5 (FREE) Ways You Can Support A Foster Family

1.     Donate age-appropriate toys and clothes

Even the most seasoned foster parents might need new toys or specific toys. Some children come to a foster placement with nothing, and even a small gift can mean the world to a foster family. If you find out a foster family needs toys or clothing for their new foster children, offer to share any gently-used toys and clothes in good condition.

2.     Invite them to kid-friendly outings

When the world returns to normal, everyone will be looking for ways to connect. Keep your foster family friends in mind when you plan get togethers. Finding kid-friendly places around town isn’t difficult, and it could be a huge weight off the shoulders of a foster family who can’t leave their children at home.

3.     Give your Foster Family Friends a little grace and emotional support

Whether they are brand-new to the world of fostering or foster care pros, everyone needs love and support through tough situations. Foster care can be messy and tiring. It can also be wonderful and rewarding. Be there for foster parents as they go through the ups and downs of raising children, and give them grace when they slip up.

4.     Get informed

Foster parents in Tennessee must receive months of training before accepting their first placement. Their friends, however, may not know anything about the foster care system, trauma-informed care, or parenting someone else’s child(ren). One way you can help support foster families is by voluntarily reading up on what they’re doing. While you may not get into the weeds of state law, Adverse Childhood Experiences, or psychology, you can always read up on the experiences of others in their foster care journey with a quick internet search for foster parent blogs. Check out the comments for some recommended blogs about fostering!

5.     Become a licensed foster care or respite care provider

The best way to help foster parents is joining them on their journey. When you go through the Tennessee Knowledge Empowers You (TN KEY) classes, you learn more about what it takes to be a responsible foster parent. If you’re not ready to foster, you can also provide respite care which supports foster children and foster families with short-term care for children and teens.

For more information about fostering or respite care, email fostercare@chamblisscenter.org.

 Written by: Rachel Froug

New Year, New Goals for Transitional Living

In 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow developed his now famous theory of human development- the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. What this model tells us is that, at a base level, we all need things like food, shelter, warmth and safety. But, according to Maslow, once these things are secured, our needs become more complicated. We look for things like healthy community, family, a sense of accomplishment and finally, self-actualization- achieving our full creative potential.

Retrieved from Simply Psychology

Thanks to the amazing support of our donors, we are able to provide quality, safe apartments to youth who have aged out of foster care. We’re able to make sure our residents never go hungry and that they always have a careful caseworker at hand to help tackle challenges as they come. In short, we’ve gotten really good at addressing those two bottom layers in Maslow’s model. But is this enough? Often, with youth aging out of foster care, we hear caseworkers say that a young person has “potential,” that they dream of being police officers or social workers- hoping one day to help young people in same situations they were once in. But the sad reality is that these dreams often go unrealized. In fact, nationally, only 3% of youth who age of out foster care will go on to earn a bachelor’s degree by the time they’re 26. What are we missing?

As transitional living case managers, one of the concerns we hear from our residents consistently is that of loneliness. Certainly this is an issue for many of us these days, with mandated stay-at-home orders and social distancing. These hardships are only exasperated by the ongoing civil unrest happening around America. We’ve realized the importance of community and staying mentally healthy during these times of uncertainty- that things like virtual therapy sessions, scheduled FaceTime “dates” with friends and family, keeping our bodies active through exercise and staying connected to our faith through prayer and devotionals are ESSENTIAL…and Abraham Maslow would totally agree (see the middle two layers in his model).

 Our goal for our Transitional Living program this coming year is to create spaces and routines that promote community and healing for our residents. We are convinced, more than ever, that this is critical if our young people are going to have the successes we all hope for. With the opening of our new 6-unit apartment in February, we will be taking one of the units and creating a resident lounge, complete with a staff office and a room where residents can have counseling sessions. And thanks to a generous donor, we’ve got additional staff support on the way and budget for recreational outings (for when the world is safe and open). Here at Chambliss Center for Children, we want to be more than a set of resources, but a community where our young people find safety and security, build healthy relationships and ultimately, discover the capacity to work hard and accomplish their goals.

 Written by:

Jon Beresteky

Director of Transitional Living

Brittani Stephenson

Transitional Living Specialist