How to Help: Luggage

 

HOW TO HELP KIDS IN FOSTER CARE WITHOUT BECOMING A FOSTER PARENT

LUGGAGE

 

 

In the world of foster care moves can happen quick. Children are often removed from their birth homes with little notice, a social worker throwing a couple outfits and a favorite stuffed animal (if they're lucky) in whatever bag they have available.  Further moves may happen between foster placements, to a relative placement, or back to the birth family with little notice.  Often a trash bag ends up being the easiest way to pack and move in a hurry.  What does that say to a child?  That they and their personal belongings aren't worth much.  This sentiment is heard often from adults who grew up in the foster system and something that can be addressed easily.

 

Having proper luggage to move children is an easy way to show children in foster care that they are precious and loved.  If you have old luggage stored away in your attic or find a decent luggage bag at Goodwill, pick it up and donate it to a foster parent, case worker or agency.

 

It really could make a world of difference for a child in care!

How to Help: Tag Blankets

I LOVE tag blankets, specifically the little ones that kids can carry around.  They are a great comfort item to have on hand for littles who come to your house to stay the night or longer.  Since they don't take up a lot of space, they are easy to store and easy to send on with a child to their next placement. They can be made with leftover scraps of fabric and ribbon and don't take up a lot of storage space.

Today at Goodwill I even found two tag blankets for .50 cents each!!!  Score for me, they will be going right into the Rubbermaid with small stuffed animals and blankies for new kiddos. 

How cute is this giraffe one??  Cant beat that for .50!



If you're looking for a way to help kids in foster care, keep your eyes open for cheap tag blankets or make up a few if you are the sewing type.  Contact a foster parent, foster care agency, or county Department of Family Services in your area and drop them off for kids coming into care.


You can check out a tutorial for making tag blankets yourself HERE.

And if your looking for some inspiration or tired of the regular old square tag blankets, check these out:

CUTE ELEPHANT TAG BLANKET

 

 

CUPCAKE TAG BLANKET

 

 



BASEBALL TAG BLANKET

 

 

Essential items for Fostering

General

1. Lice Kits: GET A COUPLE OF THESE, do not skip this!!
2. Extra Suitcases (ask friends for old ones or check out thrift stores):  When a child leaves you want to be able to send them on with suitcases rather than "trash bags" so keeping some extras are handy.
3. Lock Box for medications
4. Rubbermaid with Lid:  Keep one available to put any items the child comes with in until you have a chance to go through them together.  You will want to wash any clothing, bedding, stuffed animals in very hot water.  Anything not able to be washed will need to be checked very carefully for any contraband, bugs, etc.
5. Assortment of Clothes in sizes you are expecting:  Pajamas and one layered outfit are enough to get you through a day if a child comes without anything.  You can always head to the store sometime the next day to get what you need (but if you're anything like me you will quickly have bins filled with cute clothes you couldn't pass up).

Birth-2

1. Crib: Check with agency on any specific rules regarding cribs
2. Swing:  Pick one that goes both side to side and front to back in order to meet different infants preferences
3. Baby Sling/Carrier: Face to Face baby wearing encourages attachment
4. Car seat-convertible
5. Pacifiers
6. Can of formula and a couple jars of baby food
7. Bottles
8. Outlet Covers
9. Baby Gate
10. Kid Sized utensils

2-5

1. Convertible car seat
2. Kid friendly foods:  Regardless of your food preferences at home, it is best to have a few kid friendly items available (Mac and cheese, spaghettios) for comfort foods when a kid first comes.
3. Bed: I move kids right from a crib to a twin sized bed with guard rail, but if you like toddler beds you may want to have one for this age range.
4. Outlet Covers
5. Baby Gate
6. Comfort Item- A small stuffed animal and blanket can make a world of difference the first night.

5-10

1. Kid friendly foods (Mac and cheese, spaghettios)
2. Bed
3. Booster Seat
4. Comfort Item- A small stuffed animal and blanket can make a world of difference the first night.

