"An ideal foster family is open and willing to learn," says Gloria Riley, Family Paths' Foster Parent Community Advocate.
Gloria would know. She estimates that she has brought approximately fifty foster children into her own home in the last 20 years, and she smiles with a soft kind of pride at the positive differences, both big and small, that she has been able to make in the lives of those children. "It's a lot of work to be a foster parent, but it's really rewarding to see a child grow up," she says.
There are a variety of reasons that people choose to be foster parents. "Some do it if they can't have kids, or because they want to help out a child or children, or they wish to add to their family," explains Gloria. "Which is great, because the need for foster parents is definitely there. There is a definite need for homes for foster kids in Alameda County, particularly homes with the capacity to support children that are medically fragile, with special needs, as well as with medical and psychological needs. Supportive homes are also needed for young people who identify as LGBTQ."
Potential foster parents go through a training process and an orientation in order to acquire the proper license and be the best foster parent possible. Once you are a foster parent, there is a strong support system in place, including the Foster Parent Association, as well as agencies like Family Paths, which provides anonymous parenting support through the 24 Hour Parent Support Hotline, as well as more in-depth therapeutic support when necessary. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent in Alameda County, you may call Alameda County Social Services to inquire.
What makes a good foster parent?
LGBTQ Foster Youth Training! June is LGBTQ Month!
In supporting our goal of continuously cultivating a multiculturally competent agency, Family Paths staff recently attended a training session on the issues surrounding LGBTQ foster youth. The training took place at the California Endowment on June 1st, and was presented by the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project, a dynamic multi-year collaboration between current and former foster youth, social work professionals, social work training academies, foundations and others committed to the empowerment and futures of California foster youth. This dynamic and informative training focused on the ways in which clinicians can be allies to, advocate for and better meet the needs of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system.
Foster LGBTQ youth often face difficulties that surpass those of straight foster youth, and clinicians and therapists often hold a crucial role in the lives of these youth at the very times that they are in the process of self-acceptance and/or coming out. This is why it is important that clinicians be trained about the important intricacies of their role in the lives of LGBTQ foster youth. This training, led by former foster youth who identify as LGBTQ and as Allies, was extremely helpful supporting clinicians' work by providing a space in which to think creatively about best practices, various ways one can be an LGBTQ Ally, and ways to best advocate for this particular population. "I was so excited to be able to hear from former foster youth themselves," said Barbra Silver, Clinical Director at Family Paths.
You can learn more about the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project here.
Finding Your Authentic Voice When Working With Challenging Family Dynamics Training at Family Paths
This training will take an in-depth look at the issues that typically bring up the hardest emotional blocks for people who work to help multi-stressed and at-risk families. Fear, inadequacy, frustration, anger, hopelessness, urges to rescue, even desperation. These are all strong emotional experiences which, while potentially interfering with good work with families, may also be transformed through braving closer and honest examination on the part of the helper into the very keys to successful work with families. Compounding those hard emotional issues is the effect of the superstar status of “The Masters” of family work, which can make this work seem an ever herculean pursuit and set up for permanent feelings of being not-good-enough. This training will teach participants how to examine and utilize these issues to break through blocks and resistance to the work. Participants will learn how and begin to discover their own best styles for helping families while also sifting through and borrowing from the core foundations of what has thus far been shown to be effective in the field. Particular attention will be given to how to free oneself from the grip of the masters and get comfortable in one’s own flow. The ultimate goal will be to find and invite in the most authentic You, thus enhancing your ability to honor and steer the truest individuality and potential of even the most difficult families in the service of their healing. Learning will take place in large and small group, theoretical and hands on practical settings.
Registration is required by October 15th and is on a first come first serve basis.
To register send an email to smarkewich@familypaths.org or call (510) 893-9230 ext.207. If you do not register you may not be allowed in at the door.
Date: Friday October 23rd
Time: 9:30-3:30
Location: Family Paths, Inc.
Conference Room
1727 MLK Jr. Way
Oakland, Ca.
Registration and Breakfast 9:00-9:30 Lunch will be provided
This course meets the qualifications for 6 CEUs offered for MFTs and LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and is provided by Family Paths In partnership with Chabot-Las Positas Community College
District and Alameda County.
This workshop is free to those who work with foster youth in Alameda County.