Episode 112 – Opening Up to Birth Parents

12/21/11 • 45 min

Many foster parents draw firm boundaries between themselves and their foster children’s birth parents. But is this right? In this interview with Saint Fults, a social worker in St. Louis, Missouri, we learn of another perspective of openness toward birth family relationships from the beginning of the child’s placement.

Fults advocates that foster parents should consider opening their lives more fully to birth families, including hosting visits in the foster home.

The perspective challenged us to think about what is truly best for the children in our care, and how a higher degree of openness in foster care might better set up birth families for successful reunification.

The post Episode 112 – Opening Up to Birth Parents first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

Fults advocates that foster parents should consider opening their lives more fully to birth families, including hosting visits in the foster home.

The post Episode 112 – Opening Up to Birth Parents first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

Previous Episode

Episode 109 – All the Dirt on Foster Care and Why You Should Still Do It

We recently were able to participate in the annual Together for Adoption Conference. This episode is based on the breakout session we led there.

We’ve heard a lot of stories about foster care. Sometimes the stories are in the news, sometimes we hear them from people we know, and sometimes strangers volunteer their perspectives. Rather than sweeping the dirt under the rug, we think we should talk about it.

So this episode is our attempt to confront negative stories about foster care experiences. We talk about abusive foster parents, delays in the adoption process, biased social workers and judges, and the pain of getting attached and having to say goodbye.

Come see us in person and enjoy other great speakers at the KidBridge Seminar in Rolling Hills Estates, CA on Saturday, October 29!

The post Episode 109 – All the Dirt on Foster Care and Why You Should Still Do It first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

Next Episode

Episode 115 – Indian Child Welfare Act

Have you heard of special laws governing the adoption of children who are of Native American descent? In the US, children who are Native American fall under a specific law called the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which can govern their adoptive and foster placements.

T interviews Johnston Moore about ICWA. They discuss the origins and intentions of the federal law and its ongoing application. Originally created to ensure the rights of Native Americans, Moore says that the law is sometimes used to make decisions that may not be in the best interests of children.

Johnston Moore belongs to a network of activists working to amend the law. If you wish to contact him, he can be reached at http://www.home-4-ever.org

The post Episode 115 – Indian Child Welfare Act first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.