Good books for May (or any day!)

As we gear up for May's National Foster Care Month, several of our resource family recruiters are encouraging local libraries to display books about foster care or adoption from foster care during May. (See some good resources for libraries here.)

If you are a bookworm, this would be a great way to get involved in Foster Care Month awareness efforts in your local community! We'd suggest getting in touch with the resource family recruiter near you to see if they're already planning something at your local library. If not, they would probably love your help!

You could also suggest your library do a story time with a foster care related book, highlight movies with foster care related themes or even display books or movies about famous former foster youth.

A new book you could suggest to your local library is Michael Oher's new memoir: I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond. The real life inspiration behind the film The Blind Side, Oher wrote the book partly in response to thousands of letters he received from youth in foster care.

Here's a clip of Oher sharing a little about why he wrote it:

We'd love to hear what books or films you'd suggest on the subject of foster care or adoption? Any favorites? You can see others' thoughts over on our Facebook page.

Spring forward with post-adoption support

As spring approaches, it’s a great time to pause and take a fresh look at all the resources available to your family. We'd like to remind all subsidized adoptive families to consider taking advantage of free post-adoption support.
 

Here's the highlights: 

All Iowa families with a DHS-subsidized adoption are eligible for free support through Iowa KidsNet's Navigator program. Your family is eligible for post-adoption support services for children age 18 and under, no matter how long a child has been a part of your family.

If you have adopted through DHS and receive Title 19 insurance as part of the adoption agreement or have a future needs statement as part of the adoption agreement, you are also eligible.

The goal of post-adoption support is to keep both your child and family stable by developing a support plan that meets the unique needs and circumstances of your family. For example, your support specialist can:

• Visit your family at your home
• Provide behavior management plans and assistance
• Respond to crisis calls from your family
• Assist and support your family’s relationship with a birth family or kin
• Advocate with schools, DHS and service providers for a child’s treatment or needs
• Coordinate with licensing workers or providers connected to your family
• Connect you to community resources
• Connect you to a local adoption support group 

Post-adoption support is flexible! Even if you don’t feel as though your family currently needs additional support, you may want to meet your support specialist and learn more. Then, if you ever do need more support, you already have the resources in place. 

Want to know more? Please give us a call at 1.800.243.0756. 

Are you a foster or adoptive family? What kind of support resources have been most helpful to you?

Fist Pump Friday

Happy Friday! 

As we close out the week, here's a few things that got us talking this week. They definitely deserve a fist pump!

Community graduation party for teens. Will you be attending a graduation open house this spring for friends or family? What if there was a whole group of students who graduated and never had a party or acknowledgment of their achievement? A  group of folks in Cedar Valley is making sure all foster youth in their area get to celebrate! You're invited to come encourage youth earning their diplomas and G.E.Ds. See more.

Great foster parent stories. To be a successful foster parent, you need patience, flexibility and a willingness to be part of a team (among other things!). I heard a powerful story this week about all three, as a family who initially became licensed intending to adopt later changed their perceptions about how how their family could help others. They've since become involved in foster parenting and helping birth families. In a twist, they may end up adopting after all, as one of their youth may need an adoptive home. It's great to see families discover new strengths.

Waiting child stories. It is always a good moment when we receive a request to remove a child from the Iowa KidsNet photolistings. This means potential adoptive homes or a permanent connection to a supportive, caring adult has been identified. Meet other Iowa children still waiting for this permanent support.

Iowa Aftercare Services Network. In all 99 counties, Iowa youth aging out of foster care can connect with the Iowa Aftercare Services Network to be assigned a self-sufficiency advocate and learn more about available support as they transition to young adulthood. See this week's news story highlighting this important resource!

What in your life deserves a fist pump this week?

Why Social Workers Matter

Let's end this Friday on a positive note! March is National Social Work Month, a time to raise public awareness about social work and to thank those engaged in this important role.

Folks at the National Association of Social Workers asked social workers around the country one very important question - why are social workers important to our nation's future?

You can see what they had to say in the video below. One of my favorite responses: "People like my mommy help make it all better." 

Thanks to Iowa's social workers who make a difference!

Hugs Help Kids in Foster Care

Starting Valentine's Day weekend, we'll be piloting a new campaign in western Iowa, called Hugs Help Kids in Foster Care. 

2011 Campaign logo

Inspired by this story here, one of our recruiters came up with the idea to connect with the community on the issue of foster care in a new way. Last year in Woodbury County there were approximately 700 out-of-home placements of youth. In Council Bluffs, in Pottawattamie County, there were nearly 600 out-of-home placements.

The goal of Hugs Help Kids in Foster Care is to raise more community awareness for these counties. We'll be out at seven locations from Feb. 12 - Feb. 26, hoping to gather 700 Sioux City "hugs" and 600 Council Bluffs "hugs" from community members to show their support for Iowa youth in foster care. We'll ask you to sign your name as a symbolic "hug" of support, and you'll get a free chocolate "hug" in return.

Hugs are about connection. Every young person deserves to be connected to a supportive and caring adult in his or her life, and youth thrive when they have this support. Our hope is that more adults will consider how they can offer that support and guidance, perhaps as a foster or adoptive parent or in other ways, to young people in their community.

Here's where we'll be if you want to stop by in February! See you then!

Council Bluffs locations:

• Feb. 12, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Mall of the Bluffs food court, 1751 Madison Ave
• Feb. 19, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., K-Mart pharmacy, 2803 E. Kanesville Blvd
• Feb. 26, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Shopko, 3271 Market Place Drive

Sioux City locations:

• Feb. 12, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Hy-Vee on 3301 Gordon Drive
  Feb. 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Hy-Vee on Singing Hills Blvd
  Feb. 19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Hy-Vee on 2827 Hamilton Blvd
  Feb. 23, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Wilbur Aalfs Library (Gleeson Room), 529 Pierce St.

Thanks, and an early Happy Valentine's Day to you!