What’s It Like to Be In Foster Care: Former Foster Youth Speak Out

Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption & Foster Care

In this episode we talk with a panel of four former foster youth to find out what it is like to be raised in foster care and what they wish foster parents knew about the experience.
In this episode, we cover:

• What was the experience of being removed from your home and taken from your parents?
• Was there something that your foster parents could have done when you were first placed in the home to help alleviate some of the trauma?
• Did you feel fully included in your foster family? What can foster parents do to help the child feel included?
• This wasn’t relevant when you were in foster care, but what are your thoughts on blurring out the foster child or putting stickers over their face when posting pics on social media?
• Relationships with the children of the foster family.
• Who did you feel like was on your side? Who could you go to if you needed help?
• Do you think enough was done to help your biological parents before you were removed?
• Do you think enough was done to help your biological parents with reunification? Or do you think they were given too many chances?
• Do you have pictures or keepsakes from the time you were in foster care? Would these have been or are they important to you now? What can the system do to make sure these are preserved?
• While I’m sure you carry the scars of your early life trauma, you have all become successful and--at least from the outside looking in—emotionally healthy adults. What factors contributed to this?
• Tips for foster parents.

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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