Letty

Letty was placed in foster care years ago. She began to behave poorly, lie, steal, and skip school. Her foster parents could not manage her behaviors and felt it would be best for her to be in a foster home that could. A few months later, Letty was again needing placement, and asked these same foster parents if they would be willing to give her another chance. The family was hesitant but was open to having her back if she agreed to work on her behaviors and attend school.  Letty agreed! Letty soon found out she was pregnant, and nervously told her foster parents. Her foster family embraced and supported her, and soon welcomed the new baby! Letty was determined to be a good mom to her baby and provide a better childhood experience than she had in her early years. Her foster parents described Letty as a changed person. She was courteous and respectful, honest, and regularly attending school. It was clear that she wanted a different way of life. She was goal-oriented and having the baby helped her become more focused. Her team was impressed with her changes and supported her choices. Letty decided that she wanted to be adopted by her foster parents and now has found her forever family!

 

Griffin

When Griffin was placed in foster care, his foster parents immediately noticed some medical anomalies. Griffin had no record of any known medical issues. Luckily both foster parents worked in the medical field and recognized that something was not right. Fast forward to a year later, Griffin was showing cognitive & developmental delays, not meeting his milestones, and was overstimulated easily resulting harmful behaviors. His doctors were concerned with what they were seeing; thankfully his foster parents were determined to figure out what was happening and learn how to help Griffin through these challenges. After many tests and procedures, they were able to determine a diagnosis. This answered so many questions! His foster parents worked with his medical team to get him the help he so desperately needed. They provided consistency and the safe, loving atmosphere that Griffin needed to thrive at home!

With permanency being the goal, many extensive conversations were had with the foster parents, biological family, state workers, legal teams and others. Griffin’s medical and legal team were concerned that a disruption in care would be detrimental to him. After much thought and discussion, his foster parents were given the green light, & Griffin’s adoption was finalized!

 

Shae

Shae is a teenager and is severely medically fragile. She needs care nearly around the clock, which her caregivers have provided since she was placed in their home as a toddler. Shae will be turning 18 soon and her caregivers want to continue to care for her long-term, but adoption is not a feasible option due to the extent of her medical needs. Much thought and planning has gone into figuring out a permanency plan that will accommodate Shae and the caregivers’ needs. They are in the process of getting their home licensed as an Adult Living home, as Shae and the other children in their home are entering adulthood. However, they cannot have foster care and adult home licenses at the same time, nor can they be Shae’s legal guardian and her Adult Living home provider. Caregivers were told someone else close to the family could be given legal guardianship of Shae so that she could remain in their home in extended foster care until the guardianship and adult home license are finalized. The caregivers’ daughter, Alaura, who has cared for and been a part of Shae’s life since she was placed, has graciously agreed to be Shae’s legal guardian. What has always been a big, happy family, will continue to be so, and Shae will be loved and cared for as long as needed!

 

Andy & John

Andy and John were placed together in a wonderful foster home for two years. During that time, the children were able to remain in their   appointed school as they had hoped. Their foster parents saw that they continued to be involved in their desired sports and attend   drivers education. The foster parents encouraged the boys to be involved in their Native American customs as well. After returning to a family member in another state, the children even attended a Native American conference. These foster parents have continued to have a good relationship with Andy, John and their relative. The encouragement that these foster parents provided, as well as their desire to work with birth family in a kind and constructive way, helped Andy and John have a positive with foster care and exit feeling loved and supported!

 

Laura

One of our Case Managers, Laura, wanted to share her experience about the power of making lasting connections with the youth we work with. About a year ago she was assigned a BRS WRAP for little girl. At first this little girl was extremely shy. She kept her distance from Laura and was not quick to engage in communicating with her. When meeting a child for the first time, Laura usually brings a small toy with her to break the ice. When the opportunity came up during the visit, Laura told the little girl she had something for her. She cautiously looked up at Laura for the first time during the visit and Laura handed her a doll. The little girl was so excited! It was a fashion doll with two outfit changes: one unicorn & one mermaid. The little girl then spoke for the first time during the visit and asked, “How did you know unicorns and mermaids were my favorite?” For the remainder of the visit, this little girl was bubbly, spoke to Laura and even played with her.  Laura continued to connect with her over the next several months, often while coloring and chatting during their time together.

