It’s exhausting being a teen in foster care. That exhaustion increases during the first few weeks of school. It’s important for foster caregivers to understand this and provide the teens and tweens in their care with plenty of “space and grace” as they navigate all the stresses of back-to-school, according to Korah Loyd, who spent
Category: Blog
Washington Will No Longer Pursue Parents of Kids in Foster Care for Child Support
The state of Washington will no longer attempt to collect child support payments from parents whose children have been placed in out-of-home care. The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families ended this practice as of September 1, 2022. A recent study found that referring parents to child support collection lengthened the time children
Amara in Community – South Seattle
When community cares for one another, incredible things happen. Our first Community Resource Giveaway event helped dozens of families get the supplies they need for back-to-school and beyond. An additional 200 families got much-needed supplies like diapers and books, thanks to another nonprofit that attended ours to gather items for them. It was wonderful to
New State Settlement Proposed in Class-Action Foster Care Lawsuit
Youth in foster care and foster caregivers in Washington have an opportunity to comment on a proposed settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit involving certain youth in foster care and Disability Rights Washington (DRW), and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The lawsuit was filed to end multiple one-night foster stays and group
State Begins Child-Specific Licensing for Kinship Caregivers
The state is taking steps to make it easier for extended family and close family friends to receive monthly foster care payments when they care for children in foster care who cannot live with their parents. This kind of caregiving is called kinship care. It is often preferred for kids in foster care because these
Reunification Events Celebrate Families
“We’re here to honor your persistence and your triumph,” said King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson at King County’s Reunification Celebration July 22, 2022. Celebrating family reunifications is one of the highlights of our work with kids and families involved in the foster care system. Recently we participated in both King County’s and Pierce
Making It Work – Amara’s Latest Op-Ed
We are thrilled that Fostering Families Today magazine published an op-ed about parent/caregiver relationship building by Katie Biron, Amara’s program manager for our Family Connections Program. You can read the article online or in the summer 2022 print edition of the magazine. Here’s an excerpt: “When children see their parents and caregivers collaborate and communicate
Adoption Insights from Fulbright Scholar Jenni Tupu
“Mountains, moons, stars…they’re part of our DNA,” says Jenni Tupu, a Fulbright Scholar, Doctoral Candidate, Adoptee and Adoptive Parent who is working and volunteering at Amara as part of her field research on the impacts of adoption. “Adoption has shaped much of my life,” she explains. As a young child, she was adopted in a
A message of solidarity
As an open and affirming child welfare-focused organization, we at Amara stand in solidarity with women, girls, and all people who can become pregnant and their fundamental human rights to bodily autonomy and reproductive health care. The World Health Organization defines abortion care as health care. Today’s Supreme Court decision to end the constitutional right