Seeking to Learn More

FOSTER CARE STORIES

Click here to listen to foster care stories from The Archibald Project.

Myths + Facts

Watch this video to learn about some statistics related to myths and facts of foster care:

Click here to explore more common myths and facts about foster care.

Five Areas of Need

Click here to learn more about key areas of need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to explore common questions from the Archibald Project.

Questions to Ask a Foster Family

• How is your marriage?
• When was your last date?
• When was the last time you had one-on-one time with each child in your home?
• How is this impacting your family financially? How can we help?
• What days would be best to help pick-up or drop-off kids at school?
• When is your foster child’s weekly visits with their parent(s)? Can we help transport or care for your kids while you transport?
• How have you reached out to your child’s birth parents and encouraged reunification/openness? How can we encourage your child’s birthparents?
• Have I said anything to discourage you that you could help me learn more to better support you?

Nine Do's and Don'ts of Support

1. Do promote family restoration and openness in foster care.
   Don’t assume birth parents are the enemy or don’t love their child.
2. Do advocate for a family when they are having a hard time, and help them make a plan to address issues.
   Don’t assume they’ll figure it out.
3. Do ask good and hard questions and be open to correction.
   Don’t be afraid to say the wrong thing.
4. Do make sure both husband and wife are on the ‘same page’ in the decision to foster or adopt.
   Don’t promote the idea they are “called”, “saints” or other spiritual ‘isms’.
5. Do encourage becoming informed about Trauma Informed Care i.e. Trust Based Relational Intervention.
   Don’t remain uninformed about the needs of children with trauma and their families.
6. Do help your children understand how they can be an encouraging peer to a ‘child from hard places.
   Don’t just let the adults handle it.
7. Do use labels like “adopt a waiting child”, “vulnerable child” or “child with trauma”, “biological/birth parent” or “your biological child”.
   Don’t use labels like “foster to adopt”, “foster kid or orphan”, “real parent”, “crack baby or drug addicted”, or “your own child”.
8. Do celebrate foster placements and adoptions while being mindful of the need for a child to acclimate to their new family.
   Don’t overwhelm a family initially and disappear when times are hard.
9. Do be aware that a child in foster care has likely been exposed to drugs, physical abuse, four letter words, sexual activity, hunger, and poverty.
   Don’t let your curiosity get the best of you and ask questions that dishonor their privacy, dignity, or loyalty to their biological family.