On a cruise in 2020, Joshua and Matt discussed what type of family they wanted. Their conversation included fostering, adopting, or having children through a surrogate. The couple, married in 2018, knew they wanted a family; they just weren't sure what form it would take. They made their decision in 2020 when a friend, who is a foster care case manager, mentioned a teenager who identified as LGBTQ+ and had asked to be placed with a same-gender couple. Joshua and Matt were motivated to become foster parents, even though they wouldn't be licensed in time to foster the teen who made the request.
November is National Adoption Month, and the need to find caring homes for teens is critical, especially among older children. In 2020, 3,638 children over the age of nine were in Kansas foster care. In Missouri, that number was 8,825. Over the years, we've had foster parents who were convinced they only wanted to work with "the littles" find fostering teens is a rewarding experience. To help interested foster parents consider fostering teens, let's bust a few myths.
As summer break rolls to a close, students all over the country are gearing up for a new school year. But for youth in foster care, this can be an incredibly different experience. Some youth are going back to their same school for the first time living in a different home. Others have had to switch to a different school, maybe in a new town, where they know no one and may be afraid to be identified as someone in foster care. We asked Angie McKim, who has two school-aged youth in foster care, to give us four tips for foster parents.
The most effective intervention we can provide children healing from trauma is strong, enduring relationships with caring adults. When foster parents and birth parents partner in the child's best interest, the child hears, "You're lovable; you matter and we care." The desired outcome is reunification and a lasting friendship between families.
In the United States approximately two-thirds of children in foster care have a sibling also in care. When siblings are removed from their home and placed in foster care we make every attempt to keep them together. We understand sibling relationships help children achieve developmental milestones as well as provide emotional support, companionship and comfort in times of change. Separating siblings compounds the grief they feel over separation from their parents and the transition to a new home.
