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Capacity Building

CENTER FOR STATES

Listen as resource parents explain what it means be a support to families of children in their care rather than a substitute for parents, and the training and support networks that helped them through challenges. Parent storytellers discuss the collaborative relationships they forged with resource parents and social workers to achieve better outcomes for themselves and their children. Youth and young adults talk about separation from siblings and culture and their journeys to reconnect, the stigma of being in foster care, and the importance of supportive relationships and of speaking up.

Find foster care stories that best meet your needs by selecting filters on the left and use them with activities from the discussion guide to build understanding and connections between people as you advocate, inspire, support, recruit, train, and coach individuals and teams.

Showing 11 - 15 of 47 Voices of Lived Experience Stories
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This video highlights the story of a grandmother's experience as a kinship caregiver and her work managing the Kinship Connections peer mentor program in Rhode Island.

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This video highlights the story of a case manager for the South Carolina Department of Social Services and her work identifying and licensing kinship caregivers for children in care.

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This video highlights the work of the Deputy Commissioner of the New York foster care system and the kinship care strategies her agency implements.

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This video highlights the story of a foster care specialist and how her experience with her grandparents’ care helps her support and guide kinship caregivers.

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Highlights the beneficial role of agency support and encouragement to caregivers in ensuring effective foster parenting and successful reunification measures.