Kinship Placements & Family Involvement in Foster Care

Make contact with the child’s caseworker by telephone letting him or her know that you are willing to provide kinship placement. Follow your phone call up with a certified letter to the caseworker stating your desires to be involved, along with making references to the phone call you had with her, including her name, date, time, etc. Making a paper trail in your contact with the caseworker and your desires to be involved is... more

Kinship placements are mostly left in the hands of the biological parents. Whether kinship placement is used or who is suggested out of the family is in the hands of the biological parents for the most part. For the family member wanting to provide a family foster placement there may be more obstacles for you to overcome if the biological parents do not support you as a kinship placement.

I have been asked how kinship foster placements work, and other information concerning them. The problem... more

Things have started to progress right along with the adoption of our baby girl. This has been going on for a year now. We were starting to think there was no end in sight. Started to think CPS just enjoyed watching us jump through the loops while they did nothing. We had hoped last year to adopt on National Adoption Day but CPS had not even started the paperwork for the adoption.

Here lately, we have been waist deep in court hearings, paperwork, updating our home study, medical documents, and trying to find out why things had stalled. The judge finally stated, “Get this child... more

Stress of Foster Care on a Marriage

It is quite easy to find yourself overwhelmed and feeling like you are sinking all alone. The stress at times can make you seriously question is being a foster parent worth it. With dealing with a large amount of stress and at times your spouse may not seem to understand what a day for you is like. You are so tired emotionally and physically that you fall into bed at night. Slowly before you know it you and your spouse have started drifting apart due... more

The stress of foster care affects the entire family and can start to put a strain on your marriage before you know it. I am speaking from my experiences and other foster parents I know, while I do understand this does not reflect every foster parent.

As the foster mom, you handle most aspects of foster care which is an enormous responsibility. When the call comes in about a new foster placement you are the one that makes that decision. It is you that sits in an ARD or teacher conference telling you all of the problems with this foster child that you have already discussed numerous... more

Foster Teen Mothers' Right to Parent

One of the major problems I have with this is that I personally wonder if the typical foster home provides the desperately needed support and time for a foster teen mother to have a chance to parent her infant. These foster teens are dealing with all the normal stuff abused and neglected children are feeling in addition to being pregnant.

These teens still have to deal with the reason that placed them into foster care which takes time. Most... more

Foster Care Terms A - C

DHS - Department of Health Services or Department of Human Services foster care can fall under one of these agencies in different states.

Emancipation – When a foster teen is legally declared an adult by the court prior to turning 18 years old. The foster teen is then no longer a ward of the state.

Foster Home – A home that provides care of foster children while in the state’s care.

Group Home... more

While I do understand that there are a few cases throughout the United States in which children are removed from their homes without just cause, those cases are the exception. "What does not even begin to address the 100,000’s of children being placed into foster care and their need to be in foster care. When I write about foster children, biological parents and others, I am writing about the thousands not the few exceptions.

Of all people foster parents do understand the foster care system has major problems, we live it every day. That does not mean that children do not deserve... more

Are foster teen mothers not being given the chance to be a mother to their own children? With teen pregnancy on the rise in the foster care system this is something that needs to be addressed. In Kentucky they are dealing with a terrible mess where foster teen mothers have lost the rights to the children possibly for being inexperienced and in foster care.

Teen mothers are being separated from their infants while in foster care with the mothers in one foster home and infants placed in a different foster home.... more

Do all biological parents deserve second chances? Truthfully some biological parents get numerous chances. Are the children getting a second chance and at what price?

Some children cycle in and out of the foster care system time and time again for the benefit of second, third, fourth, fifth…….chances for the biological parents. The damage of this to these children cannot be undone and the effects last a lifetime.

A 15 month old toddler girl was placed into foster care after suffering a skull fracture... more