We asked our amazing Foster Care Team to share their best stories of “foster care gone right.” Here are a few stories of hope that they shared.
Alex
There was a wonderful family who took in a brother and sister. They were able to see their roles as “shared parents” of these children and formed an incredible relationship with the children’s mother. The foster parents became a great support system for the mom, and as the case developed, and they gained trust in each other, they would have the children’s mother come over to have dinner with them, bathe the kids, and put them to bed. This was a slow and gradual process. But the result was that their mother did a great job following her case plan.
The last thing that was keeping her from getting her children back was a lack of furniture in her home. Our foster family shared with their church, and the community rallied to get furniture and supplies and fitted her house with what she needed to get her kids back. The children got to go home, and both families have stayed very connected, which has laid the foundation for a successful reunification.
Gretchen
I have gotten to see a teen who was adopted by a family completely change. She is a new gal! It has been amazing to see the difference having a family has made in her life. Before, she would not even look you in the eyes. Now, she is a confident and secure young woman!
Angela
A few years ago, a foster parent whose heart is heavily devoted to serving the smallest of children was waiting what seemed like forever for a placement. I remember having a conversation with her about God’s timing and the perfection of what that looks like. The very next day, we received a call about a little one coming from a very hard situation. Without going into a lot of detail, the situation, in many people’s eyes, should have been immediate removal of rights and the child’s case would move to adoption. The foster family did not view it this way.
Over the course of the next year and a half, the foster parents not only loved this little one, but loved on her parents as well. Through letters, calls, visits, and living parts of their lives together, this family was restored by the love and grace of the foster family. This past December, this little one was returned to her biological parents – her healthy, restored, grace-filled father and mother. She has also gained a second mommy and daddy and loves them and still spends the occasional overnight with them.
Shelby
I worked with a father who had been in prison for three years with some very heavy convictions. I originally met with him to sign relinquishment papers so that his son could be adopted. The man I met that day was a man who had not given up hope. He was a man who had found Christ through the programs in prison. Fast forward to two years later – he has full custody of three of his children. He owns his own business, bought a beautiful home, does ministry work, and is doing fantastic!
Kelly
I worked with a little guy who was three years old when he came into care. I remember taking him to an appointment early on, where he sat next to me, quiet and still, in a waiting room for thirty minutes. That really isn’t normal for a three year old.
About six months later, after being in a foster home where the family was consistently meeting his physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, he had learned how to play! When I would come to the home for visits, I’d find him playing. He would be singing at the top of his lungs and laughing. It was a truly remarkable transformation. He got to focus on being a kid again.
Foster care can be a very broken system. You can sit and read article after article about all of its flaws and shortcomings. But with proper training, a proper prospective, and a heart open to hope, healing, and the importance of family, it can be so beautiful. “Foster care gone right” can take many forms – reunification with a bio family, adoption of a teenager, healing of a child in care, a child finding a forever family. Whatever it looks like, Crossnore can partner with you to help it “go right.”
If you’d like to learn more about foster care and how you can have a part in making things better for a child, please visit our website or contact one of our licensing specialists to find out more.Â
