The Children are Waiting
Next time you see a picture like this one, imagine the joy for the new family, knowing they now belong to each other. A new family made possible by adoption needs special patience, an extra dose of love, and determination to make it work. Yet, what a celebration!
You may have read my article posted on July 31, 2024 at Daily News about kinship care. For seven months my husband and I were foster parents for a child we knew well, which comes under the category of kinship care. This is one important solution to the foster care crisis. This article will take the solution one step further as we look at adopting a child in foster care.
According to Adopt US Kids a little over half of the children who go into foster care return to their birth families. There are more than 117,000 children waiting for a permanent home. 117,000 children who would love to know they have a home where they can spend the next holiday, consistent schooling, and the same loving people watching out for them through the good times and the tough times.
A Church Community Steps Up
As I was researching current information for this series of articles on foster care, I took an afternoon to watch the movie Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot. I could not take my eyes off the screen. Tears welled up in my eyes for the children experiencing abuse, fear, and pain. By the end of the movie, I had tears of joy. A true story set in the mid-1990s; Possum Trot is a town in the woods of East Texas. A local minister and his wife were the first to ignite the movement of showing ultimate love, bringing troubled children in foster care into their home to become part of their family.
Twenty-two families in the local Possum Trot Baptist Church got on board, adopting seventy-seven of the most difficult-to-place children in the foster care system. Did all go smoothly? No. There were arguments, tears, at last one child went missing temporarily. They discovered that by linking arms and working together was how they could all succeed. We saw church members doing the laundry for one overwhelmed mom. Community picnics and sharing food were the norm. Their courage and faith saved seventy-seven children, and at the end of the movie we saw success stories.
What can the story of Possum Trot teach us? Adoption is one way to solve the foster care crisis and change lives for children needing care across the United States.
#EndTheFosterCrisis
The Path to Adoption
While state laws differ, the path to adoption often starts with foster care. Paperwork, home visits, and due diligence by the county can commence during this stage, saving time if the family decides to adopt. The local county will help work through the requirements and will also oversee family of origin situations. Financial assistance is available to foster care parents, including those initiating the adoption process.
When we were foster parents, the county walked through every step with us. They answered our questions, gave us advice, and help him stay enrolled in Head Start and go to summer camp. I learned about the foster care system and how the courts work, and later wrote a letter to a state commission exploring changes in child placement.
What about you?
Is there room in your heart and life for a child needing a home? Can you envision your newly combined family on a poster? To start the process, your local county is the best place to find information. They will tell you what is involved and may be able to recommend local organizations who can offer support for your adoption process.
Thank you for joining me in learning about this important topic. Think about the difference you could make by sharing the ultimate love of family with a foster care child.
Nancy R Poland, Grace’s Message
With grace and hope, Nancy Poland provides written and spoken communication on caregiving, loss, and other valuable topics. She owns what she calls a “micro-business” named “Grace’s Message,” however she has many years of experience in the business world.
In December 2022, Nancy retired from NMDP (previously National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match) after nearly 28 years of employment. She most recently worked as a Contracts and Compliance Manager and spent over 18 years in management as a people-leader. Nancy has a Bachelor of Arts in social work and a Master of Arts in Health and Human Services Administration. She has authored two books on caregiving, issues a quarterly newsletter, and offers both in-person and virtual presentations.
A life-long resident of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Nancy and her husband John raised two sons and continue to contribute to their communities, travel, and work on solving British detective shows.
As a working caregiver, Nancy encountered dilemmas such as the following, with no good choices.
- The phone rings, an ambulance is bringing her mom to the hospital (again). Does Nancy stay at work for the rest of the training session, or should she race to meet the ambulance and mom at the hospital?
- Dad is in the care home, in the later stages of dementia. The only day they schedule monthly family conferences is Thursday, no later than 2:30. Should Nancy take a half day off work, leave work and come back, or dial in, and miss out on a face-to-face conversation.
Working caregivers struggle with job obligations, caring for their loved one, and often other family responsibilities. The one they are caring for may be a child with special needs, an aging relative, or an unexpectedly injured spouse. None of us know when we will be called upon to care for another, and trying to balance each facet of life can be a recipe for disaster. When a caregiver has a crisis, it affects not only the ones involved, but also the company.
Studies show caregivers often have increased absenteeism or reduced performance while at work. They often need to cut down work hours or quit. As this is especially true for caregivers of older adults with significant care needs, for this talk I will focus on ways companies and caregivers can partner together to address the ever-increasing needs of caregivers for our aging population.
Website: https://nancyrpoland.com
Connect with Nancy Poland on social media:
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/nancypoland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancyrpoland
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-poland-a4632632/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancypoland/