The little girl ended up moving homes out of the care of our agency for a period of time. When CFSF was contacted to work with this youth again, Laura was excited to be able to be a familiar face during a time of many transitions for this little girl. When Laura went to visit her, she was again very shy and hiding. The little girl   cowered behind her caregiver and wouldn’t look at Laura. Laura told her she had worked with her before and had brought the same coloring book she had brought to previous visits to work on together while they chatted. The little girl finally looked up, and as she recognized Laura, the worry of meeting yet another new person quickly disappeared. A familiar face was what this little girl needed to calm some of her fears and rekindle a therapeutic connection! Sometimes it is the little personal connections made with our youth that make all the difference!

 

Jackson

Jackson was placed in a foster home recently. He has known the foster family for many years. He has been doing well in this placement and was in need of a computer and thankfully do to Laptops for Success through Famous Footwear & Ticket to Dream, we had a brand new one available for him!  He is getting A’s and B’s in school and will use the computer for school work.  Jackson recently been dealing with the unexpected and tragic death of a family member and his foster family has been such a great support to him working with his grief and loss.  In spite of the tragedy, Jackson is showing positive steps of growth, maturity, and responsibility.

 

Pete

Pete came into his foster home with very little trust towards his Social Worker and Case Manager and was closed off with his foster family. He seemed to view them as barriers for returning home rather than people he could turn to with questions and fears. Pete would shut down during home visits and would purposefully show that he was not interested in listening to what they had to say. His Case Manager reported that at her most recent home visit, she sat down with him to have a very blunt conversation regarding her role in helping his voice be heard. She explained that she and the Social Worker could not know how he is feeling or what he is wishing for if he does not speak up.  She explained that they are not there to be a barrier but to be advocates for his needs. This was the first conversation where Pete sat and listened without fidgeting, rolling his eyes or walking away. His foster parents reported that this is the first time they have witnessed him listen to what was being said. He appears to me more comfortable in his environment now and is accepting his foster family as people he can trust and a place that he can call home. He wrote his name on his bed and dresser and he has begun opening up with his foster family. While some may find annoyance to see their furniture written on, these foster parents were thrilled because this meant that he was identifying belongings as “his” rather than just a place he was sleeping.  Patience, persistence and empathy from all involved paid off!

 

Thomas

Thomas was 17 when he moved foster homes. In his previous foster homes he was stable but not thriving. In this new new foster home,  he bonded with his foster parents and brother. He was feeling encouraged and loved. Thomas felt very supported and cared for in a way he hadn’t previously. After turning 18, he signed up for extended foster care and continued to excel. Thomas found a good paying job and is now living in his own place!

 

Olive

When Olive came to the one of our foster homes she was expelled from school, actually she hadn’t been in school for quite sometime. We assumed she would be way behind and have a long road ahead trying to catch up. Fast forward a couple weeks and she is currently enrolled in school, doing age appropriate work with no IEP, passing all her classes and has even joined one of the school sports teams! Way to go Olive!!! Keep up the hard work!

 

Deidra

When Deidra was first placed in her foster home, she would have melt downs whenever our case manager or any other worker came to visit the home. She would throw herself on the floor, cry and scream. This is because she thought they were going to take her to a different home. Deidra had been moved around a lot and was a pretty traumatized little girl. Foster mother was diligent in reassuring her that no one was coming to take her away. She was very patient with Deidra and continues to work with her on breathing through stressful moments. Deidra has been in the home for close to a year now. Thanks to this consistency and the continued support of her foster mom, whenever workers come to visit their home, Deidra no longer has melt downs! Instead, she is excited to show workers her toys and interacts with them positively!

From Dori:

I just had a health and safety inspection with one of my homes where the foster parents shared that both the kids have been doing so great in school and they love school. The girl, in kindergarten, is making many new friends and is reading short books. The boy in preschool, who was speech delayed, is doing great in speech therapy and is speaking in 4-5 word sentences now! These children have been in this home for a little over a year. This is such a wonderful story showing how stability, nurturing and love can have such an impact on children’s lives.

–

From Celeste:

As the Activities Director of CFSF, I have had the opportunity to attend many of our events and activities across WA state.  I have to share one of the most joyous and fun activities I recently was able to be a part of.  We just had our Omak Christmas event which was held outside at a park due to Covid. Our Eastern WA staff worked hard to put together Christmas gifts for not only our foster children but the foster parents’ children as well as for our foster parents. We even had a Santa at the event who was one of our staff members’ husband. It was so sweet to see the children’s happy faces as they received presents. One boy’s eyes lit up as he was given a stack of presents. When one of the families arrived, their youngest foster child ran up to Santa with the biggest smile on his face.  And if this wasn’t enough, people who live in the Omak area saw Santa and came by to take pictures. We even had a grandmother see us out there and she went back to get her grandkids so they could take pictures with Santa. I’ve been with CFSF for over 17yrs and I have to say this is one of the best experiences I have ever had. What an amazing staff who was able to bless our foster kids, our foster parents and their kids, and even some of the community of Omak.  This event embodied what CFSF is about.