10-18

1. Kid friendly foods (Mac and cheese, spaghettios)
2. Bed

What other items can you think of that are MUST-HAVES?

What to do the FIRST night!

Ok so a social worker just dropped off a new placement...now what?!  You don't know the kids they don't know you, the whole thing can be nerve wracking for all parties involved, regardless of if this is your first placement or hundreth. Here is what I do upon placement that first day:

I always start by asking the kids if they are hungry, even if they say no I ask them what they like to eat.  Most of the kids that have come through my door have been used to eating a lot of fast food and junk, go with that for a few days.  I tend to write down what they say and ensure them that we will make a trip to the store soon to get what they like.   They have lost everything already so trying to change their diet or starting a food battle is not worth it at the beginning.  I usually order a pizza or something they like if its dinner time or pull out a kid friendly snack if its late or in between meals.  This also allows me to worry about them and not focus on having to make dinner.  I give them a short tour of the house, pointing out important things like bathrooms, extra toilet paper, where we keep toys, a place they can keep special things where no one will touch, etc.  I don't usually go over rules on the first day/night unless something comes up.  We do however have them posted in several areas of the house. I show them where they will sleep and try and give them a special stuffed animal or blanket they can carry.  If they came with stuff,  I usually ask if they need anything out of it tonight and get that, otherwise I place it in a Rubbermaid container that seals.  This way if there are any unwanted bugs, drug residue, or items you do not allow in your house they are contained until we can go through their things together and wash everything. 
Speaking of bugs, you're going to want to check for lice in hair and any other critters in the clothes they have on.  I hate the idea of having a child come in and me immediately stripping them down and getting them in the tub, it seems a little overwhelming both for me and them.  On the other hand you do not want a critter situation taking over the household!  You are going to have to use your best judgment here.  I generally try and sneak as best a peek as I can as I'm giving them a tour to see if I see any lice.  If you think they are able to do a bath/shower without feeling completely overwhelmed, do it!  If you think they need a little time to adjust first, you want to try and limit their exposure to the whole house.
At bedtime I will go over getting up to use the bathroom in the night, where extra blankets are located,  what to do if they get scared or wake up in the night, where my room is located, and what to expect in the morning.  We focus a lot on safety in our house so depending on the situation I will show them that the doors are locked and ensure them that any other safety concerns they may have are met.  Depending on the situation you may want to put a non-perishable snack and water bottle in the room. I ask them if they have any questions about the house, what happened at removal, their parents, etc.  I ask them if they want to talk about any feelings they are having and if they want to say a prayer together.  We usually read together and discuss whether the lights will be on or door closed.

Foster Care Binder

 

As we are preparing our house to open back up for foster placements, I am reviewing all of the things I could have done better the first time around.  When my three boys first came I tried to prepare the best I could, but you don't really know what you don't know, LOL!  One of the areas that I totally could have done better in is organizing the massive amounts of paperwork, records, notes, and observations you will have when dealing with foster care.  For the boys I have a HUGE Rubbermaid filled with papers, it is completely disorganized.  Today I am going to show you what I have been working on to keep it all organized this time around!

I decided a Foster Care Binder for each child would be the best way to keep everything in one place and well organized.  You will find the links to individual pages/forms throughout the post, they should open in google docs so you can customize them to fit your needs. 

BINDER COVER:  You can get a copy of my Binder Cover here.  I choose to leave the child's name off of the front, that way if I need to bring the binder with me the name is not visible to anyone.  If you had more than one Binder you may want to put Initials or design a different cover to distinguish each child.

BACK OF BINDER:  I have a copy of this poem (or this design) on the back outside cover of my binder.

