This series will explore planning for transitions within foster care, including reunification, moves between foster/kinship placements and moves related to permanent placements, such as adoption.
So why did I pick transitions? Well, despite all the uncertainties that come with foster care, transitions are inevitable. At some point, a child (or youth) will move homes, and very likely, transition to living with to a new family. When I found out my foster child would soon be moving, I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I hadn't received any training on this topic, so I searched high and low for the info I needed, only to come up short. I didn't want professional documents - I wanted to hear from people who had been down this path before - and i couldn't find that. All I could find was many other people who were in the same boat I was in and none of us knew where to go.
So that's how I landed on this topic. In the coming posts, I'll talk about what I have learned about transitions over the last 18 years as a foster caregiver & a child welfare consultant. I'll share what has worked for me, and what was a big failure. At the conclusion, I'll put all this info together in a FREE Transition Planning Guide available on my website.
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