Sometimes difficult childhoods can drive people to become change-makers as adults. For Devon, that has meant fostering nearly two dozen kids with her husband James over the last several years. Together they have cared for infants, young children, school-age kids, tweens and teens. Through it all, they’ve provided support, guidance, and plenty of love. Amara
Category: Foster Care
Speaking of Change: How Parent and Caregiver Partnerships Can Help Children Thrive
“Relationships are what change people.” Shrounda Selivanoff, a parent and kinship caregiver who also is the Director of Public Policy at the Children’s Home Society of Washington shared this important truth as a panelist at our Speaking of Change conversation on “How Parent and Caregiver Partnerships Can Help Children Thrive.” Amara’s Speaking of Change
Speaking of Change in Foster Care and Adoption Series
We’re peeling back the curtain on foster care and adoption! Join us on March 30th from 12:00-1:00pm as we take a deep dive into what our foster care program actually does for kids and families, what makes Amara’s approach unique, and what we’ve learned as we’ve transformed our approach over the past decade.
Lived Experience Advice for Foster Caregivers During Back-to-School Season
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
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 licensed 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
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
Preparing to Meet the Needs of Children Coming into Foster Care
As many Amara foster families are aware, referrals for children needing foster care have changed significantly since March 2020. While this appeared to be due to the pandemic, we know now it’s more than that. Our counterparts at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) have shared that they are making concerted efforts to
Focusing on Amara’s Foster Care Service Area
At Amara we strive to ensure that everyone we work with receives quality professional service delivered with compassion and respect. We believe the hallmarks of quality service are integrity, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivity. We are committed to positive long-term outcomes for children, youth, and families. We promote healing, racial and LGBTQIA+ equity, and re-envisioning our