Flash Drive:  Any time I receive paperwork, notes, emails, cards, etc.  I scan them into my computer and put a copy on the child's flash drive.  This way if the child moves on I can easily pass the binder along and still have a copy of everything without having to worry about storage space, or I can quickly email caseworkers documents, etc.  This is also a great way to keep copies of school work and crafts, just scan them onto the drive and you don't have to feel guilty about throwing away the weekly spelling test!  If you want to keep the binder when the child moves on, you can always burn everything from the flash drive onto a CD that you can send with them or give to the Case Worker.  I keep the Flash Drive and a few pens and post-its in a zipper pouch in the front of the binder.

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BASIC INFO SHEET:  This sheet goes in the front of the binder and contains any pertinent information such as, Name, Birthdate, Age, Grade, Date of Placement, Allergies,  Medical Diagnosis.  If I can I like to put a picture of the child upon placement on this sheet too.

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CONTACT SHEET:  This sheet includes the names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, and emails for anyone involved with the child.  At the beginning of the placement I will handwrite them on this sheet in pencil, because things can change quickly.  Once things settle down I will go back and type them in if I feel so inclined :)  Behind this sheet is one of those plastic baseball card collector sheets to place business cards in from various professionals involved with the child.  Always ask for a card or if they don't have one get their name and jot it down.  Transporters, visit supervisors, ANYONE!!  You never know when you will need to recall someone who had an interaction with the child.
 Case Workers (County, Agency, Transport, Visit)
 Supervisors
 GAL/CASA
 Birth Parents
 Doctors
 Therapists
 Dentist
 Teachers
 Principal
 Former Placements
 Siblings and Extended Family
 Foster Placements of siblings


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CONTACT LOG:  You can get a copy of my Contact Log here.  Rather than tying to make all the information fit into columns, I've found it is easier for me to give myself as much space as needed to write notes or things I need to follow up on.  I will also insert written communication such as emails, cards, etc. in plastic page protectors.  I will still log these into the main Contact Log and then write "See Attached" in the notes section.  That way I can keep track of everything in chronological order. Get a copy of the cover sheet for this section here.




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IMPORTANT PAPERS:  This section contains any important papers I need for the placement, including placement paperwork, Birth Certificate or SS cards, Medical Cards, permissions for treatment or travel. I also like to include this Incoming Personal Property Inventory sheet so I can keep track of any items the child came with and add any items that are given to them by birthparents throughout the placement.  The other sheet I keep in here is a timeline of the child's life, including past placements and important events.  This can be very helpful when you are talking to various therapists and doctors, I find that having a visual of all the dates is helpful in getting a full picture of the child.  I can also add events to it as they come up throughout the placement or as new information is disclosed by those involved with the case. Get a copy of the cover sheet for this section here.



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MEDICAL SECTION: If you take medically fragile placements you may find it best to have a whole binder divided by type of Doctor/Specialist.  For me,  I keep a summary sheet in the front with doctor/dentist information, how often and when they are supposed to see them, when the last appointment was and when the next one will be.  I keep a separate sheet listing current medications, dosage, directions, who prescribed them as well as a medication history sheet showing past medications.  I usually keep a few copies of their current medication sheet so I can hand it out when asked what medications the child is on ( I also include any Over the Counter medications or vitamins that are given regularly).  I have a medication log to document that I have given the medications.  I then just keep all medical documents by date, if something is important and I will need to find it quickly or often I will put a post-it note on it that sticks out a little from the binder.  In the back of this section I keep Incident Reports which I fill out if there are any bumps or bruises that I want to document. I will scan it in and email it to the caseworker, make a note of the email in the contact log,  and then place it in chronological order in this section. Get the cover sheet for this section here.


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EDUCATION SECTION: I keep a sheet of important information up front, School contact info, teacher name, grade, room #, schedule including "specials" (for example 'Gym Day' so we bring sneakers), school calendar, IEP dates.  Next is a copy of the current IEP and Evaluation in page protectors.  Afterwards all important documents are put in chronological order.  If a placement receives early intervention I keep that paperwork in this section rather than medical section. Get the cover sheet for this section here.

