We’ve often asked the question of foster parents, “If you could tell your case manager anything, unfiltered, what would you say?” In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Kristin and I discuss this with our good friend, Nicole.
Over our 9-year career in foster parenting we worked with so many wonderful people, case managers, guardian ad litems, CASA workers, attorneys and more. But we also faced our fair share of difficult people, namely misunderstanding case managers. It made the the road we were on difficult, isolating, and much longer than it needed to be.
With that being said, we want everyone reading this post to understand- Our goal with this episode is to enlighten and enrich, not judge or point fingers. That’s important for us to say right out of the gate because we believe in the work that case managers do and we want to help them do their job with excellence and efficiency. We hope this episode accomplishes that!
Listen To The Podcast.
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Notes and Quotes From The Show.
As we mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, this discussion is based on a popular post we did a few years ago. We actually asked active foster parents, “If you could say anything to your case manager, what would you say?” The meeting lasted 2 hours! These are the ten things they shared with us…
- We know the children the best.
- We live by a schedule.
- This is a not a job, it’s a way of life.
- Point us toward good resources.
- Communicate with us.
- Be honest with us.
- We’re foster parents by choice.
- Paint a realistic picture of our current situation.
- We’re doing you a service.
- We have a lot of fears.
You can read the original post by clicking here. Every time Kristin and Nicole get together and have a discussion there are great take-aways. Here are a few of the quotes:
[shareable]Foster parenting is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. it’s actually a calling. [/shareable]
As foster parents, we never have a shut-off button. We do not clock out or leave an office and go home. This is our life, 24-7, 365 days a year. But we also have big hearts to spring into action when we are called!
[shareable]Foster parents want to be the people who are there when you need us the most.[/shareable]
Resources and Links.
In the show we recommend that both case managers and foster parents do a Google search in their specific area to find resources and links, but here are a few that we mentioned during the show…
In this era of mass-technology, there are so many great resources available to foster parents. Whether you’re a foster parent or case manager, we would love for you to send us any great resources you have found helpful. Click here to send them to us.
We hope this post and podcast has helped and encouraged you on the journey of foster parenting. Whether you’re a case manager or an active foster parent, you are doing an amazing and future-shaping work by caring for children from difficult places.
[reminder]Are you a current or former foster parent? What would you say to your case manager if you had the chance to say anything?[/reminder]
