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Why Can't I Just Be Me?
Our identities are created from birth and are developed through our interactions with our primary caretakers -- usually our parents and extended family.
Yet, if you are a child that is placed into foster care, you may find that there was a break in the formation of your identity. Defining "who" you are and "how" you fit into the world becomes harder the longer you remain in foster care and the different roles you play.
I can break my time into three stages during my four years in foster care:
· "Original" Adam
· "Foster Care" Adam
· "Adopted" Adam
The expectations for me were different during each stage and I had three distinctive roles to play. Each placement caused me to re-evaluate who I was and who I needed to be in order to fit in.
Unfortunately, the original Adam wasn't the same Adam that came out four years later. This doesn't mean that I lost that Adam completely, but I lost or buried who this Adam was in order to make sure that I could be safe and secure.
Imagine how this affects a child's identify and self-esteem.
Read more by Adam Robe, author of the Robbie the Rabbit series, as he teaches foster parents how to help a child adjust to tough changes in their lives.
Monthly Conference Call
Please join us for our monthly conference call on Monday, March 7, 2011 at 8:30 p.m.
Guest Speaker -- Jason Zaborske, Statewide Children's Week Coordinator, United Way
Topic -- Children's Week
Here's how to access the conference call:
Dial 1.888.808.6959
Punch in the PIN 9229094# when prompted
You're in!
FSFAPA Quarterly Meeting
The next FSFAPA Quarterly Meeting will be held April 5, 2011 during Advocacy Day in Tallahassee. All foster/adoptive parents are invited to attend. The schedule is listed below:
Tuesday, April 5:
8 a.m. -- 10 a.m.: IHOP Breakfast (no cost for attendees)
9 a.m. - noon.: Visits with designated legislators (see more information below)
10:30 a.m. - noon: Teens Only Town Hall Meeting (see www.childrensweek.org for more information)
Noon - 1:30 p.m.: Lunch (provided by Children's Week sponsor; must register in advance at www.childrensweek.org)
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: General Membership Meeting (on the grounds of The Capitol)
Meeting Location:
The Capitol
400 W. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL
FSFAPA requests that ALL foster/adoptive parents help us in visiting legislators in their offices on Tuesday, April 5. We will provide you with fact sheets to give the legislators from your area. Please stop by the FSFAPA table first to sign in and receive a sticker and fact sheet, and a FSFAPA board member will direct you to your designated senator or representative. Contact Peter Pazer, Advocacy Chair, at rcky45@aol.com for more information.
We'd like to say thanks to those of you who made it to West Palm Beach for our February Quarterly Meeting. We hope that you gained some valuable information from our guest speakers: Perry Borman, DCF Southeast Regional Director for Palm Beach and Broward; Judith Karim, Acting CEO of Child and Family Connections (Palm Beach's CBC); and Lindsay Baach, Youth Coordinator for Florida Youth SHINE.
Interested in Joining the FSFAPA Board?
The Nomination Form is attached here. The Vice President, Executive Vice President, Secretary and all Regional Vice President positions are up for nominations. Please view the form for criteria and deadlines. Contact Curtis Byrd, Nomination Chair, at curtis@nowfapa.org for more information.
Training Opportunities Family Involvement: Supporting Kin Caregivers
Thursday, March 10, 2011
2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Presenters: Millicent Williams, National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections; Tiffany Hesser, Nevada Department of Family Services; Tammie Blackwell, Nevada Department of Family Services; and Vanessa Lindsey, Nevada Department of Family Services
You must pre-register for this event at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/932726402. This presentation will provide an overview of the implementation of a Kinship Liaison Program designed to proactively engage and support kin-caregivers to increase the permanency of children. Discussion of the kinship experience from both the caregiver and youth perspectives will be presented and family dynamics and the differences between agency or system successes versus families' concepts of success will be explored. The Children's Movement of Florida The Children's Movement of Florida will be hosting a free webinar to discuss the 2011 legislative session today, March 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The program will feature the movement's chair, Dave Lawrence, legislative consultant Monica Rodriguez and Dr. Abby Thorman, co-author of the 2011 legislative agenda. You can access the event at http://childrensmovementflorida.org/legislative_webinar/. Need Post-Adoption Services? Visit our Adoptive Care page at www.fsfapa.com for a list of CBC contacts for post-adoption services in your area. You may also view it here. If you live in Orlando or Tampa, the North American Council on Adoptable Children has identified your area as needing expanded post-adoption services and will be introducing a new initiative called the Community Champions Network to provide your area with additional resources. Visit http://www.nacac.org/postadopt/ccn.html for more information. NexGen Facebook and Twitter Our teens had a wonderful time at the first annual NexGen teen conference last year and we are looking forward to hosting them again this year in Orlando. To keep them in the loop about the conference and other teen-related news, FSFAPA has created a Facebook page (search for NexGen Teens) and a Twitter account (@NexGenTeens). Please share these two resources with teens in your care. And don't forget to register them for the teen conference. New Website for College Students with Disabilities We Connect Now (http://weconnectnow.wordpress.com) is a new website that serves college students with disabilities in an effort to connect and integrate them more as a virtual community with a voice on important issues. Please share it with your teens who are in college. Preserving Families and Fostering Connections The Preserving Families and Fostering Connections (PFFC) Steering Committee is made up of representatives from DCF, child welfare providers and CBCs. Its main objectives are to 1) extend Title IV-E Waiver for five years to September 30, 2016 and 2) assess feasibility of implementing the Foster Connections to Success and increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. You can learn more about this committee at: http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/initiatives/preservingfamilies/. H&R Block Tax Credit Flyer and Coupon Foster/adoptive parents who intend to use H&R Block to file their taxes may download the attached flyer and coupon. If you live in Broward County, you can also donate $25 to Broward FAPA just by using H&R Block. Save the Date FSFAPA will host its 15th Annual Education Conference June 16-18, 2011 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando. More information coming soon.
Send Us Your News FSFAPA would like to share your news with the state. Send any news and/or photos of events happening in your area to fsfapanewsletter@gmail.com. | 
