Vol. 5, No. 1 • Fall 2000

It's True: There is Strength in Numbers
by Jane Kanoy

So, you�re a new foster parent and the first child they bring to your home brings with her more than you bargained for . . . head lice! You�ve been a foster parent for twenty years and you�ve never seen anyone like your newest foster child . . . he throws up after every meal and the doctor tells you he�s fine. Who are you going to turn to for help?

Social workers may have never seen head lice, forget about treating it. And, your next door neighbor sure doesn�t understand about a little boy who doesn�t know when to stop eating because he�s never had enough to eat before.

One of the best best sources of information is another foster parent. Where do you find them? At your local foster parent association meetings! The local foster parent association should be the lifeline that we all can hang onto in times of distress. There is nothing like talking to someone who actually understands what you are talking about and can identify with your problems.

But, foster parents are the busiest people in the world. When do they have time to go to meetings and socials? The answer to that question is simple. You must make time.

Local foster parent associations are tough to start and even tougher to maintain. However, they are essential. We must support each other and become united in our efforts to improve the lives of the children we serve. Local foster parent associations have five main objectives:

• To provide emotional support to foster and adoptive parents.
• To advocate for foster and adoptive children and foster and adoptive parents.
• To share information (training, knowledge, etc.) among foster and adoptive parents.
• To provide a social forum for interaction between foster and adoptive families.
• To assist foster and adoptive families with their day-to-day struggles (programs like food bank programs, clothes closet programs, etc.)

If you don�t have a local association, start one. If you don�t do it, who will?

If you do have a local association, become active. Any local association is only as strong as the support it receives from its members. If you are interested in receiving information about starting a local association, visit the North Carolina Foster Parent Association Web site at <http://www.ncfosterparents.org> and ask for help. You might also consider attending the Association�s conference in November. Not only will this conference give you a chance to meet and learn from foster parents from all over North Carolina, it also offers many helpful workshops, including one entitled �Starting and Maintaining a Local Association.� Being a foster parent is the most rewarding, toughest, and trying job in the world. Please do not attempt to do it alone. There is strength in numbers.

Jane Kanoy is a foster parent and a Board Member of the North Carolina Foster Parent Association.

 

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families