Menu Close

Foster Care Month

Elaine Spicer

It is National Foster Care Month and the theme is Engaging Youth. Building Supports. And as I thought about the theme, I wanted to write about Indiana Co-Care which to me personifies this theme. The “vehicle” of Indiana Co-Care is driven by the belief that children and youth benefit from their bio parents and their foster parents (resource parents) working together in support of the children and youth. And guess what; what better way to engage foster kids than having them know that the most important adults in their lives can actually talk to one another about them? The “parents” can celebrate the kids successes and present a united front to problem solve school issues such as bullying issues, identity issues, daily living issues while the kids are in care. AND can even maintain relationships after foster care if that is something the kids might desire, or the parents; and that contines to maintain and “builds supports”. It can, and does, cut through the layers of bureaucracy and puts more focus on the “parents” communicating, sharing information and showing respect toward one another. All of which goes toward the benefit of the child.

About Author

Elaine Spicer

I have been a social worker for 31 years. My work has been with families and children first in the area of Child Protective Services and then as a therapist working with the same population. I have worked with divorcing and divorced parents teaching co-parenting techniques, supervised therapists and have been a social worker for emotionally challenged children and adolescents in an inner city school system. About 7 years ago I was introduced to the work of Bryan Post and, as a friend and colleague said at the time…I went Post-al. All of my previous assumptions and indeed my work using behavioral interventions, got pushed aside. And along came the realization that none of the interventions, meant to change behaviors, had anything in common with helping children heal from the trauma they had experienced. My best work these days is as a coach/consultant for parents, other caregivers, and teachers. The services I provide are parent education, coaching, consulting and supervising. I am the mother of five adult children and grandmother to five. I am both a bio mom and an adoptive mom.

See author's posts