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New Post: Bubbly Leilani loves to perform -Leilani is an energetic teenage girl. Those who are close to Leilani describe her as being very bubbly, chatty and often boisterous. She is a positive child who is always ready to do something fun. Leilani’s favorite activities are arts and crafts projects, singing, dancing and playing sports such as soccer. Leilani also participates in... Leilani is an energetic teenage girl. Those who are close to Leilani describe her as being very bubbly, chatty and often boisterous. She is a positive child who is always ready to do something fun. Leilani’s favorite activities are arts and crafts projects, singing, dancing and playing sports such as soccer. Leilani also participates in drama club throughout the school year and it is her wish to be the star of her own show. Leilani would do well with a family of any constellation where Leilani can be the only child in the home. Interested families should be open to maintaining an Open Adoption Agreement with Leilani’s birth parents consisting of three visits per year. If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts. The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with. To learn more about adoption from foster care visit www.mareinc.org . Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) can give you guidance and information on the adoption process. Reach out today to find out all the ways you can help children and teens in foster care. Source link

New Post: Bubbly Leilani loves to perform -Leilani is an energetic teenage girl. Those who are close to Leilani describe her as being very bubbly, chatty and often boisterous. She is a positive child who is always ready to do something fun. Leilani’s favorite activities are arts and crafts projects, singing, dancing and playing sports such as soccer. Leilani also participates in... Leilani is an energetic teenage girl. Those who are close to Leilani describe her as being very bubbly, chatty and often boisterous. She is a positive child who is always ready to do something fun. Leilani’s favorite activities are arts and crafts projects, singing, dancing and playing sports such as soccer. Leilani also participates in drama club throughout the school year and it is her wish to be the star of her own show. Leilani would do well with a family of any constellation where Leilani can be the only child in the home. Interested families should be open to maintaining an Open Adoption Agreement with Leilani’s birth parents consisting of three visits per year. If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts. The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with. To learn more about adoption from foster care visit www.mareinc.org . Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) can give you guidance and information on the adoption process. Reach out today to find out all the ways you can help children and teens in foster care. Source link

New Post: Bubbly Leilani loves to perform -Leilani is an energetic teenage girl. Those who are close to Leilani describe her as being very bubbly, chatty and often boisterous. She is a positive child who is always ready to do something fun. Leilani’s favorite activities are arts and crafts projects, singing, dancing and playing sports such as soccer. Leilani also participates in... Leilani is an energetic teenage girl. Those who are close to Leilani describe her as being very bubbly, chatty and often boisterous. She is a positive child who is always ready to do something fun. Leilani’s favorite activities are arts and crafts projects, singing, dancing and playing sports such as soccer. Leilani also participates in drama club throughout the school year and it is her wish to be the star of her own show. Leilani would do well with a family of any constellation where Leilani can be the only child in the home. Interested families should be open to maintaining an Open Adoption Agreement with Leilani’s birth parents consisting of three visits per year. If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts. The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with. To learn more about adoption from foster care visit www.mareinc.org . Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) can give you guidance and information on the adoption process. Reach out today to find out all the ways you can help children and teens in foster care. Source link

How can I speed up the adoption process? ➡️ One way to make the process easier and less stressful is to learn more about adoption. When you know what to expect, you can prepare for the various steps in advance. You will also be able to make decisions more easily when they arise. There are many types of adoption, including public adoption, adoption through private agencies, international adoption, independent adoption, and adoption by a relative or stepparent, among others. ➡️ Sometimes, there is a longer wait for infants or newborns as well as for children born in the United States. You may be able to reduce some of the wait time by being more flexible in your choice for an adoptive child. Consider older children or those who are from other ethnicities or nationalities. If you are open to a variety of options, you will be able to consider choices that may be faster or less restrictive. ➡️ Foster care is an option that is sometimes overlooked by those who wish to adopt. In Wisconsin, the foster care program allows foster parents to adopt in some situations. For example, when the parents or family members are unable to care for a child and relinquish their parental rights, foster parents may be able to adopt the child. Foster parents provide a child with a stable and loving home, often for extended periods of time or until the child is adopted. ➡️ A home study is required for most adoptions. The Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) is a standardized assessment for those who are adopting or fostering children in Wisconsin. It can be helpful to begin preparing for the home study as soon as it is allowed in the process. By doing so, you will eliminate any holdup that might be due to the completion of the home study. Obtain a home study checklist through the adoption agency so you can begin preparation. ➡️ An experienced adoption attorney will help guide the process and keep your adoption on track. Your lawyer will assist in the details of the legal aspects of adoption. Regardless of the type of adoption you are seeking, your lawyer knows the steps necessary and will anticipate how to prepare to keep the process moving forward. Your lawyer will help to prevent any types of delays that could cause the adoption process to take longer than anticipated. At Moen Sheehan Meyer, Ltd., we have experience assisting with all types of adoptions in Wisconsin. 📞 To learn more, contact us at (608) 784-8310 or online to schedule a consultation.