–

From Cory:

At one of our recent Christmas Drive Thru events, the kids were adorable!! One worked so hard to make Santa beautiful gifts, complete with fruit snacks, a walnut and a chip! A family driving by saw Santa and pulled over to get a picture and then an hour later came back with their daughter who was in Mexico on FaceTime because when she heard the others got to see Santa she began crying. They wanted to include her as well! There were even a couple of other families from the Omak community that came by to see Santa too. Such an amazing day!!

–

From Kari:

One of my families adopted a sibling group of 4 in September. My understanding is that Jimmy was originally placed in another home and my family fell in love with him at church. My family became licensed and took placement of him and then his sister, Joanie, a few months later. Then in December, two more sisters, Jill and Linda, came into the home. The family have enrolled all four kids in various activities, from football to voice lessons, cheerleading, and Ninja warrior classes. They are now one big, happy family.

–

From Celeste:

In my many years at CFSF, I have worn different hats and recently I started helping out with respite. It’s been such a blessing to see how our foster parents who do respite are such giving people and what a much-needed service to our foster parents that are tired, need a vacation, or have life events that just come up. Recently we had a very long respite to find someone to care for two little ones within a 2-day notice timeframe before it began. We reached out to different families and one of them, who has been a lifesaver, said they could do half of the respite. We also worked with the State, who found a foster family to do the other half. It was truly teamwork. And just within this last week, we had a foster family who needed respite as the family needed some medical procedures done. One of our homes really wanted to care for the 2 little ones, and our CFSF licensor worked with the Department to get an approval for the home to take the kids. It was a great blessing to see how this respite came together, knowing the needs of the respite family and the importance of the medical needs to be addressed for the foster family. We can’t tell you how important the role of respite is for foster parents.

–

From Emily:

JA came into one of our BRS foster homes almost two years ago. He had been having challenges in school with his grades mainly D’s and F’s. JA also was involved in physical and verbal altercations with other youth from the group home he was coming from. During my first meeting with JA, we were being cursed out within about five minutes. JA didn’t like meetings at all. Through listening to JA and learning about his hobbies and what he did want to talk about, the team was able to keep him engaged in meetings, and JA also learned to express in a more positive manner how to leave meetings if he did not want to be there. He still did not like most meetings but would participate for a few minutes and then ask if he could leave instead of yelling and cursing.

Over time he settled into the foster home well. He got along with the other youth, who all mainly kept to themselves, and when he would get frustrated, he was able to go to his room and de-escalate. He helped the foster parent around the house and was always open to any sort of redirection. Multiple different youth moved into and out of the home during JA’s stay and he has always done well with the changes. He was even engaging in conversation with some of the more recent youth and was open to feedback from a peer about his hygiene.

He had been getting settled into school and starting to improve his grades when COVID hit. He struggled at first with the online learning and having to learn how to complete his schoolwork at home, but he did well at talking to the foster parent and utilizing the other supports such as his treehouse advocate. JA continued to improve his grades and graduated high school with A’s and B’s this summer. After graduating JA was able to talk about wanting to find employment and has been receptive to working with his SW to refer to DVR.

JA also has a very strong connection with his grandmother who lives in Aberdeen, WA. This relationship is extremely important to him and CFSF was able to arrange transport for him to visit with her every other weekend, and longer on holidays for his entire stay in the home. As of this Friday JA will be moving in with his grandmother as an EFC placement and living with his family that he has desired.

–

From Ellie:

CFSF employees recently had the opportunity to go “the extra mile” in support of one of our birth mothers. This mother was entering treatment and would be missing a visit with her children. Come to find out, the mom had been mistaken on her dates. She really wanted to see her kids before entering treatment. With a great amount of scrambling by her State Social Worker, CFSF Case Manager, CFSF Director of Case Aide and a dedicated Case Aide, the visit was quickly rescheduled. Mom was very happy and felt supported as she went into her program. We know this visit meant a lot to her and wish her success in her treatment.

