Vol. 2, No. 1 • Fall 1997

What if Every Child in Foster
Care had one Single,
Stable Placement?
by Sharon Reuss, North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute

How can every child who enters the foster care system experience one single, stable foster care placement--instead of having to endure being bounced from place to place? Several counties in North Carolina that are part of Families for Kids (FFK) are answering that question and producing better outcomes for children in foster care. Their secret is to view the foster care and adoption system "through the eyes of the child." From an abused and neglected child's perspective, a reliable, caring, nurturing adult can crate a wonderful haven. FFK counties are finding that foster parents can provide such a haven. By providing needed support and training to foster parents, these counties are helping keep children in one placement.

While much of improving the foster care system hinges on how DSS, mental health, schools, the courts, and other agencies do their part, foster, kin, and adoptive parents occupy a special, lasting niche in shaping (and saving) young lives. They make a unique and tangible personal contribution to the children placed in their care. They are on the front lines making the child welfare system work for kids rather than against them. Good foster homes and committed, trained foster parents are always an important part of the equation: they nurture children who need love and support, and they support them either when reunification with birth parents is the plan or when a child is awaiting an adoptive placement.

The FFK counties--Buncombe, Catawba, Cleveland, Edgecombe, Guilford, Iredell, Richmond, and Wayne--and unofficial FFK counties, also known as "sister" counties--Caldwell, Forsyth, and Rowan--have been experimenting with the most effective ways to support and strengthen foster families so that they have the resources they need to appropriately care for children.

For example, Richmond County enables dialogue between foster parents so they can learn from each other; Richmond FFK encourages strong communication through its foster parent newsletter. In its Spring 1997 edition, Richmond County published "12 Things To Do When You've Absolutely Had It" for foster and adoptive parents. Among the tips were "press your lips together and breathe deeply," "say the alphabet out loud," and "pick up a pencil and write down your thoughts." Wayne County helps foster parents obtain crucial support from the community. The Wayne County FFK family supply closet has been a valuable resource for foster parents and children, as were the 100 movie and event passes local merchants donated. Wayne County also has added a new "respite care" category for the foster care program. Edgecombe County's foster parent support group--which meets at the DSS offices--formed as a result of Families for Kids. The county health department offers Edgecombe's foster parents stress management training.

Iredell County strives to develop partnerships with its foster parents. At a Community Gathering in late August, a foster mother spoke of the sense of satisfaction she feels when children return to their parents or are placed with their kin. As a member of the Iredell FFK Assessment Team, this particular foster mom forms a partnership with the birth family and the agency. She and her husband have cared for nine children in two years. For seven of those children, their home was the first and only placement (!) and each lasted less than a year. In both Catawba and Guilford Counties, home additions--built with volunteer labor and materials--made foster placements permanent placements. Nontraditional partners from the architectural, contracting, and building services learned how they could participate and help foster parents become adoptive parents.

FFK counties also are considering other strategies to achieve the single placement outcome. For example, some have begun to recruit foster/adoptive parents who would be willing to adopt a child in their care if reunification is impossible.

Finally, the FFK counties are trying hard to assess and meet the needs of their foster parents. Part of this strategy is to learn why people become foster parents, why they continue to provide this help to children, and how to strengthen these critical relationships in each community. Caldwell, Cleveland, and Guilford counties held informal focus groups with their foster parents to determine how to better serve and keep them. Among other things, they learned that foster parents--regardless of county--need better communication with social worker(s), more support services for special needs kids, and more opportunities for sharing information.

Foster parents are an invaluable community resource and are often a foster child's greatest advocate. As our child welfare partners, they're adults who have an acute sense of what foster care looks like "through the eyes of the child." And, of course, foster parents are an essential ingredient in one single, stable foster care placement.

Sharon Reuss is a program director at the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute in Raleigh.

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families