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The Foster Parenting Toolbox: A practical, hands-on approach to parenting children in Foster Care
Finally, a comprehensive parenting book for foster families!
What do you need to meet the needs of the children in your care? Each child will be unique and require a different set of tools in your toolbox. The Foster Parenting Toolbox is 464 pages of incredibly helpful information. Over 100 foster parents in the trenches, case workers, social workers, CASAs, GALs and judges contributed to this book to help all those on the child's team understand and work better with the children who are entrusted to their care.
Covering topics from newborns to teens and everything in between, this book will help not only foster parents, but be beneficial to those who work with foster parents: case workers, social workers, judges, CASA's, GAL s and others.
There are many ways agencies and those who work with foster children are using this book including:
- Showcasing it at a Heart Gallery as a resource for foster/adopt families
- Using it in support groups for post adoption education
- Having CASA workers read it to understand the perspectives of all the people on the child's team
- Sharing it family to family as there are no other parenting books like this just for foster parents
- Reminding themselves why they chose to work in this field
Over 100 professionals contributed to this project
Edited by Kim Phagan-Hansel, the editor of Fostering Families Today Magazine, more than 100 contributors have helped weave a stunning tapestry of advice specifically for foster parents and the professionals and case workers who are on their foster child's team. This 464-page book is an extension of the trainings offered by individual states. It s a top of the nightstand resource that offers today s foster parents access to a wealth of useful information from professionals in the field and successful foster parents in the trenches. One of the most important features is the voice of foster youth, woven throughout the book. That presence is a constant reminder of why each of us is committed to doing what is called the toughest job you will ever love. This is a book you won't read all at once, but come back to again and again.
Chapters include
- Why Foster
- Perspectives
- Transitions
- Teamwork
- Birth Family Connections
- Loss, Grief, and Anger
- Attachment and Trust
- Trauma and Abuse
- Family Impact
- Discipline
- School Tools
- Parenting Teens
- Nurturing Identity
- Allegations
- Respite and Support
- Reunification, Adoption, and Beyond
- Resources, Recommended Readings and Links
It's an indispensable resource that no foster family, case worker, judge, CASA or GAL should be without.
CEU quizzes are available for each chapter and are included in the back of the book. Check with your agency for compliance.
What do you need to meet the needs of the children in your care? Each child will be unique and require a different set of tools in your toolbox. The Foster Parenting Toolbox is 464 pages of incredibly helpful information. Over 100 foster parents in the trenches, case workers, social workers, CASAs, GALs and judges contributed to this book to help all those on the child's team understand and work better with the children who are entrusted to their care.
Covering topics from newborns to teens and everything in between, this book will help not only foster parents, but be beneficial to those who work with foster parents: case workers, social workers, judges, CASA's, GAL s and others.
There are many ways agencies and those who work with foster children are using this book including:
- Showcasing it at a Heart Gallery as a resource for foster/adopt families
- Using it in support groups for post adoption education
- Having CASA workers read it to understand the perspectives of all the people on the child's team
- Sharing it family to family as there are no other parenting books like this just for foster parents
- Reminding themselves why they chose to work in this field
Over 100 professionals contributed to this project
Edited by Kim Phagan-Hansel, the editor of Fostering Families Today Magazine, more than 100 contributors have helped weave a stunning tapestry of advice specifically for foster parents and the professionals and case workers who are on their foster child's team. This 464-page book is an extension of the trainings offered by individual states. It s a top of the nightstand resource that offers today s foster parents access to a wealth of useful information from professionals in the field and successful foster parents in the trenches. One of the most important features is the voice of foster youth, woven throughout the book. That presence is a constant reminder of why each of us is committed to doing what is called the toughest job you will ever love. This is a book you won't read all at once, but come back to again and again.
Chapters include
- Why Foster
- Perspectives
- Transitions
- Teamwork
- Birth Family Connections
- Loss, Grief, and Anger
- Attachment and Trust
- Trauma and Abuse
- Family Impact
- Discipline
- School Tools
- Parenting Teens
- Nurturing Identity
- Allegations
- Respite and Support
- Reunification, Adoption, and Beyond
- Resources, Recommended Readings and Links
It's an indispensable resource that no foster family, case worker, judge, CASA or GAL should be without.
CEU quizzes are available for each chapter and are included in the back of the book. Check with your agency for compliance.
