It's tempting to villainize first parents for the trauma caused by addiction, but we know that when foster parents and first parents can work together, the outcomes are better for the child.

In this month's episode we hear from Utah Foster Mom Shari Peña. She doesn’t just take in the child, she takes in the whole family. This is a foster mom’s gift of connection. It began when a young mother’s children were placed in foster care because of her substance use disorder and homelessness.

That mother, Kylei, shares how difficult it was looking Shari in the eye, let alone looking at herself in the mirror. Kylei felt shame because her children were in foster care. With Shari’s love and her efforts to connect, Kylei found the drive to make it through a recovery program and remain in her children’s lives. Studies show strong evidence that connection can be healing. A child often comes into a foster home feeling out of place and lonely. The same is true for the parents of these children. The work foster parents do doesn't have to end with the child in their care, they can have an integral part in the success of their parents as well.

Resources for Foster Parents

Working with Birth Families Video

Setting Yourself Up in Co-parenting

Working with Birth Parents

Helping Visits go Well

Want to learn more about becoming a Foster Parent?