–

From Cassie:

Joe has been in his current foster home for almost 2 years. Over the last year he has worked hard to lose weight and get to a healthy weight for his body. He has lost a total of 45 pounds and has learned how to cook healthy meals for himself. He really enjoys spending time in the kitchen and learning new recipes.

On top of his weight loss, this last year he turned 18 and entered extended foster care. He is set to graduate high school in June. He is the first in his biological family to graduate high school! After graduation he will be leaving for Job Corps to become a lineman. He has accomplished so much in the last year and has great goals and ambitions for his future.

–

From Celeste:

Charlie has been with his foster family for over 10yrs. He has high functioning autism and is now 20yrs old.
Charlie is an incredible young adult. He graduated from high school and is now attending college working on getting his Associate’s. Prior to Covid, Charlie mastered riding the public bus, getting himself to and from College.
Charlie is a very talented musician and singer. He was brave enough at one time to stand up in his high school lunch room to sing a song. His school asked him to sing at their high school graduation. Because Charlie liked a Christian singer his foster parents entered him into a contest to meet the singer in person. Charlie won the contest and was able to meet him. It was a great moment.
Charlie is very motivated and decided he was going to start helping out at a horse rescue facility. The day he decided to do this, it was pouring down rain, and Charlie didn’t care. He worked all day and still continues to volunteer there.
Charlie is an inspiration to us all. He has overcome a lot in his life, but with the love and support of his foster family, Charlie is achieving his goals and has a bright future ahead of him.

–

From Katie:

One of my BRS youth, Janet, was officially adopted by her foster family; the first youth to be adopted out of BRS within my office.
Janet has been with the foster home for a little over a year and has come so far. She has a very different background from a lot of our kids. She was privately adopted by her grandmother as a baby and unfortunately her grandmother passed away when she was 12.
When Janet came to the foster home she was really struggling behaviorally and emotionally. I’ve watched her grow into a caring and sweet young lady.
Janet is very creative, she is currently teaching herself to draw. Janet loves having older brothers and really looks up to them. She also has a lot of fun playing with her little sister. Janet was so happy at the adoption. Both Janet and her Mom have stated that they knew Janet was meant to be their child since she came to the home and they are so happy it is finally official.

A boy was placed with one of our families when he was about 8 or 9 years old. He was in an elderly single foster mom’s home and came to love his foster mom like nothing I’ve ever seen from boys.
When he started acting out about 14 years old, his social worker talked with him about possibly moving to a new family that had other boys in their home. He was so torn because he wanted badly to move, but he felt responsible for this foster mom and felt she needed him and his help around the house. He asked if he could still be in contact with her if he moved and be allowed to help her if she needed him.
He was eventually returned home to his mom and I had heard he was doing well.
I think the success here is the strong attachment and concern this boy developed for his foster mother, and I am sure he carried that into his reunification with his birth mother.

–

This is about a former CFSF foster family who gave up their license. They had been licensed with us for 6 years and adopted three special needs children.
Mom is now enrolled at college to become a social worker!! She just started her classes. Mom said she will become licensed again down the road.
Very positive family, always willing to help.

–

Two siblings returned home to their mom in 2020 after being in their foster home since mid-2018. Foster mom has selflessly cared for these kids and provided an amazing home for them. What stands out to me is the way foster mom connected with bio mom and came alongside her in every way possible. Foster mom continually stayed in communication with bio mom, even when feeling taken advantage of.
Foster mom encouraged bio mom, gave her hope, and went with her to various appointments and never gave up on her. Foster mom also invited bio mom to various family events, including her in the lives of her kids.
Recently foster mom is offering to watch the kids on weekends to give bio mom some break time. This relationship is about as good as a foster situation could be. I believe that without this foster family, and their willingness to go way beyond what is expected, reunification would not have happened.

–

A youth was placed as BRS in one of our homes for about a year. When it was time for reunification his social worker asked if CFSF would do an in-home WRAP.
I started working with the youth and his mom weekly. She was very open and honest with everyone on her team about her struggles and needs. As a team, we all brainstormed ideas of how to help. Whether it was a car troubles or setting up IEP meetings. After about a month and a half, mom was able to navigate her and her family’s needs with less and less team involvement.
Around three months, mom was very honest with the team and explained that all the weekly meetings and services were starting to get in the way of her taking care of her family. At this point the youth was no longer having behaviors of theft; he had improved in school; there were no longer concerns about rough housing and mom was taking him to all his medical appointments.
After speaking with the team and with mom, we decided to close the WRAP. Mom sent me a thank you email expressing her and her son’s appreciation.

