Fostering Perspectives is sponsored by the North Carolina Division of Social Services, SaySo (Strong Able Youth Speaking Out), and the Family and Children’s Resource Program at the UNC School of Social Work. These organizations contribute to the development and production of each issue in an effort to improve the quality of foster care in North Carolina.
Lived Experience Creating Change
NOV 2024 • VOL. 28, NO. 2
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is committed to making positive and impactful changes to the state’s child welfare system. Individuals with lived experience are the backbone of these efforts. North Carolina has created opportunities for individuals with lived experience to participate in meaningful discussions, events, and organizations to advocate for critical changes to improve outcomes for children and families. Representation from those who can speak from personal experience is of the utmost importance when making decisions that will change people’s lives.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, we wanted to share many of the different ways people in North Carolina are utilizing their lived experience to create meaningful change. Through a variety of viewpoints and perspectives people share their stories and what they do to make an impact.
Hopefully this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to think of all the different ways lived experience can make a difference. We hope you find it helpful.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, our contributors wanted to share all the different ways that people can teach, demonstrate, and build resiliency. Through a variety of viewpoints people share their experiences, tips, and strategies all with the ultimate goal of trying to help others overcome their own challenges. Hopefully this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to think of all the different ways resiliency can be shown, and what you can do to build resiliency in yourself and others. We hope you find it helpful.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, we wanted to share many of the different ways people in North Carolina are utilizing their lived experience to create meaningful change. Through a variety of viewpoints and perspectives people share their stories and what they do to make an impact.
Hopefully this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to think of all the different ways lived experience can make a difference. We hope you find it helpful.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, our contributors wanted to share all the different ways that people can teach, demonstrate, and build resiliency. Through a variety of viewpoints people share their experiences, tips, and strategies all with the ultimate goal of trying to help others overcome their own challenges. Hopefully this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to think of all the different ways resiliency can be shown, and what you can do to build resiliency in yourself and others. We hope you find it helpful.
Resiliency in Child Welfare
MAY 2024 • VOL. 28, NO. 1
Every day in North Carolina there are countless examples of resiliency being shown by children, youth, families, resource parents, and professionals. The majority of these examples go unseen and are done without praise or recognition. Resiliency can be hard to describe. For those living through a challenging time what may seem like resiliency to us may just feel like “surviving” to them.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, our contributors wanted to share all the different ways that people can teach, demonstrate, and build resiliency. Through a variety of viewpoints people share their experiences, tips, and strategies all with the ultimate goal of trying to help others overcome their own challenges. Hopefully this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to think of all the different ways resiliency can be shown, and what you can do to build resiliency in yourself and others. We hope you find it helpful.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, our contributors wanted to share all the different ways that people can teach, demonstrate, and build resiliency. Through a variety of viewpoints people share their experiences, tips, and strategies all with the ultimate goal of trying to help others overcome their own challenges. Hopefully this issue inspires, educates, and enlightens you to think of all the different ways resiliency can be shown, and what you can do to build resiliency in yourself and others. We hope you find it helpful.
The Power of Supportive Caregivers and Professionals
NOVEMBER 2023 • VOL. 27, NO. 2
There are countless ways in which resource parents and child welfare professionals can support youth in care. Providing thoughtful and intentional support should always be one of the top priorities of individuals facilitating the growth and development of children and youth who have experienced trauma. Because every child and youth is unique and their experiences vary, there is no one formula or path that will meet the needs of everyone.
As a caregiver or child welfare professional, it’s your responsibility to find the best way to support the children and youth you are working alongside. Support can be something as small spending quality time together, or as big as connecting children and youth with much needed resources. Either way, we know that when children and youth are surrounded by supportive adults meeting their individualized needs, their outcomes improve.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, our contributors wanted to share what they do support children and youth every day. You will read contributions for resource parents, professionals, and those with lived experience as they discuss supporting mental health, building support networks, supporting children and youth with incarcerated parents, and much more. We hope you find it helpful.
As a caregiver or child welfare professional, it’s your responsibility to find the best way to support the children and youth you are working alongside. Support can be something as small spending quality time together, or as big as connecting children and youth with much needed resources. Either way, we know that when children and youth are surrounded by supportive adults meeting their individualized needs, their outcomes improve.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, our contributors wanted to share what they do support children and youth every day. You will read contributions for resource parents, professionals, and those with lived experience as they discuss supporting mental health, building support networks, supporting children and youth with incarcerated parents, and much more. We hope you find it helpful.
