Welcome to the 2022 March issue of Foster Family News, a monthly newsletter for current and potential Fairfax County foster parents.
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This thought-provoking podcast presented by AdoptUSKids explores the concept of aging out of the foster care system, and the importance of youth in foster care having their voices heard as they work toward family and permanency.
Host April Dinwoodie interviews La Tika Jeffery who was adopted from foster care in Fairfax County at 22 years old, and Catherine Monet, adopted from foster care in Maryland at 20 years old, along with Sixto Cancel, CEO of Think of Us, and Sarah Phillips, LINKS Coordinator and CPS Social Worker for the Orange County Department of Social Services in North Carolina. Check out their stories.
Virginia’s Division of Family Services is asking approved kinship, foster or adoptive families to complete Virginia's 2022 Foster Parent Survey. VDFS wants to better understand and support the foster families who serve Virginia’s children in foster care. Each family should respond only once. The deadline for completion of this 15-minute survey is March 8, 2022.
Why participate?
- It is quick and anonymous.
- Survey results will provide Virginia Division of Family Services with:
- Regional and statewide data related to the demographics of Virginia’s foster families.
- The profile of children that families are committed to serving.
- Training needs.
- Data gathered from the survey will be included in Virginia’s Annual Report on the Five-Year State Plan for Child and Family Services that is submitted annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and used to guide program decisions over the next few years.
Fill out the survey.
We’re shining a spotlight on the work of the Foster Care Permanency Unit and their work supporting youth in foster care. When a youth enters foster care due to a separation from their birth family, one of the first things the Permanency Unit does is perform a family search. There is a staff person who is specifically dedicated to searching records, national databases, and social media to identify possible family supports.
Check out how workers made a connection for an 11-year-old separated from his parents in this story.
Spring is near and Foster the Family D.C. would love to brighten your family's season with an Easter basket for each of the foster children in your home. Deliveries will be made to families in our region within a 45-minute range of Falls Church, VA during the week of April 10-16.
A limited number of baskets are available on a first come, first serve basis. To sign up for a basket, please submit this interest form by April 3, 2022.
Evaluation and Eligibility Webinars hosted by Formed Families Forward
Tuesdays
7-8 p.m.
This new series of webinars digs into ways for foster, adoptive, and kinship families to identify delays and disabilities and access special education. Register for each webinar separately:
- March 1- Reevaluations: Tips for Continuing Special Education Eligibility
- March 8- Special Education for Formed Families: Making It Work!
- March 15- Connecting to Special Education Services for Military Families Formed Through Adoption, Kinship Care and Foster Care
FCPS 17th Annual Special Education Conference 2022
Bringing our Inclusive Community Together: Affirming, Assessing, Advancing
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Virtual
This Special Education Conference will be held with a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions. Open to Parents, Community Members, FCPS Educators, Administrators, and Preservice Teachers. Learn more about the conference and how to register.
Child Abuse Prevention Month Wear Blue Day
Tuesday, April 1
Show your support for children in our community by wearing blue and posting a #WearBlueDay photo on social media as port of this statewide initiative.
The Hope for the Journey Conference
April 9, 2022
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Fairfax Church of Christ
3901 Rugby Road
Fairfax, VA 22033
This event seeks to encourage and better equip parents and caregivers meeting the everyday needs of children impacted by adoption and/or foster care. Fairfax County will offer in-service training credit to foster parents who attend and provide documentation confirming full participation in the conference. Register online $15 per person or $25 per couple.
The Department of Family Services supports families and county residents of all ages and stages of life – and that definitely includes foster parents and families! Like and Follow @FairfaxCountyFamilyServices for news, events, tips, stories, training opportunities and more.
Virtual Kinship Cafés hosted by the Department of Family Services’ Parenting Education Programs
First Wednesday and Third Thursday Monthly
6:30-8 p.m.
Kinship caregivers can talk with others who understand how difficult and joyful it can be raising a child for a family member or friend. Join us to discuss topics such as communication, self-care, and family dynamics. March 2 features a discussion of Kinship Family Dynamics. April 6 will dive deeper into discussing Managing Grief in Kinship Families (Part 2): presented by Susanne Maurer, LPC, Therapist, The Women’s Center Register by email or call 703-324-7720.
Formed Families Forward Support Groups for foster and adoptive parents and kinship caregivers meet monthly: an in-person group in Fairfax on third Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. and a virtual group on first Sunday evenings of the month 7:30-9 p.m. Register online.