–

Sally has been at one of our foster homes for over 6 years and now is in the Extended Foster Care program.
Sally struggled with poor self-esteem and really did not believe in herself. With the support of her foster family, Sally has made great strides in her life. She was on an IEP at school because of learning disabilities. She made the Honor Roll on a couple of occasions. She is learning to drive and bought her own car recently. She is now in college and recently made the Dean’s List.
She considers her foster family as her family and it has been great to see the growth in her confidence and her self-esteem.

Two sisters were placed into foster care during the summer of 2016, but were separated into different homes. Half way through their foster care, the sisters were able to be placed into the same home. The sisters thrived in their schools and had their medical/dental needs met. The foster parent and the mother started working together to attend to all the sister’s needs. The foster parent became a “mentor parent” to the mother and taught the mother consequences and reward techniques that worked with the sisters. The foster parent and mother used a team approach to parent the girls which included: telephone check-in calls, weekend visits and community outings that everyone attended. The mother worked diligently through her court goals and the sisters were returned to her just in time for Spring Break! The mother and the foster parent both convey that working together for the well-being of the sisters, helped the mother to regain custody of her girls.

“Morgan” came into one of our foster homes directly from inpatient drug and alcohol treatment at 14 years old Prior to that, she was fending for herself, barely in school and without anyone to push or encourage her. Her first few months, maybe the first year, in this foster home were rough. The foster mom was used to kids seeking out positive affirmation, hugs and wanting to stay in her home forever. This 14 year old was not like any kid that she had parented before. She was quiet, didn’t trust and was extremely guarded and angry. While her anger was understandable, it was often directed at her foster mom who was trying very hard to show her the love and commitment that a mother should. At that time, I was meeting with this child weekly and most of our time together was spent with me helping her understand her own communication style and flaws. Morgan also struggled with her grades. She had a team that met monthly to address her needs which usually included helping her communicate with her foster mom, finding out what her challenges were at school and addressing them, finding the right support group and helping her gain confidence to participate in social interactions outside of the classroom. Today, she is a happy 17.5 year old who is scheduled to graduate ON TIME with ALL A’s, she has a good group of friends and she is looking at colleges for the fall. I think what makes me the happiest when I think of how far she has come, is hearing her call her foster mom “mom” and knowing that she doesn’t love her birth mom any less and she will always love her, but she opened herself up to allow someone to love her and to believe in her. She isn’t sure yet if she will go to school locally or if she will go to school outside of the state, but when she goes off to college, she will always have a home to return to on weekends and holidays and a place to do her laundry! Thank you everyone who have been a part of her success!

The “Smith” children came into care early this past year and were placed in 2 different CFSF foster homes. Since being in care the children flourished with proper medical & dental appointments, Head Start services and stable living environments. Their paternal grandparents stepped in to become the children’s caregivers and became licensed foster parents in their home state. The grandparents flew up to WA state and the kids were transitioned to their care after 8 months of foster care. The CFSF foster parents, social worker, GAL, grandparents and the case manager worked together diligently to make the transition a positive outcome for everyone involved.

When “Ava” was born she tested positive for drugs and shortly after her birth exhibited withdraw symptoms. Around two months in age she was placed in one of CFSF’s long term foster homes after her previous placement was unable to continue to care for her. In spite of her early childhood circumstances and with the loving support of her foster family, Ava is a happy and healthy two year old with a forever family of her own!

“Paul” has been in the care of one of our amazing homes for over 7 yrs. He came to the home right before he turned 12 yrs old and was a child with a whole list of challenges that would be tough for anyone to overcome. Paul is also autistic. Paul is a very determined individual. With the help and guidance of his foster parents, he started volunteering at a local thrift store. This gave him incentive to start volunteering at other places including another thrift store and a separate retail shop. Paul then wanted to get a job and applied at a restaurant. He started working there when he was 16 yrs old (He is now 19) and still works there today. He is hoping to find other employment and continues to apply for other jobs while he maintains his current job. His foster parents even helped him open a bank account and he now has saved a considerable amount of money. Paul earned his driver’s license this past year and bought his own car with the money he has earned working. Paul also graduated from High School this past year. It’s pretty amazing to have seen Paul grow up and mature over the years. I can’t tell you how proud I am of him and what a great blessing it is to have this foster family as part of our agency. This family has done such an awesome job sticking by this young man and encouraging him along the way.

