Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

Latest Episodes:

Red Flags When Choosing an International Adoption Agency - Weekend Wisdom May 05, 2024

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What are the red flags that may alert that a potential agency may not have the child’s or your best interest in mind? Your adoption agency will guide your international adoption, so choose wisely. Dawn highlights some of the red flags to be aware of and Creating a Family has a 3-step process for finding an adoption agency, and we include a list of questions you must ask agencies before you select. Note that all international adoption agencies must have Hague accreditation to place children in the US.
Resources:

US Dept of State Complaint Registry
International Adoption (Resource Guide)
Questions to ask an international adoption agency

This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

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Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

The Joys of Being a Foster Parent May 01, 2024

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Have you ever considered being a foster parent but thought that it was just too hard? You need to listen to this podcast with a group of experienced foster parents sharing the joys of being a foster parent.
In this episode, we discuss:

Why did you become a foster parent?
We talk a lot about the challenges of fostering because we want people to go into it with realistic expectations, but we also need to talk about the many joys you have experienced as a foster parent. Let’s go around round-robin style to share some of the joys.
Does the pain of when a child leaves outweigh the joys?
Does it bother you that many of the children you love and care for won’t remember you?
How to build a support system.

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Traveling with a Newborn When Adopting Out of State - Weekend Wisdom Apr 28, 2024

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Question: My husband and I have been matched with a mom expecting twins any day now. One topic that was a particular stress point for us that we found difficult finding resources on was the logistics of flying/traveling with a true newborn, let alone two, and handling the waiting period for ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children). We're working with a national agency and in our particular case, we live in Texas and our twins are being born in New York. We have a lot of questions.

Is it better to fly or drive?
Weighing the risk of communicable disease in an airport vs the risk of driving cross-country while sleep deprived
What the options if flying - carseat, plane bassinet, or carrying the infant?
How to travel and feed the infant - powdered or pre-mixed formula?
What is needed for the stay away from home while waiting for ICPC?

Resources:

Adopting a Child from Another State (CreatingaFamilyEd.org Online Course)
Basic Baby Care (CreatingaFamilyEd.org Online Course)
Adoption Resource Guide

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Suicide Awareness and Prevention Apr 24, 2024

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Join us to talk about the very important topic of youth suicide. Our guest will be Dr. Angela Tunno, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. One of her areas of specialty is trauma-informed suicide prevention.
In this episode, we cover:

Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the US.
How prevalent is suicide in the US for all ages?
How common is suicide for people under 21?
How common is suicide for children and youth in foster care or otherwise connected to child welfare?
Why are youth in foster care at greater risk for suicide?
What are some warning signs that a child or youth may be considering suicide?
What are the risk factors for a youth or child who may be at greater danger of suicide?
Are youth with other diagnoses more at risk for suicide? (For example, ADHD?)
Who is in the position when a child is in foster care to recognize these signs?
If you are worried that a child/youth may be contemplating suicide, what are the evidence-based steps you should take? How to be trauma-informed when helping to prevent a child or youth from committing suicide?
Get support or therapy for yourself to help you cope and to help you support the youth better.
When should we take the youth to the hospital?

Resources

AFSP: https://afsp.org/
SPRC: https://sprc.org/
TREVOR: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
International Association for Suicide Prevention https://www.iasp.info/
The Jason Foundation https://jasonfoundation.com/
The Jed Foundation https://jedfoundation.org/

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I Feel Awful, But I Wish We Hadn't Adopted - Weekend Wisdom Apr 21, 2024

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Question: I was the one who wanted to adopt. My husband agreed because I wanted it so bad, but now, I’m the one who wishes we hadn’t done it. We adopted a 5-year-old little girl, who is now 7. The awful truth is that I don’t love this child. I don’t even like her very much. I wish I could turn back the clock.
Resources:

Creating and Cultivating Attachment (Resource)
Understanding and Overcoming Blocked Care (Free Course)
Creating a Family Online Support Group

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What You Need to Know About Open Adoption Apr 17, 2024

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Are you confused about having an open adoption? Do you worry about what this means for your family. Join us today to talk about open adoption with Sara Easterly, an adoptee, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, a birth parent, and Lori Holden, an adoptive parent. In addition to co-authoring the book, "Adoption Unfiltered", they host a podcast of the same name.
In this episode, we cover:

