Vol. 3, No. 2 • Spring 1999

Fostering Care: The North Carolina Foster Parent Association Fall Training Conference
by Damien Jackson

Some managed to fight back their tears�others were less successful. In the end, the many sets of glassy eyes in attendance that November morning at the North Carolina Foster Parent Training Conference had been touched. With her passionate style, guest speaker and child advocate Della Neal captured the hearts and emotions of the close to 250 foster and adoptive parents who had traveled to the Ramada Inn in Clemmons, NC, for the two-day event. While challenging the state�s child welfare system to improve its treatment and handling of youth in care, this adoptive mother of 11 gave personal accounts of how her children had suffered from multiple foster placements. �Everyone has a birthright to a permanent family. Children that are without permanency are left with a big hole in their heart they cannot fill,� offered Neal in a trembling voice. �No child should ever have to feel that way.�

Neal�s Sunday morning address was one of a number of informative and inspiring events taking place at the conference, which was sponsored by the NC Foster Parent Association (NCFPA), the NC Division of Social Services, and the Raleigh-based NC Child Advocacy Institute. The weekend consisted of 30 training workshops designed to inform, prepare, and meet the needs of today�s foster and adoptive parents. While covering a variety of topics including health issues, child protective services, adoption, independent living, the court system, and relevant foster care and adoption policy changes, the 75-minute sessions were facilitated by an impressive list of presenters. They included both parents and professionals from the foster, adoptive, social services, medical, political, legal, and educational arenas.

Throughout the weekend, information was widely available. In one room, Donna Gillespie Foster, of American Foster Care Resources, gave important tips on fostering sexually abused children; in another, Keith Ernst from the Institute for Southern Studies offered parents sound advice on how their local organization could become a nonprofit. �We tried to cover all bases in terms of supplying foster and adoptive parents with the information and support they need to be competent caregivers and advocates for their children,� notes Michelle Hughes, Public Action Director for the NC Child Advocacy Institute. �Foster and adoptive parents need and want ongoing training. NCFPA is striving to meet that need with this conference.�

Nancy Carter, a social worker with Independent Living Resources who ran two workshops on preparing foster teens for independent living, shares her feelings on the conference and its role: �It was exciting to see so many parents and professionals come together from all over the state. Given that many feel isolated and don�t receive enough support in their roles as foster and adoptive parents, this conference was a good vehicle for the state to show its support, and for parents to show support for each other.�

The conference also included a lively and moving opening presentation from nationally-recognized speaker and child welfare consultant, Naomi Haines-Griffith. Griffith effectively used both humorous and heartwarming stories to encourage the large audience in their ongoing commitment to caring for children. �Naomi Griffith was wonderful,� raves Jane Kanoy, a foster parent from Davidson County. �She inspired me while providing a refreshing perspective on what we do. It was kind of like a second honeymoon�she made us remember why we became foster parents in the first place.�

Along with the motivational speeches from Griffith and Neal, the conference was further highlighted by the association�s election of a new board of directors. During a �working lunch,� the large group broke into four smaller groups and listened to the platforms of those running for board positions from their respective regions. Five minutes were given to each candidate as they informed listeners of the qualifications and ideas that would make them viable representatives of their given regions. Ultimately, the association would elect an effective combination of new and returning members to steer the NCFPA into the year 2000.

Many of the parents in attendance would take valuable information away from the conference. �I was surprised there was a foster parent association operating on this level, since no one ever talked about it in my county,� admits William Salisbury, a foster parent from Edgecombe County. �I learned a lot at the conference, and, when I went back home, everybody wanted the information that I had�even social workers.� With a chuckle, he adds �Suddenly I was the smartest one in the county.�

While agreeing with Salisbury, longtime foster/adoptive parent Mable Griffin from Lenoir County offers more. �It�s good to know there are other folks in the same boat as you. A lot of questions that I�ve wanted to ask for years about the child welfare system were finally answered. My only hope is that next year�s conference is just as good.�

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families