“Steve” was adopted September 2016 . Steve has been in foster care for the past thirteen years! Steve experienced significant psychological and traumatic events which left him with many unanswered questions very early in life. Steve experienced over fifteen placements, including a failed adoptions in other foster homes prior to being placed with CFSF. With Steve’s history and at his age, it could have been very easy for him to have become another negative statistic. He could have easily fallen through the cracks.

However, through much help, love & support, Steve learned skills to work through many issues to become who he is today. He is a healthy, handsome young man who is getting great grades while participating in multiple sports. He is bonded to his new family and has learned to communicate his feelings with his mom and dad. He is well liked in school, has many friends and is quite sociable. Steve is a special young man that has impacted others so much that four families contacted Child and Family Services wanting to become licensed specifically to adopt Steve! One of them, is now his forever family!

Steve is a GIANT success story! But without everyone who touched his life over the last, almost thirteen years, his story may not have had a happy ending. Much more can be told, but suffice to say; to every one of you that had a role in Steve’s life, whether big or small, you made a difference!

“Laura” was born drug exposed and premature. Her future health and development were uncertain. Laura’s foster parents were able to take her into their home after she was discharged from the hospital. Laura began to thrive and gain weight in her new home. She was loved and nurtured by her new family and was provided with everything she needed to grow. Laura has since hit every milestone and shows no sign of health or developmental issues. Today, Laura is a VERY happy and vibrant two year old. Congratulations to Laura and her family as her adoption is now official!

“Sam” was placed in one of our therapeutic foster homes back in December 2013. He came from a group home with significant behavioral concerns. Sam quickly adjusted to this home and began to thrive. He gained greater control over his behaviors, completed mental health therapy, became physically fit (previously he was overweight) and found dedication through ROTC in school. Sam has transitioned to a pre-adoptive placement where it is expected he will remain for the remainder of his childhood. What a great outcome for this young man who has overcome so much!

One of our amazing foster families was called after normal business hours to take in two young girls new to care. These children were living in horrible conditions with drugs, guns and feces laying on the floor of the home. This foster family took them in, washed their things while they slept and provided excellent care for them. Amazing people making a difference for kids! Thank You!

“Bella” was placed in one of CFSF’s long time foster homes at 3 days old, straight from the hospital. Bella’s mother tested positive for drugs at the time of her delivery. Despite the exposure she endured, today, Bella is a thriving, happy, healthy and loving little girl, with just the right amount of 2 year old attitude! This CFSF home and family are the only ones she’s ever known. She is flourishing in their care and is absolutely “at home”. Much thanks goes out to all those that have helped make this happy ending a reality for both Bella and her forever family!

“Derrik” came into the CFSF program involved in a gang and would refuse to wear the color blue. He would start fights with anyone who wore blue. After a few months he was able to give up his red t-shirt and replace it with different colors and brands-but still refused to wear blue. Derrik got involved in the family’s church, designed t-shirt logos for the church’s Pastor and did odd jobs for the neighbors. He would joke about walking at his high school graduation ceremony in jeans and a t-shirt because the school color was blue. At least he was talking about finishing school! Because of a lot of hard work and dedication by his foster parents, Derrik turned 18 no longer identifying himself as a gang member. Derrik graduated high school-ON TIME- and proudly walked in his graduation ceremony…in a blue cap and gown. He now lives with a couple friends and has three jobs using the construction skills he acquired from his foster dad.

“Charlie” is moving back home to live with his mom after being in foster care for quite some time. Charlie’s mom was not equipped to care for him with the special needs he had. Charlie’s mom was enrolled into a program that helped her get her GED and the additional education she needed in order to care for and support her child.

“Chris”, not quite two years old, was placed with one of our Foster Families late last fall. She was placed with this CFSF Foster Family in order to be in close proximity to her biological parents who immediately began participating in services they needed in order to have Chris return. This Foster mom was very supportive of the biological parents and the work they were doing to reunite with their child. She was comfortable with parents attending Chris’s doctor appointments when she had them. Chris’s biological parents worked hard to engage in services and eliminate safety barriers that prevented Chris from returning home. It was determined the biological parents had done enough to safely return Chris home with an in-home dependency in place. The only remaining barrier was that Chris’s parents needed a more appropriate car seat for her safety, but they were lacking funds to immediately buy one. At the FTDM, these amazing foster parents volunteered to buy Chris a new car seat as part of her Christmas gift so that she could spend her Christmas with her mom and dad. Chris was returned home yesterday after only a couple of months in foster care. CFSF is so blessed to have foster parents who love these kids and want the very best for them!