Attachment Handbook For Foster Care And Adoption

Attachment is at the heart of family life and adoption. Schifield and Beek trace the pathways of secure and insecure patterns of attachment from birth to adulthood, exploring the impact of past experiences of abuse, neglect and separation on children's behaviour in foster and adoptive families. They explain from an attachment perspective the dimensions of parenting that are associated with helping children to feel more secure and fulfil their potential in the family - with peers, at school and in the community.

The essential guide to parenting adopted and foster kids--learn to create felt safety, heal attachment trauma, and navigate challenging behaviors and triggers Children who have been adopted and/or shuttled through the foster-care system experience trauma at a much higher rate than other kids, which can make it difficult for them to trust, relax, regulate their emotions, and connect with their new families. As a parent, learning how to heal attachment trauma, attune to your child's needs, identify triggers, and create felt safety is essential to providing the loving, supportive, and stable home they need to thrive. Written for parents of adopted and foster kids of all ages, this book offers resources for handling common concerns like sleep issues, food sensitivities, anger, fear, and reactivity. It also provides guidance on navigating transracial adoptions, working through parents' own hang-ups, and recognizing signs of developmental and psychological conditions. The book highlights practical strategies and provides real-life examples to address questions like: How do I help my adopted child adjust? Is this kind of behavior "normal"? How do I help my child live, heal, and thrive with PTSD?

The increase in adoption and fostering of children with special needs has been one of the most positive developments in Canadian child welfare over the past fifteen years. But special-needs children place greater demands on the adopting or fostering families, and this in turn has led to increased disruption of placements. This book will help child welfare professionals and students to assess situations so that disruption can be minimized. It evolved from a clinical analysis which compared the characteristics of families who adopted and successfully maintained a special-needs child with families who tried without success. From this clinical analysis, the authors developed a unique training program for adoption/foster workers which is organized in four modules: family assessment, child assessment, matching, and maintenance. They outline in detail the training program and the findings of the ensuing research project based on implementation of the program. They also present a number of remarkable, yet representative, case studies to which theoretical concepts are applied, along with a set of practical professional tools to aid child welfare workers in assessment and planning. A survey of the relevant literature and an overview of child welfare organization are included. This timely and innovative manual fills a gap in the child welfare literature. It provides a much-needed guide to the assessment and matching of children with adoptive and foster families, and to the maintenance and support of those families.

Has Trauma Affected the Child You’re Caring For? Just as you prepared your home to welcome a new child, it is important to prepare your heart and mind—especially if the child has suffered from a background of trauma. Perhaps your invitation for love is met with hostility, and you find that this new member of your family rejects connection. If so, then it’s critical to acknowledge the effects of trauma on a child’s ability to attach. Mike and Kristin Berry realized this when they became adoptive and foster parents. In their twenty-year marriage, they have had the joy of adopting eight children and fostering twenty-three. They now offer guidance from their own journey to others parenting a child who has experienced past trauma. In Securely Attached, they offer practical insights that are supported by therapeutic and medical facts, so all parents can provide best for the children in their care. You’ll learn: How trauma changes the brain How to identify trauma-induced behaviors How to identify attachment disorders How to advocate for your child in the community. Get the help you need to better care for the children in your home. Discover how you can create a family and home that is safe and supportive so your children can grow to trust and become securely attached.

'Handbook of Adoption' addresses topics in adoption that reflect the many dimensions of theory, research, development, race adjustment and clinical practice which can affect adoption triad members.

This classic text is a comprehensive guide for prospective and actual adoptive parents on how to understand and care for their adopted child and promote healthy attachment. It explains what attachment is and provides parenting techniques matched to children's emotional needs and stages to enhance children's happiness and emotional health.

When I awoke one morning years ago, I realized I'd had a vision! I saw babies, lots of babies, superimposed upon one another and going on and on into the heavens. I felt thrilled by it, and yet I did not know what to think about it in relation to our family and our circumstances. I prayed, I talked to my husband, and I stayed in a seeking and searching attitude as I read my Bible and pursued God about the meaning of the vision. Six years later, back in our hometown, Reno, NV, we began foster care and the babies and toddlers began to arrive. Our fostering years were extremely full and very fulfilling. In the book, I discuss the perks and snags of fostering, how the system worked, and how we fit into it. I also suggest ways to succeed as a husband and wife and as part of a team in cooperation with the social workers and the biological parents. We adopted our first foster baby, David, who is now 22 years old. There have been many high points and a succession of on-going challenges in his life, but we have continued in close relationship with him and have secured guardianship to guarantee our uninterrupted involvement in his decision-making and for his protection. We remain in hope and prayer for his deliverance from birth defects so that he can live a more normal life. I give accounts of our story, discuss the reasons people adopt, and share Bible verses about helping the orphan and the needy. Dan, a Marriage and Family Therapist, has contributed articles on relevant topics, such as attachment theory and insights about parenting a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Included is a short article written by our daughter-in-law, Jessica, about a few of the nitty-gritty issues the adoptive parent faces. We have also incorporated parenting tips from three of the therapists who have advised us along the way. We strongly believe in fostering and adopting. God cares deeply for the orphan and the dispossessed. We have striven to be realistic rather than idealistic. When you decide to care for other people's children or adopt other people's children, you enter a realm in which you will need staunch solidarity with your spouse and the support of capable and caring and prayerful friends.