Webinar Recap: Importance of Maintaining Contact with Kin, Culture and Community for Youth in Foster Care
See the presentation slides here.
In this webinar, Dr. Adrienne Kennedy and Tara Roberson, trainers at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, highlight the critical importance of maintaining connections to kin, culture and community for youth in foster care.
Dr. Kennedy and Roberson discussed how preserving these essential relationships can help mitigate trauma, promote healing, support cultural identity and maintain sibling bonds. They also addressed common misconceptions within the child welfare system around preserving these connections, emphasizing the positive outcomes when youth voices are genuinely heard and respected.
Below are the practical strategies shared to help child welfare professionals overcome barriers:
- Prioritize kinship care
- Use a family-centered approach
- Incorporate diligent search
- Preserve family bonds
- Connect to community support
- Implement child-focused recruitment
Through our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program, the Foundation supports the hiring of recruiters who implement an evidence-based, child-focused model to find the right family for every child in their care. This model emphasizes the child’s voice in their permanency planning.
Child Welfare Professionals: Explore more resources to support your work to advocate on behalf of children lingering in foster care.