As we continue to delve into the foster care system state by state, I encourage all of my readers to leave comments on services that you know of in your area. I am covering the services that are offered by each state, but that is pretty general. There are many programs that are only in certain cities or counties of each state, and I’d like to hear about those from the people that live there.

Are the services helpful (or even available) to you as a foster parent, or do you wish there was something more? Do your foster children get what they need, as far as basic living... more

There is a fairly new movement in foster care toward providing more support to relative caregivers of children, such as grandparents, and making “subsidized guardianship” an option for children who are not able to reunify with family or are not eligible for adoption. Elliott G. Smith at the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at Cornell University, compiled some data on the numbers of children being raised by grandparents nationally.

Generations United (GU) is the national... more

In Arizona, CPS is under the Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). Their web site lists links for information on how to become a foster or adoptive parent. There is information on orientation, application, training, licensing and certification, and other assorted related stuff.

There is a link that will take you to Arizona’s children that are awaiting adoption, and a link to more information on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), like on Alaska’s site. Arizona also has a... more

Let us continue on with the foster care in the states series, with the state of Alaska. The Office of Children’s Services is in charge of providing services to families and children in the state. Some of the services provided are:

Child Protective Services Family Preservation Programs Adoption... more

I have said in previous posts that there needs to be a consistent way of doing things on a national level, when it comes to providing for children in foster care. As it is now, it is up to the individual states as to how they run their programs, and what services they offer children and families in need. I will now begin to cover each state and what they offer as far as foster care services.

While some programs are the same state to state, many states offer very different and unique services for children in care. I will progress alphabetically, and start with Alabama.... more

In my original outline included with the initial application for the foster care blog position, I had listed a section on therapy. It was titled "What is a therapist and why do I need one?" It’s a good question, and one that I am sure Dr. G, over at the Adoptive Parenting blog will help out with.

Children coming into foster care are required to get counseling, yet many of them have no idea what it is, and why they need it. They have been recently removed from their biological families, and are not real open to... more

I just emailed the news anchor/reporter at News 4 in Denver Colorado about a possible follow-up story to the one he did just over a year ago on our daughter. The segment that was filmed for the local Wednesday’s Child was that of Jessica at a Build a Bear Workshop. The thing that we most remember is how we knew as soon as we saw the video that she was our daughter. Her mannerisms and the way she played to the audience were amazing.

The fact that she was making a black and white dog, similar to the way our Sarah looks, was another clue. And the famous, or infamous quote "I like shopping, like every girl", when responding to the question of what she likes to do was priceless. It would... more

One week in foster adopt time is endless in earth time. We wondered, second-guessed everything, doubted that the universe would come through, you name it. When the call finally came, we were overjoyed to learn that we were the family selected. There were three others, all in Colorado, but the caseworker thought we would be the best match. Little did she know how well a match we would end up being for this kid, and she for us.

Now, we had to make plans to meet her. Okay, here’s your daughter, would you like to see her? We were in Arizona, and she was near Denver, Colorado. I had spent some time in the Golden, Colorado area when I was in college. I went to visit a friend and ski for... more

We passed with flying colors, and met Jessica that evening. She was very animated when we first saw her, showing us around the foster home and introducing us to the other kids. She showed us her room and explained that it was okay for me to come in, that boys were allowed. She showed us the pictures in her photo album too. We then went out and introduced her to her four-legged sisters, and she helped us walk them around the neighborhood.

That evening, we took Jessica out to eat, and then she came over to spend some time with us at our hotel. We were staying at a LaQuinta, since they allowed pets, and it was too cold to be staying in the motor home without power. We played games and... more

I was just thinking about why I have written several posts about Meth and the effect it has had and is having on the child welfare system, and how devastating it is to families. A few weeks ago, I saw one of my former Boys and Girls Club kids. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her, since she and her grandmother were on their way to Phoenix. But I remembered her, and how not too long ago, the story of how she and her family were affected by Meth was in the local paper.

It was a very upsetting story, since she and her brother were such sweet and wonderful kids when I worked with them in the after school program a few years ago. I’m sure they are still sweet and wonderful, but they have... more