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!
David and Dayna’s adoption journey led them to adopt four younger children from foster care. But once the Atkinsons learned about how many teens in Indiana need forever families, there was no doubt that their journey wasn’t over yet.
Brandy and Matt decided to adopt through foster care because of the number of children in the system who need homes. They became foster parents who were supportive of reunification, but were also open to pre-adoptive placements. Now a family of 6, they admit that adopting 4 kids wasn’t in their initial plan. But, they also adamantly insist that their family is “messy, but perfect in our messiness.”
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!
We love celebrating the families who make the decision to adopt children and youth in Indiana Adoption Program. But we also love celebrating the families – birth families, foster families, friends who feel like family – who work toward reunification in every way possible. And June – National Reunification Month – is the perfect time to do that!
If you have biological kids, you wonder how adoption will affect them. Should you worry about birth order? How much of a “say” should you give your biological children in your decision to adopt? We asked a biological child to share her experience of going from being an only child to being the oldest of 6.
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.
There are lots of ways to help foster and adoptive families, foster children, and at-risk youth right now, even during the stay-at-home order. Read on for volunteer opportunities around the state and other ideas to keep our community strong.
With the COVID-19 health crisis at the forefront of daily life, it can feel like there are so many more unknowns than “knowns.” This is new territory, and figuring it out as we go along seems to be the name of the game. Fortunately, there are some outstanding resources available for foster and adoptive families (truthfully, for any families!) who are navigating this uncertain time.
Keeping sibling groups together in foster care and adoption offers some real benefits. It can ease their transition and help them bond with their new family. On National Siblings Day, we share some key reasons why you might want to consider adopting siblings.
2019 was quite a year for Indiana Adoption Program. We hosted meet & greets, welcomed new team members, celebrated hundreds of adoptions – to name a few! We’re looking forward to what 2020 has to bring.
December offers many big holidays…but also some less popular ones that we think are worth celebrating too. (Bonus, they’re probably less stressful too!)