Articles related to: Foster Children
4 min read
By Robert Costa Jr. on December 2, 2020
As 2020 winds down, we all know that it has been a tumultuous year. But despite the difficulties we have faced, I know there are people we can call, day or night, when a child is in trouble.
They are the caretakers who open their homes when the courts order a child removed from their home for their own protection — perhaps because a parent or guardian has been arrested for drugs or violence
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3 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on August 18, 2020
“I’m her seventeenth.”
Foster mom’s voice was full of emotion. My eyes widened, my skin prickled. “Seventeenth? Home?”
“Yes, she’s seven, her sister is four, and I’m their seventeenth.”
A is seven years old and has lived in seventeen homes. D is four years old and has lived in nearly as many. For the seven year old, that means a new home roughly every four months. For the four year old, that means a new
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3 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on June 25, 2020
“Remember that no one succeeds alone. Never walk alone in your future paths.” –Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer
There are days and nights when we all feel alone. Our staff, our children, our foster parents, our biological parents…Probably even the judges presiding over these fragile lives feel alone.
But we never are. Not a single one of us. And we shouldn’t be.
We are part of a caring community. We are surrounded by friends
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3 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on May 11, 2020
May is National Foster Care Month. It is a month to reflect upon the confusing system that is foster care, to keep children in care, foster parents, biological parents, foster siblings (the children of foster parents), foster care workers, judges, lawyers, GALs, CASA workers, and everyone else in your thoughts. And for some of our foster parents, it is the right time to reflect back upon why they choose to foster.
Mama B is one
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2 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on February 13, 2020
I love words (which should be of no surprise to those of you who follow this blog- I use a lot of them!). The words we choose, the phrases that have become engrained in our cultures mean so much.
“To raise a child.” It is such a common statement. But what does it mean? Why not “build a child,” “complete a child,” “construct a child,” or something else that describes the work and effort that
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5 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on January 24, 2020
They tore around the large room. Blocks were immediately turned into missiles, beverages on tables grabbed, anything within reach grabbed. Their eyes darted around, yet they avoided eye contact at all costs. We were unknown, this place was unknown.
“Is it always like this?” I asked, breathless after chasing down my work phone which had nearly gone airborne.
“Since they arrived, yes…It’s like they’ve never been in a house before,” Foster Mom said, catching a
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4 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on January 21, 2020
Foster parents create healing homes. They walk beside children who have experienced some of the deepest wounds and help them find their way through. It takes courage, patience and love. One of our amazing families shared their story recently.
“I think I need to talk to (social worker’s name). Can you call her for me?” she asked, her eyes serious as they cleared the dishes from the table.
Foster mom recalled the immediate concern she
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4 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on December 26, 2019
His scheduled visit was cancelled suddenly, leaving him in the school office.
“Hi, Buddy is still here…Do you know if someone is coming to get him?”
There hadn’t been a message to let anyone know of the cancellation. Foster mom thought he was at the DCF office. Our Case Manager thought the same. Buddy just knew he was waiting with the receptionist.
She picked him up. She’d met him twice before. “Do you remember me?”
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3 min read
By Robert Costa on September 10, 2019
Three years ago on the advice of a co-worker, I read the book A Chance in the World, written by Steve Pemberton and the book was both riveting and eye opening for all of us that work with children. I also had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Pemberton speak in person and was amazed at his resilience and description of the experiences that he had, while placed in foster care, as well as his
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3 min read
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on August 29, 2019
It is that time of year again. Busses wheeze through neighborhoods, opening doors with a groan as students clatter into seats. Playgrounds burble with excited shrieks and laughter as recess again takes over. Lockers slam and reminders to walk, not run ring through previously silent hallways. School is back in session.
School has a unique place in a child’s life. It is routine, predictable, regulated. There is something very known about school. Even a
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You’ve taken the classes. You’ve been fingerprinted, interviewed, reference-checked. You’ve watched the “Removed” movie fourteen times. You’ve read blogs and
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There are so many wonderful people out there who want to support the children and families with whom we work.
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