Posted on September 27, 2018
What Play Therapy Is And How It Helps Foster Children Foster Parenting | Most, if not all, foster children will need therapy at some point in their life. The process of being in foster care programs (resource programs) can bring many struggles for children that need to be addressed. Many therapists now offer Play…
Posted on April 10, 2018
You may have noticed that we are using the term Resource Family interchangeably with Foster Parent. The primary reason for this is the government’s decision to morph language to better fit the needs of children and the aspirations of the child welfare system. Here’s how they define it: “A Resource Family is any individual, couple,…
Ideally, foster parents provide a stable family home in which the child can grow and thrive. But foster care is meant to be a temporary solution to a complicated problem. All involved parties work together to resolve the family problems and reunite children with their natural parents. At that time, foster parents must give up…
Foster children often come from environments that did not have healthy boundaries and relationships. Because of this, they may struggle to apply proper boundaries in their interactions with others. Boundaries are lines that establish what one person will accept of another person’s actions and words. They are designed to keep out toxic behaviors, such as…
Posted on June 26, 2017
The reports of foster parent burnouts are frequent. This is understandable, given that fostering has a number of stressful challenges, ranging from traumatized children, frequent changes in caseworkers, limited support, the nearly constant threat of losing children, and more. But it doesn’t need to end there. To maintain the stamina for long-term foster parenting, it’s…
California has 62,000 children in foster care. According to Dr. John DeGarmo of the Foster Care Institute, the number of children being placed in the foster system has steadily been increasing nationwide while the number of foster parents has been decreasing. In Shasta County, the number of children entering foster care is more than twice…
For most, becoming a foster parent is a rewarding experience, but becoming approved to house foster children in the first place can be a long and arduous process. It is no secret that there are many income and background verifications that must take place. In addition to verifying your ability to properly support foster children,…
Posted on May 15, 2017
Few skills are as important as emotional intelligence. It’s been shown to be a major factor in an individual’s ability to achieve success. Studies have shown that people with average IQs and high emotional intelligence outperform those with high IQs up to 70 percent of the time. They’ve also shown that those with high emotional…
Posted on May 1, 2017
Each year, 26,000 American youth “age out” of the foster care system. In the past, these children lost everything including their homes, healthcare, financial assistance, and contact with social workers. This occurs after they may have already been abandoned, neglected, abused, and spent their lives cycling through foster homes. They are less likely to form…
When a foster child comes to your home, you’re not only becoming a caregiver—you’re also becoming a teacher. Chances are, the child has not had the opportunity to learn practical life skills. You may be the first person to take her under your wing and teach these things. Even if the child ends up not…