Fostering Conversations with Utah Foster Care

Utah Foster Care believes every child deserves a safe home with a loving family. By becoming a foster parent, you are also sharing your strength, your home, and your future—making a commitment to help, heal, and enrich the lives of abused and neglected children. Children in foster care receive medical, dental, and mental health care through Medicaid. They qualify for free school lunches and various school fee waivers. Younger children also qualify for the WIC program for food. In addition to these support programs, foster families receive a modest financial reimbursement intended to offset the cost of caring for the children in their home. Utah Foster Care also offers a variety of supports. From receiving mentorship from experienced foster parents, to support groups and topic-specific trainings, we’ve got your back! Things to consider:

1. How many rooms are available in your home?
2. How much room do you have in your car?
3. How do your biological children (if any) feel about fostering?

Resources: Utah Foster Care Website Department of Child and Family Services Website

Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent? 

Suicide is a public health problem and the leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide can also be prevented — more investment in suicide prevention, education, and research will prevent the untimely deaths of thousands of Americans each year.  In Utah, suicide is the #1 leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24.  There are many factors that contribute to suicide. The goal of suicide prevention is to reduce those factors and increase resilience.  Whether you have struggled with suicide yourself or have lost a loved one, know you are not alone. Below are resources for Suicide Prevention: National Suicide Prevention Hotline (24/7 English and Spanish) 1-800-273-TALK (8255) OR contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Utah Chapter American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Center for Disease Control: Suicide Prevention Liveon.org Safety Plan Risk Factors, Protective Factors, and Warning Signs Firearm Suicide Prevention Utah Firearm Safe Rebate    

Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent? 

In Utah, there are around 2,700 children in foster care at any given time and some 1,300 licensed foster/adoptive families. Children in foster care often have special needs due to neglect, abuse or separation. Substance abuse is a contributing factor in many foster care cases. Parenting a child with trauma can be challenging.  Luckily, our understandings of neuroscience gives us hope. In their collaborative book, 'What Happened to You,' Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand. Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. Joining forces with Dr. Perry, one of the world’s leading experts on childhood and brain development, Winfrey and Dr. Perry marry the power of storytelling with science to better understand and overcome the effects of our pasts. Other Trauma-Informed Resources: The Child Trauma Academy Dan Siegel Books and Research AdoptUsKids

Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent? 

"The number of cases of children entering the foster care system due to parental drug use has more than doubled since 2000, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics [...] A lot of the work out there [on the opioid epidemic] has focused on mortality and overdoses and how it affects adults," says Angelica Meinhofer, instructor in health care policy and research at Weill Cornell Medicine. "[It's] less known how the epidemic might spill over to children. (source). " The Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, and Teaching Initiative, also known as HEART is a new pilot initiative through Utah State University Extension. This cutting-edge, 4-year pilot program is aligned with National Cooperative Extension’s recently instituted essential focus area in health and wellness. HEART serves as a model of how Extension can join community partners to better address the health and wellness needs in our state. HEART brings unique academic resources into the community, partnering locally and nationally to address the opioid epidemic and other pressing public health issues. Learn More at USU Heart If you or someone you love struggles with substance abuse disorder, these resources may be helpful:

• Understanding Drug Use
• Words Matter: Preferred Language for Talking about Addiction
• USU HEART Youtube playlist
• 10 Ways to Support Someone in Recovery

Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent? 

A college or trade school degree can be a game changer for young people who have experienced foster care.  In the September edition of our Fostering Conversations Podcast, we explore an innovative program at the University of Utah, designed to shepherd students to achieve success in higher education. For more information on these programs, please visit their respective websites below: First Star--Accepts 9th graders with an open DCFS case Impact Scholars--Accepts anyone over 18 who has experienced foster care during their life DCFS also supports youth in care through the Transition to Adult Living program (TAL).  You can learn more about the resources available through TAL below:

• Transition to Adult Living
• In-Service Presentation:

             Resources for Teens: Transition to Adult Living Services Presented by Darcie Peterson, SSW Salt Lake Valley TAL Coordinator November 9, 2021; 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Transition to Adult Living Services are available to support youth at risk of exiting foster care without a permanent home or were adopted after the age of sixteen. TAL utilizes a network of organizations for youth ages 14-21.  Come see what services are available. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtde2vrzgtHt0tbajRI9LWw83OJa0QeEhi   Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent? 

