(Posted 2023 March)
Permanency and lifelong connections are vital for children. It helps to ensure their stability and sense of belonging. When children enter foster care, staff in the Department of Family Services strive for it to be a short-term solution, and we work at the same time to identify and maintain natural long-term connections. Staff works across programs to complete family searches, and the assigned social worker facilitates contact with families and provides information about how they can be involved.
In June 2022, we received custody of a newborn baby boy, Joseph*. He was born substance exposed and shortly after entering care lost connection with his birth parents. Despite ongoing efforts by our staff, reunification with his birth parents was unsuccessful.
Connecting to Extended Family Brings Joy
Joseph was placed in a loving foster home and during this time continued to thrive developmentally. The department worked diligently to identify relatives so that Joseph could be connected to his birth family. Shortly after placement, we were able to locate both maternal and paternal extended family members both in and out of our local area. These family members started visiting immediately and building a relationship with Joseph.
At one point visitation was coordinated to allow for joint visits with Joseph as well as overlaps in visits so that everyone could get to know each other better and see Joseph. As visits progressed, Joseph became comfortable with his family, and to this day he lights up every time he sees them. Needless to say, everyone truly looked forward to their time together. As both sides of the family got to know each other, they always focused on the common goal of Joseph being connected to his family.
Joseph’s foster parents not only supported his connection but also got to know his family members. They frequently shared pictures, daily stories, and included the family in major milestones. Joseph’s foster parents seamlessly became part of the family as all the adults built a loving and supportive village around him. As relationships grew, the department assisted both sides of the family with coming together to determine who Joseph should live with and how they could support each other regardless of where he resided.
Raising Up a “Village” to Care for Joseph
Joseph is not an only child. Identifying, supporting, and engaging his family members allowed our staff to not only connect Joseph with loving and caring aunts, uncles, and cousins but also with his five older siblings. Soon Joseph will be able to achieve permanency with his family and be raised together with some of his older siblings. He will know and maintain a relationship with both sides of his family as well as his foster parents. Joseph is of Latino descent; his family connections also allow him to learn about and become connected to his culture of origin.
Joseph’s story helps to give perspective to the adage “it takes a village to raise a child.” Starting early to identify, engage, and support life-long connections for children in foster care helps to ensure they are connected and/or remain connected to their birth families and that they can be placed with family when they need permanency and stability.
This connection goes beyond a placement and helps to support ethnic, familial, and cultural ties. Joseph now has a village that includes his foster parents, older siblings and extended relatives. The teamwork on Joseph’s behalf highlights how the roles staff play within our department from the initial family search, home assessments, and ongoing case management come together to complete the bigger picture.
*Name changed to protect confidentiality.
Provided by the South County Foster Care Unit
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