You are not alone. Foster, kinship and adoptive families can join the alliance by getting involved with these opportunities and resources.
Do you feel alone or like your “normal” friends and family just don’t understand?
Then come find your COMMUNITY! Our monthly support groups are a place to be encouraged and equipped alongside fellow foster, adoptive and kinship families.
Learn from our experienced leaders and fellow foster, adoptive and kinship parents as they discuss planned topics that will help you parent children from hard places. Also, enjoy the freedom to be honest with a group of other parents who can truly empathize. You will have the opportunity to connect with local resources and earn training hours if needed.
No family should walk this journey alone…we are better together.
Support groups are hosted throughout our area. All groups are open to any foster, adoptive or kinship family. Each group meets 10 times per year. Please contact the support group coordinator for specific times and locations.
The group leader email is provided. Please contact the leader for information and to join the group.
Alamo Ranch Area - NW SA
Delayna Wilkins
Central San Antonio
Jocelyn Wilson
North East San Antonio
Janai Kane
Boerne/Hill Country
Rachel Russo
Bulverde/Spring Branch
Alex Wallendorff
Do you struggle to find trusted foster care approved babysitters? You do the heavy lifting of serving children in the foster care system 24/7, finding help for a night or weekend off should be easy.
The Babysitting Collaborative allows your friends and family to easily work through all the steps needed to support you. The virtual platform is self paced and meets the requirements for 12 local child placing agencies. We have helped over 600 people become verified babysitters through this process.
We know, it is so hard to ask for help but people who love you want to help. They only need to be invited into this mission with you.
Here's Our Recommendations
INBRIEF: THE SCIENCE OF NEGLECT
WHAT NEUROSCIENCE AND SOCIAL SCIENCE TELL US ABOUT THE EFFECT OF CARE ENVIRONMENTS ON CHILDREN
EMPOWERED TO CONNECT VIDEOS
REMOVED (TWO-PART SERIES)
Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
Remembering Trauma
How Childhood Trauma Affects Children over a Lifetime
THE FOSTER MOVEMENT PODCAST
The Foster Movement Podcast, featuring former foster youth and national leaders in foster care advocacy, provides powerful insights and practical tools to help you work with others to provide More Than Enough for kids and families in foster care where you live.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND LISTEN
TAPESTRY PODCAST
Tapestry’s Empowered to Connect podcast is for parents, professionals, and ministry leaders. Join us as we discuss how to connect with, empower, and correct our kids.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND LISTEN
THINK ORPHAN PODCAST
The Think Orphan podcast is hosted by Kelly Stewart, Social Worker and adoptive mom, and Philip Darke, President of Providence World and co-author of In Pursuit of Orphan Excellence. Each week, they discuss the difficult issues and hot topics involved in the global orphan crisis with leading voices from around the world, such as Jedd Medefind, Rick Morton, and Peter Greer. From poverty alleviation and family strengthening, to best practices in caring for orphaned and abandoned children, to human trafficking and mentoring, Phil and Kelly will work with you to navigate the issues that affect millions of children and families all over the world.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND LISTEN
TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
THE CONNECTED CHILD: BRINGING HOPE AND HEALING TO YOUR ADOPTED FAMILY
By: Karyn Purvis, David Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
The adoption of a child is always a joyous moment in the life of a family. Some adoptions, though, present unique challenges. Welcoming these children into your family and addressing their special needs requires care, consideration, and compassion.
Written by two research psychologists specializing in adoption and attachment, The Connected Child will help you to build bonds of affection and trust with your adopted child, effectively deal with any learning or behavioral disorders, and discipline your child with love without making him or her feel threatened.
This book is truly outstanding because of its numerous examples of scripts and phrases that parents can use. This book is strongly recommended.
Buy on Amazon
BORN FOR LOVE: WHY EMPATHY IS ESSENTIAL AND ENDANGERED
By: Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz
Buy on Amazon
THE WHOLE BRAIN CHILD
By: Tina Payne Bryson, PhD and Daniel Seigel, MD
Your toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of a store. Your preschooler refuses to get dressed. Your fifth-grader sulks on the bench instead of playing on the field. Do children conspire to make their parents’ lives endlessly challenging? No – it’s just their developing brain calling the shots!
Buy on Amazon
NO DRAMA DISCIPLINE
By: Daniel Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD
The pioneering experts behind the bestselling The Whole-Brain Child – Tina Payne Bryson and Daniel J. Siegel, the New York Times bestselling author of Brainstorm – now explore the ultimate child-raising challenge: discipline. Highlighting the fascinating link between a child’s neurological development and the way a parent reacts to misbehavior, No-Drama Discipline provides an effective, compassionate road map for dealing with tantrums, tensions, and tears – without causing a scene.
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READY OR NOT: 30 DAYS OF DISCOVERY FOR FOSTER & ADOPTIVE PARENTS
Entering the journey of foster care and adoption can be one of the most daunting decisions that you make as a parent. Parenting a child who has experienced trauma and loss is a rewarding experience, but it’s not easy.
- Consider the impact of foster care and adoption on their lives and families.
- Evaluate their motives and expectations for the foster care and adoption experience.
- Explore foster care and adoption through the lens of scripture.
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CHILDREN’S BOOKS
FAMILIES CHANGE: A BOOK FOR CHILDREN EXPERIENCING A TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS
By: Julie Nelson
Buy on Amazon
