Foster Parent Collaboration: A Guidebook for Social Workers and Other Professionals

Foster Parent Collaboration: A Guide for Social Workers and Other Professionals argues that the foster care system is in crisis and one strategy for meaningful change is for social workers and other professionals to collaborate with foster parents. The collaboration will assist with increasing foster parent retention and the quality of care they can provide to children in their homes. The book provides practical suggestions supported by current research for how this can be done. The book provides information about the foster care system, children in foster care, and foster parents' vital roles. It couples the first-hand experience of a foster parent and social worker with current research. This combined lens provides a critical examination of the current realities of foster parents and social workers in foster care. Derived from both practice knowledge and empirical evidence, the book provides guidance to social workers and other professionals about how to effectively work with foster parents. The goal is to promote change in the foster care system and improve the outcomes for children and families. It serves as a tool to help social workers and other professionals currently working in the foster care system improve their skills and better collaborate with foster parents. Foster Parent Collaboration contains numerous practice examples drawn from actual cases that offer insights into what social workers and foster parents navigate and how social workers best can work with foster parents. Each chapter includes a real-life challenge from a foster parent's perspective. The book also incorporates checklists and reflection questions for scenarios to assist readers in mastering the skills and content.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Realities and Daily Life Chapter 3: Children's Needs Chapter 4: Trauma and Resilience in Children Chapter 5: Best Interests of the Child Chapter 6: Recruitment, Training, Certification, and Retention Chapter 7: Empathy, Communication, and Respect Chapter 8: Support, Childcare, and Respite Chapter 9: Attachment, Permanency, and Transitions Chapter 10: Secondary Trauma, Grief, and Mental Health in Foster Parents Chapter 11: Time, Scheduling, and Visitation Chapter 12: Investigations Chapter 13: Moving Forward References

About the Author :
Amanda Preston is the CEO and founder of Deer Creek Family Support & Therapy, supporting adoptive and foster families and parents raising neurodivergent kids. She also works at Foster Calgary, working in recruitment and screening for potential foster families. She is a registered social worker with her masters in philanthropy and non-profit leadership. She became an adoptive parent at the age of 21 and a SAFE baby/therapeutic foster parent at 22 years old. After fostering for 18 years, she is now an adoptive parent to 8 neurodivergent children. She has a unique perspective being both a social worker and foster/adoptive parent, experiencing the child welfare system from multiple angles. Preston worked within the child welfare system before she became the Founder and Executive Director of a national non-profit, Home for Every Child, where she supported adoptive and foster families for 12 years. She also conducts home studies for adoptive families, is a blogger, and hosts a podcast on all things adoption, foster care and neurodivergent related. She shares stories and helpful information on adoption and foster care at www.mylovelycrazylife.com and shares valuable course at www.amandaprestonco.com. Preston received her bachelor of social work and a specialization in child welfare from The University of Victoria and completed her masters of philanthropy and non-profit leadership at Carleton University. Lisa Schelbe is an Associate Professor at the Florida State University College of Social Work in Tallahassee, Florida. She is a Faculty Affiliate at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Dr. Schelbe is Director of the Child Well-being Research Institute at University of Kentucky College of Social Work. Her research focuses on youth aging out of foster care with a special interest in their experiences with post-secondary education and early parenting. She is a qualitative methodologist with experience working on interdisciplinary teams. Dr. Schelbe is committed to research that has direct policy and practice implications. She has written over 40 journal articles and is author of Some Type of Way: Aging out of Foster Care. She also co-authored two books: The Handbook on Child Welfare Practice and Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment. Dr. Schelbe earned her doctorate in social work from University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania where she was a Doris Duke Fellow for the Promotion of Child Well-being.

Review :
Foster Parent Collaboration is a must read for anyone involved in the child welfare system, as well as those entangled in or considering the perilous role of foster parenting or social work. Amanda Preston and Lisa Schelbe provide a sensitive and in-depth examination of the realities of foster care, offering a deeper understanding of the array of issues foster children and their families face while advocating for much needed change in the child welfare system. Foster Parent Collaboration provides honest and experienced insights into the dynamics of what it's like to be a foster parent in an imperfect child-care system. As an occupational therapist, I'm honored to reinforce the encouragement of collaboration between foster parents and professionals. Amanda Preston and Lisa Shelbe admirably illustrate that foster parents are valuable members of professional team collaborations; they are often the ones who know the children best, and they deserve and need our support. This book is a call to action, promoting grace and understanding, in the greatest interests of children who need champions. Foster Parent Collaboration is a transformative tool designed to promote systemic change within the child welfare system. Amanda Preston and Lisa Shelbe have crafted an essential guide that not only sharpens the skills of current social workers and professionals but also equips future practitioners with the knowledge to forge meaningful collaboration with foster parents. The book is a powerful resource for anyone committed to reshaping the future of child welfare.