How Foster Parents Can Help Ease Trauma Responses

Image Source: Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/people-woman-mother-child-kid-2566854/)How Foster Parents Can Help Ease Trauma ResponsesWhen you decide to open your home to a foster child, you are choosing to open your heart to a child who needs it most. The simple fact is that when children are taken into the foster care system, it is always already a traumatic event. Being separated from your parents, perhaps even from your siblings, and moving into a new home will almost inevitably trigger feelings of fear and loss. Children may suffer from guilt and shame in leaving their loved ones behind. They may even blame themselves for being removed from the home.However, the decision to place a child into foster care is never one to be taken lightly, and it typically follows a painful history of abuse and neglect. Being a foster parent, then, means more than simply loving a child. It also means learning to recognize the

AFFEC’s 2nd annual Art AuctionApril 19 – May 10, 2021 Spring is such a wonderful season, and this year it is the theme of AFFEC’s upcoming 2nd annual Art Auction. All of the artwork has been created by artists of all ages, from kids to adults! You can have a chance to participate in the auction when it opens the last week of April. Lasting for three weeks, this inspirational and artistic event raises money for A Family For Every Child’s many programs in order to support the amazing work that is being done for foster youth!Last year raised over $1,200. Would you be willing to help raise money for AFFEC and help us exceed our goal of $3,000?Learn more about our second annual Art Auction by visiting our website. For more information and to get answers to your questions, feel free to contact Alex Graham at: alex@afamilyforeverychild.org or 541-343-2856. Eugene MarathonApril

“Don’t forget, you are the hero of your own story.” – Greg Boyle   Although 2020 brought us many challenges, it is the hard times when heroes are able to make the best differences. From firefighters and medical workers to truck drivers and caring neighbors, people have been able to make a difference in the lives of those around them in many caring and heroic ways over the past year. A Family for Every Child wants to help children from the community and the foster care system know that they, too, can be heroes in the world today. A Family for Every Child is bringing you their virtual Hero for a Day event, premiering on Saturday, March 13th, 2021. These three hours of fun for kids ages 2 to 18 will begin at 12pm via Zoom so that you can participate wherever you are. Free registration is available now on the

  One of A Family For Every Child’s many programs is the Lifebook Program, which provides special photo album scrapbooks that are put together for foster children. Life Books and Welcome Books A LifeBook is a meaningful collection of pictures and memorabilia designed for foster children. These scrapbooks are typically made of 8.5 x 11 pages that are compiled in an album or binder after being decorated with pictures and mementos from the child’s life. These scrapbooks are able to explain the story of the child’s birth, information about their birth parents, and the reason for their separation. The pages also include important moments of their life and adoption. A Welcome Book is a wonderful resource that helps introduce an adopted child to their new family. These scrapbooks, which are usually made of 8 x 8 pages, help the newly adopted child become familiar with the things they will encounter

Creating a supportive environment for children can help them handle the stresses of growing up and provide tools for maintaining mental health.   The benefits of a loving and supportive family are clearly established. Yet, misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the adoption of older children and teenagers in foster care mean that they often face more challenges during the adoption process compared to younger children. Ensuring that these false impressions are addressed is essential to ensuring that barriers to adoption, especially of older children and teenagers, are reduced. Here are five common misconceptions about adopting older children.Adoption is Too Expensive Adoption from foster care tends to be less expensive than adopting via a private agency. Although it is state-dependent, the small costs involved are often reimbursable and support is also available to help ease the financial burden involved with adoption. In cases of adoption where the child is over five (including teenagers),

Creating a supportive environment for children can help them handle the stresses of growing up and provide tools for maintaining mental health.   Is your child withdrawn and glum on most days? Have you noticed a drastic fall in their grades? Have they lost interest in activities that they loved in the past? Do they get increasingly cranky and aggressive? Are the mood swings hampering their everyday routine? There is a chance that your child is suffering from mental health issues. Anxiety and depression in kids are widespread these days.  Children are often malleable, gullible, and innocent of the ways of the world. Peers, teachers, and families are some significant influences in a kid’s life. It is, therefore, imperative for parents to create a healthy and holistic environment for their children. You will want to protect your young one from all the pain and suffering of the world, but that is

Planning a family trip with a foster child requires planning, but it can be a great bonding and trust building opportunity.   If a foster child has just joined your family, you may be excited about taking your very first family vacation together. As found by researchers at Penn State, all children – including teens – benefit from spending time with their parents; doing so has “important implications for adolescents’ psychological and social adjustment.” Because daily life is usually busy, a vacation is an ideal way to give children this much-needed time, but also to get to know them – their interests, passions, and unique personality traits. How can you ensure that your first vacation together has all the ingredients you need to achieve this aim?Organization is Key In order to travel with family peacefully and efficiently, organization is vital. If flying, ensure your children’s documents (passports, etc.) are up-to-date (if

Understanding the causes, signs, and emergency recommendations for children with food allergies can help caregivers provide a safe environment.   For those who have kids with food allergies, food is a risky experience. Their immune system labels a particular substance as dangerous and releases inordinate amounts of histamine. It can put children in danger, so they have to be careful with everything they serve on the table or keep in their home. It’s not just about avoiding peanuts or any other allergen. It’s about making the home a safe place for the kid, who can’t fully control their food choices without help from grownups. What Is a Food Allergy?An allergy occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly sees a harmless substance as dangerous. Even the smallest traces of the allergen can trigger an immune reaction. These foods cause some of the most common food allergies in children:Milk (lactoseFishShellfishEggsTree nutsPeanutsWheatSoyThese foods are all

Keeping siblings in care together is not always possible, but studies show the importance of maintaining these relationships.    Adapting to life in foster care is not easy for children. They have to adjust to the new environments, caretakers, and schedules. They face limited contact with their biological families and may need to work to keep their sibling connection intact. Fear of losing siblings can lead to feelings of insecurity, depression, loneliness and anxiety. They may not openly express their feelings, so establishing trust and communication with foster parents and the family unit as early as possible is vital in a foster care setting. Family System TheoryFamily Systems Theory, also known as Bowen Theory (1999) describes patterns and relationships that are created within a family system. Foster siblings that are involved in experiencing intense emotional traumas will have different needs and expectations of their caregivers.The theory explains the triangle of

Journaling as a family can be a therapuetic bonding experience and create a record of memories.   A journal captures the memories that could easily escape your mind. These memories are usually raw and can be passed down for generations through the family tree. The benefits of keeping a journal cannot be overemphasized, but they get more pronounced when it becomes a family project. Each member of the family has a unique perspective on life. A similar event will be recorded in multiple unique ways by each member of the family. The family journal will, therefore, cease to be a monotonous narrative through a single eye and become the combined efforts of all persons in the home. This adds beauty and multiple voices to the project. The Beauty of Family LifeA family is like an orchard made of beautiful fruits. Each member of the family has a different flavor that makes