Formed Families Forward Stronger Together Peer Support Group for teens and young adults (ages 14-22) meets twice monthly in person on Tuesday nights from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Fairfax City. Register online.
Fairfax County Foster the Family Support Groups for foster and adoptive moms meet the third Monday of each month from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. in Falls Church. Childcare is provided. Register online or send an email.
Prince William County Foster the Family Support Groups for foster and adoptive moms meet the first Thursday of each month from 6:15-7:45 p.m. in Nokesville. No childcare is available at this time. Register online or send an email.
Each newsletter will include this section to help answer questions, spotlight the people who support foster families, highlight the donors and sponsors who generously give to foster care programs and activities and friendly reminders for foster families to sign-up for trainings.
Question: Can a child or youth have contact with their birth family via telephone, email, text, or social media?
Answer: Every family situation is different. Foster parents will likely be advised, by Child Protective Services during the initial placement, whether it is appropriate for a youth to have contact with birth family. Foster parents should feel empowered to ask about contact. They should also be able to ascertain whether the youth has such a device enabling contact, at the time of placement. For questions about contact after the child has been in your home for a period of time, please discuss with the foster care and adoption specialist as it will look different for each child.
Check out other frequently asked questions and answers from past issues.
STORY IN STATISTICS
For nearly 4% of children in foster care in FY 2020, their case plan goal was emancipation, or aging out of foster care. In reality, that year, 9% or 20,000 children in foster care aged out. AFCARS Report #28
There are a lot of misconceptions about foster care, foster parents, and the children and families involved. This section aims to dispel some of those notions and provide clarity for those interested in supporting foster care.
Myth: I could never do what other foster parents do.
Fact: Don’t make a quick judgment before finding out more about foster care and the supports that are available to help foster parents. While many foster parents are amazing, they also have a community that walks alongside them. Foster parents get help from other members of the treatment team – caseworkers, therapists, and other foster parents, friends, and family members. Being a foster parent requires some sacrifices, to be sure, but most foster parents consider it worth it to help a child overcome trauma, heal and succeed.
Check out other myths from past issues.
Attachment-focused Parenting: Parenting Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
Thursday, March 10, 2022
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Foster and adoptive parents need reassuring, practical advice for promoting secure attachment in their children. This workshop helps participants:
- Understand how attachment develops.
- Become familiar with the different styles of attachment.
- Explore life events and experiences, including neurobiological influences that interrupt the development of secure attachment.
- Develop attachment-focused parenting techniques.
- Integrate sensory-related activities that help with emotional regulation and promote connection.
RSVP Kendra Smith by Friday, March 4, 2022.
Foster to Adopt
Thursday, Apr. 14 and 21, 2022
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Come learn about the transition from fostering to adopting and meet other families considering the same process. The training will cover issues such as transracial adoption and cultural sensitivity; the impact of adoption on child development; ongoing birth family and sibling contact; Adoption Assistance and resources. RSVP to Zachary Landau by Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.
Foster Parent College Training Highlight (March 2022)
Foster Parent College (FPC) is a great way to obtain training on key topics from the safety and comfort of your home. FPC provides newly approved and seasoned foster parents with a curriculum designed to build new skills and reinforce information acquired from New Generation PRIDE (formerly PRIDE). As approved foster parents with Fairfax County, all classes are free and available to you 24/7. You may choose to take any class you believe will be helpful for your own personal growth and development.
Running Away
This course explores the five most common motivations for running away and offers tips for ending the running.
*The training will take approximately 1.0 hours to complete and fulfills 2.0 hours of on-line in-service training. You may take the class at your own pace.
- Log In with your log in credentials.
- Scroll and select the course titled – Running Away (Under the Behavior Management Tab).
- Select Enroll to begin the course.
If you have questions or need additional support, please reach out to one of the in-service trainers; Terri Williams-Henderson or Palinda Gaines. You may also contact FPC at 541-343-6636 or toll free at 1-800-777-6636, (PT) for technical difficulties. As always, once a class is completed, please email the certificate to either Palinda Gaines (if your last name begins with A-J) or Terri Williams-Henderson (if your last name begins with K-Z).
Orientation
Inservice (For certified Fairfax County foster parents. Registration required.)
Learn more and save the dates for upcoming trainings and conferences.
What do you want to see in Foster Family News?
Submit your suggestions to Angela Morlu.
Check out past issues of Foster Family News.