Creating Compassionate Foster Care


Book Description

"Every child's way of being can open doors to wisdom, compassion, and human connection. We need only to listen." This is among the conclusions that the authors, one of whom is an experienced foster parent and the other a professor of developmental psychology, draw as a result of working with a diverse range of children and families. Inspired by their relationships with families in crisis, the authors began to rethink the traditional foster care models and developed an innovative practice that afforded birth parents the opportunity to reside, under supervision, with their children during evaluation and treatment. Drawing on over 20 years of work in foster care, along with current attachment research and theory, this book conveys the foster care experience with recommendations for improved models of care and intervention strategies. Engaging case studies depict the challenging nature of determining the best outcome for a child and of supporting the adult's journey as a parent. Written in a narrative style and supported by in-depth research, this book will aid social workers and foster care professionals to better understand families in crisis and to further develop their practice.




Creating Compassionate Kids: Essential Conversations to Have with Young Children


Book Description

Selected as a "Favorite Book for Parents in 2019" by Greater Good. Young children can surprise us with tough questions. Tominey’s essential guide teaches us how to answer them and foster compassion along the way. If you had to choose one word to describe the world you want children to grow up in, what would it be? Safe? Understanding? Resilient? Compassionate? As parents and caregivers of young children, we know what we want for our children, but not always how to get there. Many children today are stressed by academic demands, anxious about relationships at school, confused by messages they hear in the media, and overwhelmed by challenges at home. Young children look to the adults in their lives for everything. Sometimes we’re prepared... sometimes we’re not. In this book, Shauna Tominey guides parents and caregivers through how to have conversations with young children about a range of topics-from what makes us who we are (e.g., race, gender) to tackling challenges (e.g., peer pressure, divorce, stress) to showing compassion (e.g., making friends, recognizing privilege, being a helper). Talking through these topics in an age-appropriate manner—rather than telling children they are too young to understand—helps children recognize how they feel and how they fit in with the world around them. This book provides sample conversations, discussion prompts, storybook recommendations, and family activities. Dr. Tominey's research-based strategies and practical advice creates dialogues that teach self-esteem, resilience, and empathy: the building blocks for a more compassionate world.




The No-Nonsense Guide to Foster Parenting


Book Description

Over two-thirds of the children placed in foster care come into the system carrying the negative baggage of their past. Broken families, substance abuse, and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse also create a dilemma for foster parents: How do you correct problem behavior while giving your foster children the extra reassurance they need? How do you show them that your home is a safe, respectful place? The No-Nonsense Guide to Foster Parenting is full of common-sense, compassionate solutions to the unique problems that arise in foster homes. Barbara Hughes is a successful foster parent of twenty-plus years, and has experienced literally thousands of different situations, behaviors, problems, concerns, and dilemmas. In this book you will see the best and worst situations in foster care. You will also learn how to deal with common problems and fears, and acquire the skills for doing so in a peaceable and respectful manner. This simple, common-sense approach guarantees better outcomes-enabling your foster children to be calmer and more focused so that they may grow and thrive.




The Foster Parenting Manual


Book Description

The Foster Parenting Manual is a comprehensive guide offering proven, friendly advice for novice and experienced parents alike. Distilling many years' experience into one book, John DeGarmo combines his own wisdom with that of fellow foster parents. He describes what to expect from the process, how to access help and how to ensure the best care for your child. He tackles thorny issues such as children's use of the Internet and social media, managing contact with birth parents and how to support your child at school. Most importantly, he provides advice designed to help your child feel safe, secure and loved. The Foster Parenting Manual offers seasoned, sympathetic advice that will be valued by foster parents and the professionals who support them.




Compassionate School Practices


Book Description

Already Ready For What Will Come - SEL For A Culture Of Care Is your school prepared to care for all of the students, staff, and families in your community? Sadly, your school might be the only point of care for many. Be already ready--Establish a compassionate cultural foundation for strong relationships and holistic skills to weather stress, trauma, and promote well-being for your entire school population. Help your school or district use available resources to create a compassionate culture of justice and care for all by leaning into this book’s approach to leadership and social emotional learning. Discover a collaborative visioning process to elevate compassion through dialogue, policies, and protocol. Readers will find: Practical strategies for working with parents and communities Activities for the whole school An implementation framework for elementary, middle, and high school Deeper understanding of trauma, ACEs, and mental health concerns Support for teachers’ mental health What not to do – practices that don’t work, and why In-depth case studies and vignettes Read this and usher in transformational and compassionate change that may be the difference in whatever today, tomorrow, or the next day may bring.




