You may have wondered before, “What is kinship care?” If you are caring for a relative’s children, you may not have heard the term “kinship placement” before you welcomed them into your home. I once met a grandfather who told me, “I didn’t know anyone else who was raising their grandkids—or that there was a …
Foster Care
Both kinship and licensed homes are feeling the pressure of growing foster needs. As I mentioned on the Common Good podcast with Brian from and Aubrey Sampson, people are closing their certified foster homes. Many say, “I can’t do this work” or “I can’t care for my relative because I lack the support and resources …
Have you ever considered the role of foster care support within the church? Scripture calls believers to care for the orphans and most vulnerable, exhibiting Christlike agape love in everything we do. What does this mean for us? In Dr. Bob Griffith’s book, Fostering Jesus, he provides readers with a variety of information about how to support …
One way that we create order out of our unknowns is by sorting things into categories. Humans seek to find the connections between seemingly unrelated items. While this may work for kitchen organization, it can fall very short when looking at children, behaviors, and relationships. We tend to build buckets where we put things we …
It is summertime! Or, as I used to refer to it when I was a little girl, it is “Funnertime!” And what better time of year to come up with fun summer activities for foster families? I became a Christian when I was 30 years old. Early in my walk with the Lord, I remember going to church one …
My husband and I are starting the path of foster care and adoption. Growing up in foster care and kinship care, it is something I always knew I wanted to do. It was one of the first things we talked about when we started dating. And I knew he was “a keeper” when his response …
It’s so exciting! “Gotcha Day” is finally here. We are finally a family that is undisrupted by caseworkers and court dates. For most adoptive parents, this is a day they have looked forward to for a long time. It can be a celebration for family and friends who have known about the adoption journey. Some …
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Within three months, the Blacklidge Family gained three children in foster care. After many years of changing case plans, those three children joined the Blacklidge Family forever.
Children who have been in foster care, like Susie were wounded most in the context of interpersonal relationships, and they will heal only in the context of healthy, nurturing, interpersonal relationships.