Keeping Placements Stable
MAY 2023 • VOL. 27, NO. 1
When youth enter the foster care system it is imperative that we minimize their number of placements and achieve stability. When youth are in stable placements, their outcomes improve greatly.
Working towards placement stability is a total team effort. Birth parents, resource parents, social workers, Guardians ad Litem, judges, and more all play a key role in keeping youth in secure environments where they can thrive until permanency is reached.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, we want to offer insight and stories from individuals with professional and lived experience. This issue’s contributors share what they do to keep placements stable, the effects of placement instability, how to support resource parents, and much more. We hope you find it helpful.
Working towards placement stability is a total team effort. Birth parents, resource parents, social workers, Guardians ad Litem, judges, and more all play a key role in keeping youth in secure environments where they can thrive until permanency is reached.
In this issue of Fostering Perspectives, we want to offer insight and stories from individuals with professional and lived experience. This issue’s contributors share what they do to keep placements stable, the effects of placement instability, how to support resource parents, and much more. We hope you find it helpful.
Critical Partners for Permanency
NOVEMBER 2022 • VOL. 26, NO. 1
North Carolina is committed to permanency. It has declared:
Children and youth in the foster care program will experience stability in foster care and achieve permanency in a timely manner and youth who do not achieve permanency will transition successfully into adulthood.
As child welfare workers, judges, and others pursue this goal, their success often hinges on contributions made by the people who care for children and youth in foster care on a day-to-day basis: foster and adoptive parents and kinship caregivers. Resource parents are critical partners for anyone who wants to achieve permanency.
We celebrate this fact and want to provide information and resources to support their success in this essential role. That’s why this issue is filled with stories and advice from birth parents, young people in foster care, and others about shared parenting, maintaining connections with siblings and natural supports, and other topics. We hope you find it helpful.
Children and youth in the foster care program will experience stability in foster care and achieve permanency in a timely manner and youth who do not achieve permanency will transition successfully into adulthood.
As child welfare workers, judges, and others pursue this goal, their success often hinges on contributions made by the people who care for children and youth in foster care on a day-to-day basis: foster and adoptive parents and kinship caregivers. Resource parents are critical partners for anyone who wants to achieve permanency.
We celebrate this fact and want to provide information and resources to support their success in this essential role. That’s why this issue is filled with stories and advice from birth parents, young people in foster care, and others about shared parenting, maintaining connections with siblings and natural supports, and other topics. We hope you find it helpful.
Resource Parents and NC’s Permanency Commitment
MAY 2021 • VOL. 25, NO. 2
In North Carolina’s 2020-2024 Child and Family Services Plan, a 5-year strategic plan for its child welfare system, our state makes the following commitment to permanency:
Children and youth in the foster care program will experience stability in foster care and achieve permanency in a timely manner and youth who do not achieve permanency will transition successfully into adulthood.
This issue of Fostering Perspectives spotlights the important role foster and adoptive parents and kinship caregivers play in North Carolina’s efforts to live up to this commitment.
Children and youth in the foster care program will experience stability in foster care and achieve permanency in a timely manner and youth who do not achieve permanency will transition successfully into adulthood.
This issue of Fostering Perspectives spotlights the important role foster and adoptive parents and kinship caregivers play in North Carolina’s efforts to live up to this commitment.
COVID-19: Rising to the occasion
NOVEMBER 2020 • VOL. 25, NO. 1
Who can you count on when times are hard? If the COVID-19 crisis has taught me anything, it’s that when challenges arise, resource parents step up.
How do I know? Through my work overseeing the licensing of North Carolina’s foster parents I have had the privilege to hear about some of the many extraordinary actions resource parents have taken since the pandemic began, despite the risk to themselves.
How do I know? Through my work overseeing the licensing of North Carolina’s foster parents I have had the privilege to hear about some of the many extraordinary actions resource parents have taken since the pandemic began, despite the risk to themselves.
Foster care as a support for families, not a substitute for parents
MAY 2020 • VOL. 24, NO. 2
The theme of this issue of Fostering Perspectives is “foster care as a support for families, not a substitute for parents.” Foster care is intended to be a short-term intervention that strengthens parents’ protective capacities so they can safely care for their children. The goal is almost always for children and youth to return to their families.