Social Work Spotlight - Adoption leaders bid to reform ‘institutionally racist’ system The adoption system in England has been deemed “institutionally racist” by sector leaders, prompting a new strategy aimed at addressing significant delays and barriers faced by black children and prospective black adopters. Adoption England, the national body supporting regional adoption agencies (RAAs), has outlined its 2024-27 strategy with the primary goal of ending racial disparities in adoption. Key Issues Highlighted: Overrepresentation in Care, Underrepresentation in Adoption: 🔵 Black children constitute 7% of the care system but only 2% of adoptions. 🔵 These children wait significantly longer for adoption compared to their white counterparts. Barriers for Black Adopters: 🔵 Black people face "multiple hurdles" in the adoption process, including financial barriers, lack of support, and racial bias. Workforce Diversity: 🔵 The adoption workforce is predominantly white, with black social workers being underrepresented. 🔵 A preference among black adopters for practitioners of the same ethnic background highlights the need for greater diversity. (Something the ADSS highlighted stating social work should reflect the communities it services – the UK being the largest in terms of diversity. 🔵 Discrimination and Bias: Bias and discrimination in decision-making processes need to be addressed to recruit adopters who reflect the diversity of children needing adoption. What can be done? 💭 Recruitment and Support: 🔵 Increase the number of black adopters by rebuilding trust with black communities and providing targeted support. 📈 🔵 Enhance the diversity of adoption panels and workforces. Addressing Financial Barriers: 🔵 Develop strategies to mitigate financial barriers that disproportionately affect black households. Culturally Informed Practices: 🔵 Implement an anti-racist framework for transracial adoptions, emphasising cultural responsiveness and collaboration with birth parents. Support and Training: 🔵 Offer culturally sensitive pre- and post-adoption support. 🔵 Promote leadership initiatives to support global majority leaders within the adoption workforce. While Adoption England’s commitment to change is clear, we’re hopeful that implementation of these strategies aims and grants all children have that equal opportunity for adoption and a positive sense of identity, irrespective of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. In light of this article I wanted to spotlight one of my connections and all the work they do – Rachel Cole - CEO of Black Foster Carers Alliance – is constantly on my feed championing for more black foster carers and doing amazing work to reduce and support the number of black children currently in Care. Here’s an article relating to the work Rachel has done! https://lnkd.in/ehvk8GNn

