I have been working in the Child welfare system in Florida for about ten years now. Within those ten years I have worked as a Dependency court, Court Reporter, a Child welfare Licensing Counselor, Child Welfare Case Manager, and now as a manager of the Family Finder Program. I am currently teaching families classes who are interested in becoming foster parents. I also teach women who have been rescued from Domestic Violence.  

 

 

On August 15, 2022, I began my journey to obtain my Mater’s in Strategic communication.  I would like to obtain this degree to explore how media views the less fortunate. I would also like to explore how I can bring position attention to the child welfare system, and the extreme need for media attention towards recruiting and obtaining Foster Parents. I would like to check in weekly to dive in to explore ways to bring media attention to this need.

I would like to use this blog as a platform to discuss barriers that prevent us from looking at different social classes equally. I also, would like to analyze if this is a learned behavior, or if this is a barrier due to culture competency. This term I would like to be able to go from analyzing barriers within the child welfare system. To being able to Synthesize ideas to assist in recruiting efforts. I Would like to discuss this weekly and do this no later than Thursday nights.

This is the first week of Jantel’s Tales can be located at Jantel'z TaleZ Exploring Leadership and Communication Strategies (jantelztalez.blogspot.com)   Please search and spread the word. I am open to all ideas. I live in a southern state, so some of my views on the Child Welfare system may be different from some of my viewers states. While I hope this will bring different views and opinions here to open a broader discussion. The goal is to be able to review and assess those differences to do what is in the best interest of children misplaced all across the world.

I am still a part of the late Majority when it comes to news. I love to speak with people in person, or over the phone. This blog will be a new way to discuss my opinion, and the opinion of others when it relates to the topic of the Child Welfare System and how the community can assist the direction of recruiting foster parents. Passing out Flyers or inserts in newspaper seems to be the way of the dinosaurs according to this week reading. Even when I attend vendor events or other recruitment events. You must have some type of candy or give away at your vendor table to even get vendor goers attention. It is the same for the newspaper readers. The Innovators are not picking up papers to read they want the instant gratification of knowing they can get digital alerts to their media devices that they typically keep close by.

Within the child welfare system, the Diffusion systems is now when a group of veteran foster parents are in a Facebook or social media group. To the untrained eye these groups can look like platforms that are discussion factual and evidence-based information as it pertains to the child welfare system. However, to the trained eye these groups are Foster Parents that are venting, discussing resources and up and coming events. If this Diffusion method is used to discuss and recruit newer foster parents, it can sometimes be a deterrent if they are venting down or complaining about the child welfare system. If these groups began discussing the need for stability within the system and how they can effect change and bring new ideas to the table these groups will be able to be the number one recruiting tool.

            The Social System of child welfare is that all Professionals are there to find stability for children and families. How to secure and maintain foster families we have to dive deeper into the five stages of Innovation. Knowledge of becoming a foster parent is not always easy to obtain. As I drive the streets in my community I see advertisements for local Lottery, the decrease or increase in gas prices, or the local special for the nearest pizza joint. However, I never see an advertisement for the need for Foster Parents. The Knowledge is missing, not only do local community goers not know there is a need, however, they do not know how to begin. As a recruiter, I try to provide knowledge no matter where I am. Either, in a personal or professional setting I try to bring awareness to this issue. We must motivate people want to because foster parent. Once they have the knowledge then that motivation comes from them knowing there is need for them. We do this by providing stats of how many children are currently in care. We also let them know that there is a monthly incentive. Bringing awareness on how they can help break generational curses and provide they child a fresh start after trauma. Once the Knowledge is there and they know the need is there, then as a recruiter we have to they try to persuade a potential foster parent to not cause any additional trauma. A foster parent would never knowingly cause a foster child additional trauma. According to Children and Youth Services Review, “sibling connections are extremely important to children in out-of-home care and, apart from situations where sibling contact will cause trauma or disruption for the children, professionals should make every effort to maintain sibling relationships (Piccus, 2005)

            Trying to Persuade a new foster parent who has never fostered or been a parent. Trying to persuade them to keep a sibling group of 3 or more children can be difficult. This then adds to us trying to persuade regular people without children to become foster parents. During the Professional Parenting Training this is discussed. Trying to persuade these foster parents becomes somewhat easier once they hear that separating them causes trauma. Once those foster parents have been provided the knowledge of how to become a foster parent. Then educated or persuaded on why they should keep sibling groups together. Once those foster parents are licensed, they we must Implement the importance of stabilizing those children.

 


Buckner. (2019, April 10). Buckner. Retrieved from Buckner: https://www.buckner.org/blog/sibling-separation-in-foster-care-an-impetus-for-change/#:~:text=The%20emotional%20pain%20experienced%20by,guilt%20and%20loss%20of%20identity.

Piccus, M. A. (2005, July). Children and Youth Service Review . Retrieved from Elsevier: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740904002646

 

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