872 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2012
89 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 22, 2016
This book will never look the same. Once you start reading it, corners will be turned down and post-it notes will stick out at odd angles. The spine will be cracked where it was laid flat to photocopy that inspirational page to post on the fridge. Like a well-loved teddy bear, this book will show its value.
That’s what happens when you bring together over 100 experienced contributors to write about the complex topic of foster care, kinship care and adoption. The Foster Parenting Toolbox is a comprehensive resource that provides 24-hour support from a superior panel of experts. Stories, articles and poems from social workers, caseworkers, foster parents, adoptive parents, birth parents, former foster children, CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates), therapists, psychologists and lawyers bring together a variety of perspectives from all aspects of the foster care spectrum.
A book like this is important because, as a foster parent, it’s easy to become trapped in my own bubble. Standing alone, my own views are reflected back at me until I can’t imagine another perspective. I have the same close circle of support who share my beliefs and may not challenge me as much as they should.
The Foster Parenting Toolbox reminds me of why I became a foster parent. Reading other foster parents’ stories brought me closer to my original motivation, and the quotes from the foster children reaffirmed my purpose. There is a balance to this book that treats all participants as ‘experts’ and values their perspectives equally. All these writers have come together to help us understand the unimaginable, however painful.
It would be difficult (and expensive) to obtain the knowledge and learn the strategies that are shared in this book by professionals. Instead of having to purchase a dozen books on specific topics, or attend numerous training sessions, this one volume has collected the best information and advice available. There are articles about child developmental stages, emotional health, attachment and the effects of abuse. This book also reinforces the importance of adults working together with the same goals: protecting, supporting and nurturing children.
Throughout this book, there is a theme of ‘taking care.’ Not only taking care of the foster children, but also caring for birth families and our families, and taking care of ourselves. Caring through discipline and advocacy, hanging on or letting go. Caring enough to have your heart broken, over and over again.
Through its writers, this book represents the sum total of hundreds of years of experience and wisdom. The information is essential for all travellers on the foster care journey. From individuals thinking of becoming foster parents to new foster parents to the experienced. From caseworkers to CASAs to GALs to anyone responsible for making decisions about our most vulnerable citizens.
The Foster Parenting Toolbox is cleverly laid out in smart chapters that helps the overwhelmed foster parent find that vital piece of advice, reassurance or inspiration quickly. EMK Press and Editor Kim Phagan-Hansel should be congratulated on championing this much-needed and very powerful resource.
Full Disclosure: I am one of the contributors to this tome, and I am honoured to have been included.
That’s what happens when you bring together over 100 experienced contributors to write about the complex topic of foster care, kinship care and adoption. The Foster Parenting Toolbox is a comprehensive resource that provides 24-hour support from a superior panel of experts. Stories, articles and poems from social workers, caseworkers, foster parents, adoptive parents, birth parents, former foster children, CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates), therapists, psychologists and lawyers bring together a variety of perspectives from all aspects of the foster care spectrum.
A book like this is important because, as a foster parent, it’s easy to become trapped in my own bubble. Standing alone, my own views are reflected back at me until I can’t imagine another perspective. I have the same close circle of support who share my beliefs and may not challenge me as much as they should.
The Foster Parenting Toolbox reminds me of why I became a foster parent. Reading other foster parents’ stories brought me closer to my original motivation, and the quotes from the foster children reaffirmed my purpose. There is a balance to this book that treats all participants as ‘experts’ and values their perspectives equally. All these writers have come together to help us understand the unimaginable, however painful.
It would be difficult (and expensive) to obtain the knowledge and learn the strategies that are shared in this book by professionals. Instead of having to purchase a dozen books on specific topics, or attend numerous training sessions, this one volume has collected the best information and advice available. There are articles about child developmental stages, emotional health, attachment and the effects of abuse. This book also reinforces the importance of adults working together with the same goals: protecting, supporting and nurturing children.
Throughout this book, there is a theme of ‘taking care.’ Not only taking care of the foster children, but also caring for birth families and our families, and taking care of ourselves. Caring through discipline and advocacy, hanging on or letting go. Caring enough to have your heart broken, over and over again.
Through its writers, this book represents the sum total of hundreds of years of experience and wisdom. The information is essential for all travellers on the foster care journey. From individuals thinking of becoming foster parents to new foster parents to the experienced. From caseworkers to CASAs to GALs to anyone responsible for making decisions about our most vulnerable citizens.
