Relationship-building isn’t always instinctive, especially when trauma and loss shape a child’s worldview. When parents and youth struggle to connect, the right guidance can make all the difference. In this blog post, child welfare expert Mary Boo shares actionable strategies to help families embrace trauma-responsive parenting, focus on connection before correction, prioritize cultural competence, and nurture authentic bonds.
This podcast discussion guide is a tool designed to accompany the Navigating Adoption podcast from AdoptUSKids and can be used to facilitate meaningful conversations with prospective families about their foster or adoption journey.
Children and youth with trauma often require special parenting approaches. Fortunately, there are support services available to help parents navigate their options. Unfortunately, many families do not know about available support services or may be reluctant to access them. We offer strategies to ensure families are both aware of services and understand that needing support is common.
A new federal center has been launched to help agencies and staff develop, implement, and sustain post-permanency services that are comprehensive, culturally responsive, and accessible.
Kendra Morris-Jacobson with the Oregon Post-Adoption Resource Center Library discusses the benefits of bibliotherapy, which promotes healing through reading. Plus, she offers her recommendations for the best books to read as a child welfare or family support professional, as well as books she’d suggest for families to read together to help their child or youth process difficult emotions.
Melissa Fleurio investigated how families could benefit from post-adoption services when encouraged to seek them out before they encountered a crisis.