It was heartwarming to read comments yesterday on my Instagram post about Brad Pitt’s latest child removing his name, and the potential that this is a high profile case of parental alienation because of all the mothers as well as fathers who responded supportively. Of course, the odd comments were telling me about the incident on the plane (that has never been substantiated and no charges made), and that he is abusive. I’m not here saying he is a saint, but apparently he has gone to AA and been accountable. He’s also never engaged in a public slanging match or talked negatively about mother or children. In fact, quite the opposite. So, thank you for all your comments. Also mentioned was this important truth. Even abused foster children do not reject a parent. I often write about ‘identification with the aggressor’ which is a similar phenomenon. So I thought I’d share a research paper on this subject, from March 2015, by Linda J. Gottlieb Kase, LMFT, LCSW-r: Despite the abuse and neglect suffered by the 3000 foster care children who had been under my care, it was extremely uncommon for those children to refuse contact with a parent—even with an overtly abusive parent. Rather, abused children tend to protect and cling to the abusive parent. Moreover, in the rare cases in which that did appear to happen, there was always some evidence of indoctrination or programming (typically by foster parents who had the surreptitious goal of adopting the child). Thus, it is counter-instinctual for a child to reject a parent—even an abusive parent. When a professional observes a child strongly reject a parent in the absence of verified abuse, neglect or markedly deficient parenting skills—which should never be assumed based on the child’s self-reporting—one of the first thoughts should be that the other parent is an alienator. Moreover, one should never assume that, because a child has rejected a parent, the parent must have done something to warrant it. Having observed thousands of genuinely-abused children during a period of 24 years, I have concluded that a child’s innate desire to have a relationship with his or her parents is one of the most powerful of human instincts, surpassed only by the instinct for survival and the instinct to protect ones young; among normal children, in the absence of an alienating influence, that instinct is seldom suppressed because a parent exhibits relatively minor flaws, deficiencies, or idiosyncrasies. #charliemccready #parentalalienationcoach #parentalalienation #parentalalienationawareness #coparentingwithanarcissist #childcustody #childabuse #familycourt #highconflictdivorce #custody #custodybattle #parentalalienationischildabuse #parentalalienationisacrime #fathersrights #mothersrights #childrensrights #parentalrights #sharedparenting #parentalalienationsyndrome #fathersmatter #mothersmatter #survivingparentalalienation #generationaltrauma #parentalalienatingbehaviours #falseallegations #traumabonding #traumabond

Bill Alert! US House Bill HJRES 182 - Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Designated Placement Requirements for LGBTQI plus Children". Policy: Families Status: Bill Introduced Full Details: https://lnkd.in/gGycvK-b Bill 118 hjres 182 is a piece of legislation that seeks to disapprove of a rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services regarding "Designated Placement Requirements for LGBTQI plus Children." The rule in question pertains to the placement of LGBTQI plus children in foster care and adoption agencies. The bill argues that the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services is discriminatory and goes against the principles of equality and fairness. It aims to prevent LGBTQI plus children from being denied placement in foster care or adoption agencies based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Supporters of the bill argue that all children, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserve to have access to safe and loving homes. They believe that denying LGBTQI plus children placement in foster care or adoption agencies based on discriminatory reasons is unjust and harmful to the well-being of these children. Opponents of the bill, on the other hand, argue that the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services is necessary to protect the religious freedom of foster care and adoption agencies. They believe that these agencies should have the right to deny placement to LGBTQI plus children based on their religious beliefs. Overall, Bill 118 hjres 182 is a contentious piece of legislation that highlights the ongoing debate surrounding LGBTQI plus rights and discrimination in the foster care and adoption system. It will be interesting to see how this bill progresses through Congress and what impact it may have on LGBTQI plus children seeking placement in foster care and adoption agencies.

Lilo & Stitch and the the Heartbreaking Privatization of CPS and the Texas Foster/Adoption System You might not know that in a few weeks is '626 Day', a day where Stitch fans celebrate the character (called Experiment 626 in the movie). You might not know that three characters mean a lot to many in the foster & adopt community. After their parents die, Lilo's adult older sister Nani's cares for her. Stitch causes chaos in their life, so a social worker gives Nani three days before Lilo is taken from her & placed into foster care. It's rare that movies covers this system well, but this movie does just about the best job of any. Even then, it sugarcoats it. For a system designed to provide a safe home for children, the foster & adopt system is broken. Sadly, Texas has decided to break it even further. In a move with heartbreaking similarities to prison privatization, Texas has removed the administration of the foster system from the Texas Dept of Family & Protective Services and placed it in the hands of a private contractor. A private contractor incentivized to keep kids in the system, keeping cases open longer than necessary. We adopted our children through private adoption (which has its own problems), so this doesn't impact my family directly, but we have many foster parent friends. Foster parents are scared to speak up, because retribution is a very real possibility. What they're experiencing, and what these kids in the system are experiencing is heartbreaking. I don't want to be a downer - when the system works well, it's beautiful. I've seen situations where not only the child, but also the biological & foster parents lives are forever made better. When the system works. But it doesn't often work well. Chances are, you know someone that's fostering, has adopted, or is thinking about becoming a foster or adoptive parent. I'd encourage you to reach out to them and just talk. They may not want to talk about their experiences - it's complicated, especially when you're in the middle of it - but they may have needs you can help them with. For instance - many foster parents receive effectively no notice before a child is placed in their home. I have friends who went from no children under the age of five in their home to suddenly getting a call that a case worker would like to drop a newborn baby into their home in an hour. The case worker needs to see an age-appropriate car seat, crib, etc., before they can leave. It can be overwhelming. So - keep your eyes and ears out for opportunities to share some encouragement with the foster parents around you, especially if they're in Texas. If you've read this far and are wondering why I'm talking about this and not ecommerce - this is my why. This is why I am pushing so hard to grow Creatuity, so that I can have a larger platform and resources to do my small part in making the lives of these children better.