The Foster Parenting Toolbox is cleverly laid out in smart chapters that helps the overwhelmed foster parent find that vital piece of advice, reassurance or inspiration quickly. EMK Press and Editor Kim Phagan-Hansel should be congratulated on championing this much-needed and very powerful resource.
Full Disclosure: I am one of the contributors to this tome, and I am honoured to have been included.
June 10, 2024
Informative
The chapter on Family Holidays was the most important to me. I have friends who have become foster parents to their grandkids too. I think this book is a good starting point for anyone who is thinking about becoming a foster parent. As a foster parent, I cannot tell you how important our job is. Sometimes, there is no emotional support for foster parents and that’s where a book like this comes in handy. I recommend this book to all foster parents and to those thinking about becoming a foster parent. The personal stories are enlightening. Every kid has a different experience. There are quizzes at the end of the book for continued education credit.
The chapter on Family Holidays was the most important to me. I have friends who have become foster parents to their grandkids too. I think this book is a good starting point for anyone who is thinking about becoming a foster parent. As a foster parent, I cannot tell you how important our job is. Sometimes, there is no emotional support for foster parents and that’s where a book like this comes in handy. I recommend this book to all foster parents and to those thinking about becoming a foster parent. The personal stories are enlightening. Every kid has a different experience. There are quizzes at the end of the book for continued education credit.
Read
March 29, 2018Due back to the library so I didn't get to finish it.
Very informative. I'll be reading it through in the future.
Very informative. I'll be reading it through in the future.
September 17, 2014
This book should be on the shelf of every Foster Parent, CASA Advocate, Guardian Ad Litem and the professionals who work with them. Kim Phagan-Hansel (editor) has compiled the most complete guide available, which includes detailed and precise information. Woven among the practical and professional advice are the voices of foster parents and former foster children. The book is beautifully written and edited with a fine blend of explanations and strategies. Everyone who cares about children in foster care and everyone who cares for them will find this book essential and indispensable.
March 3, 2012
Definitive. Comprehensive. Covers all aspects of fostering.
January 15, 2022
Very helpful, if not a bit all-over-the-place, guide to foster parenting.
The Good: this book teaches a lifestyle more than it does a toolbox, but that mindset is helpful in practice. Reorienting your household from the perspective of trauma-aware family building and maintaining is useful and needed in real-world fostering situations.
The Bad: sometimes the hyping of the good things foster parenting does is too much. It can make one feel a bit uncomfortable when trying to get information on how, and not why, to do something.
The Interesting: less relèvent for this book (said without offense).
The Good: this book teaches a lifestyle more than it does a toolbox, but that mindset is helpful in practice. Reorienting your household from the perspective of trauma-aware family building and maintaining is useful and needed in real-world fostering situations.
The Bad: sometimes the hyping of the good things foster parenting does is too much. It can make one feel a bit uncomfortable when trying to get information on how, and not why, to do something.
The Interesting: less relèvent for this book (said without offense).
September 3, 2023
The title of this book made me think that I would come away with more actionable steps and ideas. This book had more of a “chicken soup for the soul” quality to it. Some snippets were better than others, but at the end of the day there was some value from hearing so many different perspectives about foster care.
Three stars
🏡🏡🏡
Three stars
🏡🏡🏡
April 6, 2018
I haven’t read the entire thing yet, but really enjoyed the sections on behavior and anger.
September 1, 2016
This book was useful, if overwhelming for someone just barely considering foster parenting. The big take-away for me is that foster parents (like regular parents) are really passionate about the things they bring to the table but that it would be impossible to incorporate all good ideas. Some of them even contradict each other! Still, reading about the perspectives of the people involved was certainly eye-opening.
February 16, 2012
Great book...especially since I contributed a chapter in it on Kinship Caregivers!
August 30, 2015
Useful collection of essays/articles for fostering/adoptive parents. Hefty but easy to read as each essay is at most a few pages long lots of good advice.
March 25, 2017
Super Helpful
This was by far the most helpful and insightful resource I've seen. Loved the combination of concrete strategies and tools mixed with personal stories
This was by far the most helpful and insightful resource I've seen. Loved the combination of concrete strategies and tools mixed with personal stories
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews