Community Blog Archives by Date Blog
Black widow, Spider Girl and the man of the day, Thor. We wanted his day to be special. After all, you only get adopted once, and it's a super big deal. So, we let them put on their costumes because superhero costumes, rather than fancy clothes, represent our children and their personalities. All three of them share characteristics that every superhero has, from their extraordinary powers and abilities to courage, being energetic and bravery.
We can't believe that the 2015-2016 school year is already just around the corner! Here are some local resources and important information to help get your back to school planning go off without a hitch.
My wife, Joy-Lynn and I became Foster Parent Mentors (FPM) through Heartland for Children in 2012. When we were approached with the opportunity to be an added support for incoming Foster Parents, we jumped at the opportunity because we saw the value in having someone who other Foster Parents could relate to as being an invaluable resource; especially, if the individual(s) were completely new to the fostering and/or parenting experience.
As FPMs through Heartland, we've had the chance to interact with incoming Foster Parents on many levels including assisting with respite, providing guidance or best practices with difficult behavioral issues, advocating for a child who had to be moved from one home to another, making recommendations on working with case management, providing another vantage point through the process of Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), and many other areas that Foster Parents can encounter during their first and continuing years of child advocates.
What we've gained as FPMs is a heightened level of understanding of how important it is to identify the needs of incoming Foster Parents. Being able to make recommendations on how the training component has and can continue to successfully equip incoming parents with the proper training and education; is a value add that Heartland has really welcomed input on.
Cebien Alty - HFC Foster Parent, Foster Parent Mentor