Hope for Kinship providers

Well, yesterday's kinship training panel was cool.  I was pleased to see a wide mix of ages and situations represented by those in training.  I was blown away by the amount of information they were given. They each got a thick three ring binder filled with resources and support information.. all geared to kinship care.  [I want one!] They were also given two books about raising relative children.  One was the book by Janice Levy that I had a chance to preview and give feedback on when it was in its early stages. It is a book for children.  The other was a thicker book geared for the caregivers.  It was really exciting to see new caregivers supported in an atmosphere that respected and dealt with someone of the issues of loss, tension, stress etc. that are unique to kinship care.  I don't mean to diminish the "caught in the middle" syndrome all foster parents can experience dealing with bio-parents, but in kinship cases there is a lot more emotional baggage that comes with being in the middle. That's just one small example. The guilt, the anger and resentment, the overwhelming sadness... everything seems so magnified, is flavored so differently, when you are in a kinship situation.  

       It was also good to see couples there together.  Back when I first began fostering almost all of the people attending trainings and support groups were female.  Females still are the majority, but more men not only attend, but are clearly involved as parents.  So a shout out to any of you who may be reading this who attended the session yesterday... thanks for sharing and stay in touch! 

[On a side note... four people asked to buy a copy of my book The Caring Heart Speaks. I forgot to tell them to email me sometime later to let me know which parts were most helpful. I don't think readers ever understand how helpful it is to writers to get feedback.  I love to hear from my readers whether about the parenting meditations, or the other history and biography books.] 

So anyway... I woke up this morning with much more hope about kinship providers stepping up to that challenging plate, about the department recognizing some of the differences between kinship care and "regular" foster care, and about agencies offering support and training and resources for kinship providers. I am still broken hearted that so many children each year [month? week? day?] around the country find themselves desperately in need of kinship care. But I have renewed faith that many of those children will find homes with family, will be someplace where they are safe and loved. And, I am happy that agencies are validating the work of kinship care providers and starting to support those efforts!  A good day.