What is meant by the term “open adoption”?
Contact vs. openness.
What open adoption is not:
- Co-parenting
- A courtesy to birth parents
- Confusing to the kids
- About/for the parents
What are some of the challenges of open adoption from the birth parents’ perspective?
- Lack of understanding of what open adoption means when they place their child.
- Renewed pain after each contact
- Two vs. one
- Lack of power
- Fear
What are some of the challenges of open adoption from the adoptive parents’ perspective?
What are some of the challenges of open adoption from the adoptee's standpoint?
What are some of the benefits of open adoption from the adoptee’s perspective?
What are some benefits of open adoption from the birth parent’s perspective?
What are some of the benefits of open adoption for adoptive parents?
How to establish healthy boundaries with an open adoption, including both ways.
- Examples of healthy boundaries from the adoptive parents’ perspective.
- Examples of healthy boundaries from the birth parents’ perspective.
- Examples of healthy boundaries from the adoptee standpoint.
- Keys to establishing healthy boundaries.
How do you handle “openness” when birth parents are unreliable?
How to maintain an attitude of openness or the spirit of openness without contact.
Importance of birth siblings. How the existence of children that the birth parents are parenting affects adopted children.
Allow space for change and growth on all sides of the adoption constellation: birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees.

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Should I Use a Public or Private Agency to Get My Foster Parent License? - Weekend Wisdom Apr 14, 2024

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Question: Hubby and I are finally ready to take the plunge and become foster parents. We wanted to wait until our youngest was in high school. We’ve started listening to your podcast, and you’ve mentioned on several of the shows that we would likely have a choice between the local county child welfare agency and a private agency. Which should we choose?

Resources:

Choosing a Foster Care Agency (Resource page)
Becoming a Foster Parent (Resource page)
Working as Part of a Foster Care Team (Resource page)

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Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard Apr 10, 2024

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Do you worry about applying the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard as a foster parent? Check out this interview with Rhonda Serrano, a senior attorney at the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and Kate Schultz, the Deputy Director at Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina and a licensed foster parent.
In this episode, we cover:

Where does the concept and term for “reasonable and prudent parent” come from?
What were the problems that the reasonable and prudent parent standard is trying to address?
The intent is to promote and support normalcy. Why is normalcy so important for foster youth?
Who does this standard apply to?
Does it apply to all children and youth in foster care?
Why is the distinction between an “activity” vs. a “service” important?
What is included in extracurricular activities?
What is included as an enrichment activity?
What is included in cultural activities?
What is considered a social activity?
Would these activities usually be included?
- Phone and computer use
- Being on social media
- Reasonable curfews and rules for dating and socializing
- Driver’s licenses and learner’s permits
- Social activities with friends and peers, including unsupervised social activities, such as:
  - Going to the movies
  - Dating
  - Visiting friends’ houses overnight
Would background checks be needed to spend the night at a friend's or foster grandparent’s house?
Are there some activities that are inherently too risky for the foster parent to make the decision on whether to participate?
The activity is supposed to be age or developmentally appropriate. Who makes this decision?

Factors to consider when applying this standard.

Does the child/youth want to do this activity? Does it fit with their interests, likes, and dislikes?
Is this activity appropriate for their age and something other kids their age get to do?
Can this youth/child participate safely for their selves and others, given their behavioral history?
Is there appropriate adult supervision for this activity?
Does this activity encourage the child’s emotional and developmental growth?
Does participating in this activity normalize life for this child/youth? Does it provide a more family-like experience?
Does this activity provide a way for the child to further their self-identity (including ethnic, cultural, religious, etc)?
Does it provide an opportunity for healthy risk-taking?
Will the youth gain adult skills for transitioning?
Does the biological parent want the child to participate in this activity?
Can you afford this activity?
Risk factor
Mental health: are there any triggers to be aware of?
What liability does the resource parent have if things go wrong at the activity?
How can biological parents be included in decisions about the reasonable and prudent parent standard?
What happens when the biological parent objects to an activity, but the foster parents are in favor of allowing the child to participate?

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Will I Be Ruining My Life If I Accept This Adoption Match? - Weekend Wisdom Apr 07, 2024

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Question: We’ve been waiting for 15 months for an expectant mom to choose us to adopt her baby. We finally got chosen, but I’m filled with fear. Are we the right family for this baby? Are we up to parenting her? Will we be ruining our lives and maybe hers?
Resources:

Evaluating Risk Factors in Adoption (Resource page)
Raising a Child with Prenatal Substance Exposure (Resource page)
Explaining Prenatal Substance Exposure, ADHD, and Autism (Suggested books)

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Navigating the Important Conversations With Your Adopted Teen or Young Adult Apr 03, 2024

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Are you parenting an adopted teen or young adult? Check out our interview about important conversations we need to make sure we have. Our guest is Katie Naftzger ,an LICSW, an adult adoptee, and the author of Parenting in the Eye of the Storm: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Navigating the Teen Years. She also has a course for adoptive parents: The Four Paths To Securing The Relationship With Your Adopted Teen Or Young Adult.
In this episode, we cover:

What are two conversations we should have about adoption with our youth?
What conversations should we have about mental health?
What are some conversations we should have about race with our youth who are of a different race than we are?