Circle of Support Circles the World

May we introduce our friend, Heather Bench and her tremendous idea

                                      Circle of Support for Adoptive/Foster Families

By Heather Bench, Executive Director at New Family Tree and Adoptive Parent

                When my husband and I ventured into the process of adopting our daughter we were asked in our home study, “Who will be your support once you receive placement?”  Our answer came quickly and without much thought, “Of course, our family, our friends, and small group will all support us.”  And, thus, having this answer readily available we went on to the next question.

                 It was only after our second adoption that we began to realize how important real, authentic support is to a family and with that, how important certain qualities are in a family’s circle of support.  While most of the information I have put together is common sense, if we, as parents, are not intentional in our prayers, our thinking and our requests about what we need, we will not have a true safety net for our family.  Conversely, if our family, church, friends and employers are unaware of the need for intentional support, families still will be unsupported and outside the circle. They will feel isolated and alone.

                 I sat down to put my thoughts on paper with the belief that it would be shared via a DVD project.  God has taken it into a new direction and I must give him all the credit for these five qualities of a Circle of Support that can be used as a teaching tool. As this tool is discussed and built upon by many, I pray that it will offer the foundation for healthy, healing families in today’s difficult world.

From Jayne

We have taken Heather's idea and develped it into a tool that can be used by families as they are just beginning the jounrey.  Pass it on and let us know what you think.  We have shared this tool in Belaurs, Tennessee, Mississippi, California and in many areas around Ohio.  The parents and workers who have used it are very excited about it.  

If you would like the word document for this tool, please email at jayeschool@aol.com  

Meet the MSW Interns/Researchers for Our Ohio Project

Last Monday (January 24th) I met an incredible group of young woman who form the research team for our pilot study.  They are MSW students dedicated to making a difference for children and families.  I thought it would be fun to let my Ohio friends meet them as well.

                             Sascha Johnston, Heather Farrell, Alyson Prahlow, Katie Dalo Haley Stasinos

They are in the process of developing support tools for workers and families, running those tools through evaluators and developing research instruments. We are all looking for an answer to this question: How can we better prepare foster and adoptive parents for their jounrey caring for children with a history of trauma?

Thank you students! Can't wait to see what you develop!

Meet the Ohio Team

Over the several months, a number of folks will be working together on the Bulter County Trauma Informed Assessment, Preparation and Support Pilot.

Here who we are:

The TIAP TEAM

Project Coordinator: Jayne Schooler

BUTLER COUNTY

Jeff Center, Executive Director, Butler County Children Services

Donna W. Lang MSW, LSW, Director of Placement Services, Butler County Children Services

Deborah A. Camara, M.Ed. Foster Care/Utilization Management Butler County Children’s Services

Mary Vierling, LSW, Adoption Supervisor, Butler County Children Services

Mary Vicario, Clinical Therapist, Trauma Specialist, St. Aloysius Orphanage

Bev Spevik, Pre-service Trainer

OCWTP and Insitute for Human Services

Darren Varnado, SW Ohio Regional Training Center Director

Betsy Smalley, Adoption and Foster Care Training Manager

Kelley Gruber, Training Coordinator, Institute for Human Services

Pam Ross, MBA, IHS Administrative Coordinator   

Butler County Children Services (Ohio) Launches Pilot Study on Trauma-Informed Assessment and Preparation of Adoptive Families

With great excitement a group of passionate social workers, trainers and therapists met at Butler County Children Services in Hamilton, Ohio on January 17th to launch the first of its kind – a two year pilot study project on trauma informed preparation of adoptive and foster families.

Partnering with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Institute for Human Services, evaluators from the University of Cincinnati and MSW interns from Wheelock College, the goals of this project are to examine just how foster and adoptive parents are assessed and prepared. A major question that will be explored is how to narrow the gap between the expectations of foster/adoptive parents and the reality of their experience in caring for a child with a history of trauma. We hope our findings will:

1. Assess foster parent retention and reasons for leaving the program (did inadequate training play a role in their leaving the program)

2. Assess the role of trauma informed assessment and preparation as it relates to foster/adoptive parent satisfaction

3. Assess placement stability of children – are they moving less because parents are more trauma-informed

4. To create an evidence-based trauma-informed preparation, pre-service and support model that can be used not only in Ohio, but throughout the US and also in the work of the Institute for Human Services overseas.

A full description of this project can be found under the trauma informed tab.

For more information about this pilot project:
Contact project coordinator – Jayne Schooler,  jayeschool@aol.com or 937-689-0985

ADOPTION IS A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO BUILD A FAMILY

Speaking to the Heart


Equipping Parents for the Journey

Today, challenged by the “Cry of the Orphans” ministry, hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of families are beginning their incredible adoption journey. Churches are developing orphan care ministries, looking for effective ways to make an impact. As I hear the stories of churches and individuals from all over the United States responding to a call from God to care for orphaned children, I feel such incredible joy. God is speaking to hearts all over the country. Some are stepping up to foster abused and neglected children. They are making permanent commitments to them. Still others are looking to see how they can reach out to a needy child thousands of miles away.

After spending six months overseas in 2008, and six trips since then,  my heart was deeply moved by the plight of orphans. We viewed firsthand the incredible needs of these beautiful children living in very difficult orphanage circumstances. I just didn’t stop in for a quick tour, but spent many hours over many months working with and training staff and social workers on best practices in child welfare. We spent many hours with the children, teaching them English, going on walks and picnics, swimming, and simply loving them. Most orphanage caregivers were doing the best they could under extremely difficult conditions, but life every day in many places was about merely surviving. I literally heard the cry of the orphan.

As God speaks to the hearts of so many, I not only feel joy, but also I feel a growing burden. We must not only speak to the hearts of interested prospective parents, but we also must help equip them for the journey. We want children to come to homes where their parents truly understand the brokenness from which they come and the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs that arise from such difficult life experiences. We must recognize these people who are answering the call, and the passion that moved them to step up.

This is the reason that we have devoted our lives to the training and teaching of adoption and foster care professionals and to the adoptive/foster families they serve.

Throughout this website, you will find a lot of information about training opportunities, book resources, suggestions for most favored authors and much more.

It is our hope to equip those who are listening to God’s heart for the joyous and challenging journey ahead.