Confident Parents, Confident Kids


Book Description

Confident Parents, Confident Kids lays out an approach for helping parents—and the kids they love—hone their emotional intelligence so that they can make wise choices, connect and communicate well with others (even when patience is thin), and become socially conscious and confident human beings. How do we raise a happy, confident kid? And how can we be confident that our parenting is preparing our child for success? Our confidence develops from understanding and having a mastery over our emotions (aka emotional intelligence)—and helping our children do the same. Like learning to play a musical instrument, we can fine-tune our ability to skillfully react to those crazy, wonderful, big feelings that naturally arise from our child’s constant growth and changes, moving from chaos to harmony. We want our children to trust that they can conquer any challenge with hard work and persistence; that they can love boundlessly; that they will find their unique sense of purpose; and they will act wisely in a complex world. This book shows you how. With author and educator Jennifer Miller as your supportive guide, you'll learn: the lies we’ve been told about emotions, how they shape our choices, and how we can reshape our parenting decisions in better alignment with our deepest values. how to identify the temperaments your child was born with so you can support those tendencies rather than fight them. how to align your biggest hopes and dreams for your kids with specific skills that can be practiced, along with new research to support those powerful connections. about each age and stage your child goes through and the range of learning opportunities available. how to identify and manage those big emotions (that only the parenting process can bring out in us!) and how to model emotional intelligence for your children. how to deal with the emotions and influences of your choir—the many outside individuals and communities who directly impact your child’s life, including school, the digital world, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Raising confident, centered, happy kids—while feeling the same way about yourself—is possible with Confident Parents, Confident Kids.




Foster the Family


Book Description

There are great rewards that come along with being a foster parent, yet there are also great challenges that can leave you feeling depleted, alone, and discouraged. The many burdens of a foster parent's day--hurting children, struggling biological parents, and a broken system--are only compounded by the many burdens of a foster parent's heart--confusion, anxiety, heartache, anger, and fear. With the compassion and insight of a fellow foster parent, Jamie C. Finn helps you see your struggles through the lens of the gospel, bringing biblical truths to bear on your unique everyday realities. In these short, easy-to-read chapters, you'll find honest, personal stories and practical lessons that provide encouragement and direction from God's Word as you walk the journey of foster parenting.




The Foster Parenting Manual


Book Description

Foster care is a protective service to children and their families when families can no longer care for their children. There are many reasons and circumstances that make it difficult for biological families to meet the needs of their children, which include poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, loss of a job or lack of support from extended family and community. In foster care, the children are provided with a safe, nurturing, loving family for a temporary period of time. GROWING UP IN PLACEMENT TAKES A TOLL, NOT JUST ON THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, BUT ALSO THE PROFESSIONALS AND FOSTER PARENTS CHARGED WITH THEIR CARE. They make critical decisions that can affect a foster child's life forever, which is why this book plays a valuable role in foster care training. The purpose of this foster care book is to provide child welfare and social work professionals insightful feedback from former fosters who grew up in Foster family Kinship care Orphanage Group home Juvenile justice Adoptive and Mental health placements. These former foster kids have chosen to reflect on their childhood experiences through the lens of adult professionals, so that their unique knowledge might reach receptive minds looking to improve services to foster youth living in US foster care.




No Way to Treat a Child


Book Description

Kids in danger are treated instrumentally to promote the rehabilitation of their parents, the welfare of their communities, and the social justice of their race and tribe—all with the inevitable result that their most precious developmental years are lost in bureaucratic and judicial red tape. It is time to stop letting efforts to fix the child welfare system get derailed by activists who are concerned with race-matching, blood ties, and the abstract demands of social justice, and start asking the most important question: Where are the emotionally and financially stable, loving, and permanent homes where these kids can thrive? “Naomi Riley’s book reveals the extent to which abused and abandoned children are often injured by their government rescuers. It is a must-read for those seeking solutions to this national crisis.” —Robert L. Woodson, Sr., civil rights leader and president of the Woodson Center “Everyone interested in child welfare should grapple with Naomi Riley’s powerful evidence that the current system ill-serves the safety and well-being of vulnerable kids.” —Walter Olson, senior fellow, Cato Institute, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies




The Supportive Classroom


Book Description

Build a mindful, trauma-aware classroom today with this practical, easy-to-use book. Designed specifically for busy teachers, it is full of strategies and tools for understanding trauma and building empathy. One in four children have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event that can affect behavior and learning. But school can be a safe, stress-free environment that can actually reduce bad behavior, foster resilience, and heal trauma. The Supportive Classroom shows teachers and educators how they can provide the different types of trauma-aware support that each student needs. Written by two experienced school psychologists, The Supportive Classroom offers an easy-to-understand overview of trauma, empathy, and self-care paired with proactive and reactive tools that can be implemented in the classroom right away. These practical ideas include: - Suggestions for classroom setup - Proactive behavioral supports - Checklists for identifying triggers - Examples of trauma-aware support from real-life students and teachers - Strategies for recognizing trauma exposure Every teacher brings their own unique culture, style, and passion into the classroom. This book offers a blueprint for creating a safe, welcoming classroom based in trauma-sensitive practice that can be adapted to your unique classroom.