For teens in foster care, turning 18 offers a very different reality. They don’t have that safe place to call home. The home most of us can go to when things get hard, or family to call when we need advice. While nothing compares to the forever family every youth deserves, there are resources in place for Indiana teens at risk of “aging out” of foster care.
It’s that time of year: first day of school pictures are flooding social media and children everywhere are returning to the classroom. For a parent of an adopted child, your excitement might be matched with a little anxiety. Navigating the challenges can be hard, so we put together some tips to help you head into this school year prepared and excited to watch your child grow!
Often, birth parents and foster parents feel as though they’re put in an adversarial position, instead of being encouraged to work together. But in the best scenarios, foster parents serve as a strong source of support for birth parents, and birth parents learn to trust foster families as part of their team. To celebrate Reunification Month, we put together some ways that foster parents can work with birth parents toward reunification!
In many ways, parenting an adopted teenager is no different than parenting a biological teen. There are also some key differences, though. In this post, we look at two elements of parenting adopted teens: brain development and identity.
While we focus on celebrating adoption during National Adoption Month, it’s also important to hear what young people in foster care are saying about what they need in a family, what they want, what’s most important to them. Encouraging youth to have a voice in their permanency planning is empowering and keeps the focus where it should be: on what is in the child’s best interests.
Ann and Rhande had decades of expertise in child welfare, but that didn’t mean they had all the answers when they became foster and adoptive moms. Through their lived experience adopting two daughters, Ann and Rhande learned things they thought they already knew, which was critical to their parenting success.
Care communities are groups of 6-8 volunteers from local churches who come alongside foster and adoptive families to provide practical, emotional and spiritual support. Each team “wraps around” the family to provide them the support that they need. For some, this may be homework help or running errands. For others, it could be mentoring a foster child or spending time listening to an overwhelmed parent.
From community events to parades, educational meetings to social media posts, Adoption Champions utilize every opportunity to find forever families for the children and youth in Indiana Adoption Program. They’re the perfect people to talk to as you begin your adoption journey!
The impact of the recent physical distancing on our economic, infrastructural and psychological stability will be felt for years to come. It can be hard to look for the positives in this situation — but we found two families willing to share how they created opportunities for good.
Donna and Jason Kempf’s adoption journey didn’t end after they adopted two children with special needs. Their daughter Eva-Grace, adopted in November 2019, is medically fragile, and requires a special diet, custom medical equipment, and vigilant monitoring. Read on to learn more about this phenomenal child and her parents.
Donna and Jason Kempf have spent years turn obstacles into opportunities for their 3 adopted children, each of whom has special needs. Read Part 1 of their adoption journey, which began in Russia and then took them right here to Indiana.
Many adoptive families aren’t aware that there are resources available to them after their adoption is finalized. Post-adoption services can provide critical support during a time of adjustment and transition for the family and the adopted child.