One of my favorite aspects of being a social worker for Angels is the many opportunities I have to witness positive change happening. Often times this is related to the changes I see in the children who are placed into an Angels home. For example, we see children who were previously delayed make rapid progress in their development. We also see children conquer their fears, learn to trust, and form healthy relationships with others. Other times it is positive change I encounter in working directly with Angels parents. It is incredibly moving to watch an Angels parent bond to their Angels child and see how much love they have been waiting to share with a child. It is also fun to watch Angels parents become more comfortable with their role as foster parents and start to learn all the lingo that comes along with it. 
   Recently, I have been struck by opportunities that have allowed me to see the positive impacts occurring for the biological parents of our Angels babies. To be honest, the perspectives that biological parents share are often times challenging and can present a wide range of emotions for Angels parents to deal with. (This is a topic for another column in and of itself!) However this past week, I was able to watch biological parents come forward to extend their genuine gratitude to Angels foster parents. Not only for the love and care that Angels parents are providing their child, but also for helping them to see things in a new light. For example one biological mother shared, "I see my kids now and they are different. They are so happy and bright. I realize that I was doing something wrong before and I want to learn how to be the kind of parents that they are."  Another parent shared that she herself was in the foster care system as a child, and therefore she recognizes the important role and genuine bond that her children have with their Angels family. If she is reunified with her children she plans to make sure her children know their story of the amazing angels that sheltered them during a time of need. Finally, a mother admitted that a kind note from a foster mother was one of her most treasured items, as she had always felt judged and finally realized someone cared for her.
   It can be easy to get caught up with many of the challenging circumstances that bring children and their biological families into the child welfare system. No doubt, there are often times a lot of things we WISH we could change that we are not able to. However, have hope - positive impacts are being made and noticed by others. Sometimes by those who we expect to impact the least.