Understanding the legal system can be a challenge. In this article, an attorney clarifies the legal process of foster care – from the time a child enters foster care to the closure of a case.
Wait No More
I never really thought about foster parenting or adoption. I simply figured that I would one day marry and that my wife and I would together create a “traditional” family. My plan wasn’t actually a plan; it was an assumption.
Over time, we can forget the original goal of foster care: reunification.
Is God prompting you to foster? To adopt? To support foster and adoptive families? Maybe you’ve prayed about it, but you still feel unequipped and fearful. Well, you’re not alone.
Everyone wants to belong and be part of a family. For teens in foster care, guidance and love can change everything.
The importance of foster care and adoption is clear. As Christians, we are instructed to love and care for others. So, how will you make a difference?
Learning about the foster care system can seem like a daunting task. Where should you start? The best place to begin is with the journey of a child in foster care.
When I was growing up, Father’s Day was not a celebration to me. But the meaning of Father’s Day changed completely for me when I met Antwann. He welcomed me into the family. To my dad, Happy Father’s Day.
What if we could further journey with families, once adoption has been finalized, by offering Medical Care grants to help offset healthcare expenses?
I’m one of those people who typically shies away from hard things. Give up sugar for 30 days? No thanks, I’d rather not. Run a marathon? But why!?! Pursue my master’s degree? Nah! Become a foster mom? Me, really, Lord? God Asked Us to Foster As hard as it was even to start the process, …
Our heads were spinning that first night with so many unknowns, so we did what we knew how to do. We changed Ben, fed him, rocked him to sleep, and prayed.
Due to the challenges inherent in fostering, 60% of foster families nationwide won’t make it past the first year. However, we’ve found that the retention rate improves when fostering occurs within the context of a supportive community.
Mobilized volunteers make a difference. We cannot merely stand on the sidelines shouting words of affirmation or encouragement without taking action.
“I’ve only come to do Your will.” These may be words that we have uttered many times, but really, what does this mean for each individual? For me, it means trying to understand God’s purpose for my life and how my work – professionally with the child welfare system, and personally. Trying to see if …
Foster and adoptive families, ministries, and organizations should know the value of a team better than anyone. We have all benefited from excellent training that shed light on what we saw in our homes. Some of us have traveled internationally with a group with whom we now have a lifetime bond. We have been in …
A young mom who recently left her abusive boyfriend is ready to start again but has no beds and limited furniture to begin her new life with her children. Whose responsibility is it to help her keep her kids home with her? A woman and her husband adopted special needs children from foster care and …
We hugged her more times than I can count. We told her we loved her even more, and then we finally pulled ourselves together and got into our car, leaving behind the child with who we spent countless precious hours with for the past 18 years. My wife, Sue, and I were driving away from …
As Christmas approaches, I have been thinking about the gifts God has given me this year. As with you, I received some gifts that I wouldn’t have asked for and didn’t want to open. However, it is a comfort that I don’t have to understand everything in my life because the God of wisdom understands …
A few nights ago, my mother-in-law stopped by to drop something off. As a fellow Christmas enthusiast, she was quite excited that we had a YouTube video of a fireplace playing on our television. I began to share how I discovered it, which brought me to the story of one Christmas in college. A Christmas …
By modern standards, Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not have the easiest set of circumstances. By Biblical standards, her unexpected news must have left her family overwhelmed, heartbroken, and hurt. Could she have been termed an at-risk teen? She was probably 14-years-old when she realized she was pregnant. Now anyone who has ever been …