Throughout National Adoption Month we've highlighted some of our incredible adoptive families! The Emery Family has adopted 4 siblings at different times that have had their own medical challenges. Jerry and Belinda were there every step of the way for their children through every circumstance.
Yesterday, the Polk County Courthouse was full of families, friends, kids and our adoption teams to celebrate our families who finalized their adoptions! We love getting to celebrate these beautiful milestones for our children and families!
Congratulations to the Boarman, Romero and White families!
In March 2022, the Banse Family welcomed a brother and sister, ages 7 and 8, to their family and providing their forever home! They surrounded the children with love, support and telling them "you are good enough and we want you." The children are now thriving in their adoptive home and have made many gains.
My wife, Joy-Lynn and I became Foster Parent Mentors (FPM) through Heartland for Children in 2012. When we were approached with the opportunity to be an added support for incoming Foster Parents, we jumped at the opportunity because we saw the value in having someone who other Foster Parents could relate to as being an invaluable resource; especially, if the individual(s) were completely new to the fostering and/or parenting experience.
As FPMs through Heartland, we've had the chance to interact with incoming Foster Parents on many levels including assisting with respite, providing guidance or best practices with difficult behavioral issues, advocating for a child who had to be moved from one home to another, making recommendations on working with case management, providing another vantage point through the process of Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), and many other areas that Foster Parents can encounter during their first and continuing years of child advocates.
What we've gained as FPMs is a heightened level of understanding of how important it is to identify the needs of incoming Foster Parents. Being able to make recommendations on how the training component has and can continue to successfully equip incoming parents with the proper training and education; is a value add that Heartland has really welcomed input on.
Cebien Alty - HFC Foster Parent, Foster Parent Mentor