Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

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Are you considering whether your family is ready to foster or adopt a sibling group? Keeping siblings together can preserve important family relationships, shared history, and connection, but parenting multiple children who have experienced trauma also requires careful preparation. 
In this Weekend Wisdom episode, we explore the questions prospective foster and adoptive parents should ask before saying yes, including each child’s individual needs, sibling dynamics, trauma history, your family’s time and emotional capacity, the needs of children already in your home, and the support systems you will need for a successful placement.
Resources:
Practical Tips for Fostering a Sibling Group
Combining Kids by Birth and Adoption
Adopting Siblings
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Please leave us a rating or review.  This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

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If you want to adopt a relative from another country, the process involves much more than simply proving your family connection. International relative adoption—sometimes called international kinship adoption—must meet U.S. immigration requirements as well as the adoption laws of the child’s country. 
In this episode, we talk with Debbie Price, BSW, Executive Director of Children’s House International, and Kathy Holliday, International Specialist, also of Children’s House International. They explain who may qualify, USCIS and Hague requirements, age limits, realistic timelines, and why families should work with a Hague-accredited adoption agency from the beginning. We also explore how to prepare your family for the child’s transition, including grief and trauma, attachment, changing family roles, cultural identity, school adjustment, and the importance of patience and support after adoption.
Resources: 
International Adoption Resource Page
Kinship Adoption Resource Page
Raising a Child Through Transracial Adoption Resource Page
Support the show
Please leave us a rating or review.  This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
Question: I recently received an autism diagnosis in my mid-30s. I have relatively low support needs and am working with my therapist to identify the best ways to manage my energy. I think I could still be a good foster parent, but will it be an issue for an agency?
Resources:
Adult Autism Diagnosis Tool Kit – from Autism Speaks
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
So You Want to Be a Foster Parent
Support the show
Please leave us a rating or review.  This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
What does healthy openness in adoption really look like—and how can adoptive parents maintain meaningful birth family connections over time? In this episode, we talk with adoptive mom Annie Iverson about practical strategies for open adoption, including staying consistent when life gets busy, setting healthy boundaries, keeping your child’s needs at the center, and adjusting openness as children grow. We also explore how connection with birth family can support an adoptee’s identity and sense of belonging, plus ways parents can honor a child’s birth family and story even when direct contact is limited or inconsistent. 
Resources:
Cards That Connect - use discount code Family20
Open Adoption: Perspectives from the Triad
#1 Secret for Navigating Open Adoption
How to Handle Open Adoption Even When the Birth Parent Chooses to Close It
Support the show
Please leave us a rating or review.  This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
Parenting kids exposed to trauma is hard. Sometimes, it is very hard, but these families can thrive. In an interview with Creating a Family, Dr. Ross Greene, a Harvard Psychology professor, stressed that it was crucial for parents of children exposed to trauma to realize that kids want to do well, and if they are struggling, it is likely because they are lacking a specific skill needed to succeed.
Resources:
Helping Children Heal from Trauma
Practical Guide to Parenting a Child Exposed to Trauma
The Explosive Child by Ross Greene
Support the show
Please leave us a rating or review.  This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building