Supporting foster families is an essential part of ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for children in foster care. These families play a crucial role in providing love, stability, and support to children who have experienced trauma and separation from their biological families. However, the challenges faced by foster families can often be overwhelming, and they may require additional support to navigate the complex world of the foster care system.
Supporting foster families is crucial…
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Provide emotional support to foster parents and foster children…
Most children do not have control of their lives. They can’t make big decisions like where to live or what to buy. In many cases, they can’t even make small decisions like deciding what time they’ll go to bed or when they can have dinner. It’s not a punishment; it’s childhood.
For the uninitiated, a vision board is a tool used to “help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on a specific life goal,” according to MakeAVisionBoard.com. What it literally is, however, is a board (poster board, cardboard, etc.) where you display pictures or images that represent your desires – specifically what you want for your future.
The foster child in your home may feel like a passenger in their own life. They were removed from the world they knew and placed somewhere without any input. They might think this is simply how life works, that decisions are simply made for them, and they must go along with it. What’s the point of doing anything, they might wonder.
Encourage them to create their own vision board. After they identify what they want, have them print or cut pictures out of magazines that are representative of their desires and pin them to the board. Then have them place the board somewhere they’ll see it often. As they grow and their priorities change, so can their board.
In the end, the board will be a constant reminder to them that the future is in their hands. Their hopes, dreams and even their smaller wishes are within their grasp given hard-work, determination and focus. For someone who may have felt helpless, this can be an empowering moment.
Cuyahoga County's Just in Time Training is a web based service program designed to connect foster parents, kinship or other caregivers with training, peer experts and other resources. Questions are answered and practical solutions to care for children are discussed - all from the comfort of your home or office.
If you have difficulty accessing any material on this site, please contact us in writing and we will work with you to make the information available. You can direct your request to JITSupport@USF.edu.