  "Professionals who work with youth need to understand the lives and unique challenges of the LGBTQ youth they serve and the implications of policies, practices, and organizational climates on their experiences and outcomes. Many resources are available for caregivers and others in the child welfare workforce to develop competency and learn how to talk positively about issues that affect LGBTQ youth, including providing safe and supportive environments. Like all youth, LGBTQ youth need a safe and stable place to live; freedom to express themselves; and structure and guidance to support them in becoming responsible, healthy adults. Several studies have found that LGBT young people are overrepresented in child welfare systems, despite the fact that they are likely to be underreported because they risk harassment and abuse if their LGBT identity is disclosed. For example, although approximately 4-10 percent of the total population is estimated to be LGBT,5 a study in Los Angeles estimated that LGBT youth represent 19 percent of those placed in out-of-home care.6 In other research on youth aging out of foster care, 34 percent reported a sexual orientation other than heterosexual.7 These data suggest that LGBTQ youth are at risk for overrepresentation in child welfare systems and are disproportionately likely to leave the foster care system without a permanent family. Unfortunately, a high percentage of LGBT youth continue to experience verbal harassment or physical violence after they are placed in out-of-home care due to conflicts related to their sexual orientation or gender identity.8 In the Los Angeles study, 13 percent of LGBT youth reported being treated poorly by the foster care system compared with 6 percent of non-LGBT youth.9 Many LGBT youth experience multiple disrupted placements, compounding the trauma associated with leaving their families of origin and increasing the chances of homelessness.10 For example, 78 percent of LGBT youth in one study were removed or ran away from foster placements because of the caregiver’s hostility toward their sexual orientation or gender identity. Furthermore, LGBT youth in foster care are less likely than other youth to find a permanent home, whether through reunification with their birth or kin families or through adoption.15"  -Child Welfare Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent? 

Did you know that 1 in 10 teens say that they don't have a trusted adult that they can turn to? The Utah Department of Health Family and Youth Outreach are seeking to change that statistic.  This month we are talking with Elizabeth Gerke from the Teen Speak program.  This training provides parents or other trusted adults strategies to communicate with youth. Being or becoming an ‘Askable Adult’ includes creating a safe environment for youth to feel comfortable to ask any type of question. Data shows that supportive adults can have a profound impact in a young person and their behavior. Classes and materials are free of charge. Family and Youth Outreach of Utah Website   Want to learn more about becoming a foster parent?

“Supporting a child and their family in reunification is a selfless and loving gift that foster parents offer to thousands of families every year. You're not just fostering reunification, you're fostering a future in which parents and their children can thrive" (Source).

Why Reunification is so important:

1. Positive impact on parents
2. Better Child Development Outcomes
3. Less Stressful for Children
4. Maintains Connections 

ABA Celebrates Reunification Month

For wonderful stories, resources, and reunification information from the American Bar Association 

Rise Magazine

Rise recognizes the need to support and organize BIPOC parents impacted by the child welfare system to effect systemic change.

Birth Parent  National Network (BPNN)

BPNN promotes birth parents as leaders and strategic partners in prevention and child welfare systems reform.

Utah Courts-Navigating your Child Welfare Case

  Want to learn more about becoming a foster parent in Utah?   

May is National Foster Care month! Join with us in honoring our most valuable resource: Foster Parents. This month's podcast focuses on where Utah's welfare system has come from, and the positive direction it is heading.  What was once seen as, merely, a protective measure is now being seen through the lens of trauma and healing.  Through that lens, strengthening the adults in a child's life becomes the focus for healing families.   Want to learn more about becoming a foster parent in Utah? 

**UPDATE** We received some valuable feedback from members of the Autistic community that we wanted to share. The puzzle piece and color blue are no longer symbols the community recognizes.  The new symbol is the infinity sign and the colors are red or gold.  We were also made aware that the organization we linked in the show notes had some harmful ideologies and practices. We are updating our image and links to reflect this new information.  We appreciate the feedback and chance to learn and be better allies to the Autistic community.  Autism affects an estimated one in 54 children in the United States. In this month’s episode of Fostering Conversations, we hear from a Salt Lake County foster parent on the autism spectrum and a mother of a child with autism. It’s a fascinating perspective, as they help us learn how to recognize the unique strengths and challenges of each person. Resources: Autistic Self Advocacy Network ADOS Diagnostic Test  ChildMind.org- has resources and information and guides for autism and other issues in a child’s life.   Symptom Checker-a great starting place to learn more about divergent behaviors.   Want to learn more about becoming a foster parent in Utah?