I’m so happy you live here with us.” “Oh, that’s so nice, Mommy,” he says, his face relaxing. “I’m so glad, too. And you take me to fun places? Like the park and the playground?” “I sure do.”
New Money for Community Colleges to Serve Foster Youth
Chronicle of Social Change – This year, California’s budget has carved out $15 million for the state’s most vulnerable community college students. Foster youth are the least likely of peers from similar socioeconomic status to finish high school, enroll in community colleges or remain in community colleges after their first year, according to a report generated by the Stuart Foundation, a San Francisco-based charitable foundation.
Adopt US Kids – This public service advertisement highlights the change a child sees when transitioning from foster care to an adoptive family.
Special Needs Adoption: What Does It Mean?
In adoption, the phrase “special needs” can apply to almost any child or youth adopted from foster care. The term is used in state laws to indicate eligibility for federal financial assistance and, depending on the state, may mean that a child is a member of a minority or a sibling group or is older or has a disability or the risk for a disability. This 2010 factsheet from the Child Welfare Information Gateway presents some common questions about adopting a child or youth designated as having “special needs” and provides resources that give detailed answers.
Complex Trauma: Facts for Caregivers
This 2014 fact sheet from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network presents information that can help caregivers recognize the signs and symptoms of complex trauma in their children and offers recommendations for what caregivers can do to help children heal.
Tom Andriola – Surviving trauma as an adoptee.
Adoption in and of itself can be traumatic for a child. Many children who spend their first few years in another setting may also be susceptible to other forms of trauma, such as child abuse and neglect. If they happen to come from another country where their language and culture is different from our own, their situation becomes that much more complicated.
So what are adoptive parents to do? Most parents who go through the process to adopt are eager to love, care, and provide for a child who needs a permanent home. But if the child has been traumatized, there are likely to be significant challenges along the way. Still, while there are some programs and services to help parents work through the challenges that trauma can present, professional assistance is often lacking in many parts of the country…