How is This Program Different?
LIFE TIME COMMITTED FOSTER TO ADOPT PARENTS
We believe you can’t ask families to step forward to love and commit to some of the hardest to place Foster children without training and supporting them. We also believe that every child’s greatest need is unconditional love and until a child is loved unconditional, healing, growth and a future are often unachievable.
Recent research documented what we’ve known all along: most people will adopt older children based on personal contact with an adoption staff member, support organization or adoptive parent. The “one-to-one personal contact” approach is based on the belief that if we offer a parent preparation course people will come—if we reach out the them in an “ up close and personal “way.
PROCESS AND APPLICATION
Our plan is to partner with a program that is already training and processing Families for foster care Adoption. These programs all ready have good initial application services We will, in exchange, support any of their clients that are interested in adopting 10 and above as well.
OUR TRAINING-older child parent preparation course and support
Those that wish to adopt 10 years and above and make a life time commitment to one youth or sibling group will be asked to join our weekly trainings as well. We will focus on training and preparing them to adopting an older foster child. Then supporting them throughout and after placement.
*Panel of Adoptive Parents of Teens
*Former & Current Foster Youth Panel
*Adolescent Development
*Grief and loss
*Behavior Management
*Unconditional Commitment
*Adapting & Adopting
*Ending &Beginnings: Is there help after Placement and where to find it.
OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO INTERACT
It is crucially important to set up opportunities that get waiting children in the same time and space as waiting families. It is equally crucial to set up opportunities to get agency staff in the same time and space as potential adoptive families. The spirit of human beings share the same time and space can lead to magical things happening.
*Approaching Adults who are part of the child’s life—ask them to come to our course, share with them the training, support and subsidies that are available to adoptive Parents.
*Certifying Prospective Adoptive Parents as Mentors to Children---
*Being in the same space---
FAMILY BUILDING—ADOPTION SUPPORT-BEGINNING TO END AND BEYOND
*Meet with Family Building Director—Fill family in on how we can support.
*Month invites to our meet and Greets with informational topics
*Matched with a Mentor Family that has adopted a Teen or pre-teen—
*Follow up from Director on what a families current needs are after placement.
COMMITMENT AGREEMENT
We feel it is important for each family to make a moral commitment and a symbolic commitment to each child, we will do this through a ceremony that allows the Family to sign a form “making a life time commitment to this child, and when and if the child agrees to adoption the family will adopt the child”. At the same time the child signs a document that says “They will allow the family to adopt them when and if the child is ready”.
SERVICES
*Special Education Consulting
*Grants, scholarships, opportunities for the youth and family
*counseling, online and other
RECRUITING FAMILIES---A NEVER ENDING JOB
This is an equally important role. For some time the belief has been that there are no families for these waiting older children. We suggest, they just have not be asked!
After all, how do you explain, Foreign exchange groups, High School Parent associations, Youth groups, all that are supported and build by active Parents of Teens. We have seen that there are many people that would like to parent for a little longer, not a baby, but an older child.
There are a variety of events and ways that we can recruit for adoptive Parents. Community groups, Churches, High Schools & Middle Schools, Sports organization, media, adoption support groups, and personal interaction. To us, the key is answering the phone, email or question. Being the one that responds to their questions, that lets them discuses their fears, that takes the time to educate them about our waiting children. There is so much opportunity for those that respond to the need, of both the waiting children and the waiting families.
They are there, and they will respond, they just need to be engaged!
