I just got the latest newsletter from the Kansas Children's Service League, and it is great, as usual. We began getting the newsletter after inquiring about a child from Kansas during our adoption search. What really interested me was the Klicks for Kids program that they have. It's similar to the Heart Gallery that Michelle talked about earlier, where professional local photographers take pictures of kids that are available for adoption,... more

I found this a while ago, when I was looking for something else (isn't that the way it always goes?). Anyway, I thought it was a great thing at the time, and I think it is very applicable to a blog on foster care.

Paul Knowlton was a foster kid, and wanted to know how to make it through this difficult time in his life. He came up with the Original Foster Care Survival Guide.

He says, quote:

"Although I was a foster child, I have not toiled in the foster care system like so many selfless social workers and foster parents. Accordingly I'm not a critic of the system; rather I'm one of its beneficiaries.... more

Getting back to the subject of the system, one of the main components of the process is the case plan. The case plan is determined based on the needs of the child, and specifies who will be in charge of what as far as providing services, the frequency of those services, and the expected completion dates. There are also consequences stated for when objectives are not achieved.

The case manager is responsible for coming up with the case plan, and ensuring that appropriate services are being provided for the family and the child, in order for the child to safely remain in their own home, or to reunify the family if out of home placement is deemed necessary. If reunification is not possible,... more

I have said in previous posts that I believe the foster care system needs to change. Don't worry, I still do. One of the biggest things that needs to change is that there needs to be a foster care "template" set up. I am learning web design and this term, I think, fits.

There needs to be a successful model established, that would address all of the needs of foster children. It then needs to be implemented, monitored, and followed to successful completion. We know what is wrong with the current system, but what is right? Let's build on that and make it consistent in every state.

As it is, in our state, there is money available for the foster parents through an organization... more

I want to let you all know about a comment I received on my last post about foster care related books. The comment was from Larry Adams. He spent most of his life in foster care and wrote "Lost Son?" and "A Voice from the Voiceless and Forgotten". You can read more about him at his site.

Please visit this site for more information. He is donating all proceeds from the sales of these books to the International Advocates for Children.

This is Foxy. We adopted her after she showed up at my work, when I was at the Boys and Girls Club. Since none of the kids' parents would take her, we had too. But this picture is proof that too much of a good thing can be very exhausting. The next time your kid says "why can't I have that?", show them this shot as a reminder that you can have too many toys!

I am really into dogs, and truly believe that they are angels with fur. We have four dogs, and are not allowed to go to the shelter anymore, as we would need a kennel license to have more than four dogs in our community. We are very... more

I recently found some great books about foster care and foster care-related subjects and thought I'd pass them along to all of you. I love to read, mostly fiction, but sometimes I'm in the mood for some other stuff, like parenting and/or foster care. I haven't had a chance to see if the local library can get any of these, but I will soon, and let you know what I think about the ones that I read.

There are several categories, as listed below.

Child Abuse:

I was just thinking about what they do with kids in other countries, as far as a foster care type system. From what I remember when we were considering international adoption, and doing web searches, many foreign countries have only orphanages. I also remember that these kids were indeed orphans, since they all appeared to have lost parents, and were then placed in the orphanage.

This is quite a contrast to the majority of kids in our foster care system who are there due to parental neglect and abuse. I don't know which is worse, but I'm guessing the neglect and abuse... more

I have been posting comments on several sites having to do with foster care, and responding to both kids in care, those formerly in care, and those who are supporting them. I have found many interesting things, one of which is that people are really pushing to change the whole foster care system for the benefit of the children coming into care. The other very promising thing is the number of kids currently in care that are participating in the change by letting the rest of us know exactly what it is that they need.

They are not sitting back and hoping for the best, nor are... more

Hi All, I wanted to let you know about a great program that supports foster kids that are attending colleges across the country. It is called the Red Scarf Project, and since we launched only two weeks ago, it was too late to do anything as far as participating this year. But, we can get a good jump on next year! The Orphan Foundation of America collects handmade knitted and crocheted scarves from people all over America, to include in Valentine's Day care packages that they send to foster kids that are going to be attending college.

If... more