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VISITATION SECTION: I keep a sheet of important information up front, Visit Schedule, Transporter contact information, visitation supervisor information, visitation center address and phone number.   Then I keep a Monthly Calendar where I color in visit days either Green, Yellow, or Red.  Green for successful visit, Yellow if there was an issue (late, left early, etc.), Red for No Show or Cancelled.  I think the visual is helpful to keep track of the visits.  I keep a Notes page to write any observations from the visit or things kids said about visit. Get a copy of this section cover sheet here.

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BEHAVIOR SECTION:  This section will vary depending on what behaviors need to be addressed in each child.  I keep a Monthly Calendar where I can jot down things as well as note pages where more detailed summaries can be placed.  If we are using a specific behavior sheet or reward program I will include those here. Get a copy of this sections cover sheet here.


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COURT RECORDS: I keep a summary sheet of any court info I may have, court house address and contact information, judge assigned, GAL assigned, case number, important dates.   The rest of the Court paperwork gets organized by date.  I will also include a note page if a caseworker gives me a summary of what happened at a court date and include it accordingly. Get the cover sheet for this section here.


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FINANCIAL SECTION: Any expenses that your agency may reimburse for can be kept in this section.  I keep mileage logs here as well as any receipts for tolls.  I also keep a copy of the current Clothing Inventory showing the placement has the required number of clothing items in each category as well as receipts if your agency requires them.  Any extra-curricular activities that the placement may be in  or school fees and the receipts.  Check stubs from the monthly stipend can be hole punched and kept in this section as well. Get the cover sheet for this section here.

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MONTHLY REPORTS:  My agency requires a monthly report to be filled out, I keep copies of each monthly report here as well as some blank ones. Get the cover sheet for this section here.


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PICTURES: I keep a copy of important pictures in the binder such as school pictures for the year, Christmas Card Picture, pictures from important events, a picture with their birth family, pictures with caseworkers, etc. Get the cover sheet for this section here.

How do you organize everything?  Id love to hear in the comments!

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Homestudy

Ill update this post as I go through the homestudy process.

I received a call from the caseworker assigned to do my homestudy.  He co-taught my Saturday Classes 3 and 4, and is teaching Class 5 next week.  He scheduled to come to the house Tuesday afternoon for our first session.  A few days later I got a packet in the mail with some documents and forms he will need.

They are requesting the following:
10 years of income records, in the form of W-2s and/or Social Security Statements-  This seems a little excessive to me, in the other state I just needed to provide the last years tax return and current paystub.  Since I am self-employed it makes this a little more difficult.  Hopefully he will accept my 1040's from the years I have no W-2's.
Health Certificates for entire family-  This is seriously irritating because the physical has to be done within 30 days of the homestudy being completed.  The kicker is we have all already had our yearly physical earlier in the year and the insurance wont pay for another one till next year, so I have to pay out of pocket. Update:  I had the doctor fill out the form based on the last physical anyway and am just submitting that, we will see if they say anything!  BUT I am not about to shell out $100 per physical unless I absolutely have to!
Pet Shot Records- Already have those :)
Drivers license and Insurance- Check
Renters Insurance- Check

Fingerprinting:  After months of waiting for my registration number to get my fingerprints done, the CW has finally sent it to me!  I will be going tomorrow!

The caseworker came out to the house three times for the interview phase, the questions were typical.

Caseworker says he will be submitting the homestudy for review by the agency on October 1st....we will see if that actually happens, fingers crossed.

Thumb twiddling is getting old!!

Ok so I took over the stupid paperwork that the CW needed in order to get my home study sent out finally.......now Im just waiting. Ive been trying to clean and get some basic necessities. I got some formula and bottles, some clothes, blankets. Just a few things so Im prepared for a placement and wouldn't need to run out to the store within hours of having a child in my home! To days project is organizing the bathroom closet...currently it is shoved to the brim with lotions, shampoos, and other random things! Wish me luck :)