A White House Proclamation on National Adoption Month Every child deserves to know the unconditional love of a permanent home. During National Adoption Month, we honor all the wonderful families that grow through adoption, we remind our foster youth and adoptees that we are right by their side, and we rededicate ourselves to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. More than 100,000 children are in our Nation's foster care system awaiting the adoption that could offer them familial love, a lasting home, and a stable foundation for them to grow. That is why I have called on the Congress to make the adoption tax credit fully refundable, lowering the cost of adoption and giving families and legal guardians some breathing room. I have also called on the Congress to provide housing vouchers to all 20,000 youth exiting foster care annually - a key step in helping them secure stable housing during this difficult transition. To further support kinship caregivers, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a final rule last year that requires States to provide them with the same level of financial support that other foster parents receive. My Administration is also working to eliminate barriers LGBTQI+ families face in the adoption process and ensure LGBTQI+ foster youth grow up in safe and loving environments. And through the expanded Military Parental Leave Program, we are giving service members more time to spend with their families after a child is born, adopted, or placed in their homes for long-term foster care. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eRTZA6Jx

I'm going to let you in on a little secret... Recently, I watched a movie called ‘Instant Family.’ For anyone who doesn’t know the movie, it was based around a married couple living in America, who decided they wanted to foster a child/ren. They set the wheels in motion, went through the training process, and found themselves in the position as foster parents. Pre-warning - it was a bit of a tearjerker! This movie took me back in time, to my mid-twenties and reminded me of a conversation I had around having children with my then husband. There was (I believe there still is) a societal expectation that once you are married, or you’ve been in a long-term relationship, having a child is not off the table. It apparently consecrates the relationship. I could feel the pressure, but I was dabbling with a serious question that not many knew about. I was steering away from the traditional role of becoming a biological mother. I was seriously questioning, ‘Why am I bringing more children into the world, when there are so many already in the world who are needing loving and stable homes?” I spoke about the prospect of adopting/fostering a child or children, as it just felt the right thing to do for children who need a break in life. After some heart felt conversations, we chose to have our own children, which was and remains one of the best decisions I’ve made. I would not change that for the world. Even though fostering or adopting a child/ren was not the path we took, it has never been far from my mind. This movie highlighted the pros and cons behind being a foster parent, the heart wrenching emotion associated with the experience. I have personally been impacted and deeply moved by children in the system. Throughout my teaching career, witnessing and holding space for the students who had PTSD, or were being moved from foster home to foster home, from one school to another school, and not fully feeling safe or secure in forming a close attachment/rapport with you as you could also be removed from their lives like everyone else. It takes a special kind of person to say YES to being a foster parent. Are you aware that there are currently 46,000 children in foster care here in Australia? With more than 100 vulnerable children and young people living in alternative emergency housing, such as hotels and motels. Hence, why becoming a trained NTT Master Practitioner (Neuro Transformation Therapy) has been pivotal in my world of coaching. If I can help Mothers/Parents/Carers breakthrough their own trauma shackles and transform their lives to be the parents they have always envisioned for themselves, and their children, I can rest knowing I’ve been a part of the solution. To be of service, to help break the trauma cycle, to realise there is another way forward in life; I now realise, this is part of my higher purpose. Double tap a 💖 emoji if this resonates.